helena frith powell

  • Lifestyle
  • Women
  • Beauty
  • France
  • Contact

Amazon drama

17th March 2011 by Helena 4 Comments  

Yesterday someone posted a REALLY nasty review of the book on Amazon. It said it was “rushed and badly edited”, and that the only reason it would sell at all was that I am a relentless self-publicist (moi!?!) and had written some other, better books, such as Ciao Bella and Two Lipsticks and a Lover. “Stick to what you’re good at HFP” the reviewer from hell advised.

The review really upset me. I know it shouldn’t have done, but I was between seething and sobbing. “At least she likes some of your books,” said my husband helpfully. “At least she gave me one star,” I sobbed. “I don’t think you can give no stars,” he replied.

I went to my friends for help. I told them all about the review on Facebook, and they rushed to my rescue. Words of comfort flooded in, and I decided that actually maybe the bad review was a good thing.

One, it put me in touch with friends who made me laugh and feel so much better. Annika for example, wrote a hysterical post about how this review as clearly written by some saddo in non-matching underwear.  Two, it caused a bit of a stir (there is no such thing as bad publicity) and three, it did make me think (once I had decided not to give up on writing books altogether) that maybe I should forget the chick-lit genre and try for something else. I’m not suggesting going back to non-fiction, but maybe I should try something like a Ciao Bella in novel form. Except I will have to edit out my aunt, she is only just speaking to me again.

My publisher was so furious about the review (which it has to be said, was very personal and bitchy), he asked Amazon to remove it, which they have done. So for now there are just glowing ones there, but I am prepared for comeback from bitch reviewer from hell or maybe some other hideous comments about how ghastly I am. But I think I will be able to cope next time.

Meanwhile, relentless self-publicist that I am, the launch got into the Mail (as below), the Independent and the Evening Standard. Just so you know.  Sales are going well, 1800 so far, and am trying to think of ways of generating more publicity, short of murdering critical reviewers…..

Copyright: Helena Frith Powell 2011


Filed Under: blog --> Tagged With: amazon, drama

4 thoughts on Amazon drama

  • kelly rowe says:
    19th March 2011 at 2:10 am

    Hi Helena,

    Well I have just finished reading Love in a Warm Climate and loved it! In all honesty I don’t normally read books like this but I loved all your other books so decided I would give it a go and I thought it was really good.

    Don’t give up on writing non-fiction or fiction as think your brilliant at both and I personally think there should be a sequel to Love in a Warm Climate! Will post a good review on Amazon!

  • Helena says:
    19th March 2011 at 9:43 pm

    Thanks so much Kelly, I am inspired to keep going x

  • Caroline Legg says:
    21st March 2011 at 6:27 am

    Have just ordered Love in a Warm Climate for my holiday next year, and have packed all your other books for a re-read by the pool! I am sure it will be just as good as the others; glowing review on Amazon to follow (assuming I ever come back!)

  • helena says:
    21st March 2011 at 11:04 pm

    Thank you Caroline! Hope you enjoy them x

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Helena Frith Powell was born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and Italian father, but grew up mainly in England. She is the author of eleven books, translated into several languages including Chinese and Russian. She wrote the French Mistress column The Sunday Times about life in France for several years. She is a regular contributor to the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Tatler Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar.

Helena has been the editor of four magazines, including M Magazine, a supplement for the Abu Dhabi based National Newspaper and FIVE, a high-end fashion glossy, also published in Abu Dhabi. Helena was also editor in chief of 360 Life, a quarterly glossy magazine published with the Sports 360 Newspaper in Dubai, part of the Chalhoub Group.

Helena contributes regularly to UK-based newspapers and magazines and holds a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge. Helena is also working on a thriller called Thin Ice that will be published in spring 2021 as well as a novel about the relationship between Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield called Sense of an Echo.

Her latest non-fiction work Smart Women Don’t Get Wrinkles came out in hardback in 2016 and in paperback in April 2018.

Helena, who was educated at Durham University, lives in the Languedoc region of France with her husband Rupert and their three children.

Bibliography

More France Please, we’re British; Gibson Square 2004

Two Lipsticks and a Lover 2005; Gibson Square (hardback)

All You Need to be Impossibly French; (US version of above) Penguin 2006

Two Lipsticks and a Lover; Arrow Books (paperback) 2007

Ciao Bella Gibson Square; (hardback) 2006

Ciao Bella Gibson Square; (paperback) 2007

So Chic! (French version of Two Lipsticks) Leduc Editions 2008 (also translated into Chinese, Russian and Thai)

More, More France; Gibson Square 2009

To Hell in High Heels; Arrow Books 2009 (also translated into Polish)

The Viva Mayr Diet; Harper Collins 2009

Love in a Warm Climate; Gibson Square 2011

The Ex-Factor; Gibson Square 2013

Smart Women Don’t Get Wrinkles; Gibson Square 2016

The Arnolfini Marriage; Amazon Kindle December 2016

Smart Women Don’t Get Wrinkles (paperback); Gibson Square spring 2018

The Longest Night; Gibson Square spring 2019

 

 

© 2021 Helena Frith Powell
Website by Web Inclusion
/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: content-template-for-layout-for-header-and-footer-layout - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ .helenaHero .mainTitle h1{ font-size:3em; -webkit-transition: all 0.8s; -moz-transition: all 0.8s; -ms-transition: all 0.8s; -o-transition: all 0.8s; transition: all 0.8s; margin-top:-100%; padding-top:100px; padding-bottom:50px; margin:0; } .scrolled .helenaHero .mainTitle h1{ font-size:1.2em; padding-top:30px; padding-bottom:20px; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: content-template-for-layout-for-header-and-footer-layout - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: 17hfp_about - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ .HFPA-section{ width:100%; background:#eee; } .HFPA-Image{ background-position:center right; background-repeat:no-repeat; height:276px; width:100%; -webkit-filter: grayscale(100%); /* Safari 6.0 - 9.0 */ filter: grayscale(100%); } .HFPA-Text{ padding:20px 10px; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: 17hfp_about - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: 17footer - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ .footIt{ background:#222; padding:20px 10px; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: 17footer - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */