A few days ago, author Andrea Speed retweeted a link to an article. I clicked the link and read the article, in which neither the author nor blogger were named, and so I was utterly confused as to what was going on. This is what happens when you're offline for reasons of Life. So, I hit Google and was rewarded with clarification. And then I sat, staring at the computer screen, in stunned horror, because what I read shocked me to the core.
Let me say first that I have gotten bad reviews for my books. I've gotten good ones, great ones, meh ones, okay ones, too. I've had all colours of the review rainbow. And each and every one of those reviews--yes, even the bad ones--are valid. Am I upset that some people don't like my book? Of course! We want to be liked and our work liked, but the fact of humanity is that
we are all unique and
not everyone likes the same things. And that
is totally okay.
I've bolded these truths because they are exactly that: TRUE. How boring would the world be if we all liked the same things, had the same opinions, beliefs, ideas? Very, that's how boring. Diversity is awesome, and if a reader/reviewer doesn't like my book, that's okay.
This is not to say I read my reviews, because with a few exceptions, I don't. I fully admit to being something of a delicate petal and I don't really like being upset, so I control what I read by my own decisions. I don't hanker down in my writerly bunker (the living room), constantly refreshing GoodReads or Amazon or Google or something like that. I hanker down in my writerly bunker (still the living room) and write. Or look at garden photos. Or research. Or eBay.
So now, you might be wondering what this is all about. I don't usually weigh in on things like this, but this one really struck a nerve. In sum: Author finds Blogger's real-time reviews of book on GoodReads. Is peeved. Follows Blogger around the Internet. Digs into Blogger's life. Finds out Blogger's
real life name and living address and then
pays Blogger a visit. God, I wish I were making this up. I really do. But I'm not, it happened, and said Author then went on to write an article about it for THE GUARDIAN.
Now I'm going to use bold and capslock together for this next bit. It's important enough to warrant both.
STALKING IS NOT OKAY. IT IS NOT OKAY TO DIG UP SOMEONE'S PERSONAL DETAILS FOR WHATEVER REASON. NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO PERSONAL INFORMATION EXCEPT THOSE PEOPLE YOU CHOOSE TO GIVE IT TO. DOING SO BECAUSE OF BEING PISSED AT A ONE STAR REVIEW ON GOODREADS IS UNCONSCIONABLE.To all the readers and reviewers who have taken the time to read my books and left reviews, good, bad and in between, thank you. Without you, we authors would be shouting into a reviewer-less void, and that idea makes me sad. To the Blogger who has been at the center of this, I am sorry this happened to you. I am horrified that it happens at all, for any reason, to anyone.
The internet is a great thing. But there is truth in the wisdom of the advice I was given when I started out as an author: Don't read your reviews and don't respond to them.
And I'll add to that,
Don't stalk those reviewers when they don't like your book.Oh--one last thing. Pseudonyms, nom-de-plumes, stage names, screen names, alternate identities--these are all valid because it's often not a matter of having something to hide, but a matter of keeping oneself safe from things like, harrassment, bullying, the potential of losing one's job, one's partner, and, y'know,
stalking. So for it to be suggested that the Blogger here is at fault for using a screen name... well, perhaps before taking pot-shots at her because of that, one should look oneself in the mirror and realise that one's reflection is a bloody good reason
why such things are used. And not just by bloggers, but by authors, actors, actresses, musicians, artists...
Or has the Facebook outrage (legitimate) regarding making drag queens and other performers use their real names instead of their stage names been forgotten? (
A link to remind one and all.)
Links to explain in more detail (included in the meat of these links is the Guardian article):
http://bibliodaze.com/2014/10/an-open-letter-to-kathleen-hale-guardian-books-stalking-is-not-okay/http://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/this-is-what-happens-when-an-author-tracks-down-a-critic-irlhttp://dearauthor.com/features/essays/on-the-importance-of-pseudonymous-activity/http://bookthingo.com.au/shenanigans-in-social-media-an-author-brags-about-stalking-a-reader/http://www.lindapoitevin.com/2014/10/21/how-to-respond-to-a-negative-review/http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/blog/the-choices-of-kathleen-halehttp://terribleminds.com/ramble/2014/10/21/five-ways-to-respond-to-a-negative-review-a-helpful-guide/http://jezebel.com/author-stalks-anonymous-blogger-who-gave-her-a-1-star-r-1648545005http://bookbinge.com/2014/10/catfish-doxx-stalk-need-know-kathleen-hale-staying-safe-haleno/http://alex-hurst.com/2014/10/21/kathleen-hale-vs-blythe-harris/http://dearauthor.com/features/letters-of-opinion/poisoning-the-well/http://www.killyourdarlingsjournal.com/2014/10/nepotism-bullying-stalking-online-reviews/http://www.jimchines.com/2014/10/victim-or-perpetrator/Twitter hastag feed:
https://twitter.com/hashtag/haleno?f=realtime![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
