Dealing with Negative Reviews

It takes a lot of emotional fortitude to be disliked. I sometimes wonder how black licorice handles it. So many people really hate the stuff (note: it’s a personal favorite of mine.) No matter what side of the black licorice yay-or-nay fence you’re on, you’re entitled to dislike or like what you want. There’s no right answer. Not everything is for everyone.

Not to get all Sally Field up in here, but the desire to declare, “You like me. You really like me,” is a natural one. Of course, we want everyone to like us. Sadly, it’s unrealistic. I know a recently published writer who was quite obsessed with getting 5-star reviews. When a 3-star came down the pike, she was crushed. I reasoned with her that the occasional 3-star, or even 1-star, is actually a sign of a healthy publishing ecosystem. All 5-stars might indicate something was “hinky” (purchased reviews?) and further, a 1-star review might be a signal that, as a writer, you’ve pushed some boundaries and defied expectations – and not everyone digs that. And that’s ok.

There’s even a new book called The Courage to be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness which has become a massive hit in Japan and now globally. Whether the book is good or bad, I don’t know, but I sure like the title. I also love the fact that while it has mostly good reviews on Amazon, it also has a bunch of 1-stars. Ah, irony, you slay me sometimes.

Why do I bring this up? Is it because I have a new novel being released at the end of this month? Perhaps. The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles is my latest venture, and it’s quite a departure from my last book, Suffer.

Written in epistolary form, Carlötta tells the story of a cringy, yet charming, wanna-be actress as she stumbles and bumbles her way through Hollywood in her quest to become A Star™. It’s based on the award-winning fiction podcast of the same name. Truth? While Carlötta the podcast had overwhelmingly positive reviews, there were some people who didn’t like it. The book will probably garner the same reactions. Both are over-the-top screwball comedies which are just not some people’s thing. And that’s fine. Black licorice and all.

If you’re looking for an extremely light, bawdy, cringy romp through Hollywood that’s jam-packed with celebrity gossip, this might be your kind of candy. There are some deeper messages about the perils of fame-seeking and our obsession with social media, blah, blah, blah, but mostly, it’s a confection. A breezy, unchallenging, novelty novel if you will.

Kirkus Reviews called it “Awkward.” I say to Kirkus reviews: “May I offer you some red licorice?”

THE UNBEARABLE LIKELIHOOD OF MISTAKES — Why New Authors Need to Forgive Themselves in Advance

My first book — SUFFER! A HOLLYWOOD NOVEL — debuts in little more than two weeks and lately, I can’t help but be consumed with ideas of What I Am Doing Wrong™ in the lead up to its premiere. I’m not talking about the book itself — of course there are going to be elements I will wish I’d written differently — I’m talking more about the marketing of the book. When you are a self-published author, you are not only responsible for the contents of the book but you’re also responsible for how you bring it into the world — how you birth it so to speak. You’re the mother and the midwife all rolled into one.

Not only are you a first-time self published author, you are simultaneously thrust into the roles of first-time publisher, first-time book marketer, first-time publicist, maybe even first-time social media manager. That’s a lot of firsts coming at you all at once. These are the things that simply don’t cross our minds when we open our writing software and lay down the first words that begin our work.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, to become concerned with the shouldas, the couldas, and the wouldas. All those missed opportunities that that will dawn on you right after you launch…when it’s “too late.” I’m here to tell you there’s a way out of that negative thought pattern.

Forgive yourself in advance. The first time you rode a bike or played the piano you probably weren’t good at it either but you got better with time. Give yourself a break. View these missteps as learning experiences. Admit to and share your errors with others to hopefully give them a chance to avoid the pitfalls you no doubt will fall into.

One other thing: disabuse yourself of the notion that once you launch, it will be “too late.” Nothing is too late. If a particular marketing technique isn’t working for you, don’t stick with it, pivot, change your plan, try something else. Launching a book is a fluid, ongoing process. You can adjust your strategy and you can learn the lesson for the next time you launch a book.

One of my favorite mentors on the subject of book marketing, Jenn Hanson-dePaula aka @mixtusmedia on TikTok (and yes, you should be BookTok-ing it up on TikTok), reminded me that promoting a book is a longggggggg process. “The bulk of your sales is going to come after your release date.” My takeaway: A successful launch is great, but realistically, you should be playing a long game. Your book might not gain traction for months or even years. So take a deep breath, try a little tenderness, be kind to yourself, don’t beat yourself up on “mistakes” you make during launch. They’re not mistakes. They’re a chance to learn. Good luck.

Keep on Bookin’

A.C. Sloan

Suffer: A Hollywood Novel will be released 9/7/22 on Amazon and is Available for Pre-order now.