Do You Read your Reviews? by Savita Kalhan

Some actors, artists and writers say that the only thing worse than a bad review is no review. Is it?

And, good or bad, would you, do you, read your reviews?

Lots of people don’t read their reviews. AL Kennedy leaves it to her publisher to read and tell her about, but she won’t read them for herself.

Newspaper reviews and magazine reviews of your work, if they are good, are often used on the book, either on the back or on the inside. Otherwise they are generally forgotten over time. When it comes to Amazon and Goodreads the story is a little different. The reviews, the ratings, given for a book stay there forever.

Reading some of the reviews on these websites, it becomes clear that  there are some great reviews from people who have read the book and enjoyed it, and there are those who read the book but don't connect with it for reasons they discuss intelligently. This is all fine because the enjoyment of a book is subjective and reviewers will have their own opinion.

But not everyone who leaves a review or a rating has necessarily actually read the book, If they had, that would be different! As a writer it is incredibly galling to see one star reviews being given for reasons such as the book being delivered late or arriving damaged. Why do people do that?

Take 1984 by George Orwell. The reviewers who gave it one star were for these reasons: 'there were lots of typos', 'the copy was in German not English', and 'the pages were marked', etc. There were a few reviewers who did review the book itself before giving it a one star: 'Unbelievably boring' and 'a dystopian snoozefest', are a sample of these. Somehow I don't think any of this would have bothered Orwell.

I know authors who make it a policy not to read their reviews on Amazon or Goodreads. I’m beginning to think they’re right. Someone left a two star rating on Goodreads for my next book. The book hasn’t even been printed yet - even I don't have a copy of it! Fellow writers have advised me not to respond to the reviewer.

Over the years, authors who have responded to reviewers on Goodreads have come off very badly. It’s a lose-lose situation as the reviewer has nothing to lose, and the writer can come off sounding peevish, precious and, in some cases, abusive towards the reviewer. Here’s a link to an article where the writer responded to the reviewer – it went viral, and did not end well for the writer - HOW NOT TO RESPOND

Writers have to develop a thick skin early on. Their writing is critiqued by themselves, their agents, their crit group, their publisher etc. But the kind of thick skin you need to read some of the reviews that are left on Amazon and Goodreads, well, I'm not sure I will ever be able to grow skin thick enough to handle them. So come the time when reviews for my book start going up, which will be in a month’s time when the book goes out to reviewers pre-publication date, will I read them? Or will I leave it to my publisher or my agent, or a kindly friend to read and sift through to the ones I need to know about, and the ones I really don’t!

So, if you are ever tempted to respond to a bad review, take a deep breath and think again. Go for a walk. Beat up a pillow, vent to your friends, go and play with kittens or puppies, but don't respond to the reviewer on Goodreads who gave your book a two star rating, or comment on your one star review on Amazon. 

Of course, in your head, your book will always be a 5 star book. 

SAVITA'S WEBSITE

Thank You to the Bloggers - Eve Ainsworth

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the first ever UKYA Blogger awards. I was so exited to be going, not just because it was an excuse to drink wine and mingle with fellow book lovers, but also because it gave me a chance to thank some of the fantastic people that have been supporting and championing my book this year.

It can be so difficult being an author, never mind a debut one. You start to doubt whether people will enjoy your book, let alone talk about it. You worry that once published, it will disappear into the ether, never to be seen again.

And then wonderful things happen. A blogger will tweet that they've read it. They will talk about your cover. Share your reviews. Add you to their TBR list.

As time passed, I began to realise just what a supportive team the UKYA blogging community is. These guys love books and they love championing them.They are the foundations of what is a very happy and vibrant scene.

Saturday was a fantastic opportunity for me and others to thank these guys for their commitments and passion. There was a great collection of people there - authors such as James Dawson, Jonathan Stroud, Lisa Williamson, Abi Elphinstone and Keris Stainton, Publishers were also there, presenting and sponsoring awards - and of of course, so many bloggers were there - enthusiastic and welcoming as ever. I have to add that this whole event was arranged by the wonderful Andy Robb, who deserves congratulations on bringing this all together.

                                                        And the winners are,,,,,



Lots of awards were presented and each was greatly deserved. Winners included YA Yeah Yeah, Pewter Wolf, Dark Readers, Winged Reviews, Mile Long Bookshelf, Sister Spooky, Queen of Contemporary, Serendipity Reviews, Wondrous reviews and Tales of Yesterday.

