Free brings out the haters

So I posted the other day about how excited I was about making my first Presley Thurman mystery, Stilettos & Scoundrels, free when the 5th, Gems & Gunshots, came out. While I am still thrilled by the good response I have received with people downloading Stilettos & Scoundrels and my other books I also realize there are other things that come in to play when that many people download your book. The main one I am focusing on with this blog post is poor reviews. I’m not delusional and I know that I am not the best writer out there. I also know I’m not a good editor. For that reason all of my books, except one, has been edited by two independent editors. In all my books I have received reviews both good and bad. You have to take that with the territory. It sucks but it’s reality. What hadn’t happened until I made this book free were the nasty reviews. While I subscribe to the thought that if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all, I understand the need for all kinds of reviews. Mostly. Downright nasty ones….I don’t understand. For example, on iTunes i have had a few thousand free downloads. I have an average star rating of 4.5 out of 5 but only 2 reviews. Both which are about two sentences that just say my book is the worst thing they ever read. Ok, I get it. You don’t like my style. I usually love reading reviews, even the bad ones, that point out several reasons why they didn’t like my book. It helps me grow as a writer. But if all you have to say is it sucks without an explanation then why bother? I admit I let it upset me until I started reading D.D. Scott’s new book 10 Years and 24 hours to Indie Publishing where she showcased some good reviews along with some bad. I then realized we all get shitty reviews. It comes with the territory and you have to just let it roll off your back and move on.

So all you haters out there…..sorry if you don’t like what I write but I’m not going to quit. What’s the saying? What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger? Damn straight!

Laina

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