An Indie Author’s Perspective on Harsh Reviews and DNFs

As an indie author, I expect criticism—but some recent reviews have left me wondering why a reader would trash my book after only a few pages.

I don't quite understand some readers. I understand if a story isn't for you, so you DNF (do not finish) it. I've done that myself. What I don't do is go out of my way to degrade the author in my rating on Goodreads or Amazon.

I've gotten a couple of reviews on my novels, and both reviews were negative for reasons that don't quite make sense to me. In each case, the reviewers said they stopped reading after only a few pages. If my writing style isn’t for them or if they just don’t like romances, that's a fair criticism. I am very upfront on social media about what I write. I want people to know what to expect from my writing. I make sure readers know there's no excessive swearing, no explicit scenes, or gratuitous violence. So readers should have a fair idea of what they're getting before they open my books.

The first reviewer said they didn't read past chapter two of Choosing Season because it "read like a high schooler's passion project." The insult was a bit odd. Because it was a passion project. Why is a 'passion project' that a bad thing? I spent seven years pouring my heart into the world-building, the characters, and the story. I even managed to get it professionally edited and a professional cover made. If the story or setting or concept wasn't for them, that would make sense. But to hate on something because the author was passionate just doesn't compute for me.

The second reviewer said they stopped reading Beautiful Wilderness after about forty pages because it's "a predictable romance with nothing new to say." A level of predictability is actually part of the appeal of the romance genre. Romances usually promise a satisfying emotional story. My question is how can someone accurately say there's nothing new to say when they didn't read the story? The review could have literally said "DNF, story wasn't for me" or "I didn't care for the characters."

I just hope that when people see those reviews, they aren't scared away from giving my books a chance. The ARC readers I've shared my work with and the readers who have read my books since they were published have all loved my stories.

At the end of the day, I write because I love storytelling and romance, and I’m grateful for every reader who gives my books a chance. I know this post is a bit of a vent, but I wanted to be honest about how this side of publishing feels sometimes. Indie authors will always face an uphill battle with people not taking their work seriously because they're self-published or reviewers who seem more interested in taking a bite out of you than engaging with the story.

For any other authors dealing with harsh or unfair reviews, please remember: one person’s opinion isn’t the final word on your work. Keep writing, keep growing, and keep telling the stories that matter to you. And if you’re a reader who doesn’t click with a book, it’s okay to DNF. Just remember there’s a human being on the other side of that story, doing their best.