So, yesterday I wrote about receiving negative reviews and how to deal with it (only I scheduled to post it today!). I thought it would be fun to do a counterpoint and focus on how I deal with positive reviews.

When the first editorial reviews came in for The Name and the Key, they were 5-star, award-winning, or staff’s pick. These came in months before I sent out ARC copies to readers, and I got these editorial reviews so I could have something under the editorial section of Amazon for the book, and I wanted to be able to make social media featuring quotes from the reviews.

The reviews for The Name and the Key were so overwhelmingly positive, I kind of thought that set the stage for what was going to come down the road: even more positive reviews. And that’s pretty much overall what I’ve gotten so far.

So how do I deal with positive reviews?

I compile them, just like I did for my editorial reviews, and pull quotes from them to use in social media advertising or on this website. I also screenshot the memorable ones and save them in a “good news file” that I keep for each book. If I’m ever feeling imposter syndrome or am seeking validation or an ego boost, I’ll refer to the “good news file.”

If the reviews are really touching, I may tear up or cry. The first few reviews for The Name and the Key that rolled in brought me close to it! I will also feel more confident in myself and feel propelled to keep writing good work. The energy or high that comes off of good reviews inspire my current writing. It’s kind of like, well, now that I know X,Y, and Z work, maybe I’ll do that in Book 3!

I try to think of it this way: it’s the good reviews that deserve to be reread, not the bad ones. That’s why I save copies of my positive reviews, so if I ever get a bad one, I’ll have plenty of evidence to support why I’m a good writer.