A lot of people think authors take reviews personally, and I suppose there are many who do. Those are the folks who should really steer clear of reader reactions to books, or rather, what some readers believe the books say about the author, which is always far more amusing.
There are great reviews with insightful criticism of my work, and glowing reviews about how it changed people’s lives.
But, this being the internet and people trying to poke an author for a meltdown, I’m often asked about my reaction when reading negative reviews of my work. What folks don’t get is that I find most negative reactions endlessly amusing. Not the real criticism that points out real flaws, no, but the reactions that say far more about the reader than the writer.
I figured the best way to express my typical reactions was in gif form.
You’re welcome.
“This book is misandrist!”
“It was an OK fantasy book but all those genders were totally unbelievable.”
“There’s no plot until page 50!”
“There are no alpha males in this book!”
“But Hurley doesn’t EXPLAIN anything!”
“Kameron Hurley HATES MEN!”
“There are too many CHARACTERS in these books!”
“But women don’t lead armies/countries and they don’t maim/kill/abuse people!”
“This book made me really uncomfortable.”
Well, there you have it.
As you can see, I take reader reactions of this kind very, very seriously.
I can assure you all that every time I read a reaction like this, it inspires me to redouble my efforts to keep writing these sorts of books.
Just wait until you see what I’ve got for you in 2016!
