I had a surprising experience recently when I received the following review on my book, Pure Lies: “False Deception – I thought it was historical fiction. It’s just a sex thriller. I stopped after the first chapter. No thank you!”
I actually had to go back and read the prologue (not the first chapter) to see what the reviewer meant. Sex thriller? Did I actually write a sex thriller? For those of you unfamiliar with this mystery, it is about greed and depravity as underlying motivation for the Salem witch trials. And, as in all my novels, it is unraveled by modern technology years or, in this case, centuries later.
The last two paragraphs of the prologue depict a church deacon and a young woman committing a “sin” but it is wholly in the context of the story and lays the foundation for one of the villains in the story to show their true character. Or so I thought.
Pure Lies was the winner of the San Diego Book Awards for Best Published Mystery, Sisters in Crime in 2014 and has excellent reviews. It is historical fiction on one hand, and modern crime-solving on the other. Is it a cozy? No. But a sex thriller?
Naturally, every reader is entitled to their opinion. I’ve read “real” sex thrillers, and this review seemed far off the mark. But then I’m biased.
As a writer, it reminds me how important those first few pages are . . . to each individual reader. We need to consider our readers, but we have to be true to our writing. Would this opening scene to my book have been better without the “sin?” I think not.
Your ideas are welcome.
I was recently in a class and the speaker is a historical fiction writer. I asked the question as to what really qualifies a story to be classified as historical fiction. The answer was surprising which was that it’s almost left up to the writer and then the reader. I think historical fiction is a bit slippery to nail down but to say your story is a sex thriller because of the deacon and the “lady’s” affair is an unfair assessment.
Thanks.
Thanks, Patricia. It’s hard to anticipate the expectations of your readers.
A really interesting post, Lynne. You just never know, do you, so your advice to write your story and move on. No book is liked by everybody. Thanks for this vignette and insight.
Thanks, Sharon! I figured other writers shared similar experiences.
I wouldn’t worry about one reader’s opinion. I spotted a typo in the prologue, though: shed should be she’d.
Ha! Definitely more important! Thanks, JJ.
Lynne:
Reviews are like noses. Everybody has one- some attractive, some ugly probosces. The only ones to worry about are by syndicated reviewers, and even they speed read the book, doing on the average 3-5 per day. The only indicator that I have found worthwhile is to open the book at random and read a while. See if it makes sense in an odd location. See if you want to do another random check or just put it down and forget it. Write the best book you have in you and pray for the best. Promote the hell out of it and take all criticism in stride. Most of the world doesn’t know what the hell it is doing anyway .
Best of luck to you. Save 20 cents of every dollar you make and don’t tell anybody; they will only want to borrow it.Happy Holidays.
Good advice, Art. Thanks. Makes me feel better to laugh. Happy holidays to you.
Happy Holidays Lynne. Already had one holiday party cancelled because of a minor dusting. What a bunch of wusses. They should be in Gloversville. I spent a month there one day!Snow up the wazoo!
Happy holidays to you, too!
One reviewer that makes an assessment like that deserves to be ignored. How can someone post a review after giving up after the first chapter, baffles me. I had a review of my debut mystery that said the writer knows nothing about horses, even though I’m a retired equestrian journalist and other reviewers in that world gave it four and five stars. There’s no counting for taste.
You are absolutely right, Roland. Thanks and happy holidays!
I had nearly the same thing happen to me! Someone reviewed the first page of my book and said it was “smut on parade”. I still don’t know where that came from! The first page is about a 40-year old woman discovering a chin hair. How you get to smut from there I have no idea! Yes, I agree the first pages are important to a reader, but when someone can’t read beyond the first page, I’m inclined to believe the reader is the one at fault. (Perhaps not even a reader but a bot?) Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s obviously working.
Thanks, D.E! I agree!