Goodreads Kerfuffles: The New Red Room

I was going to say "the new sex tape," but sex tapes are so Y2K...

It's been a while since I've opined on current events here on the blog. ( Sorry? ) But this latest round of Goodreads "reviewers" behaving badly and authors rising (sinking?) to the challenge, resulting in alleged rape threats and bullying accusations and debut novels being pulled from release... (or being released now under pen names?)

It all makes a writer say Hmm.

I've written a few books (see sidebar), and they're all on Goodreads, for better or worse.

Before Undertow was released in July, it got a big fat 1-star review on Goodreads... And it wasn't even one of my betas or critters! (It remains the book's only 1-star review amidst predominately 4- and 5-stars.)

A book I just finished writing on Friday (Aug. 23) got a 3-star review a few weeks ago on Goodreads, prompting me to wonder how this person was accessing my computer and whether s/he would be willing to finish writing the book for me, since I clearly wasn't doing a 5-star job...

Regardless of all that, I know if I engage, if I make any comment whatsoever, I'm risking a firestorm of abuse, harassment, name-calling, etc. It's the whole, "once you put your book out there, it's no longer yours" concept.

(But wait. My book's not "out there" yet...)

Before I hit "publish" on my very first book, The Truth About Faking , I got some sage advice from a then-rising author named Tammara Webber . (Yes, that Tammara Webber.)

Don't respond to reviewers.

Period. The End. (Nope! Stop arguing. Don't respond.) She was firm.

We live in a digital age, where anyone with a keyboard and an attitude has the potential to become a Superstar!  (Remember Perez Hilton?)

It's all about the spotlight, writer-friends. When you "go there," you're signaling the paparazzi. You're shaking up the Mountain Dew can, popping the top and putting it slap in front of the hornets' nest.

In fairness, yes, there is a possible flipside... I also remember Paris Hilton. (And her spawn, Kim Kardashian.) They live for that stuff. Becoming a living train wreck has made those females millions .

Selah.
In fairness, my experience with Goodreads has been largely positive. It can be a useful and fantastic, interactive reader- and writer- community. I've met awesome reader-friends there, and I know bigwigs like Coleen Hoover point to it as helping their success in reaching readers.

Sure, I've gotten my share of reviews I thought weren't fair. I've had the DNF rants, and I've even *gasp* replied to a few, late at night, after a glass of wine. (And promptly freaked out the next day and never returned to the scene of the crime... Sorry, Tammara! *hangs head in shame*)

It's a sad truth, but as a published author, my days of being an English teacher, a book club leader, a former journalist, and heck, even an American citizen with first-amendment rights are over.

I'm probably taking a risk simply writing this blog post, but shoop! There it is.

When I hit "publish" on The Truth About Faking , I began the mental mantra:

"Negative reviews and/or reviews I think are 'unfair' go with the territory. Get over it. Look how many negative reviews L. James gets for her Fifty Shades books, and she's laughing all the way to the bank."

We tell ourselves these things as authors, reader-friends. (Or we should, writer-friends.)

Two thousand reviews for Faking later, I actually have some one-star reviews I admire. The reviewer just really did not like my book, and s/he gave some solid, justified reasons why.

I read them, and at the end I mentally add, "And then I got my period."

(...it's a joke . C'mon... That's funny!)

Seriously, I respect them. I like seeing reviews from thoughtful readers. To me, it means I'm doing my job right. Not everybody's going to like my books, but if I've made someone think about a concept, a belief system, a mode of behavior, well, that's what I'm after, right?

I also appreciate that when we make the transition to living off our books' earnings, things like DNF reviews urging the whole, entire reading planet not to buy our books seriously sting. And reviews or ratings for unreleased books can push us over the edge...

Resist! writer-friends.

I mean, unless you want to try the sex tape in the red room approach. In which case, buckle up! It's going to be a bumpy ride~

I'd love to hear anybody's (thoughtful) thoughts on the matter.

And I'd like to take this opportunity to THANK all my reader- and writer-friends who take the time to leave thoughtful reviews of my books. As Blondie (and now 1D) says, "One way or another."

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Heads up, friends! Watercolor  is coming Oct. 3! That means  Dragonfly is on sale for 99 cents! I'll share a little graphic I made here~

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And have a great week, reader-friends!