It’s been a little less than two months since my debut novel Fake Fish appeared. I have been lucky enough to not only have the book discussed in journals such as Low Hanging Fruit Literary Magazine, Observant, and Women Writers and Women Books, but the reviews have been very positive as well. The novel was also chosen as a Scottish Book Week Debut Showcase 2024 by Publishing Scotland and Books from Scotland, a tremendous honour and recognition.
Several readers also took the time to post reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and other online reader platforms, mostly four- and five-star reviews. I’m immensely grateful that these people not only read my book but also took the time to write down their thoughts.
As all writers and publishers know, reader reviews can make a difference in whether your book sells or not. I read them all because I am curious to know what people think of the story I worked on for years.
However, according to some authors and publishing experts, this is not a good idea. After all, there will most likely be negative reviews too, or at least one or two things that readers dislike. One negative comment might sting more than all the praise can lift you up. It might even hamper your writing, or worse, cause writer’s block.
In Before and After the Book Deal (2020)—an otherwise very insightful craft book for authors on publishing, which I recommend—bestselling novelist Courtney Maum claims it is best to ignore reader reviews, as they tend to tell you more about the experience of the reader than the quality of your writing.
If you really must read reviews of your book, she argues, it is best to limit yourself to the ones written by professionals in literary magazines or newspapers.
In a Goodreads discussion on this topic, several reader reviewers also think it better for authors to refrain from reading the reviews on the platform, as they are not the intended audience.
Readers write these reviews for other (potential) readers, or sometimes even only for themselves to keep track of the books and authors they liked so far, which helps them pick their next read.
In his online blog, self-published author Ed A. Murray also warns against the pitfall of reading reviews: ‘Book reviews are much of the time simply unnecessary distractions to authors.
They serve an important role for readers and publishers, but for authors they shift the focus from writing to falling into an emotional trap, whether happy or angry. As an author, your job is to write. Editors will edit. Marketers will promote your book. Publishers will sell it.’
These are indeed valid concerns and remarks, and I don’t want to dismiss them lightly. But looking at the job of today’s author, Murray is wrong to assume it is singular. It isn’t only about writing (I wish). Whether self-published or published by an (independent) publishing house, as an author you will have to market your book too.
Reading reviews by readers can be useful for this. Besides, with most authors being active on social media it is unrealistic to assume that a writer will not see any reader responses. Rather than sticking our heads in the sand, it’s better to ask ourselves how we can make the most of them without being dragged down by potentially negative input.
Grow a Thick Skin
As I said, it is unlikely your book will be met only with praise, so it’s important to develop a thick skin. Remind yourself that a review usually reflects a reader’s subjective experience and what they like/dislike. Try not to take it personally. Not everyone will like your book, and that’s ok.
I know from experience that this is easier said than done. Coming from an academic background, I should be used to dealing with reviews: scholarly publications are always critically reviewed by peers, and courses and lectures are ranked and evaluated by students.
Being seasoned in receiving criticism did help me not to take all comments on my novel to heart. Still, it was at times difficult and it felt as if something more personal and intimate was at stake, which shouldn’t come as a surprise as writing fiction has been a far more personal experience to me than writing academic articles.
To cope with this, I find it helps to approach both the positive and negative comments as opportunities to reflect on my writing process, the positioning of my book, and for finding the right audience for it.
Reflect on Your Craft
For developing your craft and the quality of your writing, book reviews aren’t the first to-go-to option I would recommend. Professional writing schools, writing communities, and the agent, editor and publisher you work with will provide you with more helpful feedback.
Still, there might be something you can take away from reader reviews. For instance, sometimes readers might spot mistakes in your book (spelling, grammar, or a small plot hole), which you might be able to iron out in a potential second edition.
More interestingly, you can use reader reviews to reflect on your writing process. Based on the things that are highlighted in a review, you could ask yourself why you made certain decisions, and if you still stand by them.
Would you do things differently in the next book? What exactly? By reflecting on these questions you can refine your craft and gain more control over the process of decision making during writing. This in turn might help you grow more confident about your writing.
Positioning your Book Better
Most importantly, reader reviews tell you something about the kind of readers who like or don’t like your book, and what they like/dislike. This can help you to position your book better.
Looking at the reader reviews of Fake Fish for instance, it struck me that what readers like is strikingly the same: the fast-paced writing style, the realistic way in which the dystopian story is told, the ethical questions it raises about the (mis)use of AI, the relationships between the characters and the unapologetic way sex and sexuality are addressed, the unusual structure, the semi-open ending, and the layering of meanings.
Interestingly several of these aspects, such as the explicit handling of sex, the focus on character development, the layering of meanings, and the openness of the ending, are also what some readers dislike.
Taken together, these responses made me realise how important it is to stress even more that my book isn’t a conventional SF novel, but that it mixes genres by bringing together the literary novel and the dystopian one, and that it is indeed a novel for an adult audience.
So when people now ask me what my book is about and if I think it is for them, I make sure to mention this, saying something like ‘Don’t expect Star Wars, but rather Never Let Me Go’. (Of course, I can only hope for my writing to be as good as Ishiguro’s and I wouldn’t dare to claim that it is; I only to want to give potential readers an idea of the type of story they can expect).
Reach the “Right” Readers
Some authors only share reviews written by literary critics, but most of us will not be lucky enough to get a discussion in the New York Times or The London Review of Books. Even if you don’t, it might be a good idea to share reader reviews of your book on your social media.
It is not only a way to acknowledge your readers have taken the time to read your book and to care enough to leave a review; it’s also a way to attract and inform other potential readers.
Of course, you definitely want to post the positive reviews😊, and it might seem obvious not to post the negative ones. But if the criticisms in them help to make clear who your book is or isn’t for, you might still consider posting a negative review with a brief explanation of why you decided to do so.
That takes courage of course, and I am honestly not sure if I would be brave enough to do it, but I have deep respect for writers who do.
Don’t Refute
Whatever you choose to do with negative reviews—to ignore them, to share them—there is one thing to avoid at all costs: taking issue with or trying to disprove a bad reader review by responding or posting about it online.
Although you can benefit from reader reviews as an author, a reader review is about the reader’s experience. It’s not up to you to invalidate or validate that experience.
Each person will read your book differently, depending on who they are and what they have gone through in their lives. Once you have published a book it is out of your hands.
That may seem daunting, but there is also beauty in this, as each time a reader meets your book, they complete your story in a new way.