But the best thing about the evening was having the opportunity to thank each blogger in person, because I had lots to thank them for.

I hope this night is the first of many more to come.

Deadline Panic ... Ruth Symes / Megan Rix.

Picture by Marion Lindsay for Cat Magic

On Friday morning I realised that at my current rate of writing, about 1000 words a day, I wasn't going to make the 21st of January deadline for my next novel. I like having deadlines, either from a publisher or self-imposed, as they help me to focus on what I need to get done but realising I couldn't make it produced: A) Panic - the sort of trapped by headlights and get nothing done panic B) Action - I emailed my publisher to ask for a few weeks extension. C) More action - during the weekend that's just gone, from 5pm on Friday until 5pm on Sunday, I wrote l0,140 words. I'd already planned out the story and had the thumbs up from my publisher so knew where I was going (roughly) with it - all I had to do was get words on paper.

Were they the best, most considered words? Nope. Does that matter? Not a bit in a first, scribble, draft. Those 10,000 words can become polished and honed later - what I have got now is a much better knowledge of my characters (including one who had a minor part but is now a major player) and most of the crucial scenes written.

Here's how I did it:  

Friday 10 am - stared at my book writing schedule calendar and realised that writing I,000 words a day would not get my next book finished by mid-January.

10.30 am - went downstairs and told husband, Eric, my concern.

11 am – nearby Travelodge booked for the weekend.

12 pm – Eric buys food and drink that only needs a kettle (at the most) to make. I pack some clothes and my work and make sure the dogs will be OK.

            4pm – arrive at Travelodge and make ‘proper’ coffee using aeropress (more details of everything I used on my website.) Just make sure you screw the bottom on really well or you might end up with coffee everywhere like I did.

            5pm – start writing by longhand using my Echo pen that can convert handwriting to text.

            7.30pm – first 2000 words written.

            Saturday and Sunday… Write! Write! Written! 4,000 words done each day.

Tips to make your writing weekend go smoothly:

1. No TV –  I pulled the TV plug out and plugged my computer into the socket instead – the TV didn’t get turned on once (although I did watch a DVD on my computer about the subject I was writing on.)

2. Use the internet only to check emails and do absolutely necessary research. I was also in contact with my husband 3 or 4 times a day via  Face Time. The dogs were also very interested in me chatting to them via the screen at first but soon got used to it. Loved how one of them kept tilting her head from side to side as she looked at the screen. (I did worry it was cruel initially but they got used to it pretty quick and made me laugh when one went and got a toy and brought it back.)

3. Be in the mind zone to write and pumped up to get on – this is exciting! Having nothing else to concentrate on besides writing meant I could write like the wind and I did.What writing in this speedy fashion meant is that now I can dip in and out of the book, secure that I like how it’s working and growing. It's a good feeling. Prior to taking this action I usually manage to write about l,000 words a day - so 4,000 a day was a bit of a jump!

Three other new things I’ve tried recently:

1. Not listening to other people’s opinions unless I want to:

I used to get upset by the odd bad review but now find I’ve reached the stage where I can shrug them off. I even managed a smile at an email from an irate American reader recently who’d spotted a grammar mistake in my adult book, The Puppy that Came for Christmas' and wrote a back-handed compliment of:  'If a good writer like you can make a mistake like this what hope is there for the world.' Indeed.
On the reverse side I had an email from one of my editor’s this week saying she’d been so busy reading my manuscript on the bus she’d missed her stop – a very nice compliment from a person whose opinion I value highly.

2. Being Vegan:

When I said I was going to take part in November's World Vegan mouth some people reacted with horror. ‘What are you going to eat?’ ‘How will you survive?’ I was asked.

        The truth is being vegan wasn't any hardship at all and in fact it was a pleasure. I got to try lots of yummy foods and made friends with some lovely new people and blogged about it here: 

http://www.govegan.org.uk/vegan-month-week-1-by-ruth-wainwright/

3. Re-visit from my first book:

I had my first book 'The Master of Secrets' published by Puffin in 1997 and a few years later I got a letter to say that it was going to be remaindered. It was a horrible sick feeling being told this - at first I couldn't believe it and bought up lots of copies. But the publisher did stop printing it and I went on to write other books and my first effort wasn't forgotten about (I often give a copy as a present to my
creative writing students saying I hope one day to read their first book) but I certainly didn't expect to hear much more about it. But in the past few weeks I've had first one email and then another and another from English language students in Argentina who are studying the book and it's been great. I'm so glad that there's life in the old book yet and it's being enjoyed again somewhere. One of the students even became my first newsletter subscriber.

