When a Review Makes You Cry, by Deborah Raney

One of the most difficult things a published writer must learn is to toughen up where reviews are concerned. I hate negative reviews, whether from professional critics or ordinary readers. I especially hate them when they aren’t as much about the book, as they are about demeaning an author’s beliefs, faith, or personality. But bad reviews are a fact of the writing life, and there aren’t many multi-published authors who haven’t had at least one or two.

Ironically, my first scathing reader review was for one of my most award-winning, bestselling novels, Beneath a Southern Sky. (That vicious review is still up on amazon.com, along with several others, if you care to weep along with me!) That review nearly paralyzed me for a few days. It didn’t hurt so much that someone didn’t like my book (okay, HATED my book). I’m well aware that the type of book I write isn’t for everyone, and there are many different tastes in genre and style. What hurt was that it sounded like the reviewer didn’t much like ME!

When I go back and read that review now, I can be much more objective. I realize now that the reviewer probably had never met me. I don’t think he/she meant the words as a personal affront. But I can also still, after more than a dozen years, remember the deep pain I experienced when I first discovered that review. I actually broke out in a sweat and started shaking—and I’m not one who usually gets my feelings hurt easily. But this was so public. So very personal. I shed some tears over that person’s words, and I have a feeling he/she would be surprised to know that.

But I did something else after receiving that review. I removed an amazon.com review that I had written months earlier for a book that made me angry. No, it wasn’t wrong of me to post a review respectfully outlining why I disliked this book. But I had made the same mistake I think my negative reviewer made—I made my review personal, commenting on the author’s personality and motives, not just his writing. I didn’t even know the man, but like my reviewer, I failed to acknowledge that this author was human and had feelings.

My terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad review (and there have been plenty of others since) gave me two important things: a thicker skin for the inevitable bad reviews to come in my future; and a softer heart for other writers, who are real, imperfect people. Just like me.

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Deborah Raney accomplished something very few authors are able to do with their first book. Her debut novel, A Vow to Cherish (originally published in 1996), inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched her writing career after 20 happy years as a stay-at-home mom. Since then, her books have won numerous awards including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists.

Raney’s newest novel, Home to Chicory Lane, releases in August as the first book in the Chicory Inn Novels series for Abingdon Press Fiction. 

For more information about Raney and her books, visit her online home at

deborahraney.com, become a fan on Facebook (deborah.raney) or follow her on Twitter (@authordebraney). 

And don't forget to stop by tomorrow, when you can enter to win a copy of Deborah's newest release, Home to Chicory Lane!

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A Day in the Life of Anita Higman

I have been a morning person my whole life. I’m up at 5:30 every weekday morning—sharp—and after I eat a breakfast of granola, Greek yogurt, and fresh berries, I usually have a short devotion time with my husband. This sets the right mood for the day and this also gives us the spiritual strength to deal with all the many tasks and problems that invariably come up during the course of an average workday.

            After my husband leaves for work, I go upstairs to my office to get started for the day. Once at my desk, I answer all my emails—which usually takes an hour or two—and then I occasionally allow myself a few minutes to read a few of my reviews.

Huge mistake.

I would not recommend this ritual, especially at the beginning of the day. If the reviews are gushy then you might get the idea that anything and everything you write will be like laying a nest of golden eggs. Even though reading the honeyed reviews can give you quite the swoony rush, it’s not an honest emotional place to be when you start on your manuscript. Why? You’ll get the feeling you no longer have to try so hard.

But.

If you read even one ugly review, well, those words will paralyze your spirit like a frog in frozen mud. You know I’m right. So, my advice? Start your day with prayer, not reviews.

If I’m working on a rough draft I try to meet a word-count target of about 2,000 words each day. When I hit my goal or nearly there, I can play for a bit, which means I’ll run errands or do some marketing work on my latest release.

            There are some days when I don’t get all my work done by the end of the day. When that happens, I don’t usually treat myself to a fun movie or the chance to settle into my cozy den and read one of my favorite authors, such as B.J. Hoff or Jenny B. Jones. It means I’ll have to tromp right back upstairs in the evening and write some more.

Needless to say, it takes a great deal of discipline to be writer. You have to show up every workday—bum securely fastened to the seat of the chair—no matter what. Even if you don’t feel awake or well or motivated.

Or alive.

So, I stay put in that chair even when that rosy halo called the muse isn’t glowing around my head. Yes, novel writing can be relentless, tedious effort. Can we say boring? But it can also be deeply satisfying. All the way to your soul. Especially when someone tells you that her life was changed for the better because she read one of your stories. It makes all the tedium, all the sacrifice, all the muscle aches and pains as well as the exhaustion, worthwhile.

            Okay, after I finish an evening of writing I head to bed about 9:30. Of course, by then the muse is heated up and is now as bright as a street lamp shining in your bedroom window—which means I’m not going to sleep. My imagination as well as my next-day ta-do list can’t turn itself off. So, after I’ve gone to bed, many times my husband will see me pop right back up again to write something down. After one or two or more of those rounds, I finally settle into slumber. Then, of course, my dreams take it from there. Rarely, though, have I dreamed scenes or concepts that I could use in one of my novels. That’s a shame, really, but I’ve heard other authors say that have incorporated pieces of their dream world into their books. I only wish that were the case for me.

