Well, it happened.
Zero Exposure received a one-star review.
I’m not going to pretend it didn’t hurt. Of course it did. Authors pour an enormous amount of time, energy, emotion, and probably far too much coffee into their books. When someone reduces all of that to a single little star, you feel it.
But after the initial sting wore off, I remembered something important:
You simply cannot please everyone.
And honestly, if every single person loved the same book for the same reasons, would that even be realistic? Books are personal. Every reader brings different tastes, experiences, expectations, and pet peeves to a story. The very thing one reader dislikes may be exactly what another reader loves most.
That realization led me down a very entertaining rabbit hole.
For grins and giggles, I looked up reviews of books by the world-famous John Grisham. Surely one of the most successful authors alive wouldn’t have one-star reviews, right?
Oh, but he does.
Naturally, I couldn’t help myself. I started reading them…and there were quite a few.
The funniest part? Many of the reasons people gave those books one star were the exact reasons I loved the books and gave them five stars.
One reader’s flaw is another reader’s favorite feature.
That is the wonderfully strange thing about writing. Once a book leaves the author’s hands, it becomes a different experience for every person who reads it. Some will love it. And some will like it. Some won’t connect with it at all. And at least one person may dislike it enough to click that lonely little star.
So perhaps receiving a one-star review is simply part of the fun…and part of the game…of being an author.
It means the book is out there.
And it means people are reading it.
It means Zero Exposure inspired enough of a reaction for someone to share an opinion. That may not be the reaction I hoped for, but it is part of putting creative work into the world.
And if John Grisham can survive a one-star review, I suppose I can too.
In fact, I’ve decided this puts me in pretty good company. Maybe getting a one-star review means I’m officially among the greats!
So, to the reader who gave Zero Exposure its one star: thank you.
I feel like I’ve earned it.
Hahahaha!
Now, onward to the next review…and the next story.