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Insecure Writers Support Group

It's my first meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group!

Me: Hi, everyone, I'm Jen.

Insecure Writers: Hiiii, Jen!

Me: (mumbles) I've been stalking my Goodreads author profile for almost two years now, ready to pounce on a new review.

Insecure Writers: *nod*

Are YOU a review whore? I know I am. A positive review makes my day. A negative review bums me out. Thankfully I'm learning not to react as strongly, but it's still a challenge.

How do you handle negative reviews? YA author Beth Revis gives some great advice for dealing with haters HERE. (And hear about her friend who *gasps* HATES PUPPIES).

Now go check out what the rest of the insecure writers have to say by visiting founding member Alex Cavanaugh's blog HERE.


Purpose of the Group: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Comments

My way is to underuse GoodReads. My account is flawed and underdeveloped -- hence no reviews of my books. Amazon reviews seem to pack more weight with the buyers it seems.

John Locke says a negative review just means that person is not one of your target audience. His or her loss. Nice attitude if you can believe it! LOL.
Kyra Lennon said…
Negative reviews are something I am dreading, bur I know I'll get them. I'm considering not reading them at all lol!
Anonymous said…
Negative reviews are a learning opportunity. Yeah, I know. Blah Blah Blah. They freakin suck. But, you can find some happiness in the fact that you have something to review. I haven't made it there yet. Take the constructive things out of bad reviews and use them. If they aren't constructive, ignore them.
Heather Murphy said…
As a reader, any review is that person's perspective at that point in time. I don't know about you but my perspective varies daily! I wouldn't let it discourage you. I review books on occasion and I didn't particularly like the book, I don't post the review. If I do, I always make sure that it is written with as many positives as possible along with the negatives
LynnRush said…
I read all the reviews out there. The negative ones sting a little, but I take them all in and hopefully grow from them. I realize I don't love every book I read...doesn't mean it's a horrible book, just wasn't for me. So, I realize people are going to feel the same about my books and my writing. :)

Hang in there, my friend. :) Happy Writing.
Vikki T said…
Great first post hon :)

Just stopping by from the IWSG :)

I haven't published anything.....yet.....but I can imagine doing exactly the same when I do lol ;)

Xx
Jennifer Lane said…
Roland, I know a lot of authors who avoid Goodreads. Not only do they avoid obsessing over reviews, but some reviews there are so snarky that they border on character attacks. I've had a more positive experience interacting with readers there, fortunately.
Jennifer Lane said…
Kyra, I'll be interested to hear if you can avoid reading the negative reviews!
Jennifer Lane said…
Sydney, you're totally right...negative reviews mean that you're a published author so that's a great thing! I have taken constructive comments and made my writing better too--good point.
Jennifer Lane said…
Heather, and I find that if I don't like a particular genre, it's really hard for me to write a positive review even if the writing, characters, and plot are great. Seems like paranormal and fantasy are all the rage but I just happen to prefer real life stories.
Jennifer Lane said…
Lynn, very true! Sometimes I get angry when an author makes a choice I disagree with, so I understand passionate negative reviews too (once the sting wears off).
Jennifer Lane said…
Hey Vikki, thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement!
Nicki Elson said…
I'll take a negative review over a drive-by one star rating any day, know what I mean? At least when they take the time to review I've got something to go on.

But a favorable review is the very best feeling in the whole world. :)
Patricia JL said…
Good reviews make my day. Negative reviews are rough. I deal by walking away from the computer and whine a bit to my husband (*sad face* Someone didn't like my book. Can I get a backrub? lol) He nods and reminds me everyone gets bad reviews. I know they are part of writing so I get over it pretty fast.
Jennifer Lane said…
Nicki, I hear ya, homegirl. Those one star ratings leave you scratching your head sometimes. I do admit that didn't feel bummed by one critical comment--instead I laughed--when one reviewer called my hero Grant a "wuss". Hee hee.
Jennifer Lane said…
Patricia, hubs' back rubs sound like the perfect coping mechanism for blue feelings after a negative review. I vent on a private Facebook group, and that helps.
Cherie Colyer said…
Hi Jen. I'm new to the group too. :)

