To Pull, or Not To Pull ... That is the Question
Since I decided to hit publish, I have seen this pop up a couple times - so basically, since June.
Authors saying they are going to pull their books from Amazon and other respective buying sites, for lots of different reasons.
They're upset because of spoilers, upset because the work is being pirated, or upset about bad reviews, stuff like that.
I'm not quite sure how to feel about this - or if I'm "allowed" to feel a certain way. I only have one book out, maybe it'll feel different after I have more, maybe the next story won't do as well as Jameson's. Who knows?
I know bad reviews suck. And I mean, they SUCK. Like, my heart starts pounding and my lips go numb, SUCK. Stabbing pain in my chest, SUCK. My story Degradation has 192 5-star ratings. It also has 4 1-star ratings.
Guess which ratings stick with me the most? Hint: it ain't the bigger number.
I actually dreamed last night that I woke up to multiple 1-star written reviews (maybe nightmare would be a better word than dream). It's a horrible, horrible feeling that I don't think can be fully explained to someone who doesn't do this. It's like someone telling you that you're not good enough, that you're less than, that everything you worked so hard for and believe in so much is all just garbage.
And words hurt. I've read 1-star reviews for books that made me laugh and that I thought were funny, and ones that were insightful and helpful to the author, but most of the time they're just mean and hurtful. So you didn't like a book. That sucks - you wasted your time and money on something that sucks, I get that, makes me angry when it happens to me, too. I have left "negative" reviews.
But to take even more time to leave a nasty, hateful review that says mean things about the book, characters, and author seems a bit much to me, personally. Not only does it hurt our feelings, but it makes a lot of us wonder how the reviewer would fair if they were put behind a computer and told to bang out 100,000 words - and they had better make sure it's something EVERYONE will like! Luckily, I have yet to receive a review quite like that, but I know it is coming. Just look at some of CJ Roberts' lower reviews, or M. Night's. Mean, mean, mean. If those authors went to those reviewers and said similar things back about their own life goals, I can guarantee there would be tears.
Still, even with all that - the fear, the pain, the sadness - I would never pull a book over mixed and/or bad reviews. Going in to hitting publish, I knew that there was a good chance the book would flop. That everyone would hate it. But really, what's the worst that could happen? I'm exactly where I started. And for bigger authors, they still have other successful books out there, and I'm sure more books within them - plus that one "dud" is no doubt SOMEONE'S favorite, so why deny them that? Don't be a spoil-sport.
And as for pulling a book over spoilers or pirating, well really, I'm sorry, but I think that's stupid. People will always spoil anything/everything. If I don't want to know anything about a book, you know what? I don't look it up on Goodreads, I just buy it. I think it's ridiculous to pull a book in order to control your reviewers.
And as for pirating - if something exists, people will figure out how to steal it. This is fact. Doesn't matter what you do, the book will get out there illegally some how. It's not fair, but if it upsets an author that much, they can track down the websites and use their copyright claim to have the site removed. Problem solved. Pulling your book over pirates is also pulling it from fans that would actually buy it - which is money in the pocket. And the illegal copy is still already out there, people who already bought the book could rip the file and pirate it. I think if you want to publish a book, prepare to have it pirated. Just a fact of life.
All I know is that what has been e-published, cannot be un-e-published. We are in the technology age. If it exists online, it exists forever. And Goodreads doesn't allow books to be deleted, so the page for the book will always remain - so none of those above mentioned problems would be solved by pulling.
Books are ..., it's weird, but they're almost sacrosanct to me. I am okay with a lot of other questionable things in life, but I draw the line at books. I am firmly against plagiarism *shudder* or ANY kind of censorship, even from the author, to a certain extent. Please don't censor me from your work - it will make me just not want to read you anymore. Someone could steal my car and I would be very upset and would think they were a jerk. But damage some of my books or try to get a book banned, and I'll think you're the fucking devil.
So basically, how I feel, if I publish a book, it will never be pulled.
