When a writer pours their heart and soul into a book, the last thing they expect is a 1-star review. Negative feedback can significantly impact book sales, especially these days where many readers rely on reviews to decide what to read next.
It’s disheartening to accept months of hard work, dedication, and passion dismissed in a few harsh words. Authors may experience a range of emotions, from disappointment to anger, but most don’t lash out at the reviewer.
My original plan for this article began with one severe case of an author physically attacking a reviewer over a 1-star review of his unedited debut. I’m now sickened by the number of authors who engage in this type of behavior, including one who called the reviewer a b*tch in a BookTok video for a 4-star review of her upcoming novel (ARC copy). Shortly thereafter, the publisher dumped her. But thanks to all the viral videos about the controversy, her book has allegedly been optioned for film. If it pans out, I’ll share the title. Otherwise, no. For all I know, the author lied about the option to gain exposure.
Who complains about a 4-star review?
Anyway, the original case that prompted this topic revolves around a 28-year-old writer named Richard Brittain.
In 2014, Brittain self-published his unedited debut novella. Like every new author, I’m sure he expected the entire world would love his “epic fairytale romance.” When an 18-year-old student named Paige Rolland read his work, she was less than impressed.
Not only was the book riddled with “spelling and grammatical errors,” “endless ramblings,” and the “plot [was] rather nonsensical,” according to other reviewers, but…
“There’s a very unpleasant subtext to the novel that only comes through if you’ve read the author’s blog post about stalking a woman until she called the police in terror. It’s creepily clear that the princess/protagonist stands for either the woman he stalked or women in general, and that her loyal dog likewise represents him or ‘nice-guy’ stalkers.”
Seething with anger over Paige’s 1-star review of his book, Brittain looked her up on Facebook. Paige’s profile included her hometown and her place of employment (How much personal information do you share?). Brittain embarked on the 400-mile journey to Scotland to track down the teenager.
On October 3, 2014, Brittain proceeded to the supermarket where Paige was working that day. Intent on revenge, he grabbed a bottle of wine from the alcohol section and stalked into the cereal aisle, where Paige was restocking the lower shelves. Enraged, he slammed her over the head with the bottle. The petite teenager suffered a horrific head injury—a gaping wound to her skull.
Emergency services responded to rush her to the hospital. By then, Brittain had fled the scene. It didn’t take long for police to track him down in London. A search of his home revealed travel documents and evidence of his obsession with finding the girl who dared to criticize his work. Charged with assault, Brittain received a 30-month jail sentence.
How AI Thinks We Should Handle Negative Reviews (my comments are in blue)
- Respond to every review: Responding to all reviews, both positive and negative, shows you care about your customers and are willing to apologize when necessary. (What? Not even close to correct. NEVER respond to negative reviews. Curse, cry, or scream, but do not interact with the reviewer.)
- Apologize: Apologize when responding to a negative review, even if the customer’s tone was hostile. (Huh? Reviews are one reader’s opinion. Not everyone will like our work, and that’s okay. Grow a thick skin and move on with your life.)
- Ask for an updated review: If you’ve responded to the customer’s review and solved the problem, you can ask for an updated review. (This sounds more like a shipping issue on a random product than a book review. NEVER ask for an updated review.)
- Contact the reviewer and request the review be removed: It’s always worth the effort to contact the person who left the review. They can remove the review by logging back into the site and deleting it. (This might be the worst advice of all. NEVER contact the reader and ask them to delete the review. Ever.)
- Thank the reviewer: Show gratitude for their time and show that you value their feedback. (I know authors who do this. They’re polite and grateful. Still, I never respond to reviews, good or bad. Reviews aren’t for authors. They’re for other readers.)
- Never get personal: Don’t get personal and certainly don’t ever attack or retaliate. (Finally, a logical point I agree with!)
Well, TKZers, how do you deal with negative reviews?
Do the AI suggestions surprise you? Unfortunately, new writers may believe the advice.
Do you think Richard Brittain should have gotten more jail time?
Q1: Well, TKZers, how do you deal with negative reviews?
A1: I’ve never received a negative review. This probably more reflects the paucity of my platform than the perfection of my prose.
Q2: Do the AI suggestions surprise you? Unfortunately, new writers may believe the advice.
A2: Not at all. AI stands for Atrocious Inanity, so anything can happen.
Q3: Do you think Richard Brittain should have gotten more jail time?
A3: He should have remained in gaol at least as long as it took his critic to fully recover. He should have received no reading material whatsomewhoso during his captivity, except a single indy novel that won a “Worst Indy Book Ever” contest. People who abuse writers should not be allowed to read.
