My Novel Makes Some Readers Dizzy

I mostly try to avoid reading my reviews, because I'm missing the objectivity gene. It's a burden passed down from my father, who managed to hold grudges for at least fifty years. Ask him about his childhood memories and he'll recount certain conversations, word for word, from when he was five years old.

As the saying goes, "The first step to solving a problem is recognizing that it exists." I wouldn't classify not reading reviews as a problem; it's certainly easy enough to avoid. Or is it? Authors are told to never read their reviews: "Reviews are for readers, not for the author." Okay, sure. But there's a flaw in that logic. If you're an author who's sold a million copies of your book, who cares what the reviews say? But if you're struggling to sell one copy a month like me, you kind of want to know what the problem is. (Yes, I know there could be multiple problems.)

Between Amazon and Goodreads, Running From Herself only has 24 reviews/ratings. Then there are the one-offs like Pen Pinery, which has two, and not that Storygraph is a one-off, but I have no idea whether there are any reviews posted there or not.

Yesterday I cheated a bit and did a Google search for Running From Herself reviews. 

Review Themes & Praise

Authentic Grit: Reviewers highlight the book's balanced look at vulnerability, artistic burnout, and personal resilience. 
Vivid Setting: Critics note that the small-town Wyoming atmosphere and the fast-paced Nashville recording scene feel realistic and well-researched. 
Strong Character Dynamics:  Praise is often directed at the lived-in supporting cast and the complex relationships the protagonist navigates along her journey.

That sounds great. Unfortunately, those are taken from my two editorial reviews, not from readers. If editorial reviews sold books, then I'd be swimming in...never mind.

I did find my two Pen Pinery reviews, which I knew I had, but refused to look at. I can only see a snippet of each without clicking the link, but it seems I've managed to make someone dizzy again. Maybe inducing vertigo is a good thing, like a fun carnival ride.

 

"Running from herself takes you on a journey back and forth as Leah Branch tries to find where she belongs. Overall, it felt like a game of tug of war going back...."

And that's where the preview ends. Sure, I could click the link and read the entire review, but I pretty much get the gist. This was rated three stars, by the way.

This from Goodreads:

"Running from herself takes you on a journey back and forth as Leah Branch tries to find where she belongs. Overall, it felt like a game of tug of war going back and forth as Leah tries to find herself in the music industry. She's erratic and emotional and I just couldn't connect to her and the characters because she was never in one place long enough to really develop the characters or to fall in love with them. There's no story of why personality shifts happen or what's going on, things just....happen. If you are looking for a book that takes you all over and back again, and causes you to flip back and forth, then this is the book for you." (Still got three stars, by the way.)

Rather than letting my feelings get hurt by these criticisms, I think I should lean into them--use them as marketing tools. 

"Running From Herself is a wild ride!"

"Lose yourself in Running From Herself!" (Ehh, maybe too many "selfs".)

"Dizzying twists and turns!"

"You'll forget where you are!"

"It'll turn your world upside down!"

Seriously, I get it...sort of. Leah travels a lot. That's kind of what entertainers do. That's where things happen. Dang, does KDP have a travelogue category? If I'm gonna lean in, lean in, I say.

"Yes, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) supports travel books."

Leah finds herself in Wyoming, North Dakota, Iowa, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, South Dakota, and maybe Pennsylvania (can't remember). In my defense, it's a longish book.

And to be fair (to myself), those two reviews are outliers. I've gotten some great reviews from readers who remembered to take their Dramamine.

The other Pen Pinery review (preview):

"So glad she stayed true to herself. This was a very well written story. I really enjoyed reading this."

I have a feeling that's the entirety of the review, but still.     

Storygraph's reviews are not pushed out to search engines, so if I have any there, they'll remain a mystery. I think I'm okay with that. Imagine if all my 100 winners wrote reviews while they were still light-headed and shaky!

My new mantra is, lean in. Far better than bury my head under my pillow and sob.

I'm still not going to go out of my way to read any new ones, but otherwise:

Amazing what the passage of time does for an author's outlook.