One-Star Reviews: Everyone Gets Them

If you have never received a one-star review, there might be a reason. Here are a few:

1. You haven’t published any books yet.
2. You haven’t sold any books yet.
3. Nobody has left any reviews.
4. You have very few reviews.
5. You paid for reviews.
6. You write better than every famous writer ever born.

Let’s Examine Some Reviews for Books by Famous Writers

And I’ll review the reviews. Will you agree with my opinion?

Stephen King: The Stand

Note the typo (“authors”). If you’re criticizing someone else’s writing, correct grammar and spelling will help legitimize your remarks.

Stephen King: The Body

This review penalizes the author, when the problem lies with the publisher. The purchaser should have returned the book for a another copy, and contacted Customer Support with their concerns.

J. K. Rowling: The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Here’s another review that has nothing to do with the writing. Perhaps the typo (“order”) was made by a book lover whose second language is English.

George R. R. Martin: A Feast for Crows

Did this person expect a modern author to write like a person who died decades ago? John R. R. Tolkien (notice the spelling) was born in 1892.

Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale

I always distrust comments written by people who didn’t finish a book.

And I Could Continue

I haven’t yet discovered a popular writer with thousands of ratings and no one-star reviews.

So … Should You Worry About “Bad” Reviews?

It depends.

Is your writing “bad”? Was the printing “bad”? Or was the reviewer “bad”?

Let’s Do the Math

If you have ten five-star reviews and two one-star reviews, that’s a total of fifty-two points left by twelve people:

52/12=4.3 average rating.

So, yes, the one-star reviews can affect your book’s status in the minds of some prospective readers. However, the more five-star reviews you receive, the less significant the single-stars become.

A Few Motives for One-Star Reviews

Understanding the motive behind a review will help you rate its importance.

#1 Your Writing Is Inadequate

This might be entirely subjective, or you might actually be a bad writer. Deep down, you should know where you fit. However, no matter what, don’t give up.

To parrot an old cliché, practice makes perfect.

#2 Your Cover Is Terrible

Here’s another area where subjectivity reigns. Do you have misgivings about your cover? If so, can you afford the time and/or expense to improve it?

#3 Your Book Doesn’t Fit the Genre

Certain tropes are expected in certain genres. If you ignore those tropes, you might receive negative feedback. Is there enough negative feedback to reclassify the book?

That’s your call. Perhaps your writing will spark a new genre.

#4 Your Book Is Too Expensive

If you’re an indie writer, you control the price. Remember the huge pool (which has become an ocean nowadays) of writers with whom you must compete. Experiment with various prices until you find what works best for you. That may change based on time of year and popularity of your other books.

#5 You Have Piqued a Reviewer’s Pet Peeve

If you write a book critical of something or someone important to a person, they might be just as critical of your writing.

#6 A Rival Is Trying to Sabotage You

It’s difficult to prove this one. On many platforms, people don’t have to use their real names when they leave reviews. If you can prove it, you might be able to get the review deleted. If not, work even harder for more five-star reviews.

Maybe you should be flattered by the jealous rival, who would be better served by concentrating on writing instead of sabotage.

Refer to Let’s Do the Math.

#7 You Have Insulted Someone

On social media. Or in a book group. Or at a writer’s convention. Or …

Caveat: I added this tip after receiving feedback from a few online friends.

These Are Just a Few of the Many Reasons Behind Low Ratings

Remember that the “bad” reviews lend credibility to the “good” ones.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I see a book with dozens of nothing but five-star reviews, I become suspicious. Really? Nobody had anything bad to say about this book?

And the single star is often just a rating. Without a reason for the rating, you have no way to react to it. But savvy readers don’t pay attention to ratings without accompanying reviews.

Don’t Obsess Over Single Stars

• Just as a chef cannot craft a meal that will please every palate, a writer cannot craft a story that will please every booklover.
• Many writers don’t read reviews, preferring to spend their time creating instead of worrying about what others say.
• You might want to check reviews once weekly when a book is first released. However, maybe once every six months works better for established books.
• If several readers have pinpointed the same problem, maybe you should consider it as valid.

Oh, I almost forgot: It’s a bad idea to argue with a reviewer.

Maybe It’s Time to Get Back to Your Writing?

Nobody can write like you do.