Tip of the week: how to react to negative reviews

Yes, I know, it's been done to death and I thought that everyone got the message after the Howett incident, but I seem to be wrong. I recently read a blog post giving some advice that had me fuming. Massively. The self-published author, who had obviously been spoiled by positive reviews (I assume by his friends), started to receive negative ones saying the story is unbelievable, characters not likeable, etc. So what did he do? He thought to himself that writing an article about the 'how to' would be a great idea. Yes, I agree, it is, but only if the 'how to' contains the following: be professional about it and take it on the chin.

Of course he didn't do that. No. He advised to look up your favourite authors' books and feel comforted when reading all the 1-star-reviews. Whereas it doesn't do any harm, it's pointless, because it doesn't make your book better, does it?
I won't repeat all the points, but stress the two that made me want to slap him. Hard. Very hard.
1.) He advised to get your mates to downvote the negative reviews and
2.) to ask as many friends as possible, who are confident to write a 5-star-review and, yes, you guessed it, get them to post them.
I honestly couldn't believe my eyes. Not only is this particularly immature, but also highly frowned upon, and that rightly so.

Needless to say that it didn't take long until he got his wrists slapped by fellow authors and readers who weren't too impressed with such advice. Serious self-published authors have enough difficulties without those who pull such stunts. People like that want to play professional in the professional league, but are still in kindergarten.
Now, I'm not so much concerned about people being vocal about it, they'll be put in their places in no time, but I'm worried about those who just go ahead and do it. Fair play to this particular author, though, he has amended that post. If he's also altered his way of thinking, I don't know.

I'd keep it simple: if you receive a negative review, rise above it. Not everyone will love or like your book. If you receive more or them, all pointing out the same issue, stop huffing and puffing and instead get cracking, they may be onto something.
The only response a reviewer deserves is: Thank you for taking the time to read my book.

Stop messing with the system just because you can do it. You want to be taken seriously? Then act like it!

Rant over!

About the unnecessity of prologues

Most of them, that is. I dislike those that were just added for the sake of it. Why would people do that? Prologues only have a place when they're relevant, for instance, when, in Fantasy or Science Fiction, characters of the here and now will appear in future and what they are discovering, the quarrels or change to the landscape they're in are important to the storyline which takes place either centuries or years ahead. 

Or, if it sets the scene for the whole book, referring to significant changes to the world the characters live in. That I will read with interest.

But too many times, prologues are either the back story of characters I don't even know yet, hence not really care about, or they are an excerpt of the novel, which spoils the plot for me. I want to read it and find out for myself.

In many cases, prologues can be avoided and easily interwoven in the actual book. Let me give you an example: I'm currently reading a book where the prologue shows a female dancer on the height of her career, just proposed by her long-term (extremely unlikable, arsehole) boyfriend, in a car, on the way to her parents, in a thunderstorm. They have an accident.

The actual story starts seven years later, she's not with that guy anymore and not an active dancer, but a dance teacher. The author is regularly referring to the past, to her ex, to the accident as it's the cause for her not being able to dance without pain anymore.
I keep wondering what purpose this prologue served. Those few pages could have easily been combined into two sentences of back story when we actually know more about that woman and how much dancing means to her, and the new man in her life, for that matter. If the author wrote, she danced with pain, the reader wonders why, and there she could've mentioned the accident. Simple and most effective.

And I read plenty of prologues like that. Redundant, in my opinion. If you need to write a prologue, do it because it would enhance the novel, needs to be there. Not because you like the word 'prologue' so much.

Indies, sometimes I just want to slap them!

Some people's actions leave me speechless. For a few seconds, then, I'll blow off. Seriously, only Indies can pull such stunts as I'll describe in the following.

A few days ago, a newly published author sent me a message on Twitter, asking if I'd be interested to promote his book on my blog via guest post or an interview.
To be honest, I was stunned. I don't know this person, I can't even remember to have ever conversed with him, neither do I remember when or why I followed him back. It was probably back in the earlier days, when I started my Twitter account and connected with everyone basically.I didn't know better back then. You probably guessed it, I unfollowed immediately. I mean, I know that we need to get word out there and promote like there's no tomorrow, but, seriously? Just 'attacking' random people you are connected with is definitely a sure way of annoying people. There are plenty of bloggers who promote Indies, who do interviews and have regular guest blogs. I don't! If you, Indie author, would have taken the time to look at my blog, you would know that! So why, Indie author, do you feel the need to ask me? What were you on that day?
Another example: there's a guy (author) on the Amazon forum, who regularly insulted people. When I told him that you shouldn't call people names, I ended up being insulted, too. Not only by him, but by his friend as well. (Apparently, I'm stupid.) So I told him I'm not going to converse with him any longer, which he agreed to. He recently popped on one of my threads where we had a discussion about the KPD-Select programme and its results and dumped a link to his book informing us that the updated version is now available. How obnoxious can a person be, I wonder. Maybe he wanted to annoy me -- in which he succeeded -- but it felt more like an attempt to get some downloads for his book.
That kind of desperation makes me want to slap them. Hard.
I've only ever 'promoted' one event: a few people who came together for a special occasion and I knew whom I'm helping.

If I wanted to promote someone, I'd approach them myself. But, hey, guess what? I've got three of my own books to promote, you see? And I'm not even doing that anymore like I used to do. Why? Because it's all a bit for nothing. Though it's fun to do guest posts and interviews and I'm always happy to do them, it didn't do anything for my sales and my theory is that it's mostly Indie authors who set up Indie promotion sites, which then often will resolve in Indie authors being the audience. There is one person, whose mere mention of my love for 2nd person POV in a pod cast had triggered some sales: Morgen Bailey, a fearless blogger, who does daily interviews, guest blogs, pod casts and more. And she's an author, too. Take a look at her page, if you're a reader, for many suggestions, and if you're an Indie, for being a guest on her site. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against them, I'm an Indie myself, but I want readers. Those who are not in the massive gum-like Indies bubble.
So, for that, I must write a book that's going to be read by readers and therefore I don't have time to promote my, let alone, other people's books.