SUCCESS AND FAILING READERS

I’m not going to lie. When I started writing, I wrote for myself. I needed it. It helped me. Something happened somewhere along the line and that has changed. Now, not only do I continue to write for myself, but I write for the readers as well.

I have enjoyed a moderate amount of success in the last three years and I owe it all to you (the readers and fans). When I get a good review or rating on any site, I’m not only proud, but I’m thrilled that I was able to give you something to enjoy and to take your mind off of whatever might be causing you grief. The flip side of that is getting bad reviews. While they don’t affect me like they used to, I will admit that they do still sting. While I’m being honest, I will also admit that, in the beginning, when I’d get a bad review, I took it personal. In fact, the first bad review I received knocked me down so hard that I couldn't write for nearly two months. While that doesn't happen now, I do still question myself at times. The biggest pain that I have when I receive a bad review is that I feel like I've failed the reader. I don’t want anyone to spend their hard earned money on my work and then find out they hate it. That sucks. That is, in part, the reason I put Failing Test up for free permanently on Amazon and on Kobo. It’s also why I dropped it down to $.99 on Barnes & Noble. If B&N would let me put it to free, I’d do it right now.

I've had many fellow authors and good friends share their thoughts on bad reviews with me and one in particular stands out in my mind. To paraphrase, she says that “I don’t really care about the bad reviews. I didn't write the book for them.” This is something that I have to remember. I have way too many good reviews and received too much fan mail to let myself think that I’m a hack. I’ll keep writing for them.