I once corresponded with a writer from Maine. I offered him a three-star review, but that would have been his first of such, and he declined. He was at that time lamenting “the very unfair review” he’d just received. He seemed a good sort, one who would never drive to Scotland to assault a critic (especially not from Maine.) I read the “very unfair review” and found it entirely accurate. It laid out in detail where the book and the writer’s education had failed. It was, in essence, a free annotated beta read with career advice worth several hundred dollars. He didn’t see it that way, of course, and never gave me any evidence he’d sought additional training in the art of writing as a result.
“Has the painter not always gone to an art school, or at least to an established master, for instruction? And the composer, the sculptor, the architect? Then why not the writer?”–Paul Engle
Agree, agree, agree, J. What a shame the young writer didn’t want your advice. Ah, well, there are plenty who do.
How do you deal with negative reviews?
I ignore them. Though it does surprise me sometimes, thinking what book they actually read as their complaints often seem totally unrelated to my book. Likewise 5-star reviews. Some of the (most welcome) praise people (occasionally) heap on my books makes me wonder whose book they were really reading.
Do the AI suggestions surprise you?
No. AI is a menace.
Should Richard Brittain have gotten more jail time?
Absolutely. Attempted murder, stalking, GBH. And only two and a bit years? We have people over here (UK) who have received five years in prison for blocking traffic. Why he got off so lightly is a mystery.
Agree about AI, Michael. It is a menace.
I was surprised by the light sentence, as well, and it was in the UK courts!
Soon, people in the UK will get 5 years for thinking politically incorrect thoughts. We’ll be lucky to escape the same.
Have a drink, eat some chocolate, and move on. The only “reviews” I will respond to are personal emails, and then it’s very short and sweet. (OK, maybe not THAT sweet.)
One reader chastised me for using profanity. After thanking them for writing, I told them I was glad my characters seemed real enough to evoke an emotional response, but that it was them talking, not me.
Haha. I say the same thing, Terry.
Never respond is sound advice, though if strictly followed we wouldn’t have this actual account of composer Max Reger responding to a newspaper critic with the following note:
“I am sitting in the smallest room in my house. I have your review before me. In a moment, it shall be behind me.”
Perfect response from Max Reger, Jim!
😂😂😂
Sue, you are spot on. I correlate book reviews to art. We all have preferences. Unless the book or the art are poorly done (as in the sad case of Brittain and his teenage victim) they are just that, opinions reflecting preferences.
I had one funny review for the first book in my supernatural series. It is titled, And Then Came A Lion. The reviewer titled his review, And Then Came a Reviewer. Made me laugh. He gave me a 3 star review, stating it wasn’t a bad book. He was looking for a horror story, and this wasn’t it.
As some of the others have said, some of the 1 star reviews don’t make sense, or sound hostile. Why? If you don’t like a book, toss it, and move on. Sheesh!
In fact, I rarely read reviews. I look at the overall rating. If it’s low, but the blurb sounds interesting enough, I’ll read some reviews. Depending how constructive they are – or not, I may move on, or read the book and form my own opinion.
Exactly, Cecilia. Life’s too short to worry about one person’s opinion on anything, including our books. And Then Came a Reviewer is hilarious!
Sue, this is yet another disturbing symptom of how fractured our society is. And AI’s answers only contribute more fuel to that fire.
Recently a new message started appearing above reviews for my books on Amazon: “AI-generated from the text of customer reviews” Here’s what it says about Instrument of the Devil:
“Customers find the story riveting, clever, and fast-paced. They describe the writing style as well-written, descriptive, and easy to read. Readers also find the characters believable and well-balanced. They enjoy the small-town Montana setting and familiar landmarks.”
Obviously I’m not complaining about that but it still worries me that AI does so much “thinking” for humans.
I don’t respond to reviews unless it’s to thank someone I know, e.g. a reader from a book club or conference. Amazon also uses stars for ranking so someone can leave one star w/o explanation or identification.
The extreme measures that Brittain took to attack the victim make him sound way too dangerous to be out on the street. But the reality of overcrowded prisons means many dangerous people walk among us.
The AI-generated text from customer reviews pleases me, too, Debbie. I have no problem with that at all. It’s all the other “thinking” and so-called advice that concerns me.
You’re spot on re: overcrowded prisons.
I get suspicious if there is not at least 1 negative review.
Stephen King gets them.
Babies and puppies videos even have someone saying negative stuff.
Some people are negative folks and the world will always be half empty.
They should just throw away the key on that guy.
Agree, agree, agree, Warren. It seems the negativity continues to worsen.
Yes, they should have!
What a horrifying episode, Sue. AI’s responses about reviews were off-base, except for the last point. The most telling part about this is of course “AI”’s responses are based on what was feed the large language model’s dataset, and represent stated opinion by humans about reacting to reviews.
Reviews are for readers, not writers.
Me, I channel “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski and say to myself, “that just like, your opinion, man,” when reading a negative review 🙂
Hope you have a wonderful week!
Hahaha. I adored The Big Lebowski, Dale. Good way to look at it.
Same to you, my friend!
