The Morning-Star

The dreaded one-star review! If you’re an author you will likely encounter either a reader who doesn’t want to hear what you have to say, one that really didn’t mesh well with your prose, or, the more likely of the three, someone who is an angry and bitter person looking for a vehicle to vent. It’s all part of the game. The online sages say you shouldn’t respond to the review, for it will draw attention and make things worse. People will be more likely to click on it, thereby increasing its impact on algorithms. This results in people focusing on the review and not your book and gives that troll the limelight that they crave. There is little recourse you can take, so you are supposed to accept it and move on. Lovely how it all works out in the troll’s favor. Sometimes, if you give some a little bit of power, they will abuse it.

In all seriousness, outside of the profane or the hateful, no book, no matter how badly written, deserves a one-star rating. A writer made an honest effort to give you a story. I know that’s a bold statement, and some will disagree, but if you’ve written a book and gone through the apprehension of sharing it with the world, or you’re someone who truly loves books, you will understand. That’s why it very rare for professional book bloggers or book reviewers to give a one-star rating (if it is really bad, they just won’t review it). Many have stopped using the star rating system altogether. Any review that sides on the “negative” should be incredibly difficult if you understand, in any capacity, the world of a writer (or have any sense of human compassion). Clicking the one-star and spewing some hate, makes things a bit too easy for some with no moral compass.

Is there a place for a one star rating? Sure. One star ratings are for products that fall apart as soon as you get them or show up broken, and the vendor doesn’t take it back. It is for mere objects produced to make money or to relay feedback for lousy customer service. A book is a part of a person’s soul that they’ve decided to share with the world. It took an immense amount of time and effort to craft, and to have someone give that a single star and spit out some nastiness is plain evil.

I understand a reader may have paid money for a product that didn’t meet their expectations. I am sorry about that, I really am. Amazon has a 7-day return policy on all their ebooks (instructions here and direct link here). It’s a few clicks and there is no hassle of going to the post office. If you find a book is not for you, return it and be done with it. It’s almost too easy. There is likely a limit on how often you can do this, but if you find yourself returning a lot of books either you are trying to read them for free (and are likely the same person leaving the one star ratings) or two, you need to reevaluate how you are choosing books. The first few chapters are also available for preview. A competent reader should be able to tell if a book is not for them after dipping into the story that deep. At the very least they should be able to tell if the author can put a sentence together. If after reading the preview, it leaves you wanting more, then it probably means it’s worth the chance. If not, then it’s simple. Don’t buy it.

Lastly, although there is undoubtedly room for constructive criticism or feedback, belittling and sabotaging a writer (especially a new writer) who is just trying to share their stories with the world for what amounts to the cost of a coffee, seems callous and downright cowardly. A single star kills an average and makes the struggle that much harder. It also keeps people from enjoying what is possibly a good book. A two or three-star review informing the author that they need to up their game is usually sufficient recourse and may even garner a thank you for helping them on their writing journey. But one star? Come on.

If you’re a writer and face the dreaded one-star, it’s going to hurt, but keep at it, and remember why you write in the first place! If you want to share your experience, please do so in the comments below or here (if you prefer to share privately). I’d love to hear it! We need to be here for each other. And, remember, if you have anything interesting to say, the trolls are going to smell it. Some of the greatest works in history have received one-star ratings (some examples). Wear it as a battle scar as you raise your hand in victory. Don’t let the evil trolls win!

Cheers!