5 Ways of Handling Criticism About Your Kindle Book

The authors that truly improve and excel and go onto consistently outsell their competition are the ones that seek out criticism, are thankful for it, analyse it and then put it to action to improve their craft.

In this article, I’m going to teach you how you can be one of these authors. By the end of this article you will have gone from avoiding criticism to embracing it with open arms.

1.  Read/listen carefully.

When receiving criticism about your Kindle book in real life or in the form of an online review, take the time to really listen to/read the comments. This paying attention will come in really handy in later steps.

2.  Detach your emotions.

This is easier said than done, we know. But when receiving criticism detach your emotions from the comments. Just listen to/read the comments in a non-judgemental manner as if you were listening to/reading anything else. This will allow your mind to process the comments in a neutral way.

3.  Put things into perspective.

After you have read/listened to the criticism in a neutral manner, then put the comments into perspective. Is this the first negative comment out of hundreds, or is it another in a long string of criticisms that all sound very similar? This context is important as it will help you decide which action to take in response to the criticism.

4. Thank the person, in detail.

Whether it is the first criticism in hundreds or another in a long string of them, always thank the person that provided the comments, and do so publicly if possible.

Not only will this make you feel better and help diffuse any negative emotions that are bubbling under the surface, they will also signal to other people that you are an open-minded, calm and level headed author which will go a long way of winning you even more fans.

It will also show that you are someone who cares about their readers and are willing to listen to them, good or bad, in a bid to understand them, connect with and improve so you can serve them better.

5.  See it as a way of improving.

Assuming the criticism isn’t just a rare out of place comment from a bitter or disgruntled customer or competitor, then the best way to see criticism is as valuable feedback and advice on how to improve your work in order to satisfy a higher proportion of your customer base in the future.

You need to remember that even the most famous, celebrated and prolific authors get criticism online and in-person from readers and professional reviewers alike. The best authors among them use the comments to learn and improve from.