Once your book is out there for the world to enjoy, some of your readers are going to express their opinions via online reviews. Their comments might be glowing, savaging, or somewhere in between. Read them if you want (I don't recommend this), but tempting as it may be, do not comment on them.
I repeat: do NOT comment on reviews. Why? Because no matter how you slice it, it doesn't make you look good.
Temping as it may be, don't respond to online reviews in public forums
Once you add the "author" title to your résumé, people are going to look up to you, which is great. Let them! You've accomplished something that many people dream of but few actually do. Avoid tainting that hard-earned respect by responding to reviews. Remember, you deserve it!
-Maria
Maria Murnane is the best-selling author of the romantic comedies Perfect on Paper, It's a Waverly Life, and Honey on Your Mind. She also provides consulting services on book publishing and marketing. Learn more at www.mariamurnane.com.
This blog post originally appeared on CreateSpace.com. Reprinted with permission. © 2012 CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Comment
Excellent advice.From the other side,I've had at least 3 writers e-mail me about my review of their book-telling me in one instance that I shouldn't have bought the book because I was too well qualified in the field and it wasn't aimed at people like me!
Comment by Catherine McNamara on September 21, 2012 at 1:48am 
Comment by Vivienne Diane Neal on September 13, 2012 at 2:50pm 
Comment by Patricia Gligor on September 13, 2012 at 9:15am Maria, you're a wise woman!
While I do read the reviews I get for my mystery novel, Mixed Messages, (so far they've been good; thank you God!), I realize that not everyone is going to have positive things to say about my novel/s. If I get a negative review, I will definitely ignore it. I won't "add fuel to someone's fire."
While I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and, of course, they have the right to express it, I made a decision early on that I would never "bash" another author. If I read a book and really don't like it, I don't write a review because, seriously, who am I (or who is anyone for that matter) to judge? As they say, "one man's garbage is another man's gold." Just because I didn't like a book that doesn't mean someone else won't. I know that some readers make decisions on whether or not to buy a book based on reviews and I sure don't want to discourage anyone from buying a book. :)
Comment by Peg Herring on September 13, 2012 at 3:40am I decided early on not to read reviews at all and save myself a lot of angst.Some authors I've known have responded to negative reviews and started flame wars, with each side sending in troops to shore up their arguments. Others read one good review and become convinced their work is peerless.
You write what you write. Your editors polish it. Some people will like it; some won't. Just keep writing.
Comment by Daphne Q on September 11, 2012 at 6:18pm This is such good advice... if you comment on a negative review... you elevate that person to your level. I hope I'm in a position someday to take this advice
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