# Ways to cope with readers saying wrong things about your books



## sunaynaprasad (Oct 29, 2017)

Several times in the past, whether the readers were WIP editors or reviewers of the published copies, they would say things from my books that weren't true. One example of something pretty recent was a reader calling my MC in book 2 a seventh grader, when she was actually an _eighth_ grader. I even checked my book's interior PDF and made sure it was clear that she was in 8th grade. I actually said it several times throughout and even identified her as an eighth grader in the story.
I remember one reviewer getting lots of facts wrong in the previous installment, but rather than correcting her publicly, I wrote on a private word document the correct answers and kept it to myself. Several readers, including a recent one, has also called her godfather her uncle (mostly during older drafts), even though I never said that that in either the old ones or new one, and I also put a backstory about how he became her godfather (the two have no blood relations at all and her deceased mom has dated him as his girlfriend). But what made me feel better was an article about Harry Potter where the person called his godfather his uncle.
Readers getting information wrong has bugged me a lot and is probably one of my biggest pet peeves as a writer. But I want to feel less offended by that. Has anyone ever seen readers get stuff from their books incorrect? If so, how do you cope with it?
Note that from now on, I am not reading any more reviews of my books if they're less than 3 stars. In other words, I'm giving up reading (past or future) negative reviews of my stories. Those were all positive reviews I was referring to.


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## Grizzly (Oct 29, 2017)

Hi Sunayna Prasad (that's such a beautiful name)! 

I've been on both ends of the spectrum where others reading my fiction have gotten facts wrong, and while I'm reviewing others' works I've gotten facts wrong. I'm not too sure that there's much to be done about it... usually I'll just shrug it off. Humans make mistakes sometimes, no big deal.



sunaynaprasad said:


> I remember one reviewer getting lots of facts wrong in the previous installment, but rather than correcting her publicly, I wrote on a private word document the correct answers and kept it to myself.



The way you handled this situation I find admirable. I think it's really cool that you were able to respectfully/politely state your truth while simultaneously remaining mindful of the other person. As they say — it's always best to praise in public and critique in private. How did the reviewer respond to your corrections? 



sunaynaprasad said:


> Note that from now on, I am not reading any more reviews of my books if they're less than 3 stars. In other words, I'm giving up reading (past or future) negative reviews of my stories. Those were all positive reviews I was referring to.



I don't know your background or history, but I personally feel like I benefit a lot from reading negative reviews of my work. Why do you prefer to read reviews only over three stars?


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## sunaynaprasad (Oct 29, 2017)

I tend to get easily hurt by negative reviews. So I decided recently to stop reading them. Reading only positive reviews helps me stay confident in my writing.


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## Grizzly (Oct 29, 2017)

sunaynaprasad said:


> I tend to get easily hurt by negative reviews. So I decided recently to stop reading them. Reading only positive reviews helps me stay confident in my writing.



Ah, I see. It's hard when you put your heart and soul out there and someone tears it to shreds, huh? One thing I learned is to try and not take anything too personally, be it good or bad. Applying this mindset to all areas of my life (writing, dancing, group work, etc...) has really helped me open up to 'negative' feedback and remain less attached to positive ones. Anyway, that's just my method, hope it helps!

I wish you all the fortune and positive reviews in your writing journey! Keep at it


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## Jack of all trades (Oct 29, 2017)

sunaynaprasad said:


> Several times in the past, whether the readers were WIP editors or reviewers of the published copies, they would say things from my books that weren't true. One example of something pretty recent was a reader calling my MC in book 2 a seventh grader, when she was actually an _eighth_ grader. I even checked my book's interior PDF and made sure it was clear that she was in 8th grade. I actually said it several times throughout and even identified her as an eighth grader in the story.
> I remember one reviewer getting lots of facts wrong in the previous installment, but rather than correcting her publicly, I wrote on a private word document the correct answers and kept it to myself. Several readers, including a recent one, has also called her godfather her uncle (mostly during older drafts), even though I never said that that in either the old ones or new one, and I also put a backstory about how he became her godfather (the two have no blood relations at all and her deceased mom has dated him as his girlfriend). But what made me feel better was an article about Harry Potter where the person called his godfather his uncle.
> Readers getting information wrong has bugged me a lot and is probably one of my biggest pet peeves as a writer. But I want to feel less offended by that. Has anyone ever seen readers get stuff from their books incorrect? If so, how do you cope with it?
> Note that from now on, I am not reading any more reviews of my books if they're less than 3 stars. In other words, I'm giving up reading (past or future) negative reviews of my stories. Those were all positive reviews I was referring to.



