This post is part of, and an extension of, one I wrote for the Happy Honkers blog about when kindness looks like unkindness.   When you publish a book,  it goes into the public arena for review. That's part of the deal, and negative reviews are something all authors need to learn how to handle. When you ask someone for a review and they say it will be an honest review, that's what you'll get, and you have to be prepared for the results, whatever they are. If you aren't willing to get negative reviews then don't ask those whose review policy clearly states that they will publish such reviews - like me. I'm talking here only about comprehensive reviews written by professional reviewers i.e. those who know about writing. They've given you 1 or 2 stars and a review which includes all your writing faults. It's a painful shock, but don't assume that that means that the reviewer is heartless, in fact, the opposite may be true. How can you handle a negative review in a positive … [Read more...]