What to Do with a Bad Review

As an editor I don't expect that every one of my author's books will receive glowing reviews. It's certainly nice when it happens, but even the negative reviews don't take away all the hard work both my authors and I put into their books and it certainly doesn't take away the immense belief I have in my authors and their work. What does sting are unfair or patently wrong reviews. Earlier this year, one of my beloved authors received a patently unfair and wrong review from a major trade journal. This particular review took issue with my white author's characterization of a black supporting character. The review described this black character's role in the book as "unfortunate" and dismissed this character as little more than a role-playing stereotype. I had several categories of reactions to the language used to discount not only the book, but also the appearance of a character of color: my first reaction was that of an editor who felt her author had been greatly wronged; I also reacted as a reader who felt a bit cheated out of a reading experience and finally I reacted as a black woman working in an industry where acquiring editors who look like me are few and far between. I was angry. I was biased. I was hurt. I was discouraged. And I was motivated to find a way to right this terrible wrong. But what could I do that wouldn't seem like sour grapes?

I thought of writing a private letter to the editor of the journal in question and in fact did draft a letter. In that missive, I pointed out how irresponsible I thought the review was. I suggested that when people see an opportunity to comment on race that they will say the most outrageous and clichéd things without any true thought at all just to seem as if they are somehow socially aware. I affirmed that as a black woman who edits books, I am certainly sensitive to how African Americans are depicted and perceived in books, especially those I personally edit.