Thanks to Tez for collecting all the info before it was deleted.
These authors were on my to-read list until they supported making fun of reviewers and reviewers’ opinions on books (because reviewers are stupid and don’t ‘get’ my genius hurr hurr hurr).
I don’t want them making fun of me (as opposed to my review?), so I personally won’t be reviewing their books anymore just in case I accidentally fall into one of the bingo squares, which Howdy YAL so ingeniously dissects and asks ‘what exactly is wrong with it?’
- Simmone Howell
- Rachel Craw – FUCKING HELL I ALREADY OWN YOUR BOOK
- Sarra Manning – god damn it I love your books too.
- Alison Cherry
- Justina Ireland
- Cat Hellisen
- Jackson Pearce – recurring
- Elizabeth Briggs
Interestingly enough, some authors involved were already on my do-not-read list.
Look, authors, I get it. You absolutely despise reviewers who don’t kiss your butt. Who have the audacity to bring all of their own life experiences into interpreting your book in a different way than what you intended. Who dare to use reviewing as a form of self-entertainment. Who dare to criticise in a way you don’t find helpful.
But really, reviewers don’t owe authors anything.
Thanks for reminding me of that.
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About Nemo
A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.
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Meghan
Well done. Thanks for bringing more of the story to my attention. Unfortunately, I own books by some of these authors too, but fortunately, they were gifted to me, so I didn’t actually pay for them. I at least know to move them waaaaaaaaayyyy down on my TBR.
Great post 🙂
Nemo
Thanks Meghan. I’m still going to read the ones that I own, just not review them.
Meghan
Sounds like a plan to me 🙂
Eilonwy
This whole adversarial relationship between authors and Goodreads reviewers makes me so sad.
I both write and read. So as an (unpublished) author, I can understand the desire for everyone to love my book and think it’s perfect. But you know what? Even I can see that the book I’m revising right now is not perfect — and it’s not going to be. As a reader, I can see stuff I’d call myself out for in a review.
It bothers me that the message on this Bingo card is “readers are not allowed to have their own experience of a novel.” None of us can control someone else’s perceptions. And a less-than-glowing review on Goodreads has never stopped me from reading a book I think I’d like, so I have to assume that’s true for other people.
Remind me not to look at any reviews if I get published. 🙂
Nemo
It’s a very subtle message than an author can play dumb at and pretend doesn’t exist, but it’s a message nonetheless. And its intimidating as well.
Meghan
I can understand how getting a bad review may be awful, and I can understand that some reviewers are mean just because they can, but acting as if all of us are idiots who do this stuff undermines what we do, especially when they are taking all reviewers and all book bloggers and putting us all into one giant pile. It’s funny, they complain about us, but they sure do NEED us when they want to do blog tours and get more people to review their books. Instead of complaining so much and blaming us for “not getting” their book, maybe they should actually try READING the reviews and looking at the things we point out. Then they could use the constructive criticism (that most of us give) and make their book good. It’s sad because I began at Goodreads because I loved the interaction I could have with fellow readers AND with authors and fortunately I have been lucky enough to meet some really awesome authors (and have not been noticed by the bad), but the drama and anger their and at BookLikes makes me stay away. And that’s sad – that these, what, 2% of badly behaving people (on both sides) can make me stay away from two places I have loved since I joined them.
Nemo
Very well said, Meghan!
Terri @ Alexia's Books and Such
Whoa! That bingo card was incredibly insulting to all readers/reviewers out there! And somehow none of the authors thought that we would see their comments? Are they that self-absorbed and living in La-La-I’m-An-Author-Land? You’d think that someone would have given them a heads up that they were insulting their customers! I’m really surprised at this type of behavior.
Nemo
I have no idea what those authors were thinking, including the ones who contributed and the ones who laughed afterwards.
Meghan
One of them pointed out that the only reason it was getting such a big hullabaloo was because “those bloggers” have to go and spread things all over the place. She may not have put it out for bloggers and reviewers to see, but putting it on her author twitter account, she put it out there for ALL of her readers (and potential readers) to see. What I found funny was that she let everyone argue it out while she, apparently, went back to work.
Nemo
I feel like it was made specifically to bait reviewers – ‘Look how evil reviewers are, and look, they’re going to jump all over this, too! I’m surprised it took so long, after all, aren’t I being stalked by the EBIL REVIEWERS?”
Rochelle Sharpe
If this was just meant to be a joke, why would she spend so much time on it? I am deeply saddened by this. It was unnecessary and a bad move on her part. Why attack the people who help get your book out there? Even bad reviews can make people read your book. Readers aren’t dumb, they will still read a book even if it has bad reviews. I just really can’t believe this happened.
Nemo
I’m still in shock over it, too. It was just a really dumb thing to do.
February Wrap Up |
[…] the book world there was some kind of authors vs reviewer drama I don’t really want to talk about. Suffice to say an author was particularly insensitive and insulted reviewers on the whole for not […]