Are you feeling feverish, hiding under your duvet, and never planning to connect to the Internet again? You have probably just sent your work to your beta readers or published your novel. Waiting for feedback often makes you a little nervous and that’s normal! Today, I suggest we look at this delicate subject with 5 tips for handling criticism of your novel while remaining kind to yourself.
The first critiques of your manuscript
Whether you work with publishers or self-publish, you will receive the first round of critiques and comments on your manuscript, whether from your editor or your beta readers.
For my part, I have already received encouraging emails from some of my editors warning me that there was “not much to correct” and that they liked the story. Your beta readers may have already given you this type of feedback as well. We feel this beneficial euphoria that gives us wings, we already see our novel on sales sites or in bookstores and we are delighted. That’s when we open the file containing the corrections… and we have a heart attack! There are notes in red, entire sequences highlighted in yellow, and dozens of comments in the margin on every page. And your novel has 300… It’s at this moment that we generally despair a little and wonder how we’re going to get through this titanic work.
Tip: take these reviews as a guarantee of the future quality of your novel. Those who have reread it have the same goal as you: for your story to be the best possible and for it to reach a large audience.
Regarding my beta readers, I pay attention to the weak points in my text pointed out by several people. If they tell me that the passage on page 32 is not clear and understandable and that several of them have not understood my point, I have likely made an error and I will clarify this text sequence. On the other hand, certain remarks are completely subjective and depend on each individual’s sensitivity. It’s up to you whether you want to consider them or not (you remain in charge).
What I can tell you to reassure you is that working thoroughly on your text before publishing it will give you confidence. Your story will improve in quality!
Positive reviews of your novels
When a reader likes your book and he or she takes the time to write their opinion on it, it’s a real gift. I would even say that it is essential nourishment for a writer. These comments will allow you to identify your strengths in writing, so they are useful for understanding what appeals to your style in addition to building and improving your self-confidence.
Tip: keep a record so you can re-read them when you’re in doubt. You can create a file on your computer and compile the positive reviews of your novel there. This is what I do regularly to give myself a good boost when I’m discouraged. For me, it’s an excellent strategy to find a smile again and to realize that my stories can please a readership.
Constructive criticism of your novels
Sometimes, your novel will not resonate with your readers as you would have liked. Of course, you wrote it with your guts, you gave the best of yourself, and you did everything to bring authenticity to it by talking about themes that touched your heart, but you didn’t not the same heart as the others, not the same journey either and not the same sensitivity. It’s logical and it’s normal.
These criticisms are not always easy to assimilate and, when I started, I handled them poorly. A single, rather negative review was capable of canceling out all the great reviews I had read before. However reviews that highlight your weaknesses and are based on concrete elements are useful for your progress. Of course, reading is subjective, but if several returns illuminate the same thing and highlight a similar point, it is worth working on. Your novels will only be better!
Recently, I read a review of my novel The Libraries of the Blessed. She was a reader who had read other of my novels, and who loved romance and comedies. Obviously, upon discovering it, she did not find the ingredients she would have wanted, namely a love story. Indeed, the plot does not revolve around a couple but evokes the love of books and the love of living together despite our differences and I perfectly understood the reason for its disappointment. As it turns out, it wasn’t the right book for her, and I have to take it philosophically, even if I always feel a little heartache when I see that my characters weren’t able to touch her. This is the game and you have to be right.
Tip: Analyze the feedback and identify your room for improvement and then work on it when writing your next manuscript. You can make a list of these points to be more aware of them.
Nasty reviews of your novels
Let’s be clear, these will be of no use to you! Just move on and forget about them. When publishing one of my series, I received a comment that simply said: “This is rubbish”. I remained doubtful before these few words, a little stunned by this nastiness. I found this remark offensive and did not understand the purpose of it. So what could I do with that, as a young novelist, a little lost in this world that I didn’t yet know very well and yet which already fascinated me? I felt disappointed because I had no key to improving myself.
Advice: if the column is useless, don’t feel sorry for it, and don’t rehash it, it’s not worth it. To give yourself courage, you can do the following exercise: go read the reviews on your favorite novel. You will find that critiques also exist and that your favorite writers are not spared from negative, mixed, or constructive opinions. And eat chocolate (chocolate is always a good idea).
To respond to criticism or not?
When a reader tags me on social networks, I tend to respond with a little note or an emoji to indicate that I have read and taken this attention into account or to thank the person. One of the positive points of Instagram or Facebook is the fact that the readers who write to you directly or who tag you in their reviews are mostly people who appreciate your story.
Finally, whether the review is positive or mixed, tell yourself that the reader took the time to write and post their opinion, and that deserves consideration. This strategy is much easier to implement for people who like your work. I think there is only one thing to avoid: don’t waste your time justifying yourself in the event of bad reviews. If you choose to respond, you can simply thank the person for their opinion but do not engage in a sterile debate that would only be a battle of egos. The goal is not to show this person that they didn’t understand anything and that they shouldn’t have taken this or that part of the plot in this way. Leave her alone and respect her opinion.
A few words to conclude
When my first novel was published, I was on the lookout for reviews and snooped everywhere to read the comments to the point that it became an obsession. Over time, I also learned to put the opinions I received into perspective and to distance myself. I have often been given the advice to differentiate my person from my work regarding criticism. If someone didn’t like my novel, that doesn’t mean that I’m a lousy person or a lousy author. Logical and even elementary my dear Watson. But, there you go, my name is not Watson, and distancing yourself from a work as personal as a novel is not always easy.
From the moment you want to be published, you have to accept that your book exists outside of you, that it no longer belongs to you, and that everyone is free to give their opinion. It’s part of the game even if it’s not easy every day. Regardless, each novel helps us progress in our work as writers and each review helps us understand our strengths and weaknesses. So, take heart and let’s write!