Oh Dear! On Goodreads Controversy

[suenicorn]

 I’ve committed myself to participate in a blog tour, as book blogs do. It’s for a debut author. The post is all ready to be published on January 24. I just need to press the “Publish” button. 

 

And now, it seems, the author has started up a controversy on Goodreads by abusing a reviewer for giving her a low rating, and threatening legal action! (I’ve seen the review - it was nothing too nasty, it was merely a bit uncomfortable with the heroine, for good reasons with which I agreed. It had a couple of positive things to say. And the reader had actually offered her a book launch, to support a local debut author, until she was abused). She then stalked the reviewer by paying someone to look up her “real” identity(it’s called a pseudonym, as someone commented, people do it all the time on line).  She got her husband involved. Weirdly, she threatened to report this to her publisher! I hope she did; someone might have explained to her a few facts about being a published author, such as the fact that everyone gets lousy reviews. Everyone. I’ve had one star reviews, including one where the reader admitted to only having read 8 pages of my novel, and was proud of that fact. And no, you can’t take legal action unless they have lied about you. Most of us just get on with it. It hurts, but that’s the way it works. 

 

It was stupid of her. The controversy might sell some books now, out of curiosity(my own response to the book was, “Meh! Needs further editing.” I’ve already given away my copy to a teenager, who might like it better than I did... or maybe not) but further down the track people will be reluctant to review anything else she writes. Who wants to run the risk of being abused and possibly sued? 

 

But I don’t much care for some of the stuff that goes on in Goodreads either. Reviewers can be abusive too. And there is something stupid about giving ratings to a book you haven’t read, whether it’s a vengeful “take that!” one star or a five star rating for an author you like, although the book hasn’t been finished let alone published and there is no way you could have read it. And several indignant GR members gave this book a one star rating without having read it, just to show the bitch what they thought of her. Not acceptable behaviour either. How can the rest of us make book buying decisions if the rating comes from people who haven’t read the book? 

 

If you think Goodreads doesn’t matter, think again. It’s huge, and it’s connected to Amazon now, so people can buy your book or they can give it a horrible review on Amazon too.

 

So, the thing is, I haven’t been involved - yet. And I get on well with the publicist, whom I’ve known since she was working for Allen and Unwin. A nice lady, and I would like to get some more review books from her current employer. I don’t intend to withdraw my post just because the author has been an idiot. But I do need to find a way to do a tactful disclaimer. I did come across a blog in which the blogger had done just that, and done it well. It’s a matter of wording. I will have to come up with something Real Soon now!