The thing I don’t like is a low rating without a review. If someone gives a low rating, it would be helpful to the author to understand why.
Like Warren said, everybody gets low ratings. (I just looked up the ratings for To Kill a Mockingbird. It has 2,741 one-star ratings.) Maybe it’s evidence that the author is reaching a wide audience and can’t please everybody.
Richard Brittain should have been hit over the head with a bottle, thrown into prison, and forced to listen AI-produced drivel for life.
Yes, that bothers me as well, Kay.
Haha. Karmic sentence!
AI had the worst advice ever, Sue, except for the last point. My agent told me to NEVER, EVER respond to negative reviews. A professor friend got a one star review for the price of his book. That’s controlled by the publisher.
I do pay attention to reviews by professional reviewers. If it has negative points, I think about whether I should consider that criticism seriously.
And shame on that young writer who hit the woman who critiqued his novel.
My publisher told me the same thing, Elaine. Never respond.
The AI suggestions are just bizarre. NEVER ENGAGE THE TROLL. Some people spend their days looking/inventing criticisms and name calling. I no longer have time for that or care to read it. Some 1 star reviews will have you scratching your head. Joe Reviewer didn’t like your Chicago street scene. Of course you wrote about Miami, hence the lack of snow and no Sears Tower.
AI also seems to “think” you have maybe a dozen reviews. Personally respond to today’s 112 reviews? Maybe I work on WIP instead.
Haha. Great advice, Alan! Our time is better spent writing the next book than worrying about one person’s opinion, which often doesn’t even sound like the right book.
I try not to read reviews. Unless my publisher sends them to me. Negative reviews get in my head and mess with my mind, feed my insecurities . I still remember a negative review from publisher’s weekly from 12 years ago: full of unhappy Christian characters. The boy likable characters are the children.” Funny how you remember the negative reviews more than the positive. But it didn’t stop me from traditionally publishing 30 more books. Bottom line, reviews are for readers. I would never respond to a negative one. I have thanked reviewers when I repost their positive reviews on social media.
Agreed, Kelly. Negative reviews do tend to stick more than positive ones. Safer not to read them.
I never respond to any review, good or bad. I think it’s bad form, and shows a weird desperation to hover over review platforms–even if it’s just to say thank you to the nice people. I’ve got too much to do.
That said, I do respond to every email about a book, good or bad. It would be rude not to. I’m happy to say that the emails I get run 20-to-one with nice things to say, and those responses are fun to write. Less fun are the angry emails, but I keep it respectful there, too. When I get a detail wrong, I’ll apologize for breaking that moment of the story for them and tell them that when I drop a ball, it isn’t for lack of caring or trying. More times than not, that triggers a friendly reply.
The guy that hit the girl with the wine bottle attempted murder, as far as I’m concerned, and should have been punished accordingly.
Agreed, John. It is bad form to respond to reviews, unless a reader emails the author, as you pointed out.
Attempted murder is what Brittain should’ve been charged with, you’re right.
Years ago I had a brush with another writer over a negative review of her book my wife posted under my Kindle account. The author came back at me with a negative review of one of my books and a blatant diatribe that demonstrated she had never read it. I simply pressed the “Report” link, and hours later Amazon removed both review and author, but kept the low rating. That was the extent of my engagement.
It’s a symptom of social media that we humans attach an inordinate importance to individual opinions. What one person thinks about a book or a product has little to do with its intrinsic value to others, yet the internet puts it out worldwide as though it does. If we could keep a balance about what is significant in our lives and what is not, this sort of question wouldn’t even come up. But we don’t, so it does.
I’m with John Gilstrap on the light sentence. That self-styled writer will continue to pose a threat to the public until he is either treated or incarcerated at length.
I had a similar experience, Dan. A writer (and stranger to me) contacted me via email to tell me he read and reviewed one of my books, then proceeded to demand that I do the same. After thanking him, I told him review swapping is unethical and I do not take part in any shady review practices. Later that day, he changed his glowing five-star review to a one, then either had a friend or fake account add a few more one-star reviews over the next few days. Amazon refused to delete them, even though they had no verified purchase tags and it was obvious they hadn’t read the book.
I also blame social media for the growing trend of negativity. It’s far too easy for nasty people to spread hate, whether that be to bomb reviews, star ratings, or the author they perceive as more successful.
That AI “advice” is soooo dangerous. I remember that awful story of Mr. Brittain attacking that poor reviewer with a bottle. I even wrote a mystery novel where responding to a review leads to murder. Never respond, and never swap reviews. When people ask me to do that, I link to my blogposts about authors who have been kicked off Amazon for life for review-swapping. Sometimes they give me one-star reviews in response, but I rest easy knowing that the Amazon police will get them sooner or later.
Exactly, Anne. I feel the same way about review swapping. Not only is it unethical and wrong but I’m not endangering my ability to publish for anyone.