Reviews: To Read or Not to Read? That is the Question.
Everyone says not to read your reviews—but following that advice is easier said than done
Ask just about any seasoned author for tips, and they’ll tell you their No. 1 piece of advice is to NOT read reviews. Debut authors hear things like, “Goodreads isn’t a good place to be. Stay off it.” “Reviews are for readers, not writers.” And for god’s sake, if you get tagged in a bad review on social media, just ignore it.
But these days, when authors are supposed to interact with their fans on social media, help get early readers, and are regularly tagged in both good and bad reviews, how can you avoid taking a peek?
Confession: Three out of the four of us ignore the advice. Newly published Amy, and soon-to-be published Hadley and Erin have been reading their reviews, going through the daily roller coaster of emotions as they do it. Lauren, on the other hand, chose not to read her reviews, having friends send her a selection instead.
So let’s chat about it: How did you decide whether or not to read reviews? And what has that experience been like for you?
Amy: Publishing a novel brings up so many emotions. I did a lot of mindset work throughout my querying process, and it’s made it so I can better handle the challenges that come my way, and also fully enjoy the positive experiences I have been lucky to have so far. A silver lining of years of rejection is that I have learned not to align either my own worth, or the worth of my writing, with other people’s reactions to my writing. It’s really, truly, not personal. Ever. Even when it feels personal. I believe I am not my book, and my book is not me.
I understand that my book will not be for everyone, because no book has ever been for everyone. But I do read my reviews because to me, it makes it more real that the book is getting out there, and I really do enjoy reading the positive ways it is impacting people. I don’t say that because I recommend doing this!! I share because I am able to read from a place where I don’t let either the positive or negative reviews live inside my mind. They are just opinions, good or bad, and I know that I am proud of the novel and the work I’ve done, and it’s from that place of internal validation that I am trying to stay grounded, instead of letting other people’s reactions dictate how I feel about it.
That said, now that the book is out (!!), I’ve stopped reading them, at least for now. Partly due to of lack of time juggling all the things around launch, and partly because there are so many other other ways that it feels real now. I am getting tons of messages from readers directly, so that has been incredibly fun and wonderful, and at times overwhelming, and I don’t feel the need to seek out more.
Lauren: I so admire Amy’s ability to take the personal out of receiving feedback. When you’ve spent years pouring your heart into something, it’s hard not to align your self worth with the final outcome. When I published La Vie, According to Rose last summer I made a conscious choice to give up my book to the world. The minute readers get their hands on your book, the story now has a life of its own that really has nothing to do with you!
However, I made the decision NOT to read my reviews because I know how my anxiety brain works. Everything good would be hungrily devoured by my ego in a hot second and then just as quickly forgotten, while anything negative would settle in like a parasite, sapping away my creative spirit. For me, it’s not a matter of my self worth as much as the fear that all those outside opinions taking up residence in my mind would drown out my sacred intuition, the quiet voice inside I’ve been working so hard over the last few years to hear. By forgoing any connection to feedback except from people I know well (this group, my editors and agent, etc.), I feel like I’m able to work more from a place of authenticity as I move forward.
Hadley: I fall somewhere in the middle between Amy and Lauren. So far I have been reading all my early reviews on NetGalley and Goodreads, but I plan to stop reading them once my book is published. Like Amy, I wanted to read at least a few of my reviews because I wanted proof that my book is reaching readers. Getting my first review from a total stranger was super exciting and made me feel like a real author. It’s also interesting and sometimes useful to see what readers like and don’t like about my writing style. For instance, more than one reader has complained that I “try to do too much” with my story, and that happens to be the exact problem I’m struggling with in my second book. Hearing that feedback from readers has made me more determined to fix the “all-over-the-place” issues I’m having with book #2, and I think as I write future books, I’ll remind myself to simplify at the outset.
I definitely think you have to be in the right mental headspace to read reviews and not feel upset by them, though. The first two-star review I got felt really painful; the second one hardly bothered me at all. The closer I get to publication, the more detached I’m feeling from my first book, and I’m hoping that I’ll quickly reach a point where I’m just not that interested in reading my reviews. Like Lauren said—once my debut is published, it will belong to readers, and I’ll want to focus exclusively on my next one.
Erin: As the last one of our group to debut, I’m always learning from Lauren, Amy, and Hadley as they travel the publishing road ahead of me. I knew not reading reviews was the best option, so I tried not to read reviews—I tried! But throughout this entire publishing process—querying, being on submission, reading reviews from early readers—I’ve realized I just need to lean into the kind of person I am: someone who always wants ALL the information. I’m sure it’s the journalist in me—I want the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
And honestly, I think reading reviews has toughened me up a bit. Magazine editors are shielded from reviews—your name is usually not the one on the story. And most magazines don’t get much reader feedback, not the way books do anyway. With a book, I’m the name on the cover, and I’m the one who controlled the story from the beginning. So, it’s been a learning process to be in the direct line of fire.
Two things that have helped me: Going on Goodreads and looking up some of my all-time favorite books. So many books that I adored and changed my view of the world have less than a 4-star average! After I realized that, I also realized that I don’t care about the number of stars I get—I just want lots of people to read my books.
The plus side of reading my early reviews is seeing that my book is already reaching its perfect reader. Some of the wonderful, thoughtful reviews have taken my breath away. And that’s really all any author can hope for, right?
We’d love to hear from our readers who are also authors — do you read your reviews? Why or why not? And do you have any tips for processing reader reactions?
I completely understand the advice to not read your reviews, but as an indie author, I find the advice unrealistic because I am my own publisher. I curate my own ARC team, I manage my NetGalley listings, I decide which readers to entrust early copies. I would never maliciously invade reader spaces, but the lines have blurred online. Not to mention, good reviews are also excellent marketing tools!
I'm thankful I used to be a journalist because it trained me on how to create content for public consumption. In fact, I wrote a piece called, "The Joy and Terror of Being Seen," so hopefully it resonates with you all: https://alyssajarrett.substack.com/p/the-joy-and-terror-of-being-seen
I'm with Erin. I want it all—the good, the bad, and the ugly. And may I be so bold as to say, every author gets a bit of all three—hopefully, more of the good, of course. I've been to a couple of writers' conferences where some established authors got up and read their worst reviews. Everyone, including the authors, had a good belly laugh. It's the only way to deal with them and carry on.