Have you noticed how so many people are getting offended these days?
Often it's not over big things either but silly little things.
I started rereading a book which is now on Kindle by one of my
favourite romance authors. She'd had 258 Amazon reviews for her
book. Most were 5 star reviews but there was a handful of 1 star reviews
which really puzzled me. Now bearing in mind, I thought this book was
great 10 years ago in paperback, so when it was republished by Kindle I jumped
at the chance to read it again.
I looked at the bad reviews which said things like, "Don't Waste
Your Time With This Book" and "Not Worth It". No one had
commented on the bad reviews except for one thread where the
author was attacked for her political views. The author replied that they
weren't her views but those of the character, but still the reviewer carried on
with comments which went over my head as she mentioned rapists. I hadn't
read anything about rapists in the plot and neither had I noticed any of the many
typos she referred to. The author replied once more saying the
character's comments were intended as a joke like something from the Jay Leno
Show and weren't intended to offend. Unfortunately, the reviewer then
made an issue about the mention of Jay Leno's name saying she found it
insulting his name was mentioned!
At the end of the day, I don't think you can argue with irrational
people like that or even stick up for yourself as they will always turn things
around to make you the bad guy. I looked at all the reviews this woman
had given to other books and there were many. The odd thing about her
reviews was that she either gave 5 star reviews to books where she highly
praised them or 1 star reviews where she slated books, there was nothing in
between.
Only this past week I read of one author who tracked a reviewer down who had
slated her books, so far as to discover her real name and where she
lived! This Goodreads reviewer has since closed down her Twitter page and
other social media networks either gone or turned to private. Now that
seems to be to be a form of reverse stalking, if that term exists.
It’s usually someone who stalks the author
and not the author doing the stalking.
Some people have praised the author for doing this, there was even an
article she wrote about it in the Guardian.
Guardian Article:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/18/am-i-being-catfished-an-author-confronts-her-number-one-online-critic
Lots of bloggers/reviewers have condemned the author for tracking down the
reviewer all for the sake of a 1 star review.
I think the best thing an author can do is not respond to bad comments
or reviews. Just as we meet people who don't like us or anything we do in
real life [and those who might be irrational and even nasty], we will encounter
them online also. It's tempting to bite back but simply not worth it.
I just left a comment underneath the reviewer's telling the author how
much I'd enjoyed her book and was even reading it for a second time! It
wasn’t worth angering the reviewer, she’s entitled to her opinion and I suspect
she would then have turned her rants on me if I had said anything directly to
her.
The amount of 5 star reviews and great comments the author has are testament
to how good her writing really is and why the odd bad review really shouldn’t
matter.
