A big deal was made about how some self published author reacted to some negative comments in a review. And really the review wasn't even that bad. But a lot of people reacted to her reaction and criticized her lack of professionalism. Nathan Bransford talked about it and then took the position of promoting compassion for the author. As an author, I can say that's cool to support an author, but this particular author, imo, bullied the reviewer. I don't need to explain the whole thing, as it's well documented by now, but I'm a Middle School teacher. I see bullies everyday. I know what they are like. I was one person glad to see a bully get a taste of her own medicine.
OK, so maybe she got more than just a taste. Still, it's not wise to throw fuel on any fire. So I pretty much stayed out of it, and withheld my opinion beyond a short comment about the review not really being so bad. Then I made a little joke, and left it at that.
And when it comes to negative reviews, everyone is bound get them. Be ready for them. And don't react to them. If you do, just make a joke out of it. Everyone likes to laugh. That's what I hope to do. That's all.
The author really did herself no favours, but it was amazing to see the feeding frenzy that then followed. I hope she can come back from this and rebuild what she had going on. It wasn't a proud day for quite a few people.
ReplyDeleteI have found opinions on forums to be quick and often brutal, with the most vitriol coming from those concerning politics and sports. Writing forums have been the most gracious. This author was anything but.
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