This is K.M. Wyland and you are listening to the 600 sixth episode of the Helping Writers Become Authors

Podcast. I hope you enjoy this week's episode 8 tips for dealing with negative

reviews of your book.

If one of your goals as a writer is to be read, then sooner or later you will have to deal with negative reviews of your book.

And this could be as simple as a family member

or a beta reader telling you, tactfully or not,

that they didn't like the book.

Or it could be as painful as receiving multiple low-star reviews once the book has been

published. Some of those negative reviews will have merit. Some will not.

Regardless, learning how to read them, accept them, and move on is a challenge all

writers must face. A few months ago, when I asked you what you'd like me to talk about, one question that immediately

popped out to me was from Chinach, who queried not just about negative reviews but about

unfair reviews.

How do you learn to live with reviews that are patently unfair?

My last book had mostly good reviews.

Two, however, were two stars who were upset about graphic content.

I always include content warnings about violence and steam level.

I write the first sentences of my blurbs to include words and phrases that suggest violence if it's in the book.

I really don't know what else to do.

The steam level is similar to other books in my genre and the violence in gore would barely receive an R rating if it were a movie.

All I can think of is just live with the reviews, but it's hard. I know writers are supposed to have thick

skins, but I hate reviews that just seem unfair.

...