Support for Indie Authors discussion

I'm not sure if this is the right folder to post this, but there doesn't seem to be an SIA folder for "interesting insights."

And...

Yes, thanks to the crowbar, I can still get my ego through the doorway.

I just received my first five star review for Conversations with Larry Xenomorph . As a humorist, I can't honestly think of a greater compliment than a reviewer stating, "…this book officially marks the first time I’ve ever cried with laughter on a bus."

This made me wonder... Authors spend a good deal of time talking about bad reviews, but how did you react the first time your book(s) received a five star or highly complimentary review?

Did you respond, that is, thank the reviewer?

I usually "Like" peoples' reviews as a simple thanks. It's certainly nice to find someone has thoroughly enjoyed your work, but, like peeing in dark pants, it gives you a warm feeling that nobody else really notices. (Does that pass your humor test?)

I do like Joe. I "like" the review, if I find it honest. Even a negative review can be helpful, if it is honest. So, I "like" any review I think will be helpful to potential readers.

Joe wrote: "I usually "Like" peoples' reviews as a simple thanks. It's certainly nice to find someone has thoroughly enjoyed your work, but, like peeing in dark pants, it gives you a warm feeling that nobody e..."

Thanks for your reply, Joe!

So... In answer to 'how did you react?' you reply that you peed your dark pants?

Yes, that old gem passes the humor test, but I was more interested in how you personally reacted. Were you insufferably pleased with yourself? Did it give you incentive to get a jump on the next project? Did you send copies of the review to all your relatives?

Everyone seems to focus on the negative, but how DID you react to the overwhelmingly positive?

I don't remember exactly, except that I couldn't read the entire review in one sitting, I was so excited. lol Kept getting up and walking around, then coming back and reading some more.

I was in at a team drinks event when I received my first 5* review for Twisted in a Positive Way. I started jumping and pacing about with my phone in one hand and my cocktail glass in the other. I eventually managed to set the cocktail glass down but I think I may have had people worried because everyone started staring at me.

The first 5 star reviews I got were from people I knew and couldn't trust to be honest (they were trying to be nice and "help" me). I mean I'm grateful, but we all know those kind of reviews don't really help much.

I do not respond to reviews. I feel that doing so seems a bit too needy. Now...posting a link to it on Twitter might be Ok. But directly responding to the review where it's been posted just doesn't seem professional to me.

Dwayne wrote: "So, I "like" any review I think will be helpful to potential readers."

Thanks, Dwayne.

Will the review be helpful to potential readers is a good barometer, and definitely worth a "like."

What a fantastic review for you, Jay! Congratulations!

I laughed when I saw my first 5-star review...and then I called my mother to see what her 'reviewer's handle' was. :-) When I discovered it was a true and organic 5-star, I felt like I do when my team makes a touchdown. It's an awesome feeling that validates the time and love poured into the work. I tend to re-read the positive reviews when a less-than-stellar one is posted.

I've never replied in any way to any reviews - great or otherwise - but I have used some of the more exciting lines of good reviews for promo.

I remeber doing a double take when I noticed the little yellow stars on my book's page and then immediately panicking that a friend or family member was trying to be 'nice.' But when I saw that it was a total stranger who read and liked my book, I got giddy. Super giddy. I used a lot of exclamation points on Facebook.

Chikamso wrote: "I eventually managed to set the cocktail glass down but I think I may have had people worried because everyone started staring at me."

Well, if they didn't know about the review, maybe they just wanted a glass of whatever you were drinking. :)

Congrats!

Arla wrote: "I laughed when I saw my first 5-star review...and then I called my mother to see what her 'reviewer's handle' was. :-) When I discovered it was a true and organic 5-star, I felt like I do when my team makes a touchdown."

Well, laughter is certainly a unique 'five star' reaction!

Congrats to you also!

Christina wrote: "But when I saw that it was a total stranger who read and liked my book, I got giddy. Super giddy. I used a lot of exclamation points on Facebook."

The genuine need to tell someone (or everyone) seems to be pretty normal. The Facebook exclamation points... I'm not sure. That might be a fetish. :-]

Congrats, Christina!