I posted the first 118 words, roughly, from one of my books here, in the prose workshop. It was such a short bit, and those reading are writers, so you'd think the details would be accurate. But, no. Two characters, a teen and his uncle, and a number of critiques referred to the uncle as the boy's father.

I didn't bother to correct anyone. I chalked it up to "mistakes happen".

I think in the case a someone getting details wrong in a book review, it hurts the reviewer more, in the end. That person will come to be known for inaccuracies, and poor reviews by such a person may translate into book sales for you.


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## bdcharles (Oct 30, 2017)

I cope by lowering my expectations of readers  

In all seriousness it doesn't hugely concern me if it's a small godfather-vs-uncle thing. If it's a major plot point I have to countenance the possibility that I've underplayed it. And sometimes I have, and sometimes I haven't. 

But none of it really affects me personally too much. I'm just thrilled that people are reading it at all! In any case my own internal self-editor is far more scathing and critical so any comment is like a choir of Angels by contrast.


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## VonBradstein (Oct 30, 2017)

My take is a little different. If we are talking fiction - I think non fiction is a little different - if a reader gets a part of the book wrong I generally tend to take responsibility for it myself as having either not made it clear enough in the writing or made it memorable enough to be easily recollected. 

Obviously in the examples listed in the OP those are fairly trivial, silly errors and as a writer I don’t think getting the grade a little wrong or whatnot would bother me. I think it’s kind of silly honestly if it bothers anybody. Sure we are all proud of our work and want it to be treated fairly, but getting all precious or defensive about the handling of non essential details is pointless and hurts us in the eyes of readership. If it’s a major plot point or character feature that is incorrectly cited and it happens more than once (a one off I would put down to the reader having a simple lapse) again I would say that in most cases that is the writers fault - if it was that important the writer should have driven it home. Basically if multiple people are getting aspects of the story confused it’s a confusing story and should probably have been written better.

As far as negative reviews I think not reading them is a little silly and, no offense, immature. A review is a review and often times (not always) the negative ones are the most informative. 

I think the golden rule is: If we expect people to approach our work with an open mind we should approach their feedback likewise.


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## Jack of all trades (Oct 30, 2017)

I've given this a bit more thought.

As your confidence in your skill grows, these kinds of errors will bother you less. A quick check to see if you made it clear is all that's needed. If you did, chalk it up to a problem on the reader's side and move on. In every exchange between two people, half the burden lies with the other person. You can only do so much. The rest is the other person's responsibility. Think of a bridge across a canyon. If you secure and maintain your side of the bridge, but the other side is not properly anchored, crossing is still hazardous. And you can't really get over there to fix the other side. Sometimes conversations are like that, too.

And sometimes a person enjoys being critical. It's sad, but true. The really hard part as a writer is figuring out when a criticism is valid and when the person is just being mean. That, too, I think gets easier as you grow as a writer.

So keep writing. Find those whose opinions you respect to help you see your work objectively. As for the rest? You might find it easier to read 'bad' reviews in a year, when you're not as emotionally invested in the book.

Just some thoughts.


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## VonBradstein (Oct 30, 2017)

Jack is correct. It’s also worth playing the numbers game. If a thousand people understand your book and three don’t, those three are wrong. If the mix is more even, there’s a problem you need to fix. It really doesn’t have to be more complicated nor emotionally taxing than that.  


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## ThatGuy (Dec 7, 2017)

If it's not an important enough detail that the reader has to get it right... who cares? It's a passing thing, and should be because why dwell on something that doesn't matter to the story?

If it is... I'd be concerned with how I can get the readers to remember that information, and wonder what I did wrong that they didn't.


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## Ralph Rotten (Dec 11, 2017)

If a reader gets a character's grade wrong (7th grade to 8th grade) I wouldn't worry; they got the big stuff so who cares about the minor details?

