First, I'd always heard the advice DON'T READ YOUR REVIEWS. Because you're going to get some bad ones no matter what, and they won't help you whatsoever.
Well, maybe I shouldn't have, but I've been ignoring this advice. I can imagine when I have a few books out my reviews won't matter quite so much. But with one book only, I'm a bit obsessed with checking the ratings and reviews on Goodreads. I know, I know, I shouldn't. BUT. Here's what I've learned: they actually don't bother me much. I've had a few negative ones, but so far I've just laughed, shrugged my shoulders, and moved on. I honestly didn't think they'd roll off me like this. Maybe it's because I've gotten used to rejection (hello, querying). Maybe because I know that there isn't ONE book out there that everyone loves. There's always someone who won't like it. So I expected that with SWAY.
I won't be surprised, however, if a day comes where a bad review hits me hard. Maybe because I'm tired, or having a crappy day, or feeling down about my writing already. I know I should be a little less diligent about checking my Goodreads ratings. But I also know that I can handle the tougher reviews. So go me for that!
The other thing I've learned from my reviews, and this is more writing related, is that romance readers DO NOT LIKE 1st person, 1 POV. Something I've heard in my reviews more than once is that people were disappointed because SWAY is told in Ava's POV only, with no Eric. Interesting. I never considered writing it any other way. But I see now, as I write the companion novel to SWAY with 2 POV's, why people would like to get inside the head of BOTH hero and heroine. So if you're a romance writer, keep that in mind.
Do you read your reviews or ignore them completely?
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