Congrats Jay! Nice reviews. :)

What I did? I cried. My husband asked me what was wrong and I said I've got a review and it's good. He said, "Why are you crying then?" I just shrugged and cried more.

I would have liked to thank them but had no way to contact them. I did however literally do a jig like Bruce did on Last Boyscout.

Oh, and congratz on the review, well deserved.

I thank people for good and bad reviews if I can.

I pretty much follow Dwayne's path. I feel it's only polite to "like" someone's effort to write an honest review, no matter how many stars. If I'm blown away by the review, I send a personal, private message to the reviewer, thanking them.
So how did I feel? Try "Woo Hoo!"

I think I'm one of the few who appreciate bad reviews.
Once I finish crying, I'm grateful to know an outside perspective.
How else can I improve?

of the taciturn, stiff-upper-lip, "this too shall pass" frame of mind

Rodney wrote: "I did however literally do a jig like Bruce did on Last Boyscout.

A Last Boyscout jig! I hope you were a better dancer than Bruce... Well, to be fair, he was tired.

Congrats, Rodney!

Rodney wrote: "I think I'm one of the few who appreciate bad reviews.
Once I finish crying, I'm grateful to know an outside perspective.
How else can I improve?"

I appreciate some of my lower reviews a lot, especially the ones that are like "don't eat before you read this" or "don't read this before going to sleep" or "I will never be able to enter a tunnel again" or "this book made me claustrophobic".

Jay wrote: "I hope you were a better dancer than Bruce... "

We gotta go with what we have...

W. wrote: "of the taciturn, stiff-upper-lip, "this too shall pass" frame of mind"

The humorist in me immediately jumped to: 'It's a great review, not dietary roughage."

However, I guess there's much to be said for keeping an even keel.

Congrats, W.!

I don't contact a reviewer who did a review unless I provided a copy for them, and we swapped emails over the review request.

Five star reviews make you feel good, but don't tell you if you're off-track anywhere. Four and three star reviews with a 'I like it, but... are very helpful, because they show what works and what doesn't. Twos can be helpful if they are honest for the same reasons.

But let's face it. Not everyone is going to like your book, even if it is the best ever, because peoples' tastes vary. Hopefully you didn't talk someone who hates sci-fi but likes YA romance to review your sci-fi book. I've been working with an author on a pro-Jewish novel. Think of what would happen if someone with anti-Semetic views were to read it.

Best thing to do is to not let your feelings get hurt, but try to look at it from the reader's POV. If they liked it, keep doing that kind of thing. if they didn't like something, see if you need to change, or if the reader is just not a fan of your kind of book.

And keep in mind, even the most famous authors didn't get all five-star reviews. it helps to pull one of the more successful author's books up and look at all of their books, and see the reviews.

Morris wrote: "And keep in mind, even the most famous authors didn't get all five-star reviews. it helps to pull one of the more successful author's books up and look at all of their books, and see the reviews."

I took your advice Morris and turned to one of my favorite successful authors for advice:

"Unless a reviewer has the courage to give you unqualified praise, I say ignore the bastard." - John Steinbeck

I think you do have to evaluate each review, but don't lose your sense of humor. It's just life.

However, you didn't answer the question. How DID you react when you got your first five star review?

My very first review was a glowing 5*. I almost did a back flip.. I generally don't comment on Amazon reviews at all. I now "like" goodreads reviews. While authors are intensely interested in reviews, they are really for future readers. I don't know whether reviewers welcome author feedback on reviews.

Every 5* review is a boost. Also check the net for kind souls blogging about your book.

Jay wrote: "Will the review be helpful to potential readers is a good barometer..."

Exactly. I have a three star review on one of my stories in which the reviewer liked the story, but had gone in thinking it was Young Adult and then was shocked at some of the things that happened in the tale and listed them in his review. While I'm not sure where he got the idea it was Young Adult, it could help other readers who might be turned off by the things that shocked him.

So, I appreciate any review I get, one, five or anything in between, as long as there's something specific and honest about what they liked or did not like.

