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Dystopian accomplishment?

1003 Views 21 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  H. S. St. Ours, 
CJAnderson
Trying to look on the bright side of my first 1-star review  ;D

"Absolutely the most depressing view of humanity I have ever read!" - Amazon review of Exit Ruinland
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C
Now I really want to read your books.  ;D
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cinisajoy
Cool review.  I thought you were coming in to say you were on top of that Hugh guy.
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Heather Hamilton-Senter
That review will get you more readers than it will lose you, that's for sure!

Although it makes you wonder what they thought they were getting into with something called "Ruinland" LOL
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Chris Fox
I'd agree, that review will do far more to help your book than hurt it =)
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CJAnderson
cinisajoy said:
Cool review. I thought you were coming in to say you were on top of that Hugh guy.
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I wish ;D

"Dystopian fiction (sometimes referred to as apocalyptic literature) is the opposite of utopia: creation of an utterly horrible or degraded society that is generally headed to an irreversible oblivion, or dystopia."

I agree one should not read dystopia if they expect any different 8)
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B.A. Spangler
One star but a great review.
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CJAnderson
I decided to vote his quote as helpful and use it on my author page  ;D
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TechnicianCerberus
One person's critical review is another person's rave review. As others have already said, reading it made me want to read your books :).
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CJAnderson
TechnicianCerberus said:
One person's critical review is another person's rave review. As others have already said, reading it made me want to read your books :).
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My goal wasn't to depress anyone but the situation is definitely depressing for the people involved. So in that respect it seems I succeeded. There are elements of hope in the story also.
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Mike Essex
"I decided to vote his quote as helpful and use it on my author page"

You are my hero.
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G
1) THIS: That review will get you more readers than it will lose you, that's for sure!

2) It certainly moved your book higher on my TBR list.

3) I think there is more need for dark Dystopian books than lovey dovey aliens who look like male model type of books. Shake people out of stasis.

You aren't really succeeding until you start getting 1-star reviews.

The presence of very strong emotions (either good or bad) is ALWAYS a good sign. It's indifference that's the real killer.
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ML-Larson
Yeah, that is a terrific review from someone who has comically missed the point.
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Melody Simmons
Don't worry about it!  Often the bad reviews point out little things that will attract many other readers.  A famous example is "too much sex" - that comment is a real attraction for many!  The fact that your book is being described as having a depressing view of humanity just fits the dystopian theme...

Oh and check the topseling books on Amazon - they each have a few one-star reviews - just makes the reviews look more normal and balanced.
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I
I guess I have a new book to read.
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CJAnderson
Exit Ruinland was written during a very dark and depressive time in my own life so I am sure that added to the realism of the story.  But at the end of the day, do readers want to be depressed? I think if I am to sell more books I need to write more positive stories. That is just a fact of life. Most readers want to feel good during/after reading. Which is why Romance/Erotica are the top sellers I'm sure.

I am still proud of Ruinland and will never abandon it. All things considered it came together pretty good and it is not a story without hope and love. There is some light in the darkness.
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cinisajoy
CJAnderson said:
Exit Ruinland was written during a very dark and depressive time in my own life so I am sure that added to the realism of the story. But at the end of the day, do readers want to be depressed? I think if I am to sell more books I need to write more positive stories. That is just a fact of life. Most readers want to feel good during/after reading. Which is why Romance/Erotica are the top sellers I'm sure.

I am still proud of Ruinland and will never abandon it. All things considered it came together pretty good and it is not a story without hope and love. There is some light in the darkness.
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Hmmm. I do believe the guy that pretty much started the trend of dystopian serials is either sitting in high cotton or a field full of sheep.
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RN_Wright
Truly, you have achieved Dystopia. Congratulations!
;)
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C
CJAnderson said:
Exit Ruinland was written during a very dark and depressive time in my own life so I am sure that added to the realism of the story. But at the end of the day, do readers want to be depressed? I think if I am to sell more books I need to write more positive stories. That is just a fact of life. Most readers want to feel good during/after reading. Which is why Romance/Erotica are the top sellers I'm sure.
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Hmmm, I do believe there's a high demand for darker fiction that portrays some real character struggles - why else would Horror be so popular? It just needs to be categorized and blurbed correctly so every potential reader knows what they're getting themselves into. And I believe there needs to be a time for hope and recuperation in every story to prevent the reader from suffering darkness induced apathy. This is especially true for serialized fiction.
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C. Michael Wells
Not going to lie, the majority of the negative reviews on your book make me want to pick it up. Its a good thing when your negative reviews speak to content rather than grammar. 
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