There’s a lot that business leaders can learn from published fiction authors…
I’ve had thirteen books published in seven years, I’ve been translated into four languages, and one of mythrillers (Good Girls Die Last) is in the process of being adapted for TV. I’ve written about rejection, and luck, and resilience, but it’s the juxtaposition of having to be a public figure in order to be noticed, while also facing the risk of the backlash that inevitably brings, that’s the real kicker in this business!
‘How do you deal with bad reviews?’ people ask me.
‘I’ve never had one because I’m an amazing writer!’ I reply.
Then I laugh maniacally – because it’s not true. EVERY writer gets bad reviews. Even those who wrote classics hundreds of years ago – before electricity was even invented, let alone the internet, or writers who became millionaires from their books and inspired entire themeparks. No one is immune to online negativity or the opinions of strangers.
That’s the problem with art and anything creative; it’s completely subjective.
There is no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ art. There is just what you like. Unlike maths, there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ either. A painting, photograph, story, poem, or piece of music will either call to you, or it won’t. It will either fill you with emotion, stay with you forever, colour your life, and influence you in ways you could never imagine. Or it won’t. Someone may even absolutely loathe it – but that’s still an emotion (so artists will claim they still did their job properly).
From Emin to Eminem and Michelangelo to Madonna, if you have the courage to make a statement and move away from what has been done before, you run the risk of someone not liking it. And more to the point them telling you, and anyone else who will listen, that you and your work stinks.
This has always been the case with artists (poor Van Gogh had to cut off body parts and die before anyone noticed he painted really cool sunflowers) and over the centuries nothing has changed except for one thing – the introduction of the internet.
Before the internet book critiques were limited to newspaper reviews, what the guy who works at the bookstore thought and gossip among your friends. But now everyone with a Kindle Unlimited account is free to read your book for next to nothing and wax lyrical on your talents to anyone who will listen. And, if they are really intent on sharing their dislike of your work all over their blogs, vlogs, podcasts, social media channels, and websites, it’s free, easy, and fast. They can also do some serious damage (maybe not to your book sales, but definitely to your confidence).
But this doesn’t apply only to writers and creatives. Anyone brave enough to put themselves out there, to reach more people and be visible (because in a world of so much online noise, how else do you get seen?) runs the risk of rejection, criticism, and perceived failure.
So how do you deal with online ‘feedback’ when putting yourself out there? Here are five top tips that I’ve learned the hard way…
1. Don’t read the comments
This is a tough one. Who doesn’t want to read nice comments about their work? Even if it’s simply a LinkedIn reply. But as soon as you go public, it’s not just your friends and family who are going to have an opinion.
At the start of my writing career, I was asked to pen an article for UK newspaper The Independent about a contentious issue (I know, I know, silly me for thinking we could all have a civilised debate). I naturally expected a response, but what I didn’t expect was three days of hate mail and death threats. I had articles written about me, thousands of comments, and I was even invited to talk on BBC radio and be interviewed on the Good Morning show. Needless to say, I rejected them all because, when it comes to building your brand, every decision you make defines who you are and what you represent (and this wasn’t what I wanted to be known for).
In my defense, this happened at the start of my career. I was in shock. I was naive. I now know better than to write opinion pieces for national newspapers about topics I’m not prepared to risk it all over (isn’t it fun learning the hard way?).
The problem is that as soon as your work leaves your laptop and you release it into the big, wide world, it’s no longer yours. You can’t knock on every reader’s door and say, ‘You misunderstood, what I actually meant was…’ You have to suck it up, bad reactions and all. Not everything you will put out there will lead to comments saying, ‘I hope your children die’, but if you know what you say may rub people up the wrong way you need to mute the comments and get on with your day. Ignorance is bliss.
2. Focus on the positive
It’s normal to feel rotten when twenty people at a party say you look great, but a girl half your age is wearing the same dress and making it look better. We all do that – we all focus on the negative and dismiss the nice comments.
So don’t.
It’s not just creatives who feel like frauds in their line of work. Imposter syndrome is an insidious condition exacerbated by social media posts and constant LinkedIn crowing. But you can’t compare your normal days with people’s highlight reel. Your achievements may also be the thing making someone else want to give up at the start of their own journey… even though that wasn’t your intention.
So every time you face negative feedback, take it on board, adapt, then remind yourself of all the people who appreciate the things you do and the times when you have done really well. Tell yourself you’re doing fine and keep going. And, most importantly, ensure the biggest critic of your work isn’t yourself.
. Don’t bite back
Seriously. Don’t.
It’s understandable, when you see someone comment on your post or article, to want to justify yourself, explain, defend your work, opinion, or point of view. Please don’t.
Everything you do online, every word you write or post you retweet or opinion you have, lasts forever. Not only that, it all builds a picture of you and your brand. It doesn’t matter if the comment is about a book you have written or a new business venture; putting it online opens you up to others wanting to share their opinions, too. And you have to accept that.
Fortunately, on social media, you can mute or block people. Sometimes I mute an entire post, so I’m not tempted to go back and see what people think. Because the comments section is not the place to have a civilised debate about anything (especially if the person commenting is doing so to illicit a reaction from you).
In crisis management and PR, when the muck hits the fan, you need to decide whether to issue a statement or say nothing. In that case, it’s important to work with professionals and take their advice. But when it comes to you staring at your phone reading the opinions online, it’s always, always, always better to ignore them than fight back.
4. Learn
Negative feedback is always difficult to get and, unless sought, not always useful. BUT, if you keep hearing the same thing over and over again, then there’s definitely a lesson there to be learned.
I was once invited to lecture at The Hague University to seventy MA students. I was there to discuss the internet and how I had developed my digital footprint to rise to No. 9 on Amazon’s YA bestseller chart the day of pre-order. At the end of the hour-long lecture, the teacher told me she’d conducted research during the talk and had asked the students questions about my presentation.
Mortifying!
Did I want to read what they thought? No. Did I read it? Yes. Did it sting? A little. But that feedback was more than useful; it was invaluable. How often do we get the chance to receive honest feedback?
If you’re brave enough to put yourself out there, be brave enough to hear what people think of it. You don’t have to believe it all, you don’t even have to act on it, but it may help you improve. This especially applies to those taking their first step in the arts. All of this is part of the job, so (as painful as it is) you must take it on the chin. I promise it will make you better and stronger in the long run.
5. Tell them to go away (in your head)
And lastly, you can’t please all the people all of the time. As an author, all you can do is write for your readers; the ones who love your writing style, genre, themes, characters, and ideas. No one else matters. Others are allowed to comment; it’s a free country, but it’s your choice whether to let their negativity affect you.
The same applies in business. If you know your brand and your market, the opinions of those whom you aren’t even targeting don’t matter. It’s just noise. Don’t let it distract you.
So get out there, be seen, get heard, connect, but know when to ignore, retract, learn, and move on. Risk creates momentum, and momentum creates opportunity. It’s important to stay hungry…just don’t feed the trolls!