However, that doesn't mean I can't stop acknowledging its existence if it does so badly it embarrasses me ;D
Authors saying they are going to pull their books from Amazon and other respective buying sites, for lots of different reasons.
They're upset because of spoilers, upset because the work is being pirated, or upset about bad reviews, stuff like that.
I'm not quite sure how to feel about this - or if I'm "allowed" to feel a certain way. I only have one book out, maybe it'll feel different after I have more, maybe the next story won't do as well as Jameson's. Who knows?
I know bad reviews suck. And I mean, they SUCK. Like, my heart starts pounding and my lips go numb, SUCK. Stabbing pain in my chest, SUCK. My story Degradation has 192 5-star ratings. It also has 4 1-star ratings.
Guess which ratings stick with me the most? Hint: it ain't the bigger number.
I actually dreamed last night that I woke up to multiple 1-star written reviews (maybe nightmare would be a better word than dream). It's a horrible, horrible feeling that I don't think can be fully explained to someone who doesn't do this. It's like someone telling you that you're not good enough, that you're less than, that everything you worked so hard for and believe in so much is all just garbage.
And words hurt. I've read 1-star reviews for books that made me laugh and that I thought were funny, and ones that were insightful and helpful to the author, but most of the time they're just mean and hurtful. So you didn't like a book. That sucks - you wasted your time and money on something that sucks, I get that, makes me angry when it happens to me, too. I have left "negative" reviews.
But to take even more time to leave a nasty, hateful review that says mean things about the book, characters, and author seems a bit much to me, personally. Not only does it hurt our feelings, but it makes a lot of us wonder how the reviewer would fair if they were put behind a computer and told to bang out 100,000 words - and they had better make sure it's something EVERYONE will like! Luckily, I have yet to receive a review quite like that, but I know it is coming. Just look at some of CJ Roberts' lower reviews, or M. Night's. Mean, mean, mean. If those authors went to those reviewers and said similar things back about their own life goals, I can guarantee there would be tears.
Still, even with all that - the fear, the pain, the sadness - I would never pull a book over mixed and/or bad reviews. Going in to hitting publish, I knew that there was a good chance the book would flop. That everyone would hate it. But really, what's the worst that could happen? I'm exactly where I started. And for bigger authors, they still have other successful books out there, and I'm sure more books within them - plus that one "dud" is no doubt SOMEONE'S favorite, so why deny them that? Don't be a spoil-sport.
And as for pulling a book over spoilers or pirating, well really, I'm sorry, but I think that's stupid. People will always spoil anything/everything. If I don't want to know anything about a book, you know what? I don't look it up on Goodreads, I just buy it. I think it's ridiculous to pull a book in order to control your reviewers.
And as for pirating - if something exists, people will figure out how to steal it. This is fact. Doesn't matter what you do, the book will get out there illegally some how. It's not fair, but if it upsets an author that much, they can track down the websites and use their copyright claim to have the site removed. Problem solved. Pulling your book over pirates is also pulling it from fans that would actually buy it - which is money in the pocket. And the illegal copy is still already out there, people who already bought the book could rip the file and pirate it. I think if you want to publish a book, prepare to have it pirated. Just a fact of life.
All I know is that what has been e-published, cannot be un-e-published. We are in the technology age. If it exists online, it exists forever. And Goodreads doesn't allow books to be deleted, so the page for the book will always remain - so none of those above mentioned problems would be solved by pulling.
Books are ..., it's weird, but they're almost sacrosanct to me. I am okay with a lot of other questionable things in life, but I draw the line at books. I am firmly against plagiarism *shudder* or ANY kind of censorship, even from the author, to a certain extent. Please don't censor me from your work - it will make me just not want to read you anymore. Someone could steal my car and I would be very upset and would think they were a jerk. But damage some of my books or try to get a book banned, and I'll think you're the fucking devil.
So basically, how I feel, if I publish a book, it will never be pulled.
However, that doesn't mean I can't stop acknowledging its existence if it does so badly it embarrasses me ;D
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