Megan’s book 'The Great Escape' has recently been shortlisted for the East Sussex Children’s Book Award. She writes as Megan Rix and Ruth Symes and her websites are www.ruthsymes.com and www.meganrix.com

Life as a writer - why (oh why) do we do it?

Disappointed writer

 I put this question to myself once every three months or so - usually when things aren't going too well. Why, why, why do I do it? Write, I mean - and all the stuff that goes with it.

I guess it has to be for love or something similar. It's certainly not for money. I've no wish to be a millionaire, though something in the way of royalties and PLR is always welcome. I suppose there's habit in there too. I write because it's what I do. To be honest, I think it's a kind of addiction. If I don't write for more than a few days, I feel dissatisfied and grumpy (just ask my family... though they might claim that I'm sometimes like that when I'm writing, too).

What part of writing, then, am I addicted to? I suppose it's those rare 'first draft' moments when everything goes well - when your characters take hold and run away with the plot and you're left struggling to keep up. For me, it's particuklarly those times when I feel fully tuned in to the thoughts and words (especially the words) of my characters, and I'm evaesdopping on their conversation, racing to get down every word they say. I think that's why I need silence when I write - I can't even stand good music in the background - because anything else distracts me from the voices in my head.

And that joy when you wake in a morning and realise that your brain has solved a knotty plot problem while you slept (though I realise this phenomenon isn't confined to writers). It's always a thrill, to be reminded that your conscious mind play a relatively minor part in what you create, and to realise that the brain has its own concerns you never even dreamt of.

Jumping ahead a few months (or years) - another wonderful thing is those times when your readers, especially children and young adults, tell you that they have read and enjoyed your books. And perhaps even better, when they ask you searching questions that make you realise that they have truly engaged with your characters and themes, perhaps in ways you never anticipated.

But there are also times when the whole process is so discouraging that you wonder why you go on. I'm in one now, in some respects. A project for young readers that I'm involved in is... not so much in peril as changing course, and my role in it may end up being rather different from what I expected. It's disappointing and frustrating, especially as I have no idea when the project will come to fruition. And I feel somewhat flattened - maybe I shouldn't, but I do. It's so easy, as writer, to lose confidence in your abilities. A bad review can run over you like a steamroller, in a way that you would never have expected. Being told by an editor: 'No, that's not what I want...' can take you back to being an eight-year-old at school, being sent away to do your homework all over again.

And, of course, in the early stages of a writer's career (and sometimes in the later stages, too), there are the inevitable knockbacks from agents, publishers, etc. There's the agent who gets all excited by your work and leads you to think she's about to take you on, but then changes her mind.  Even once you're published, there are (or can be, unless you're very lucky), those miserable afternoons sitting at a table in a bookshop, while no one stops to buy. There are the publishers who sign you up and then go out of business - or who decide that your books are not selling in Harry Potter quantities so they are going to pull the plug on you. It's all too depressing to think about.

Etc, etc, etc. Yes, I know that life itself can be a depressing business. And I know that there are (there really are) much more important things in life than publishing contracts. I really do know that! But it doesn't always help as much as perhaps it should.

What I will say, though, is that if you can keep writing when all around you is disappointment and despair, then you may just have it in you to be a writer. Whatever the 'it' is - I'm not quite sure. I suspect it's a kind of madness, but I wouldn't be without it. What's more, I'm very thankful to all those writers of wonderful books who have kept going in the face of discouragement and produced work, maybe, that would never have surfaced otherwise.

So let's take heart and struggle on in our communal craziness. Knowing you are not alone always helps - and I must say that reading this blog is one of the main things that assures me I am not alone and helps me to keep going.

I recently wrote a travesty of Rudyard Kipling's 'If' along these lines, if you'd care to take a peep here.

Best wishes - and don't let anything (or anyone) stop you writing.
Ros

Author of Coping with Chloe (age 11+ approx).
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