One Star Reviews Usually Reflect The Reader
One star reviews suck, but they reflect the reader more than anything else.
One I got from a woman who said she would post her review on Amazon if she gave it a three or higher. She also promised to buy the book, too, after she picked out the books she wanted to read.
She picked mine, but a few months later, she asked if I could send it to her for free. I should have listened to the red flag that went up, but I didn't. The woman was already untrustworthy. I sent her a PDF file.
She went onto her YouTube and complained about my book in the most condescending way. After I got over the stings enough to think clearly, I began to realize she complained about things that weren't true. She said there weren't enough explanations for this or that. Guess what, those things had ample explanations. I realized she didn't even read the book, but skimmed over it. Some of what she said were outright lies.
Luckily her YouTube views could be counted on one hand.
The other review was most hurtful because the guy went straight to me on facebook and told me I was a crappy writer, although he used a worse word. He said this on a facebook group and the moderator did nothing about it. I was already having a really bad time and this piece of crap just decided to attack. Covid-19 wasn't even around yet.
What I found out about this person was that he was a troll, and he loved targeting female writers in all the writing groups on facebook. His attacks were vicious and sank to personal remarks. Soon after he attacked me, the people had enough and went on the hunt for him. I don't know where he is now, but I made sure to block him, cut my ties with that facebook group, and maybe imagine he's suffering on a ventilator somewhere today.
One star reviews usually tell you a lot about the reader than the writer. As the writer, you have no obligation to try and please one star readers.
This is why I don't read reviews about books. I find out for myself if I'll like them. Two hundred five star reviews doesn't mean it will be a five star for me. I might look at it and think, "Well this is fixed, like Halloween Wars last year."
Some people will give constructive criticism. Take those into account and improve if need be. Treat them as gems in the ruffage.
Ugh, a reviewer who doesn't actually read the book doesn't help the author or potential readers. If I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy a book and I'm checking out reviews, I'm getting better at spotting reviewers who didn't actually read the book. They're kinda vague and say mean (or glowing, on the other end of the spectrum) things without backing it up with the why's.
ReplyDeleteI once read a one-star review on another book where the reviewer actually said, "I'm glad I didn't read this book. I didn't like it." It's like, what?!
DeleteOh, that's a REALLY terrible review!
DeleteIt was one of the most ridiculous things I'd ever seen.
Delete