Well, as you can tell, the life of a writer isn’t easy. The life of a writer doesn’t always include a good night’s sleep. But the life of a writer does mean they’ll be days—and sometimes nights—that will be filled with that inimitable and imaginative and miraculous thing called story!

Anita Higman is a CBA best-selling and award-winning author. Among her many accolades, Higman has won the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award twice. She has written or co-authored more than 30 books, including fiction and non-fiction for adults and children, as well as plays. Higman has also been recognized for her contributions to literacy and has raised thousands of dollars with her book I Can Be Anything while serving on the board of directors of Literacy Advance of Houston.

Even though she’s written in many genres, Higman does have her favorite. “I love inspirational romance. There’s just nothing else like it for writing and reading. It naturally makes you want to curl up on an overstuffed couch and read the day away.” Her latest release is A Marriage in Middlebury.

She loves good movies, exotic teas and brunch with her friends. Higman and her husband live in Houston, TX.

To keep up with Anita Higman, visit anitahigman.com, become a fan on Facebook (Author Anita Higman) or follow her on Twitter (@anitahigman).


Don't forget to stop by tomorrow, when you can enter to win a free copy of Anita's latest release, A Marriage in Middlebury!

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Marketing: What to Look for in an Influencer and Where to Find Them

You're an author. Now you need readers. The best way to find people to read your book is to ask, but everyone wants a free book. The thing to look for is those people who have a plan in place on how they will help to sell your book to others. We call these people "influencers." 

1) The first hard and fast rule is to make sure the person who wants to be an influencer has something to offer in exchange for that free book (afterall, you have a limited supply of those freebies!). If the person is a good friend but they have no interest in doing more than patting you on the head and telling you what a good writer they are, they won't make a good influencer. 

2) Find someone who is willing to spread the word via a well-established blog. Offer to do a written or video interview for them.

3) An influencer should be willing to post reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, CBD, Shelfari, and maybe even offer some new places you've never considered before.

4) Local book clubs are a great source for finding influencers. Start with your local library for a list of book clubs in your area, then choose those groups whose interest most closely match your genre. Offer to speak at the club and/or do a Q&A.

5) If you're close friends with someone who has a natural network that relates to the theme or genre of your book, use that connection. For example, a historical romance set during the Civil War might be of interest to museum stores. This way you are tapping in to word-of-mouth sales on a subject already of interest to the potential buyer. Talk about ready-made fan base!

6) Social Media the title! Influencers who use social media to Tweet, FB, Linkedin, Pinterest (or whatever source they most use to help spread the word) will help boost the visibility of your title.

7) Influencers might even be willing to go to their local bookstores and encourage the manager to stock your title.

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Ear to the Experts: Define Your Target Audience

Writing a novel is literally creating your own business. And that business model has to be treated just like any Fortune 500 business would create their business plan. One of the most important elements of a business plan is defining who the target audience is for the particular product.
 
So let’s talk about something we all know and understand but don’t always grasp. Target Audience. We all have a target audience that we write for. And, no, no matter how badly we want it to be everyone, that’s never gonna happen, chickypoo!

Why? Because as someone famous (everyone argues about who that exactly was) once said, “You can please ALL of the people SOME of the time, and you can please SOME of the people ALL of the time, but you can’t please ALL of the people ALL of the time.”

First you need to decide what your target audience looks like. A target audience that reads mainly suspense/mystery is not going to be the same target audience that reads Amish fiction, and for the most part, a target audience that adores reading about vampires and werewolves is not going to be the target audience for biblical fiction. 


Ask yourself this: “What kind of audience am I writing for?” “What are they looking for in the books they read?” “What kind of read am I trying to give them?” You can sometimes further define this by using comments you get in reviews. But once you get this defined, you are not going to deviate from the plan.

Are they looking for warm-fuzzies? Or are they looking for a thrilling suspense ride? A friend of mine, Brandilyn Collins, has created a sub-group of her most-likely-reader, the “Big Honkin’ Chickens Club.” They are friends of hers who are too afraid to read her books. This was a great strategy. They were her friends…LOL…but not part of her target audience.

Start with a sentence like, “The perfect reader for my books would like…” Now fill in the blank with several hundred words.

Remember…when someone gives you a bad review, the first thing you must teach yourself to understand is, “Well that person is obviously NOT part of my target audience.” And move on!

Many times too much energy is wasted on lamenting that you can’t be all things to all people. Stop wasting energy that you could be using to write your next great book. Focus on the audience you are gathering!

More on this next time! Later gator!


Bonnie S. Calhoun is the Founder and Publisher of (CFOM) Christian Fiction Online Magazine. She is also the Owner and Director of the (CFBA) Christian Fiction Blog Alliance which is the parent organization for the magazine. And she serves as the current President for (CAN) Christian Authors Network. She is the Northeast Zone Director for (ACFW) American Christian Fiction Writers, and won their Mentor of the Year Award for 2011.

In addition to her passion for spreading the word about Christian fiction, Bonnie is also an author of snarky suspense. Her novel Cooking The Books (A Sloane Templeton Novel) will release from Abingdon Press in April 2012. It is presently available for digital e-reader download if you are a book reviewer. Go to NetGalley.com, Abingdon Press as the publisher.

Picture from Andy Eklund's Creative Streak

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