Comment Engagement - Don't

We all want to be liked.  As a writer, when I get a positive review, it makes me feel good.  I think you’d have to be a robot to not feel something when people comment on your work, so although I’ve been accused of being robot-like at times, I do like it when someone says something nice about what I poured my heart into.  Of course, not all reviews are positive, or even nice, which leads me to my biggest piece of advice when you find criticism about your novels…

…DON’T ENGAGE!

That’s right – let it be.  If you wade into the realm of comments on your work, you are inevitably going to find stuff that isn’t what you hoped(and that’s okay).  Unless the person commenting was an old high school bully, none of the criticism is personal.  These people don’t know you, so why would it bother you if they said something negative?

There are multiple negative comments on both my Amazon pages and in the posts on other blogs that advertise my books(I won’t give specific examples…that would be engaging).  I’m grateful that there are many more positive comments than negative.  Either way, engaging on reviews or musings about your work is counterproductive.  You aren’t going to change that person’s mind, the feud will likely escalate(lots of people get off on that kind of stuff), and you’ll come off, at best, looking petty.  And when that happens, I guarantee your brand and work will suffer.  Think about it – have you ever known any novelist that gained readers by getting into a pissing match with someone?