How irate some writers get over a negative review.

Authors don’t like negative reviews. It’s not written anywhere that we have to like them.

And likewise, it’s not written anywhere that we should handle a negative review with good grace.

But crying out loud, it oughta be. Other than amusing/irritating/insulting readers and making the author feel better for five seconds, going off the deep end over a negative review changes nothing and makes the author look like an ass.

A reader hated a book. The writer gets insulted and immediately writes a long-winded, condescending reply about the reader’s intelligence, her common sense and her lack of simple human decency (all the while displaying a decided lack of all three) and this does…what, exactly?

Does the reader suddenly love your book?

Are other readers clamoring to get in line and read the book?

Are bestselling authors and aspiring authors suddenly bombarding your inbox with witty repartee and complimenting you on your brilliance and courage for standing up to somebody who dared…gasp…to voice an opinion?

Please.

Reviews are one opinion. Chances are those opinions won’t impact the buying decisions of that many readers. But going after a reader for having a fricking opinion…yeah, that will have an impact, but not the desired one.

Somehow, I don’t think ending up on the never, ever, ever to be bought list was the intended result here.