I do read reviews, but I haven't really stalked the different sites, except when I have a book tour going on. Because books are so subjective, I think everyone will end up with a bad review. If it's one or two, then the book probably wasn't for that reader. If comments follow a theme, then I think I'd try to keep that in mind when writing my next book.
I haven't had a bad review yet, so I'm not sure how I'll cope. I stumbled across a good one today - I set up a Google alert or I'd never have known about it!
Melissa said…
I'm still unpublished, so I haven't had to deal with reviews, but I've had some crits that were overly harsh and nearly as painful. Best of luck! :)
MJ said…
I hope to someday have something to review. :) Just stopping by from the IWSG! :)
-MJ
Yes, I do read my reviews. I look for a common thread of issues so I'll know what I need to work on and improve upon with the next book.
And welcome to the IWSG!
Johanna Garth said…
Wait, is there anyone who DOESN'T love a good review?? I don't think that person exists!
Daisy Carter said…
I'm unpublished, but I dread/can't wait for the reviews. I know I'll be stalking, too.
Julianna Scott said…
I already stalk Goodreads watching as people ad me to their 'to-read' shelves, I can't even IMAGINE how neurotic I am going to be when people are actually reviewing! I think I will just have to assume that everyone will hate it, then anything better than that will be gravy. :) That was my philosophy while I queried and it severed me well.
F. Stone said…
Hi Jen: I've had one "1" ratng and though I've had plenty of good reviews, that one "1" sticks out like a sore thumb. What bothered me was that the reviewer states that my book wasn't her kind of book. If it wasn't, why read it? Review ratings posted should be based on a specific, established criteria which evaluates how well the story was written. Seems to me the world of figure skating went through a similar growth period when the marking system was changed to be more objective.
Jennifer Lane said…
Cherie, that's excellent and what I try to do as well (when I'm feeling stronger):

"Because books are so subjective, I think everyone will end up with a bad review. If it's one or two, then the book probably wasn't for that reader. If comments follow a theme, then I think I'd try to keep that in mind when writing my next book."
Jennifer Lane said…
Annalisa, no bad reviews yet? You're blessed, girlfriend! I have Google alerts set up to try to catch pirates and sometimes that allows me to stumble happily across a review.
Jennifer Lane said…
Melissa, sounds like your critique partners are preparing your well for reviews after you're published! ;)
Jennifer Lane said…
MJ, thanks for stopping by! Hopefully you'll get negative reviews soon, ha.
Jennifer Lane said…
Alex, that's a good idea to look for a common thread in negative reviews. But even common threads might be completely contradicted by common threads in positive reviews! The subjectivity is all very interesting.
Jennifer Lane said…
Johanna, I guess an extremely critical person might not like parts of a positive review, but I can't imagine that either.
Jennifer Lane said…
Daisy, let's create a stalking support group when the time comes!
Jennifer Lane said…
Marian, just from reading some snippets of your writing, I know that the majority of your reviews will be glowing!
Jennifer Lane said…
Feather, I've found that readers who love paranormal don't tend to enjoy my novels as well for some reason. Maybe I try to dive into real world problems and there's no sense of escape for readers seeking that. I've also had readers who dislike romance novels try out my novels, which makes me scratch my head.
Andrea Teagan said…
If/when I am ever published I am sure I will be stalking my Goodreads profile too!

Andrea
Jennifer Lane said…
Andrea, good to know I'm not alone. :)
Unknown said…
Okay, this may sound like nothing since I'm at the moment, a no-novel published author. I've had other publications, magazines and such. But, I got a review for a YA story I wrote last year, published in Jan. 2012. It was overall, a good review. However, this soul made a comment that crushed my spirit. It really was a small thing, too. Since it was negative in thought, I was offended.

Then, an author friend of mine told me something I'll never, ever forget.

She said, "At least you have something published that's worth review!" (Omg, why didn't I think of that?)

And you know what? That's so true. From now on, I'll handle negative reviews with this in mind.

Welcome to the IWSG. :))
Jennifer Lane said…
Great reminder to remember our blessings, Candilynn, and thanks for the welcome. What an awesome group of authors!