How To Turn A Bad Book Review To Your Advantage

I'm talking really bad.
Like one star out of five.
Like they would have given zero stars if that were possible.
Like they've said a child could have written better.
Like even though they got the book for free, they still thought it was still a waste of money!

As you might have gathered by now, one of my books has been on the receiving end of such a review.

My first reaction when I read it can't be reprinted here.
To put it politely, I wanted to find the reviewer's email address and message them a carefully worded explanation of the story they so despised and so 'didn't get'.
After that rage subsided, thoughts turned to damage limitation.
This novel only has one other review on Amazon, and that was a glowing 5-star one.
Now, in one fell swoop, my average rating had halved.

Then I thought, hold on, could I make this work for me?
Someone really loved the book, and someone else really hated it.
So far no one had said it was just OK or ho-hum.
People either loved it or hated it.
That was something to cling onto.
That's how I could promote this.
You'll either love it or hate it.
(I even considered calling it the Marmite novel, which only readers in the UK would get).

So that's how I'm currently promoting Last Night At The Stairways, and currently sales are as steady as they were pre-terrible review.

Maybe there's a way you can make a bad review work for you.
Either way, us writers know we've got a few more heading our way, however great we think our writing is.

Just don't let them put you off writing and promoting...

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