My book got a terrible pan—within a review of another book—in the WaPo. They ran a HUGE photo of my book cover. And so many people congratulated me on the “great mention in WaPo!” It helps to know how few people actually read reviews in detail. 😂
That is an excellent point! going through the review point by point, refuting every single argument, only draws attention to things you want people to ignore.
I'm a long time book publicist. What I tell authors is, "Do you know what everyone likes? Vanilla ice cream. As soon as you add anything interesting to it - nuts, cherries, chocolate chips - you lose some of your audience. So be it."
I think it's OK to address it and how it makes you feel with your friends, family and fans. They will agree with and support you. But I would never (ever) suggest arguing with the critic.
I once had a bad experience at a bakery. I stood there forever before anyone helped me. I didn't like that there were no prices listed on any of the items in the case. I ordered a couple of things and was shocked at the high total, but paid it and left. I didn't want to get into it at the store.
When I got home, the "whoopie pie" I got was overly sweet and the cookies were not the typical soft ones I expect from a whoopie pie. The soft cookies that make a whoopie pie a whoopie pie. I literally contributed recipes to a whoopie pie cookbook. I know from whoopie pies..
I wrote a review on Yelp, and the owner of the bakery wrote back that the lack of prices was intentional, and that other people love the whoopie pies.
When it comes to responding to critics, I tend to think-Silence is golden. I endorse your stance of not even reading it and not engaging at all. And you are so right Sweet revenge!
Hi Jen—so if the review/reviewer said something false about your work…or completely mis-interpreted what one wrote;then I would be hard pressed to ignore that. Otherwise I think your take is a sound one. And I have loved -all-of your work. Thank you for sharing it with us
I think your strategy is a good one. I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older, no one ever taught me about protecting myself emotionally from the big bad rotten world out there. I’ve always just stood out in the hurricane and let it whip me around like a palm tree. Now, I’m a little smarter. I go inside and save myself the pain. I have boundaries now! It took me nearly 60 years to see them but now I respect them and I fight for them. No, you will not cross that line and cause me pain. I deserve better.
I don't see what an author could gain by responding to a critical review by a professional book critic, especially when working with a trusted and skilled editor. Even if one got a bad review in the Times, at least you were reviewed by the Times, right? Goodreads and Amazon.. well, personal tastes are personal tastes.
I read that Rebecca Kuang based one of her characters in Yellowface on a YouTube book reviewer; maybe that was an exception to the rule, or at least an interesting way to respond.
From a reader's perspective, I do rely on NYT and NPR to look for new authors (among other sources). I go to Amazon and Goodreads only when I really dislike a book and want to find out if it gets any better.
I'm reading Barbra Streisand's memoir now. She discusses at length the bad reviews she's gotten for everything from her movies to her albums to what she wore to Bill Clinton's inauguration! It strikes me that most reviewers are looking for details to reinforce their preconceived notions about a writer (or singer or film star).
Did you ever hear of the saying “the haters pay the bills”? If the article is being read online, people are sure to comment on it. The thing is the content of the comment isn’t what sets ad rates, activity does. If an author becomes outraged by an article & mentions it, people will be sure to look it up and maybe even comment. Those clicks as well as comment activity are what sets the ad rates. If a reviewer gets a huge pop in readership due to one article, I am prone to think that style of writing may be encouraged by the powers that be to impact the bottom line. My strategy would be to ignore that article & instead throw your same day attention to something positive in the publication that resonates with you. Write about it (without mentioning the negative review to your readers) & direct viewership in a more positive direction. This way, negativity isn’t fed & you’re spreading positivity instead! I also think there is something wrong with people that can attack a person’s work with such viciousness. Why do they feel they have the right to be so nasty? Is it because they want to somehow establish superiority over the person that actually does the work? That whole mentality reminds me of the quote from Joan Cusack in WORKING GIRL: “Sometimes I sing and dance around the house in my underwear. Doesn't make me Madonna. Never will.”