My first 5 star? I was happy, because it came one day after receiving my first DNF. I went from the depths of low to soaring heights all in a 24 hour period. It was awesome, and it let me reapproach my DNF with new eyes. I learned a lot from my first two reviews, and I've tried to share every step of it on my blog and various places on the board here.
The biggest key, perseverance, and a willingness to be told, "You suck!" without letting it break you. That's why we try especially hard to keep this board as positive as we can guys. There's enough dark places on the internet where people will throw you to the wolves, or step on your head to pass from boat to shore.
Awesome thread by the way, Jay.

I didn't get a five star review yet because the reader (complete stranger to me) my beta-reader said she will write review soon... Anyways she said that The Fault in our stars didn't move her to tears, but my book did. So I thought YESSSS! *evil laugh* then felt bad.... But as an author we want our readers to experience our story, and that meant I got it just right!

Anthony wrote: "My very first review was a glowing 5*. I almost did a back flip.. I generally don't comment on Amazon reviews at all. I now "like" goodreads reviews. While authors are intensely interested in revie..."

Have to say, as a reviewer, I'm always happy when an author tells me they liked a review / found any of the feedback useful. It also gives me some kind of barometer on if the feedback is useful / which parts were useful ...

Riley wrote: "Awesome thread by the way, Jay..."

Thanks, Riley.

I think people underappreciate their own reactions sometimes. It's rather interesting, really.

J.C. wrote: "Have to say, as a reviewer, I'm always happy when an author tells me they liked a review / found any of the feedback useful. It also gives me some kind of barometer on if the feedback is useful / which parts were useful ..."

I'm torn between 'Your secret is safe with me' and wanting to hear more!

I find every review useful, and I think serious writers appreciate and thoughtfully evaluate all feedback. Naturally, compliments don't hurt either. Life is sweeter with the occasional ego boost.

Thanks for all of your comments, J C!

Interestingly enough I became quite giddy when I got a four star review. I already had two five star reviews, but both were from people who knew me and I knew them, and as much as I appreciate such reviews - as was mentioned in a comment above - you can't help but wonder sometimes if they were being honest or just nice (not that I'm trying to look a gift horse in the mouth. But you really can't help wondering sometimes).

But getting a four star review just made things feel more... real, I guess. Plus another review, woot! :D I've got three reviews now!

Funny enough, the reason I joined Goodreads was because I came here to look up a different book, then ended up searching for one of my own book titles just to see what'd happen. I found it was not only listed, but had a five star review from a complete stranger, which blew me away. (I guess they not only liked the book, but also added it to the database?)
Any review, good or bad, is useful to me (unless it's 'lol ur book sux.') I generally assume it's unprofessional to leave a response to any reviews. I know it would seem pretty petty for an author to respond to a bad review trying to justify things, so I figured the same would apply to responding directly to a 4-5 star review.
I also wasn't sure if it was 'okay' to even hit like on reviews of my stuff, but since I've seen other people here do that with their own books, I've been trying to like reviews if I see them go up.

Jay, congratulations, that’s an incredible review! Making someone “cry with laughter on a bus” because they read your book is amazing. High praise for sure. I’m surprised you didn’t jump for joy and bump your head on the doorway. :)

In answer to your question, I will “like” the person’s review on Goodreads. Other than that I don’t contact them. Occasionally, I have mentioned a good review at the end of my blog. Something like: “Thank you ____, for the Five-Star review you left on Amazon. You made my day!” And then I include an excerpt from their review.

My reaction to receiving a good review? I’m always left surprised and smiling for the rest of the day.

K. wrote: "Jay, congratulations, that’s an incredible review! Making someone “cry with laughter on a bus” because they read your book is amazing. High praise for sure. I’m surprised you didn’t jump for joy and bump your head on the doorway... :)"

I was wondering where that knot on the top of my head came from!

I agree, a good review is always a nice surprise, and smiling for the rest of the day sounds exactly right.

Since I write humor, when a reviewer mentions any variation of lol, well, that's success. Definitely, an ego boost!

T.R. wrote: "...ended up searching for one of my own book titles just to see what'd happen. I found it was not only listed, but had a five star review from a complete stranger, which blew me away..."

I assume you mean "blew me away" as in 'a bit of a shock.' That seems to be a fairly common reaction. No matter how much confidence we have in our prose, having someone else give it high praise is rather unexpected. That, in itself, is kind of interesting.

