Reviews are a fact of life for anyone that has published anything, no matter the content. Some are bad, some are ho-hum and some are good to great. They are also something you will have to deal will as you and your career progress. Not all authors listen to reviews, especially when they are first starting out in the business. Depending on the reviewer any review passed along in regard to your work can set off a myriad number of emotions.
There are a number of categories of reviewers. Note: The below are just terms we've heard over the years and there are as many other terms out there as there are types of reviewers.
- The Troll - This person literally trolls for books to read and then shred. They are the least favourite of all reviewers out there. They also come in a number of sub-categories themselves:
- The Wannabe - Someone who thinks they're the next John Grisham or Nora Roberts of writing. Because they haven't been signed by a publisher (for any number of reasons) they take out all their inner crap on up and coming authors and, even on occasion, established big authors. These can also be people who have written the greatest thing since sliced bread but are still searching for the publisher that would suitably adore them and put them up on a pedestal as they feel is deserved.
- The Hater - The name is pretty self-explanatory really, they hate pretty much anyone and anything they've written.
- The I-Know-It-All - Again, pretty self-explanatory. These people will read your book because your publisher has put it into a category on-line that is "their" genre. They will then pick apart your work and point out all you've done wrong and why it shouldn't be in said category. They may often also get into bouts of on-line arguments with others who have reviewed your work and it just goes downhill from there.
- The Façade - These are people who could be fellow authors, publishers or people who don't want their identities known, under a false identity on-line who give reviews. These are the ones that if you are getting rave reviews from others will try and bring your rating down to ensure their (in the case of publishers and fellow authors) favourites books outsell yours. These are also the hardest ones to prove as being not who they say they are. This can also go the other way as well, if you are their favourite then they will defend your work on-line to those bringing it down.
- The On-Line Reviewer - These are people who work for review sites, legitimate ones, that you can send your book in for a review. All of these sites have very specific guidelines in place as to what can and cannot be said in a review. They are also giving a personal opinion so you need to take that into account as well when you get their reviews back. These are the ones you will see the most of as an e-book author. They take free submissions but, should they make a legitimate purchase of your book, they can also submit a review directly to you as well.
- The Make-It-Or-Break-It Reviewer - This is the big league reviewer that, unless you find a unique niche to write and hit it big, you will likely never run across. These are the ones that do reviews for papers, magazines and huge on-line followings. For example, this would be the New York Times reviewer. These are the guys that can make or break an author's career. Each hold degrees, know the English language inside and out, and can out grammar-Nazi the best on any social media site there is. And they are also some of the scariest people on the planet to an author.
Whether you read your reviews or not, you will get them. Especially from any on-line sales site - like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes to name just a few. You should know that if you decide to read the reviews, to look at them not as the author, but as an outsider. Not everyone is going to like what you write and there will always be someone with something negative to say about everything. As is in life, there's always that one (or more) person who just has to rain on your parade. If the criticism is constructive and actually helps you become a better writer, bonus! But if all the reviews do is have you question why you are writing, consider not reading them. After all, you are writing because you enjoy it. Let the haters hate and write for the love of creating the worlds you are creating.
That's it for this post. We've complied a small listing of review sites for e-books on the right panel. Most are individual sites that we've dealt with but there is one that has a lot of resources for new and even established authors if you are interested. That said - get out there and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
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