Should Authors Read Their Reviews?

Caitlin here. As you may have seen, my debut novel, Heartsick, is coming out in February. (Yay!) While some days it feels like the launch date can’t get here fast enough, other days I pause and think that actually, right now is the fun part. I get all the excitement and anticipation without any pesky negative things, like bad reviews. While this is a cozy thought to me right now, eventually I, like all writers who put their work out there, will have to confront the dreaded truth: not everyone is going to like my book. 

Of course, I’ve had negative feedback before. Critique partners and writers group members and fellow writers on forums have criticized my writing. But those environments are collegial. The aim is to help each other become better writers. There’s a camaraderie to it that takes the sting out of it.

And, of course, I have also been rejected. Rejections rarely bother me. Every famous author has been rejected. It’s just part of the business. I even made a rejection goal in 2013—I wanted to get 125 rejections. I failed, but I did get over 100! To do that, I had to submit, submit, submit. And, at the end of the year, I also had several new short story credits and a literary agent! So, my motto: rejections breed success. :)

But…rejections are private. And, again, there’s a respect inherent in the process because agents and editors are professionals. Their job isn’t to tear writers apart, it’s to build them up. And, in fact, if they take the time to send a personal rejection, it likely means they saw something promising in your work.

So, if I’m not afraid of critiques or rejections, why do reviews have me quaking in my ballet flats? Simple. Reviews are for readers, not authors. They aren’t there to make me a better writer or let me down easy. They’re there to help readers figure out if my book is worth reading. And sometimes they’re there to entertain prospective readers with snark and merciless analysis. 

I am not criticizing reviewers for doing this. I whole-heartedly agree with Veronica Roth when she said, “The worst thing for an author is NOT someone hearing your book is bad, it's someone not hearing about it at all.” (If you haven’t already read it, I highly recommend her post on the author-reviewer relationship.)

So, I want reviewers to snarkily tear apart my book! Honest, I do. I’m just not so sure I want to read those reviews. Sure, maybe the positive aspects of a review will build me up, maybe the constructive criticism will help me improve. Or…maybe the negativity will freeze me. Maybe I’ll never want to publish my writing again.

I don’t know if I should bravely face them or bury my head under new WIPs. 

What do you think? Should authors read their own reviews?

Karlie: Theoretically, I would say stay away from them! However, I know I won't be able to resist it. Knowing me I'll read the good, the bad, and the ugly. I think it's important to have the right mindset though - don't let the negative reviews get you down or stop you from writing! Like Caitlin said, at least people are reading it. ;)

Lisa: I have never actually thought this through. Thanks for posing the question, Caitlin. I think maybe read the reviews as they might say something that will help you. Not that it's their intention, nor their job, but multiple reviewers might say something that you were already worried about, and you know from then on that you should trust your instinct on that matter next time. Then again, I can see how a bad review could stun you into no-more-writing land. I know that I've received critiques from friends that was harsh enough (probably not harsh at all but it felt that way at the time) that it stopped me in my tracks, making me take a brief break from writing. And that's from a friend and coming from a place of helpfulness. So, maybe I'll win the lottery and hire someone to be the filter -  read the reviews and only send me excerpts that I need to see.

Dan: As far as reading the reviews, I think it depends on the author and is a matter of personal choice. Some authors might like to have the feedback or (from good reviews) the positive reinforcement. It's also a good way to check the temperature of the readership, and find out what works (or doesn't work) for many individuals. I'm still on the fence about whether or not I'll have the guts to read the reviews of my own book, especially the negative ones. The most important guideline I've heard from many published authors and professional reviewers is that an author should almost never respond to reviews or engage reviewers. The reviews are generally not aimed at authors anyway. They're aimed at readers.