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Let's talk peer reviews & how to respond to them. This is one of those things in academia that authors learn how to deal with haphazardly and it can really feel like you have no idea what you're doing the first time you have to do it.
I've encountered a few common misconceptions among academic authors, so let me dispel them here: (note that I'm mostly talking about scholarly book publishing, but some of the advice will apply to journal publishing as well)
Misconception 1: Peer reviewers make publication decisions. Peer reviewers make recommendations to editors and editorial boards, who then make the actual decision on whether something gets published, or invited to revise & resubmit, or rejected.
Fact: Your response to the reviews counts for a lot, at least in book publishing (in jrnl publishing editors do seem somewhat more likely to just go with what the reviewers say). You just need a convincing plan for revision that addresses the issues the reviewer's found
Misconception 2: Your response to the peer reviews has to prove why the reviewers are wrong. You don't have to rebut the reviews, you just have to show how you will improve your piece to take into account the spirit of the reviewers' recommendations.
Fact: A response to reviews that comes off as snarky or hostile will not be received well by anyone (even if your reviewers deserve it). Don't waste your time taking the reviewers down, just make the case that you can produce a good finished piece.
Misconception 3: You have to do everything the reviewers tell you to. Again, reviewers don't make publication decisions and they're not the ones you need to convince. Talk to your ed about your revision plan and if it makes sense to them, you'll be good.
These are written up in my newsletter post from last year, if you want a bit more context & guidance on how to respond to peer reviews: https://manuscriptworks.substack.com/p/responding-to-reader-reports
I've also got a template for your response to reader reports, if you need one: https://manuscriptworks.substack.com/p/a-template-for-your-response-to-reader. All this stuff (updated) will be in my handbook on book proposals & publishing coming out next year from @PrincetonUPress, + an actual response letter that landed a contract