The five-star reviews I've had have been from writing friends online and one real-life friend. Their feedback has been great, but from having spoken with them previously, I was fairly certain I knew what was coming.

However, I received my first two four-star reviews from total strangers the other day and I about had a heart attack from excitement over their very existence. :P Then I read them and couldn't stop reading them for about two hours. One reviewer took the time to post her review to both Goodreads and Amazon. I wanted to hug her and bake her cookies and throw her a party and declare her "Woman of the Year." I settled for a modest, professional "like" of her review.

Is that what you were asking for? ;)

I would assume perspective would make a difference. I would think it would be pretty hard to get a 5 star from another author. Since authors are so inwardly critical, I suspect they are outwardly critical as well.

A 4 star from an author is a pretty good compliment. Especially if it's one you feel writes well.

Britain wrote: "...I about had a heart attack from excitement over their very existence. :P Then I read them and couldn't stop reading them for about two hours. ..."

Repeated reading seems to be sort of de rigueur! Every reading is just a tad wonderful, isn't it?

Congrats, Britain!

Jay wrote: I assume you mean "blew me away" as in 'a bit of a shock.' ....."

Yeah, it was the first 5-star review I got that wasn't from a friend, so it was a pleasant surprise. (And whoever rated it also added it to a fairly appropriate list.)

I recommend celebrating your first 1 star review the same way!

Our first 5-star review was a nice surprise, but we took the "be slient" route. These days, on GR, I also "like" reviews I believe are substantive, regardless of the rating.

If a reader leaves an especially thoughtful review, I might contact them with a note of thanks. If they leave more than one, I probably will. We have found a few beta readers that way.

I have just one 5 star so far for my very first novel. And, the feeling that I felt when I noticed it was absolute, extreme and unbridled joy. I loved that someone enjoyed my book and it was someone I did not know. After all, what's the point of doing this if not to bring joy to or have some other positive impact on people? Sorry . . . I guess I am just in a philosophical mood and still beaming.

I thanked the person by liking the review. I wanted to share it with everyone imaginable, but I was so afraid that I would alienate the reviewer.

:)

J.C. wrote: "Anthony wrote: "My very first review was a glowing 5*. I almost did a back flip.. I generally don't comment on Amazon reviews at all. I now "like" goodreads reviews. While authors are intensely int..."

I made the mistake of commenting on a lengthy 3* review (for same book). The reviewer was critical of my book, accusing me of 'ripping off' Asimov. I defended the book and addressed her criticisms. I was sensitive to them at the time, for reasons that I have discussed elsewhere on SIA.

I considered my tone carefully, thanking her for the review. I thought she would reply. She dropped the rating to 2*!

I deleted my comment and since then, leave well alone.

Riley wrote: "My first 5 star? I was happy, because it came one day after receiving my first DNF. I went from the depths of low to soaring heights all in a 24 hour period. It was awesome, and it let me reapproac..."

I can imagine. My first 1* was actually a sobering shock. Someone hated my book?

I think almost every book will get a 1* and 5* eventually. It's a bell curve thing. One can objectively judge the book when the curve fills out, but be happy that some people enjoy it.

Anthony wrote: "My very first review was a glowing 5*. I almost did a back flip...I think almost every book will get a 1* and 5* eventually. It's a bell curve thing..."

Well, the back flip would have been a sight to see!

The bell curve is an interesting take, also.

Congrats, Anthony! ...On the 5 star, not the bell curve!

My very first glowing review for my first novel was the single utterance, "Phenomenal! "by my step-daughter. That one word sent me onto cloud nine :) The first five star review I received from a total stranger did the same thing, especially when the reviewer stated she "stayed up all night to finish it." Ah, but all good things must come to an end. The very next day I got my first one star review and my little bubble burst.

My first two novels have star ratings all over the place, but overall the average is strong. I do "like" a review on goodreads, even a low star one if it actually provides some insight.

My first five star review had me walking on air for days. My only concern was it was so enthusiastic, people would assume I'd paid for it or had a friend write it. And yes, any review where they say they couldn't stop reading and the characters jump off the page is terrific. It makes all the hard slog worthwhile!

The first time I read a glowing review, I cried. Then I screenshotted it and sent it to my mother, who said, "That's nice, dear."