News

People keep asking Jonathon and I if we read the reviews in newspapers, or on the internet. The answer, simply, is no. Why not? I’ll quote some other writers. I think they say it better than I could this morning.

"The important thing is that you make sure that neither the favorable nor the unfavorable critics move into your head and take part in the composition of your next work."

Thornton Wilder

I’ve actually requested that my editors and agent not send me any comments from anyone. Good, or bad, I don’t need to know, because either way it started messing with my mind when I sat down to write.

"The artists who want to be writers, read the reviews; the artists who want to write, don’t."

William Faulkner

I guess if I only wrote a book every few years then I could be totally self-indulgent and read everything written about every book, but because I choose to be writing on the next book by the time one book is out, I can’t afford to get distracted.

"Responding to criticism is a foolish thing for a writer to do, and an unpleasant one. It is much better to read only the advertisements of your work and note, briefly, your royalty reports. These will tell you how popular you are. How good you are, or are not, is a thing you should know only too well yourself."

Ben Hecht

I find all of this is pretty good advice.