Hey Reader,

Longtime readers might remember when I used to do the 3@3. New readers, welcome to the explanation: a few years back, I used to go live once a week at 3pm and answer 3 questions that had been pre-submitted. It was all live, no editing, just raw talk. Turns out, I've got a pile of those clips sitting around, and honestly, most of the advice hasn't aged a day. Would I add some information or say it a bit different? Maybe. But these are still so solid, I decided to resurrect them and share them with you again!

The question this time:

How do you suggest handling negative reviews or low ratings? How do you deal with negative feedback?

First thing to sort out: is this a negative review, or negative feedback from an editor, beta reader, or critique partner? Those are different problems.

If it's feedback from someone whose opinion you actually trust, sit with it for a bit. Try to hear it as feedback on the product, not on you, and decide for yourself what's worth actioning. You don't owe every piece of critique a revision.

Reviews are a different animal entirely. You don't have to respond to them. You definitely don't have to screenshot them and share them around to make fun of the reviewer. You're allowed to just not look at them at all if that's what protects your ability to keep writing. If you do read them, ask yourself if there's anything valid in there, typos, real quality issues, things you'd genuinely want to fix. "Too much sex" or "too much swearing" isn't a note. That's just someone who was never your reader in the first place.

The bigger truth underneath all of it: every book gets negative reviews. The Very Hungry Caterpillar has one-star reviews. You will not write your way into a version of publishing where everyone loves your book. That's not a flaw in your writing, that's just what happens when a book reaches enough readers.

Take five: In this new video I talk about how to deal with negative reviews! (4 minutes)

If a rough review has you spiraling and you're not sure whether it's pointing at something real or just noise, a Jumpstart Session is a good next step, a focused way to get my input on what's actually worth acting on. A Jumpstart Session is 20 minutes with me on Voxer where we figure out exactly what your next step is, and how to take it.

And still asking: would you want live 3@3 back, or something like it, so you could bring your own questions?

Happy writing!

~Angela
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