Recently I received a negative review for one of my ebooks. A few years ago when this happened, it sent me into a tailspin. I would cry, dwell on the criticism, wonder why God called me to be a writer when it's so scary, and well...you get the picture.
Now I slowly begin to see the progress that's taken place in my heart over time. While I still don't like negative reviews (nobody does), they don't affect me the same way anymore.
I think I know why--I now stay away from them as much as possible. The books I've already written have gone out into the world; now they have a life of their own. After I celebrate them, I need to let go and move on to the next step of my calling.
I also know now that my work is not for everyone, so not everyone will identify with and love it. That's okay. The right people will.
But recent criticism I received on one of my ebooks is something that I actually think is a strength:
"Reads like a blog, not a book."
I used to be quite skeptical of ebooks, both writing or reading them. The advent of the Kindle and other e-readers has changed all that for me (I love my Kindle!).
Here are some of the things I've grown to love about ebooks:
- The total length of the book is often shorter.
When I'm reading nonfiction, to gather information, I want to gather an overview of what I need and then move on.
- Each chapter is shorter.
I like that certain ebooks tend to read like blog posts. Chapters like that are the perfect size for busy moms who need inspiration in bite-sized increments. I save my longer reading time for fiction.
- You can easily read them in a variety of formats.
Gone are the days when you are stuck behind your desktop to read an ebook. I do read a lot of them that way, but I also love that I can forward any pdf file to my Kindle and read that way too!
- Allows you to discover new writers and bloggers.
I have found new authors I want to read more of through ebooks. I discovered them through their books, and now I can read more of their work online. A total win-win.
"Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world
a door opens to allow in more light."
–Vera Nazarian
