The Dreaded 0.5 Star

#1
Picture this:
You've started to get a bit of a following, and I mean less than 100 actual followers, and so far you're getting nothing but good feedback and 2 or 3 4/5 Star reviews. Sure, you're having a bit of a hard time getting friends, family, or even just people in your Facebook group to actually leave a review, but at least you're sitting there knowing that people are liking what you put up.
Then it happens.
You think nothing of it at first, it's obviously a glitch. You know that's a lie you're telling yourself, but so far only people you don't know have reviewed the story and they all think it's great.
But not this one.
They've hit you with the 0.5 Star.
Your overall ranking drops, the Stars go from 4.5 to just under 3, less people are reading your story.
You've failed.
You were never a good author, your life's a lie, you should quit before anything else bad can happen.
Everyone lied to you so you'd feel better, even those random readers, they all hated it.
You're an idiot. You're a failure. You should destroy your laptop and accept that you should return to your old job.
But then there's a glimmering of hope, a message from someone from the other side of the world who likes your work and thinks you should press on.
You force yourself to write, you were arrogant, you go to read the negative review but discover there's none.
Funny, if someone really hated it to that degree, wouldn't they have explained what they didn't like, or at the very least tried to warn others away?
Is it a troll?
Is it another author trying to sabotage you?
Or is it someone who genuinely didn't like it you arrogant prick?
Does it matter?
I don't think it does.
Write for that one person on the other side of the world, write for those who have followed it.
Ignore the hate, but listen to the feedback.
You can be a great writer.
You just have to write.
"The world is indeed comic, but the joke is on mankind."
- HP Lovecraft
I write LitRPG here, and other stuff elsewhere. Legends of Tarthirious, A LitRPG

RE: The Dreaded 0.5 Star

#3
SHiiieee.

Mine's watching my follower count go up. Doesn't matter you have at least a hundred followers, even have a relatively high rating, but the moment you see the count go down, it felt like something was just taken from you. And that one person that unfollowed you left a gaping hole in your heart as you repeatedly pressed f5 hoping that it was just a glitch, a mistake and that the number would go back to what it used to.

Then it does, but you know that person was someone else. Like a doctor having saved a lot of lives only to have his life ruined by the death of one of his patients.

But then I get reminded that this is the internet after all and get over it after an hour.
They said the world is ending.
They are wrong. Its only changing.
https://i.imgur.com/LqcYAhwt.jpg

RE: The Dreaded 0.5 Star

#4
What I disliked the most about my first really bad rating (a 1 after four 5 and three 4.5) was that it didn't come with a review, a comment or a PM.
I mean, you just said that my novel is absolute shit, you could at least explain me why you think so.
And it keeps going, only one person who rated me under 3 wrote a (one line) review about it, everyone else just rates it 0.5 or 2 and says nothing.
It would really help me if you explained WHY you think my novel completely sucks as it may me improve.

RE: The Dreaded 0.5 Star

#6
'Oinos' pid='819523' dateline='1482437445' Wrote: What I disliked the most about my first really bad rating (a 1 after four 5 and three 4.5) was that it didn't come with a review, a comment or a PM.
I mean, you just said that my novel is absolute shit, you could at least explain me why you think so.
And it keeps going, only one person who rated me under 3 wrote a (one line) review about it, everyone else just rates it 0.5 or 2 and says nothing.
It would really help me if you explained WHY you think my novel completely sucks as it may me improve.

I totally agree, if there's a problem then explain it. What's worse are the ones who're like "I don't like this genre."
"The world is indeed comic, but the joke is on mankind."
- HP Lovecraft
I write LitRPG here, and other stuff elsewhere. Legends of Tarthirious, A LitRPG

RE: The Dreaded 0.5 Star

#14
'Eisblume' pid='820849' dateline='1485305390' Wrote: Am I late to the party? I got my very own .5 star today! =)
The reviewer was kind enough to leave his thoughts, though it has nothing to do with the story.

Did he tell you his life's story?
They said the world is ending.
They are wrong. Its only changing.
https://i.imgur.com/LqcYAhwt.jpg

RE: The Dreaded 0.5 Star

#15
'TheManWithLongReach' pid='820856' dateline='1485335519' Wrote:
'Eisblume' pid='820849' dateline='1485305390' Wrote: Am I late to the party? I got my very own .5 star today! =)
The reviewer was kind enough to leave his thoughts, though it has nothing to do with the story.

Did he tell you his life's story?

I'm taking over another author's story with their permission since they didn't want to continue. The reviewer said he didn't like the previous author and how he handled the story thus gave me .5 rating. It's almost comical in a way.

RE: The Dreaded 0.5 Star

#18
This is getting ridiculous.
I had just got under the 700 mark in the ratings and in a couple of minutes I got a 0.5 star that made me go over 700 again.
No review, no message, just 0.5.

Edit: I got other 2 0.5 ratings, not one

Reedit: now they're 3 new 0.5 ratings, in less than 24 hours. It's a new record for me.

RE: The Dreaded 0.5 Star

#19
I dunno, the .5 I just assume are drivebys trolls. It's the 2 stars that always bug me. It's like, these other 30 people all thought this was five-star work and this guy here decided that it was barely readable?

For example, there was a three star that changed to a 2.5 star 200 pages in. It's just like... you obviously actually read the entire last 200 pages, but despite avidly consuming every word I've written your opinion just kept getting worse. That right there is a serious MF, imo.