I just had an incredible month of sales for my latest book, Designated Survivor. Every time another sale ticks off on my dashboard I grin a little then am humbled that yet another stranger has bought something I poured so many hours into.
 
The thing about getting huge sales in one month, though, is that more people start to review your book on Amazon. Reviews are welcomed, always. I base almost every purchase, online or in a store, on reviews I read on online of books, products, etc.
 
I have had some bad reviews before, 3-stars from people who didn’t like my book or my writing or thought it was unbelievable (it’s spy thriller fiction, folks). But recently got my first 1-star review. I stared at it for several minutes. I wondered what that person didn’t see that all the other 5-star reviews had seen in my writing. I know I’m not creating the Great American Novel here, but I try to write fun and entertaining fiction and do it as well as I can.
 
The next morning, another review, 5-stars again (average still at 4.5 stars). This got me thinking about it and I realized something. When I see a book or a product that has all glowing reviews I become skeptical. Is any one thing so great that everybody loves it? The Snuggie blanket has its share of 1-star reviews and it sure looks comfy. Even The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, has a fair share of 1-star reviews. You can’t please everybody all of the time.  There’s not even one version of the bible on Amazon that doesn’t have some 1-star reviews.
 
Though I hope the 4-and-5-star reviews continue to greatly outnumber the 1-stars with comments like ‘Meh’, I appreciate those low ratings for making the rest of the reviews look as authentic as they really are and to push me to do even better with the next books.