Quote:
Originally Posted by Lloyd Tackitt
I struggled with this question for a long time. Is it better to not respond to reviews or to respond to them?
From searching forums on this topic, and looking at reviews of other books for the author commenting back, it appears that the majority opinion is for the author to not respond.
I finally settled on this: No response to positive reviews unless the reviewer asks a question - such as "when is the next book coming out?". No response to negative reviews if the reviewer simply doesn't like the writing style or story line, everyone is entitled to their aesthetic opinions after all.
But, when a reviewer leaves either a hateful/spiteful/vile comment that is aimed at me personally as the writer
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Like your response to ficbot and those who post anonymously? Most people who have a little online experience use a pseudonym. I have since well before Tim Berners-Lee spoiled things. No one can tell whether you use your real name or a pseudonym either - there is no "Verified" system here.
I have not read your book, so I have no idea whether the critiques were valid or not. What I have seen is an attitude that has not impressed me. It is one thing to respond to a post that you don't like, but quite another to start labeling people because they don't fit into whatever niche you have allocated them. I would be very cautious with regard to how you respond, if you decide to respond. Alienating people will not sell more copies of your book.