Publishing E-Books For Dummies

Responding to Reviews of Your E-Book on Goodreads

Some authors like to respond to reviews and say thanks, either to build up a stronger connection with a reader or to simply be polite. For some readers, though, this behavior can come across as overbearing — as though you, as the author, are monitoring the reviews. (You may well be, but it’s often a good idea to stay quiet and let readers have their space!) Plus, after your sales start increasing, you may receive too many reviews to easily respond to.

If you want to say thanks to someone for a thoughtful review, you can use the Goodreads messaging feature to contact the person privately: Click the person’s name and then click the Send Message link. In Figure 17-4, you can see a message that I sent to Elizabeth (who knows me from my blog) to thank her for her review.

When you see negative reviews, don’t respond. Walk away from your computer, if you have to. If you feel that you simply must reply and defend your e-book, promise yourself that you’ll at least sleep on it. If you get into a heated discussion with a reviewer, you’re extremely unlikely to change the person’s mind about your e-book — and it will put off other potential readers who see the discussion. In rare cases when you think that a reply is warranted (for example, if someone clearly hasn’t read your e-book or has mistaken someone else’s e-book for ...