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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Reviews

Reviews

The Perils of Responding to Criticism

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 14, 2023
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Recently, I read a news article about a general-market author who offered a negative response when a reviewer gave her four instead of five stars for her debut novel. She attacked the reviewer, calling her a name I shall not repeat here. The author expressed she was upset that the reviewer had ruined her perfect five-star rating. The author’s response resulted in a barrage of retaliatory one-star reviews, and the publisher pulling her book.

As you’ve seen me post here, a book with only five-star reviews seems suspicious. Did the author merely share the book with intimate friends and loving family members?

Every day, I read one-star reviews. Many are justified, while others are brutal. We must remember that angry people believe authors are a safe place to release emotions. The reviewer may not have liked the book but could also be using the platform to vent. Authors would do well to consider this when reading reviews.

Remedies? 

Don’t read reviews. While this is a guaranteed way not to be upset about one-star reviews (unless a frenemy lets you know about those), the discipline not to read any reviews is almost impossible to practice.

Learn from negative reviews. Everyone receives negative feedback simply by existing. Our job is to separate the helpful from the not-applicable and act accordingly. To share a story, for a brief time in high school, I wore a bright orange hat with a wide, floppy brim everywhere. One of my friends said, “I hate that hat.” While that comment didn’t make my day, I kept wearing the hat for several more months until I tired of it. So just because someone comments, you don’t have to act on it. Conversely, a review about a book’s errors or suggestions about pacing may help you become a better author next time, especially if that review reflects a strong consensus about your book.

Never react to an unsolicited review in public. Scream, cry, and vent to friends in private. But do not react to a review in public. Don’t thank people for nice reviews or even show humility by thanking them for bad reviews. The exception is when you are working with a reviewer to promote your book. Then it’s proper to thank that reviewer in public for kind words when appropriate. But regarding formats such as Amazon and Goodreads, where anyone can always comment on your books for any reason, don’t respond. By remaining neutral, you protect yourself and keep your fans out of any fuss.

Praise and slander are part of our industry and part of living. The less drama we live, the more peaceful and productive our lives will be.

 

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Category: Rejection, Reviews, The Writing Life

But They Missed the Point!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 25, 2021
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Sometimes rejection letters reveal that the reviewer may have missed the point of an author’s proposal. Upon rejecting a novel: Dear Author: Thank you for your submission. However, we are not seeking memoirs at this time. Or, upon rejecting a book of satire: Dear Esteemed Academic: Thank you for allowing us to review your dissertation on the merits of Hades. However, in October, we have plans to …

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Category: Rejection, Reviews

The Book That Changed My Life

By Bob Hostetleron November 7, 2018
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Books have changed my life, many times. The Bible has done so, of course, on an almost daily basis, as it has done for so many others. But, while it tops the list, other books have had huge impacts on me. Beverly Cleary’s The Mouse and the Motorcycle introduced me to the joy of reading. C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity and Josh McDowell’s Evidence That Demands a Verdict fueled my teenage spiritual …

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Category: Book Review, Career, Reviews, The Writing Life, Theology

Fakespot

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 7, 2018
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As a reader, I enjoy perusing book reviews. I usually start my assessment of a book by reading one-star reviews to see the worst the reviewers think. One-star reviews will tell me the book’s pitfalls and problems, and are less predictable than glowing reviews. I do read across the star rankings, though. The best reviewers across all the rankings provide lots of good information. I cringe when …

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Category: Reading, ReviewsTag: Book reviews, Reading

You Are Not Your Words

By Bob Hostetleron December 6, 2017
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Writers love words. That’s a good thing. But when we become attached to our own words, that’s a bad thing. I see it often in meeting with writers and offering critiques at writers’ conferences. The writer will hand me a piece of his or her work, “to see what you think.” I’ll look it over, and identify several things to compliment about the piece. And then I’ll make a suggestion for improvement. I …

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Category: Rejection, Reviews, The Writing LifeTag: Craft, Rejection, The Writing Life

The Curse of the Writer

By Steve Laubeon November 20, 2017
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Speaking from an agent's perspective...
I have more conversations with clients about their feelings of anxiety, apprehension or insecurity than almost any other topic. Almost every writer I have ever worked with as an editor or an agent severely doubts themselves at some point in the process.

Doubts occur in the midst of creation.
Doubts occur when the disappointing royalty statement …

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Category: Career, Encouragement, Faith, Inspiration, Reviews, The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Doubt, Editors, Get Published, Pitching, Rejection, Writing Craft, Writing Life

Why Do Professional Reviewers Dislike Bestsellers?

By Dan Balowon May 30, 2017
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One of the most interesting issues I’ve confronted in my years involved with traditional publishing is why some books sell well despite less-than-stellar reviews and why some with five star ratings barely move the sales needle. It would be similar to films which win Oscars or top honors at film festivals but are barely noticed in the marketplace. I recall attending a showing of a movie with my …

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Category: Book Sales, Reviews, The Publishing LifeTag: reviews, The Publishing Life

A Book Loved By Everyone Hasn’t Been Written

By Dan Balowon January 31, 2017
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There is no such thing as a book everyone likes and this problem is only magnified if it covers religion, politics, sports or anything else where people are deeply divided. If you think you are going to write a book, which unites all Christian believers worldwide, you better take a deep breath and realize no matter what you write, you will have detractors. While the Bible is the Holy …

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Category: Book Review, Reviews, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Faith, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

How to Post a Negative Review

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 5, 2013
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Posting a negative review is not the same as trashing a book. Sometimes you really are doing a service to let prospective readers know the book in question may not be right for them. Here are a few tips:

Be sure you rarely post a negative review. If you make a habit of posting bad reviews, you'll be known as a grump who hates everything and your words will lose their power.

Approach from a …

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Category: Reading, Reviews, TamelaTag: Book reviews, Reading, Reveiws

Avoid Trashing a Book Online

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 29, 2013
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When I'm thinking of buying a book, I do read the one-star reviews. There. I admitted it. But would I write one? No, and here are three reasons why:

The author is not a moneymaking machine, but a human. A mean reviewer won't see the fallout of posting a nasty review, but writers cry, get angry, sulk and fall into depressions over one-star reviews. It's not fair to use the Internet to vent at a …

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Category: Career, Reading, Reviews, TamelaTag: Reading, reviews
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