Should Writers Read Their Reviews

28 Replies to “Should Writers Read Their Reviews”

1. Sure, I read my reviews. But I don’t take them personally. If someone gushes over a book of mine, it doesn’t mean the reviewer and I are best buddies. Likewise, if someone despises a book, it doesn’t mean the reviewer has insulted me as a person.

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   1. I’m glad you can distance yourself from your reviews, Vera, I wish I could!

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2. You have to be a very strong person to not read your reviews. You really have to not care to be able to do that.

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   1. Agreed. I look forward to finding out how my work is received.

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      1. I have also learned from my reviews, especially the early ones when I thought I knew how to write but didn’t really.

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3. I don’t read mine, but just because there’s nothing I can do about them so why waste my time?

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   1. That’s true, but I want to know if I’m totally messing up or not, lol

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      1. I would love to know that, but would I get that info from an Amazon comment? I’ve had some comments try to correct my facts–which I then rechecked. Yep, I had it right.

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4. I don’t read mine anymore…no time!

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   1. I don’t know how you keep up!

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5. I read my reviews because there might be an issue I need to know about.

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   1. Constructive criticism is a good thing. It’s the mean reviews that bother me.

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6. I always take a look at reviews because I can learn from them about what worked and what didn’t. But I never take them personally. I look at them subjectively.

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7. A well-written review can really help a writer in understanding the flaws of his book. I think they should be read. 😊

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   1. I agree, Balroop. How do we know if readers enjoy our work if we don’t read their responses?

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      1. Exactly! 😊

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8. Though we’re taught not to care what someone else says about us, human nature is such that I imagine very few writers follow this advice. I’m objective with my writing. When my critique partners make suggestions, I can admit that I agree with them over 90% of the time. Collaboration with trusted partners is a key ingredient to improvement. As far as reviews, some make astute points. Others give a book a one-star rating for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the writing. A torn cover can cause some reviewers to give a book a one-star rating, even if it has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. Those reviews are easy to overlook.

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9. I’ve read all of mine, but I’m always scared to. LOL

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10. Love the post Jacquie. I read mine and happy to say so far I’ve been really pleased and most appreciative. We can always learn from them for sure! ❣️

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    1. I agree. And it’s a nice feeling when someone enjoyed your work- something YOU wrote!

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       1. Absolutely Jacquie💕

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11. I read my reviews, Jacquie. Not all of them, but now and then, I’ll browse. I get lots of valuable information from reviewers, and I’ve gone back and fixed problems based on reviews. It’s been worth the effort. But I agree that a thick skin is essential. And realistic since not everyone is going to love every book. 🙂

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    1. It’s like everything else; in the eye of the beholder. I recently read a bestselling book that people raved about and skipped over half of it because it lagged so badly, lol

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       1. I frequently have the same experience. Robert Jordan’s fantasy series “The Wheel of Time,” which fantasy readers rave about, was almost unreadable. So it goes.

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12. Silence is strange for me. I’d like to know if my work moved someone, either positively or negatively.

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    1. I agree, though it can make for painful reading at times.

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13. I think we should because even the bad reviews will help improve our writing.

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    1. It makes me second-guess mine, that’s for sure.

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