This has already gone viral and it happened this Monday. So perhaps you've heard about this. For new authors everywhere, be warned: when you get a bad review, do NOT respond to the reviewer. If you do choose to respond back, BE POLITE!
This writer's meltdown is a lesson for all of us. She's become a cautionary tale (in just two days!) of what NOT to do! Remember, the small-press/indie community is very small...it doesn't take much to go from nobody to notoriety.
http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/2011/03/greek-seaman-jacqueline-howett.html
7 comments:
Wow. I am absolutely floored by the conversation going on there. Wow. There's a polite way to address the issue, and then there's the way to make a guaranteed ass out of yourself.
I thought the review itself was fair. I've had the same experience with other books where the story was great, but the spelling and grammar were atrocious. When the formatting errors become part of the reading experience, I think (as a reviewer) you have to be honest in calling it out.
At the same time, I realise it's hard not to be defensive about something you've created, but you also have to focus on what's important (and what's hardest to get right) - the reviewer actually praised the story and the characters. Take that as encouragement, let those strengths carry the book, but heed the wake-up call and have a friend proof the manuscript. At the end of the day, that’s an easy fix.
how on earth did she think it was ok to freak out like that? if anything that reviewer said it was fun to read, it just had alot of typos. so now we know, PROOF READ!
I read about this amazing really. Talk about screwing yourself over. I had a writer respond to a negative review on my blog. I even posted asking people if I was wrong. She basically said I was the only negative review and the characters were not cardboard cut outs. Keeping in mind it was 40 pages.
Wow ! That is incredible that an author would respond that way. I thought the review was actually pretty decent towards the author. I read a lot of ARCs and even the best of them have typos, but there seems to be an overabundance of them in the work.
Wow. What a shame that she did that to herself. What goes on the internet, stays on the internet they say. That's probably true in this case.
Yeah, she stuck her foot in this one...
I'm blown away. I can't believe any writer would behave that way. Career suicide at its best. Considering going the ebook route myself, I have found good information on a variety of blogs - you need to have your book formatted for an ebook. I have also enlisted the help of an editor. It's our job as writers to put the best possible product out there. I posted a comment on Robert Walker's facebook recently, and asked the question - how do you handle negative reviews? He told me "I have found it best to ignore bad reviews." He learned the hard way.
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