There’s lots of different advice out there on how authors should handle negative reviews. Some people recommend ignoring or not even looking at reviews, while others suggest reading and applying every critique. The right answer is somewhere in between.
While there are trolls and jerks out there, when a significant number of readers give the same negative feedback on your work, it is a sign that there’s something wrong. So should you apply their criticism and change your book? Maybe, but probably not. Readers are excellent at knowing whether they like something, but they’re not always great at knowing why they loved or hated a book.
That’s where this series of blog posts comes in. I’m going to help you decode and demystify the most common criticism received by romance authors. As a romance novel book coach and developmental editor, I have the skills and training to take what people say and translate it into what they actually mean.
That Wasn’t Hot—It Was Toxic
Romance authors who like to explore darker themes in their writings may find their reviews filled with criticism that the relationships depicted weren’t hot or romantic—they were toxic or abusive. So, what is an author to do with this feedback? Are the critics right? Are you normalizing abusive behavior and conditioning women to accept unacceptable treatment?
I am a romance book coach and developmental editor—not a psychologist. I have not read any studies on the impacts of reading these kinds of books on a woman’s psyche, so I can only speak from my experience as an editor. Some readers may legitimately believe that you are doing something harmful by depicting “toxic” character traits as attractive or romantic. But what most of them really mean is that they didn’t like it. Even I, as an avid dark romance fan, have found content that is too dark for me.While there are lots of lines I enjoy seeing crossed in the books I read, there are some lines that are hard nos for me.
Readers who spend their money and time consuming your book want to get what they thought they were bargaining for. So what should you do?
Content Warnings
The most effective way to tell the story you want to tell while avoiding upsetting readers with the nature of your content is to use an effective and informative combination of content warnings and tags. Some authors are extremely reluctant to use content warnings and tags because they feel that it is spoilery. For these authors, I have two pieces of advice. First, you can take a generic approach to your content warnings. One author I’ve read opens her books with something like this:
The books I write are dark and gritty. If you are looking for the content warning, then this book is probably not for you.
Second, keep in mind that upset people leave bad reviews and ratings, and bad reviews and ratings tank your visibility on sales platforms (read: Amazon). It is better to miss a sale by telling readers up front that your book contains non-con or ABDL (a couple of my hard-pass categories) than to have someone discover the fact while reading and leave an angry 1 star review.
We all like to know what we are getting when we make a purchase. If readers are leaving negative reviews saying your content was “toxic”, then odds are, you did not do a sufficient job in your marketing to make sure readers knew what they were signing up for. Especially if you self-publish, it is your responsibility to get your book into the hands of readers who will love it—and keep it out of the hands of readers who will hate it.
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