I choose books for many different reasons (yes, sometimes for the cover!), but reviews don’t even make the list. I’m more inclined to read a review after I’ve read a book, because at least it’s interesting to see what other people got from the story, good or bad. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have written a book and have people write negative things about it. As for Amazon and Goodreads etc, it seems that a five star review can mean anything from “most amazing book ever” to “there was nothing really wrong it.” And then you see one star reviews from people who couldn’t get their e-reader to make the text smaller 🙄. There’s a lot of noise out there. Most of us readers are just happy and grateful that authors share their stories with us.
I think there’s an important distinction to be made between a critical review that respects the work, which can (as you pointed out) still help it attract its natural audience, and a truly bad review that attacks the author or ignores the work’s context and intent. The latter might merit a rebuttal.
In my own NetGalley and Goodreads reviews I try to focus on what readers might like about a book. I usually won’t give a rating if I can’t see my way to giving 4 or 5 stars (exceptions for established works with many reviews). And if I can’t think of anything good to say, I won’t say anything at all. That way, I’m not boosting a book I didn’t enjoy by adding to its ratings, but I’m also not panning a book that someone spent months or years of their life writing.
I was reading this and worrying that my incident would come up. I've had it pop up over the years randomly (recently-ish on Reddit) and it's always a wild ride.
I understand some authors taking a stand against bad reviews - especially when something is as heralded as the NYT and/or when it's by a known reviewer who is biased against women. However, overall, I think your method is the best - stay away and move on.
After my incident I tend to review books a star above where I feel they should be bc I'm still so scarred from it all. I hate when I don't like a book and have to review it for NetGalley. It's so silly but it's wild how much that incident has changed me.
As my 98-year-old mother says, "Just smile and wave. Then continue on with what you do best "
I love this! And your mom sounds delightful. Happy Mother’s Day to you both!
Ha ha! Yes!
Ignore. Never get into a pissing contest with a skunk.
My book got a terrible pan—within a review of another book—in the WaPo. They ran a HUGE photo of my book cover. And so many people congratulated me on the “great mention in WaPo!” It helps to know how few people actually read reviews in detail. 😂
That is an excellent point! going through the review point by point, refuting every single argument, only draws attention to things you want people to ignore.
I'm a long time book publicist. What I tell authors is, "Do you know what everyone likes? Vanilla ice cream. As soon as you add anything interesting to it - nuts, cherries, chocolate chips - you lose some of your audience. So be it."
I think it's OK to address it and how it makes you feel with your friends, family and fans. They will agree with and support you. But I would never (ever) suggest arguing with the critic.
I once had a bad experience at a bakery. I stood there forever before anyone helped me. I didn't like that there were no prices listed on any of the items in the case. I ordered a couple of things and was shocked at the high total, but paid it and left. I didn't want to get into it at the store.
When I got home, the "whoopie pie" I got was overly sweet and the cookies were not the typical soft ones I expect from a whoopie pie. The soft cookies that make a whoopie pie a whoopie pie. I literally contributed recipes to a whoopie pie cookbook. I know from whoopie pies..
I wrote a review on Yelp, and the owner of the bakery wrote back that the lack of prices was intentional, and that other people love the whoopie pies.
Um.... cool? None of that changed my mind.
I completely agree with Lori Knowles and her 98-year-old mother. Smile and wave and keep moving forward.
Great post! Cannot wait for your next one :)
Love, love, love this week’s article, Jen. Keep them coming ☺️
When it comes to responding to critics, I tend to think-Silence is golden. I endorse your stance of not even reading it and not engaging at all. And you are so right Sweet revenge!
