We’ve got our beta readers started to deliver their reports and we were over the moon. We have some simply raving how great our book is, we have others saying they thoroughly enjoy and would love to buy it but… ( place here constructive criticism we are going to work on this week). Finally today morning we got one of the last reports and it was, well bad.
Our beta reader didn’t like much. Maybe my description and our “refreshing” magic system., everything else was rubbish.
I read the report before going to work and as usual, I drifted into overthinking. My brain works in a 0-1 system. If I’m not the best I feel the worst – it is not healthy and I just don’t know how to fix it, but there is almost no space for 50 shades of grey that build a normal life.
My golden pedestal crashed, I was not the best I didn’t get 100% of the positive feedback. When I finally came home ready to drop all the writing I scan through the report again and then it hit me. I had no chance to win this one’s heart.
The key points that were consistently highlighted as the most entertaining part of the book by most of the readers were entirely missed. The main character that was universally liked didn’t resonate well and was annoying.
My beta reader simply didn’t like the book. It was not her cup of tea.
And that is fair. De gustibus non est disputandum and I fully respect and appreciate my reader’s opinion.
You can’t please everyone. Sometimes life brings you your Kobayashi Maru scenario where the lesson is to take it on the chin and carry on. And I still have a lot to learn in this matter.