Authors and Negative Reviews

It seems there has been a lot of drama going around the blogging world lately.

Normally, I don't post about heated topics. I'm highly allergic to drama and angst (Except in stories, of course), and I learned long ago that you really can't change people's minds about anything, so why point that spotlight on yourself? But, in light of the recent author/blogger drama on twitter and facebook, I felt compelled to add my two cents to the mix. So, this is my own opinion, garnered from the years I've spent as a writing professional, on Authors and Negative Reviews. Future authors and writers, this is especially for you, not to scare or scold or threaten, but just as a gentle caution of what to expect.

NOT EVERYONE WILL LIKE YOUR BOOK. This is a certainty. No matter how compelling, no matter how innovative or brilliant or well-written, no book can please everyone one hundred percent. If you don't believe me, find your favorite book or author and check them out on Goodreads. They will have 1 and 2 star reviews, just like everyone else. Some people will adore your book, some people will just think its okay, and some people will loathe it and want to burn it and scour your name from the face of the earth for writing such garbage. And it's okay for them to think that. They are entitled to their opinion. Really, that's all a review IS: an opinion. Which brings us to the heart of this matter...

YOU ARE GOING TO GET NEGATIVE REVIEWS. If you are an author, and you put your book out there for the world to read, you are going to get bad reviews. Sometimes, the review will be thoughtful and well-done, with the reviewer citing what they liked and didn't like about the story. That's the best kind of negative review, but it doesn't always happen that way. Sometimes the review will be snide and hateful, as if the reader despises you personally and says all kinds of ugly, unkind things about the story you've put your heart and soul into. Its amazing the things people will say on the internet that they wouldn't dare say in real life, but it happens. This is why many authors I've spoken to stay far, far away from Goodreads. Because Goodreads is brutal on authors, and some of us would rather not know. So, now that you can expect at least one negative critique of your book, how does one respond to such a review? What should an author do in the face of such bad press?

NOTHING.

Let me say that again. NOTHING.

At the very, very least, you can email or post a comment thanking that reviewer for their time in reading and reviewing your book. Then you go and rant to your best friend, or your hubby, or your dog. You do not take out your hurt and frustration on the reviewer. You do not leave a comment on their blog, defending yourself and your book. You do not tell them how wrong they are, and that they must have misunderstood your writing, and that everyone before them has given your book steller reviews. Because it doesn't matter. You aren't going to change their opinion--again with that word OPINION--and you are only hurting yourself and your career by acting in such an unprofessional manner.

Yes, I know. Negative reviews hurt. They downright suck. Believe me, I've gotten more then my share, and its not fun reading "Julie Kagawa, you give fairies a bad name." (Actual review.) I know your book is your greatest achievement, and that you've come far and struggled so hard to get it published, and you should be very proud of that. I know its hard when you wrote the best story you could, went through all the heartache and uncertainty of getting it published, only to have a virtual stranger put it down like its nothing, like we don't have feelings and it doesn't tear us apart every time someone is cruel. I know its unfair that we can't defend ourselves.

But that's the world of authors and reviewers, and the only classy way to respond to bad reviews is graciously or not at all.

Thankfully, there are many out there who will love your book and your stories, and those reviews will be wonderful and glowing and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But, if you are to swim these treacherous waters of authordom, you must also be prepared to lose a little blood, as well. This is just fair warning, take it from someone who knows, and start working on that thick skin. And a sense of humor can help tremendously.

So that's my two cents on authors and negative reviews. Comments and discussions are welcome. However, any mean, ugly, or hateful comments will be eaten by the gremlins.

Julie

23 authors, cabins, and mooseheads

If you're ever in the wilds of *secluded wilderness-y place that I'm not naming* next month, listen very carefully. You might hear the primitive sounds of 23 authors coming together for a week long authorly retreat. The 23 authors (including yours truly) will be gathered together in a truly monstrous old cabin with animal heads staring at us from the walls, possibly in awe of so many authors.









(Picture of awed animal heads, stolen from Maggie's website)







Apparently, there will also be a vlog/v-chat. And this is where we need your help. Because there are so many of us, we are going to answer one question apiece from our readers. So, if you could ask us any one question, what question would that be? Head on over to Maggie Stiefvater's blog to post your inquiry in the comments. And also to see a list of the 23 author's attending.

Post NaNo: New goals and congratulations

Today is December 1st.

Yesterday, at 3:35 pm, I crossed the finish line for NaNo WriMo, at 50,024 words.

It was an exhausting, grueling, trying month, but I'm SO glad that I did it. I know this particular WIP would've taken me twice as long if I hadn't NaNoed the first half of it. My plot meandered, my characters did crazy, nonsensical things or nothing at all, and I couldn't count the times I wanted to go back and erase that page or paragraph or chapter of horrid prose that would've made Shakespeare roll in his grave. But erasing even one word would set my precious word quota back, the one I had clawed and cajoled and wrestled to get it this far. You can't look back, in NaNo. You must keep moving forward.

So. If you are among the few stubborn, stalwart, never-say-die people who crossed the NaNo finish line, congratulations! I salute you.

If you didn't quite make it, congratulations! I salute you, too! You tried something most would put off, or would've seen as impossible. You wrote. Whether you wrote 100 words or 49,999, you still put fingers to keyboard and words in front of the other. That is something to be proud of.

