Authors, we hope your week has gotten off to a positive start!
Recently, self-published author Jennifer-Crystal Johnson wrote a guest blog post for Book Marketing Tools entitled “
How to Handle Negative Book Reviews.” In her piece, she really cut to the core of what it feels like to receive a negative review for something that you’ve spent so much time and effort creating. It sucks! But the way you handle negative reviews can set the stage for some real, significant growth as a self-published author.
But what about positive reviews?
Should you just take them for granted?
What, if anything, should you do to maximize your favorable book reviews?
As it turns out, not all authors know how to handle good reviews. Thankfully, if you’re a writer who isn’t sure what to do when the raves start coming in for your latest book, we have some great tips!
3 Tips for Maximizing Your Positive Book Reviews
Whenever possible, reach out to your positive reviewers to say, “thanks,” whether they are friends, family members or complete strangers who stumbled across your book.
As a self-published author, you are running a business. And business is all about relationships. The more you can cultivate positive relationships with people who love your books, the more successful you’ll be in your career as an author.
To write a review takes time and thoughtfulness, so if you’re getting good reviews of your work, it means that people are really connecting with your writing. As an author, there really isn’t a better feeling, so be sure to show your appreciation!
Tip #2 — Start a Collection
Chances are, if you get one good review, you’ll probably get several. Keep a list of your good reviews so you can link to them, post them on your author website or pull quotes from them.
A selection of positive reviews can also be the subject of a “What Readers Are Saying” email to the people on your list.
It’s also good to have easy access to your positive reviews for those times when you’re not feeling so hot about your ability to put words on the page — who doesn’t need a confidence boost from time to time?
Tip #3 — Reflect on What You’re Doing Right
You probably have a pretty strong sense of your strengths as an author, but good reviews can reveal some things about your writing that you may not have even considered. Negative reviews can challenge you to face your flaws, but good reviews can uncover hidden strengths that you can cultivate for your future writings.
For example, maybe you’ve never thought of yourself as a gifted dialogue writer — perhaps your focus has been on plot and narrative — so when reviews appear that show appreciation for the ways in which your characters speak, it’s a chance to take notice of a talent you might not have known you have!
Good reviews give you the opportunity to reflect on and respond to the aspects of your books that really resonate with readers, which can only help you grow as you continue your journey as a self-published author.
