One Star
Every writer gets them: one-star reviews. Both First and Next Time have one-star ratings on Amazon and Goodreads. I knew going in that some people wouldn’t like my books. Heck, even I don’t like every book I’ve ever read. In fact, there are some I haven’t finished, which is not my usual way of doing things. I like to finish what I start. All that aside, the question becomes one of how I, as a writer, react to one-star reviews. I believe there are two answers to that question: how I react publicly and my private reaction.
Publicly, it’s pretty simple. I don’t react. What am I going to do, start a flame war with a stranger? Yeah, that’ll get them to change their minds. And to make a public nuisance of myself brings the wrong kind of publicity. The only thing that would be helpful is if those people left a text review and not just a rating. I’d like to know what they didn’t like and why the story didn’t work for them. Did they have different expectations than what the book delivered? For example, were they looking for a Highlander bodice-ripper time-travel story in Next Time, only to find out it’s set in modern times and the bodices are spared? I wish I knew.
The other response is how I respond privately. Look, I’m a pragmatic person, and like I said, I knew some people wouldn’t like the books. I really appreciate all the high ratings the books have received. Right now on Amazon, First sits at 4.4 stars with 140 ratings and Next Time at 4.3 with 74. On Apple Books, First is 4.5 (19 ratings) and Next Time is 4.4 (10). Goodreads shows 4.49 (71) and 4.41 (58), respectively. Overall, not too bad. Statistically speaking, the one-star ratings are outliers. I don’t let them ruin my day, just like I don’t jump over the moon at 5-star reviews. Even Tolkien has one-star ratings for Lord of the Rings, pretty much a classic. On vacation, I picked up a book called Subpar Parks, which got its origin from people who left one-star ratings for U.S. National Parks. It’s pretty funny and shows how some people are never satisfied. Which is something good to keep in mind.