But its not over, yet. For me, my novel isn't quite done. I still have another 30,000 words to go. For my fellow NaNoers, that 50,000 word novel isn't done yet, either. Now comes the clean-up, where you go back and fix your plot holes, snip those loose threads, and try to get it looking its best. If you're aiming to get that story published, you have a lot of work to do. Firstly, consider padding your novel with another 20,000--30,000 words. I know *GASP*, that's a lot of words, but 50k is a VERY short novel, and most publishers prefer something a little longer. You can do it--you already have a beginning and an ending. And you wrote 50,000 words in a month; this should be cake.

















Or, if you don't see how your novel can be salvaged, write another one. Yup, just like that. You already know you can do it. That's the most valuable thing NaNo can teach you; you've already written a book. You can do it again.

For those who didn't finish, keep going! What's stopping you? NaNo is a tool, a motivational device to get you started, but you don't need it to finish. You've already begun your story. Completing it is just a matter of putting words in front of each other, little by little, until you're done.

Finish your novel. You don't need NaNo to do it. =)

Julie

For Aspiring Authors

Happy day before Turkey Day!

And just a quick note: this is for all aspiring authors. My wonderful, creative, awesomely talented agent recently uncovered her brainchild, the San Francisco Writer's University, an ONLINE university where you can learn everything you wanted to know about writing. Plus, you can learn about the business side of writing, the agent secrets and the publication process and how to write a book proposal.









So, at the risk of sounding like a commercial, what are you waiting for? Its free to sign up, the premium classes are reasonably priced, and there are a ton of free classes as well. (The classes are downloadable as mp3 files.) You can post comments, join discussions, and reach out to other writers in the community. (I'm a member, so feel free to friend me, if you like.) I know Laurie McLean, and I know she's very big on helping aspiring authors get published, so this site is really tailored to that. And, since it's just getting started, it's all set to explode into something fantastic.

Hope to see you there!

The San Fransisco Writer's University

Julie

Ready, set....NaNo!

Yup, its that time of year again.

NaNo Wrimo is upon us once more.

Even as I type this, I'm checking the NaNoWriMo official site, which is being ridiculously slow tonight, probably as hundreds (thousands?) of NaNoers are doing the exact same thing.

If you are one of these brave (insane) souls, kudos to you! Its comforting to know, as we gear up for the most frantic, stressful, neurotic month of the year (Christmas doesn't even come close) that there are thousands of writers going through the exact same thing. So, as the 1st of November looms ever closer, let's promise ourselves these things...

We will write everyday, through rain and sleet and falling snow, through TV shows and outings and parties and people who want you to socialize. By now, you should have warned any family, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, relatives, and spouses that they will probably not see you until December.





















We will not let our inner editor tell us our writing is crap. (Its 50k words in 30 days, its SUPPOSED to be crap.) This also goes for going back and "fixing things." Do not worry about fixing things; that will be December's project.


We will not fall behind.

If we do fall behind, we will soldier on and not give up.

We will not let the siren song of email, twitter, facebook, myspace, blogs, ect ect ect distract us from churning out our words. This also goes for phones, friends, children, pets, spouses, ect.


















At the end of the month, we will have written a 50,000 word mess of a story, with dangling plot threads, nonsensical scenes, holes you could drive a semi through, and so many mistakes our English teachers would scream, but we will have written a complete NOVEL. And we won't worry about the mess; we can always clean it up later.

So, my fellow NaNoers...on this last night of October, as the costumed children return from their candy begging, let us eat a good meal, get a good night's sleep, and say farewell to our loved ones.

For tomorrow, we NaNo.

I'll see you at the finish line.

So long, farewell...

So, today I sent off my FINAL final proofs (Also known as AAs or Author Alterations in the publishing world) of THE IRON QUEEN to my wonderful editor. And, it hit me: The trilogy is done. Completed. Finis.

For me, Meghan's story has come to an end.

Its a bittersweet feeling, to be sure. On the one hand, I'm proud that I've written the best story I could at the time. That I've taken the characters from their humble beginnings, watched them grow and change, and finally face the destiny that couldn't end any other way. Completing the story arc is unbelievably satisfying, and I'm content with where I left Meghan. I can walk away knowing her journey is done.

For now. Because even though I'm glad the story is finished, I'm a little sad, too. Its almost like watching your kids grow up and leave for collage; you've spent years with them, getting to know them, watching them struggle and fail and triumph, and then you have to let them go and let them make it on their own. And even though I'll move on to a new series and get to know a whole new cast, Meghan and co. will always be special because they were my first, the first to get published and the first to venture into the world on their own.

Perhaps, someday I will return to their world and get to know them all over again, because quite frankly, I'm not quite ready to say goodbye.

NaNo Wrimo and unicorns

Well, I did it. I signed up for NaNo this November. I don't know why this fills me with a looming sense of dread; I did NaNo a couple years back and got a published book out of it, so that alone should tell me I might be onto something. I suppose its because I went all official and signed up on NaNo's official website. The other time I just picked the month of September and did my own personal little NaNo month, where the only ones who knew were my agent and husband. Being an official participant is so much more ... official. I'm being pressured to perform by thousands of other Wrimos who are writing their novels and doing so much better than me, ahhhhhhh!

I know, I know. It shouldn't be any different than before. Perhaps its the amount of NaNo talk on Twitter thats getting me all aflutter. Perhaps I should stop playing around online and just focus on my writing. Perhaps I shouldn't listen to the Twitter talk and lock myself away in a safe isolated bubble until Christmas.

And perhaps unicorns will burst in my door, wave their magic horns, and complete my novel for me.