As for not reading your bad reviews; you should still read them because you learn from them.  However, don't read them right before you plan on writing because you will not get anything done.  They will depress you and put you in a funk for a while, but they really do need to be read if you wanna grow as a writer.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 6, 2018)

All right. I'll try. There's a new update, though. Four readers, including a major reviewer, got the MC's goal wrong. They said that she has to learn to control her magic powers, but she actually has to _get rid _of them. I said it twice in the blurb and over 25 times in the story. I checked the wording and number of times I said it in my interior and the words about the MC's powers were "get rid of", "remove" or "not/never control". I don't know how they could get the goal wrong. My MC getting rid of her powers is so inserted into the content and said so often, I don't know how 4 reviewers got it wrong. They couldn't have all read a similar book about a character controlling his or her powers. 
I did the same thing as mentioned earlier, which was write my reactions on a private document. I also included sample sentences from the story, where I say the phrases quoted above, to prove it. Of course, I will keep that document to myself and not share it with anyone.
Only one or two, maybe 3 readers that mentioned the goal got it right. Others did not bring it up. Regardless of the readers getting the MC's goal wrong, the time a reader got my MC's grade wrong no longer bothers me. I'm starting to realize that is no big deal. I'm also realizing that maybe the readers have read the story very quickly or have forgotten the real goal of my MC when reviewing. I might have gotten information from stories incorrectly, as well. Maybe reviewers for other books get major or minor content wrong. It is possible.


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## moderan (Feb 7, 2018)

So what? If they got it wrong, make it more clear the next time. You're not responsible for how people interpret your work, and you cannot control responses. You are responsible for your own actions. Arguing with reviewers is a fool's errand, and no two ways about it. Read what they have to say, maybe cry a little at the unfairness of it all, and then put on the big-boi panties and get to work.


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## Jack of all trades (Feb 7, 2018)

sunaynaprasad said:


> All right. I'll try. There's a new update, though. Four readers, including a major reviewer, got the MC's goal wrong. They said that she has to learn to control her magic powers, but she actually has to _get rid _of them. I said it twice in the blurb and over 25 times in the story. I checked the wording and number of times I said it in my interior and the words about the MC's powers were "get rid of", "remove" or "not/never control". I don't know how they could get the goal wrong. My MC getting rid of her powers is so inserted into the content and said so often, I don't know how 4 reviewers got it wrong. They couldn't have all read a similar book about a character controlling his or her powers.
> I did the same thing as mentioned earlier, which was write my reactions on a private document. I also included sample sentences from the story, where I say the phrases quoted above, to prove it. Of course, I will keep that document to myself and not share it with anyone.
> Only one or two, maybe 3 readers that mentioned the goal got it right. Others did not bring it up. Regardless of the readers getting the MC's goal wrong, the time a reader got my MC's grade wrong no longer bothers me. I'm starting to realize that is no big deal. I'm also realizing that maybe the readers have read the story very quickly or have forgotten the real goal of my MC when reviewing. I might have gotten information from stories incorrectly, as well. Maybe reviewers for other books get major or minor content wrong. It is possible.



As in all communication, both parties have responsibilities to keep things clear.

Now, like a bridge over a chasm, you can only keep your side in good condition. The other person is responsible for the other side.

How does this apply to a book review? You are only responsible for providing the information clearly. The other person is responsible for receiving that information.

Now just mentioning the goal several times is not enough if your book didn't hold the reviewer's attention. On the other hand, if the reviewer has poor comprehension (it happens!) or typically skims several books without paying much attention, then the problem lies with the reviewer.

So how can you know where the problem lies? Read other books reviewed by the reviewer and then read the reviews. If things as large as the MC's goal are often wrong in the reviews, then the problem is probably the reviewer. You, then, can avoid having future books reviewed by the person.

If, however, the reviewer usually is accurate, then you have to consider the possibility that your book didn't hold the reviewer's attention.

Then, once you know whether you need to avoid the reviewer or improve your writing, it's time to move on. Nothing more can be gained by staying stuck on the past event. It happened. Learn from it, then put the knowledge to good use from this point on.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 7, 2018)

Yes, that makes sense.


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