5 Brilliant Ways to Respond to Bad Writing Reviews
It’s a dream of mine. I’ll admit it. I just want to hop online someday to see a ton of glowing reviews of my books. But as plenty of writers will tell you, bad writing reviews happen. When they do, in one way or another, you have to choose how to deal with them. These are what I consider to be some of the best ways to respond.
1. Silence
Sometimes, people leave bad writing reviews for reasons that have nothing much to do with your writing. They’ll rip your manuscript apart just because they got home after a bad day to find the dog peed on their carpet. When a bad review is of this style, it’s OK to contact the review platform moderator and make an objective case for why they should take down post. You don’t want unwarranted bad reviews pulling down your overall ranking. But psychologically, staying mum and reminding yourself that their vitriol isn’t even about your book or article is the classiest, high-road thing you can do.
2. Gratitude
If there’s a grain of truth to what’s in the bad writing reviews you read, the best way to respond is to say thank you. Their feedback paves the way for you to address real issues in your writing. Subsequently, you can improve in the craft. Tell them you appreciate them reading your work and offering their perspective. Additionally, be clear that you will take their feedback into consideration as you continue your work. If it’s appropriate, be specific about how the reviewer’s feedback will influence your approach, processes, or future ideas.
3. Data
Reviewers can be misinformed or use poor logic, in which case it can be good to compassionately teach. You don’t have to tell them they are “wrong.” That will make them defensive. Instead, say you respect their perspective. Ask them if you can share some links to sources that have informed your concept or way of thinking. Tell them you are interested in what they think of that data and would be happy to keep the conversation going.
4. Request for civility/ethical engagement
If the review holds any type of personal attack or statement that could ignite unwanted controversy, explain to the reviewer that, although you welcome their feedback, you want to ensure that you and everyone else reading the reviews feel safe enough to have a good conversation around your work. Be specific not just about what you will not tolerate, but also about what is acceptable discourse. Want brownie points? Give a rationale for your boundaries and vision.
5. Compensation or offers
Publishing isn’t always smooth sailing. You might have issues like subscription tools giving the reviewer the wrong access, accidentally shipping to the wrong address, or a reader getting a damaged copy. These situations are a little different than a reader venting frustrations and biases. The reviewer is calling out a legitimately poor experience. Ideally, you want the review to be focused only on your writing. But you can make an effort to fix the problem(s) the reviewer identifies. If you consider writing to be your business (which it is!), this is basic customer service. When others see your response, they will be able to see that you have done your best to resolve the conflict.
As you publish more and more work, bad writing reviews will start to bother you less and less. You’ll understand that it’s OK not to please everybody and that poor reviews can be an opportunity to improve and connect. But the need to handle what you see with grace will not change. Commit to answering with integrity and readers will learn to respect not just your content, but you as a trustworthy person. That builds a loyalty no amount of advertising can buy.
Image credit:
Gerd Altmann from Pixabay