Harper Lee on Surviving Being a Writer

From: http://wordpreneur.com/17271/harper-lee-on-writing-careers/

[Link] “Dude, you suck!”

by Tony Acree

In life, and especially in writing, you can’t please everyone. In fact, when it comes to writing fiction, I’m a firm believer if you haven’t pissed off someone, you’re not taking enough chances.

But how do you handle it when you get that first bad review? Or even worse, you aren’t getting any reviews at all? Well, let’s take a moment and talk about both those situations.

When your novel makes it into print, you want people to take a chance and read it. Reviews are one way to convince the wary book reader to part with his or her hard earned cash. It goes without saying you can badger your friends and family into reviewing your book. But how to get others to do so?

Read the full article: http://cbryanbrown.net/guest-post-dude-you-suck-by-tony-acree/

[Link] A Thought on Reviews

by D.A. Adams

 I have no issue with honest criticism, especially from someone who digests the entire book but never connects with it. Everyone has individual tastes, and any author who expects to please everyone will soon have that delusion crushed. As an author, I accept that I am open to a certain level of criticism because my work puts me  in the public eye. People have a right to voice their opinions about products they have purchased, and if those products do not meet their expectations, they have the right to vent. Customer reviews are a fundamental aspect of free market principles, and I embrace them wholeheartedly.

What I have a problem with is someone questioning my integrity and ethics. For those who may not know, fake customer reviews are a real problem on the internet, and there are companies that make a lot of money writing them.

Read more: http://daadams.com/2014/03/04/a-thought-on-reviews/

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#126) -- Bad Reviews

How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

Bad reviews may sting, sure, but I have to remind myself that it's just one person's opinion. The key thing is not to put too much stock in them. I'd rather have my readers enjoy the book than the reviewers. It's when my regular readers come up and tell me they didn't care for a story or comic I did that I really start to listen and see what I can learn from their "review."

Here's a fun blog post that addresses this subject and offers some excellent advice, such as "pick a really popular Author on Amazon and go read their bad reviews." Or this helpful bit that is all so true: "You need a tough skin, but at the end of the day it is worth it."