Monday 13 October 2014

#Authors do you have a fear of BAD #BookReviews ?

This blog post arrived in my inbox today and as I read it I realised it was something that needed sharing. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you Dylan for allowing me to share this great post :)

Originally posted on Suffolk Scribblings: by Dylan Hearn
FEAR OF THE BAD REVIEW
The biggest fear of any author is that people will hate their work. All authors suffer with this anxiety to a greater or lesser extent; whether they have a history of success or are just starting out; whether they are traditionally published or self-published. In fact, the fear is greater for a self-published author because they don’t necessarily have the sense of validation that winning and agent and a publishing contract provides (not that this is any salve for anxious traditionally published authors). To publish you need to overcome this fear but sadly, for many, they never do. You need to be a special kind of masochist to become a writer.
I’ve spoken in previous posts about how you cannot write something that everybody likes. It’s impossible. Why? Because the things that makes a book interesting and engaging are different for different people. Some people love flowery prose, others detest it. Some like their action loud, with explosions; others prefer the explosions to remain on the inside. The best, most revered books receive one-star reviews, as this wonderful post by Heather Hill explains, so at some point in your career you should expect to receive a bad review (or two).
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Have a great day,
Sarah Jane

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