A few weeks ago, there was a Twitter beef between an author and a critic who gave a negative review of her book. The author challenged the critique by saying the critic only read an ARC and the critic countered this by saying the final copy of the book had the same issues. The author was traditionally published. 

Most experts say to ignore reviews and push on. Regardless of how you’re published, this will always be the safest route. However, if you have an open mind, I feel there’s a lot to be gained if self-published authors engage with their critics IF they leave thoughtful reviews. 

Case in point, I gave E.H. Night a mostly positive review of The Four Before Me, but told her the syntax was incorrect for internal dialog. She updated this in her books, making a better product for the consumer. When I pointed out the issues with Watersong to Hannah Conrad, she said she would be releasing a second edition with the issues fixed. 

With traditionally published authors, there’s much less to be gained since once the publisher sends the book to print, there’s no going back. Take a look at what kind of author you are and the personality you have and make your own decision.