How do you handle rejection and bad reviews?
Irene Odell
Amazon ads for my books are viewed thousands of times a day, by people who do not buy my books, or even bother to click on the ad. Each one of those people are rejecting me by ignoring my ads/books. Yet, I am a best-selling author because of the many people who do buy and read/listen to my books. So, when people are hurt by getting a single rejection letter, I do sympathize. However, I crowd-source my rejections and get thousands every day. So, I put it in perspective.
Regarding bad reviews, I ignore them. All authors should ignore bad reviews. Most bad reviews essentially are saying “I don’t like this type of book” or “I didn’t enjoy this particular book”. Every review expresses one person’s opinion and nothing more (that includes good reviews). What matters is whether you enjoyed a particular book. Only you are an expert on what you enjoy and don’t enjoy. This is why your Mom should not have forced you to try Brussels sprouts or fish sticks.