Dealing with Criticism
By Francine Silverman
Creative people probably deal with criticism more than anyone else. Every Broadway show and major movie is open to raves or scorn or sometimes both in the same review. John Grisham and Stephen King can withstand criticism, since they'll continue to be household names. But how does the lowly and lonely author cope with it?
As author of six original James Bonds novels, Raymond Benson knows that Bond fans are fickle so he's developed a hard shell to deal with the negatives. "James Bond fans are notorious for being highly opinionated," he says. "Whereas one fan might praise your work, another one will trash it. It's like most genre franchises (Star Trek, Star Wars, etc.), the fans are numerous and very picky. I would say most of the fans loved my work but there are also quite a few who went out of their way to tear me down! You had to develop thick skin." http://www.raymondbenson.com
Jo Lee Dibert-Fitko is more sensitive and the frenzied outburst of one woman nearly shook her composure. It happened during a local craft/book fair where Jo was displaying and selling her books, You Never Asked for This! (Buy Books on the Web 2000), a cartoon/coloring book for adults, and Evening Palette (Infinity Publishing 2002), poetry. Jo recalls that the woman became agitated after seeing the cover of her cartoon/coloring book, without ever opening it to view her drawings. When the woman saw the word "ADULT" on the cover (which has a cartoon drawing of cows), she screamed throughout the conference hall that Jo was selling pornography. "Although very disturbing to me at the time," says Jo, "I later relayed this event to others and it produced not only laughs but increased sales!" http://www.dibertdiversions.com.
Carol White has learned that a critic can sometimes become a fan. Press kits for Live Your Road Trip Dream (RLI Press 2004), written with husband Phil, were mailed to editor Mark Sedenquist at Road Trip America. "This is a huge website with thousands of hits a day," says Carol. "What is funny is that this guy started out not liking me! He thought my press kit...was ‘WAY too aggressive.' "You need to learn some humility," he told Carol. "Then he writes this fabulous article. WOW!! It just shows that you never know - just keep plugging away," http://www.roadtripdream.com
Some authors turn negatives into positives. Donna Lancaster lives in the "Bible Belt" and is author of a memoir, The Short and Tall of It (Word Wright International 2002). Some of her friends were disappointed in the use of spiritual terminology. "I welcome criticism," says Donna, "because it tells me that there is enough push in the book to touch people and evoke a reaction." http://www.donnalancaster.net
Still others thumb their noses at critics. Cindi Myers writes sexy romances for Harlequin, Temptation, Blaze and Flipside. "The Blaze books especially are explicit," she says. "I have received a few comments about writing trash or porn, but I ignore them. I don't expect everyone to love my books, anymore than I expect to enjoy all type of books. I have a particular audience who loves the books and I'm happy with that." http://www.cindimyers.com
So, as authors we must swallow our egos and learn to look critics in the eye. Just remember what Ted "Gorgeous" Borgeas, doctor of podiatry and author of a series of From the Chicken Coop books, says about rejection - "Criticism is the complainer's problem, not yours!" http://www.atborgeas.com
About The Author:
Francine Silverman is editor/publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter and author of Book Marketing from A-Z, a compilation of the best marketing strategies of 325 authors. (http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com)
Francine Silverman
Author of "Book Marketing from A-Z"
(Infinity Publishing 2005)
Editor/Publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, a bi-weekly ezine for authors of all genres
