Reviews are for Readers (Not the Author)
That doesn't mean they're right
The combination of social media, indie publishing, and full-time book reviewers has created a hotbed of animosity and drama in the last few years. In every instance, the conflict goes something like this:
Reviewer leaves bad or luke-warm review for a novel
Author responds to reviewer, telling them why their opinion is wrong
Other reviewers respond to author, criticizing the clapback
Author posts negative commentary about mean or bullying reviewers on social media
Reviewer vs. author pile-on commences, ending with one or all parties taking their accounts private for a while
All authors will get a negative review at some point and they can be hard to take, even if it’s a subjective opinion such as “This just wasn’t for me.”
I put my most recent release, The Prince’s Pawn, out for ARC reviews on BookSirens and the first review I got was a tepid three-star that read as follows:
My first thought: Ma’am do you know what Islam is?
But I didn’t say that to her. I didn’t say anything. This person took …