Guest Post: Willow Anne Renner - Surviving Bad Reviews

In October 2014, I published my first two books, YA fantasy: The Seeker Must Awaken and Book of Shadows. These two novels are the first two books in The Lux Seekers series. I’ve been writing for years, and trying to perfect my craft, daily. It is a struggle and there is always something new to learn. I revised and revised and revised some more. When I thought the books were ready, I decided to self-publish.

I had put so much time and effort into the books, I became attached to the novels and thought of them as my “babies,” an extension of myself. So, when I got two negative reviews, I took it very personal. It felt like an attack. I took it very hard.

I reached out to one of my Goodreads groups with the post: “Bad Reviews and the Star Rating System.” I’m glad that I reached out. I’ve received so many helpful replies to that post. To this date, there are 150+ replies and new comments are coming in daily.

At first, I wanted to give up and quit writing. Then, I was reminded that writers keep writing, no matter what. I learned that I can’t take it personally. I must look for something useful and constructive in the review. There is always room for improvement. I must take the review at face value. I must take the comments that are valuable, and use them constructively to improve my work.

After I calmed down from my initial reaction to the reviews, I decided to email both reviewers. I asked if they would like to be Beta Readers on my next project, a YA sci-fi dystopian, due in the Spring of 2015. One of them has agreed to be my Beta Reader. This reviewer is also a writer and I have agreed to be her Beta Reader on her project as well. I believe this will be mutually beneficial to the both of us. I am very grateful for this reviewer’s honesty.

What I’ve learned:

1. Writers keep writing, no matter what.
   
2. Don’t take it personally.
   
3. Keep practicing your craft.
   
4. Look for constructive elements in the review.
   
5. Never give up.
   

These have been hard lessons to learn, but this is just the beginning of my writing career. Bad reviews happen. What we do with them, makes all the difference in the world. I hope this article may be of help to any writer going through the pain of a bad review. Taken in a constructive manner, it can be a learning, growing experience.

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About Willow Anne Renner

YA Author, writer of fantasy, dystopian, sci-fi, NA apocalyptic

Willow has been furiously working on her three series for many years. She hopes you enjoy reading about the worlds she created as much as she enjoyed building them.

In her free time she enjoys designing and making jewelry, soap and candles. She adores writing with fountain pens and loves collecting them.

She is very active in the Twitter Writing Community. 

It is universally known and recognized that Willow is  made of awesome.

Willow A Renner, YA Author
http://www.willowarenner.com/
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