More than hundreds of rejections, more than the number of Twilight ripoffs getting published and going best seller more than anything else that I can think of bullshit like this makes me want to stop publishing.
It’s not the bad review. It’s not the angry comment from the author who should have kept her mouth shut (or vented verbally to a friend, rather than on a recorded media). It’s the mob mentality behind seven pages of readers thinking it’s okay, justified and actually in defense of the reviewer to attack the author.
There are three sides to this mess, the reviewer who knowingly posted a review that while not directly insulting was NOT polite. She had the right, I would never say she didn’t. But she also, if she wanted to avoid potential backlash, could have written it differently. I respect that she thought it was important to warn readers/buyers of her disappointment. I understand that feeling completely. It is never a good feeling to be excited about a book and be thoroughly disappointed with it.
The second side is the author who was COMPLETELY in the wrong by calling the reviewer names and COMPLETELY in the wrong by rallying her readers to dislike the reviews. Authors DO NOT do either, especially in written form. Seriously, that’s what bffs and spouses are for. Rant to them. And never, never indulge in the rating your books/positive reviews game. Ratings aren’t there for you as an author, they’re for readers/consumers.*
The third side is the anonymous public. You know, the seven pages of responses, many of which didn’t just give a supportive “I’m sorry that happened”, but instead devolved into nasty comments about the author then (as it always does) ended up encouraging others to join in with the crowd by returning the author’s ill-conceived nastiness a hundred fold.
Yeah, people, we know. Don’t fuck with people on the internet because they will say nasty things about you and flame you. Except, that doesn’t make them more right.
I have been in that situation, where I posted a negative review of a book I felt personally insulted by (I’ve done that a few times, and never without much consideration, usually a second opinion, and rewriting the review several times to make sure I was ready to stand behind every word.) And the writer did flip and personally insult me. It stung (probably as much as the review stung them.)
But I never, never want people to come to my defense by personally insulting the author or turning the thread into an insult fest/snarky comments via memes and gifs/using a single author to dismiss or insult an entire genre. Which is probably why the thread where it happened to me didn’t get to seven pages.
These kinds of things are not ONE person’s mistake, but a series of mistakes that people allow to feed on themselves and morph the nature of reviewers/writers into something else. So if any of you are my fans, my friends or my loved ones, feel free to dislike bad reviews of my work if you want, or send my sympathy if you feel I’ve been mistreated, or express disappointment. But don’t let yourselves be a mob.
This is why I’ve largely stopped reading and commenting on blogs. And this is what usually makes me wonder if I should give up now.
*I cannot honestly say that reviews aren’t for authors because authors are encouraged to get them, some are addressed to the authors directly and I love it when an author finds my reviews. I have even had some very positive interactions with authors who I’ve given negative reviews to, and honestly those people become auto-supports in my book.
Let’s Play White by Chesya Burke is an excellent collection of nameless myths, darkness and hope. Burke tugs readers through shadowy places where hope still tries to linger, even if the people have given up. She also takes us to places where light is strong and vibrant, but people can’t accept it. A wonderful collection, highly recommended, my favorites are the urban voodoo-themed ″Chocolate Park″ and the powerful rural fantasy novella ″The Teachings and Redemption of Ms. Fannie Lou Mason″.