Hi Jen—so if the review/reviewer said something false about your work…or completely mis-interpreted what one wrote;then I would be hard pressed to ignore that. Otherwise I think your take is a sound one. And I have loved -all-of your work. Thank you for sharing it with us
I think your strategy is a good one. I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older, no one ever taught me about protecting myself emotionally from the big bad rotten world out there. I’ve always just stood out in the hurricane and let it whip me around like a palm tree. Now, I’m a little smarter. I go inside and save myself the pain. I have boundaries now! It took me nearly 60 years to see them but now I respect them and I fight for them. No, you will not cross that line and cause me pain. I deserve better.
I don't see what an author could gain by responding to a critical review by a professional book critic, especially when working with a trusted and skilled editor. Even if one got a bad review in the Times, at least you were reviewed by the Times, right? Goodreads and Amazon.. well, personal tastes are personal tastes.
I read that Rebecca Kuang based one of her characters in Yellowface on a YouTube book reviewer; maybe that was an exception to the rule, or at least an interesting way to respond.
From a reader's perspective, I do rely on NYT and NPR to look for new authors (among other sources). I go to Amazon and Goodreads only when I really dislike a book and want to find out if it gets any better.
I'm reading Barbra Streisand's memoir now. She discusses at length the bad reviews she's gotten for everything from her movies to her albums to what she wore to Bill Clinton's inauguration! It strikes me that most reviewers are looking for details to reinforce their preconceived notions about a writer (or singer or film star).
Did you ever hear of the saying “the haters pay the bills”? If the article is being read online, people are sure to comment on it. The thing is the content of the comment isn’t what sets ad rates, activity does. If an author becomes outraged by an article & mentions it, people will be sure to look it up and maybe even comment. Those clicks as well as comment activity are what sets the ad rates. If a reviewer gets a huge pop in readership due to one article, I am prone to think that style of writing may be encouraged by the powers that be to impact the bottom line. My strategy would be to ignore that article & instead throw your same day attention to something positive in the publication that resonates with you. Write about it (without mentioning the negative review to your readers) & direct viewership in a more positive direction. This way, negativity isn’t fed & you’re spreading positivity instead! I also think there is something wrong with people that can attack a person’s work with such viciousness. Why do they feel they have the right to be so nasty? Is it because they want to somehow establish superiority over the person that actually does the work? That whole mentality reminds me of the quote from Joan Cusack in WORKING GIRL: “Sometimes I sing and dance around the house in my underwear. Doesn't make me Madonna. Never will.”
I choose books for many different reasons (yes, sometimes for the cover!), but reviews don’t even make the list. I’m more inclined to read a review after I’ve read a book, because at least it’s interesting to see what other people got from the story, good or bad. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have written a book and have people write negative things about it. As for Amazon and Goodreads etc, it seems that a five star review can mean anything from “most amazing book ever” to “there was nothing really wrong it.” And then you see one star reviews from people who couldn’t get their e-reader to make the text smaller 🙄. There’s a lot of noise out there. Most of us readers are just happy and grateful that authors share their stories with us.
I think there’s an important distinction to be made between a critical review that respects the work, which can (as you pointed out) still help it attract its natural audience, and a truly bad review that attacks the author or ignores the work’s context and intent. The latter might merit a rebuttal.
In my own NetGalley and Goodreads reviews I try to focus on what readers might like about a book. I usually won’t give a rating if I can’t see my way to giving 4 or 5 stars (exceptions for established works with many reviews). And if I can’t think of anything good to say, I won’t say anything at all. That way, I’m not boosting a book I didn’t enjoy by adding to its ratings, but I’m also not panning a book that someone spent months or years of their life writing.
I was reading this and worrying that my incident would come up. I've had it pop up over the years randomly (recently-ish on Reddit) and it's always a wild ride.
I understand some authors taking a stand against bad reviews - especially when something is as heralded as the NYT and/or when it's by a known reviewer who is biased against women. However, overall, I think your method is the best - stay away and move on.
After my incident I tend to review books a star above where I feel they should be bc I'm still so scarred from it all. I hate when I don't like a book and have to review it for NetGalley. It's so silly but it's wild how much that incident has changed me.