Authors Behaving Badly...

As an author, I've had my share of "bad" reviews. Some pushed me almost to the brink of tears, which isn't easy, but the reviewer "just didn't get it".  I don't write what everyone out there writes; and I don't believe that HAEs are always needed, as long as a reader is left with hope. Sadly, I've come across a few reviewers that feel this is some unspoken law. So be it. To each their own. It is simply their opinion only.

In recent years, I've seen some horrid back-and-forth conversations on reviewers' blogs wherein the author has taken it upon him/herself to bash the reviewer for a bad review they've received. I cannot stress enough that the correct way to handle this is to thank them kindly and either choose to ignore it, or fix the problems (if it's formatting issues). It should also prompt the author to take a look at their novel (especially Indie authors) not as the "writer", but as a "reader". Was the reviewer far off his/her mark? If not, then the author has some work to do.

Or do they declare outright war?

Most reviewers do this service for free. One must remember that the majority of them are well read, in that they read many books. One must also remember that it is only that person's opinion. Not everyone will see it the same way. Unfortunately, when the disgruntled author posts directly on the review site exactly what they think of the reviewer (and it can get personal), they are simply sabotaging their career in the worst way possible. Can we say Diva?

Indeed, anything posted on the web is there forever, so inane and defamatory comments can be seen for a very long time, and that reflects solely on the author. More so if you are self-published, because those comments can and will hound you for years.

Sure, any publicity is good publicity, but when an author begins to tell the reviewer and others to F* Off, the immaturity and unprofessionalism speaks volumes.To say the least, I would not read one novel from that author, even if it was being given away for free.

A few years back, a publisher I worked for as a cover artist went under (and it wasn't pretty because one half owner of the pub took the money and ran...literally) leaving the other owner holding the bag, and it was an "ugly" bag, let me tell ya. Authors went up in arms and the things written by them, whether true or not, stunned me. As an acquisition and managing editor of a publisher for many years (recently retired), I will never forget the names of those authors. Suffice it to say that if a submission had ever come across my desk from them, I would have thrown it directly in the trash. Who needs authors like that?

We represent ourselves, our craft, and we should do so with respect and dignity, so matter how difficult it may be. Isn't that what being an adult is about? Would you tell your boss to F* Off because you didn't agree with something?  

First and foremost ~ for goodness sake, grow thicker skin! That is the first rule you must learn when you become a writer.You're only hurting  yourself. Sadly, and I've seen this happen, you may be watching from the sidelines as your career goes up in flames.