There was a pretty unfortunate scene at a book blog recently after a reviewer wrote an unfavorable review of a self-published author’s book. The author responded with unseemly umbrage and profanity.
And then the Internet got involved.
Literally hundreds and hundreds of commenters piled on the author with snide remarks and scorn. Then the virtual mob took to Amazon, where they trashed her book, wrote faux five star reviews, and are continuing to have a great time at her expense (96 reviews and counting).
They may not have been wielding actual pitchforks and torches, but there are burnt embers all around the Internet.
Now, I want to clearly acknowledge that the author in question behaved extremely unprofessionally. No author, with the singular exception of Emily St. John Mandel, has ever responded to a bad review and come away looking good. Let alone with rudeness and profanity. It was an extremely unprofessional and unfortunate scene.
But did she really deserve this?
The heart of the mob
What are the motives of the people trashing this author? Does anyone really think that a virtual mob scene is going to prevent authors from behaving unprofessionally in the future? Authors have been lashing out over bad reviews for several millenia, methinks an Internet freakout will not bring peace in our time.
In truth, the actions of a mob say a lot more about the people participating in them than the person being scorned. And I think in the dark heart of a mob you’ll find a quiet sense of relief. People are secretly and ardently glad that they’re not the ones being targeted.
You can feel the relief and sense of superiority in numbers behind the mocking: Well, at least I’m not that bad off. And a hundred strangers agree with me.
But really that’s a false sense of security. As the old quote goes, “A mob has many heads but no brains.”
To “deserve” is divine?
The other justification you’ll hear is that the person in question deserved it. She brought it on herself by failing to edit her book or behaving unprofessionally or using profanity or etc. etc. And sure, there are consequences for bad behavior.
But what she deserved is compassion.
We’ve all made mistakes in our worst moments. We’ve all taken criticism too hard. We’ve all lashed out when we should have kept quiet. We’ve all said things we shouldn’t have.
Now imagine that the mistake we made was met not with sympathy and fair consequences but with a mob trying to tear down everything we’ve ever tried to build.
This is a person who just wanted to have their book out there and has the same hopes and dreams as any other writer. Some rude Internet behavior negates all of that? People will ridicule her and scorch the Earth and trash what this author has built in the name of teaching a lesson?
Let’s not kid ourselves that a lesson was taught, other than to remind us, yet again, that the Internet is a terrifying place to make a mistake.
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Cynthia Lee says
Thank you for this. It very much needed to be said.
Cheryl St.John says
People leaving amazon comments and reviews for a book they haven't read is unprofessional – and unethical.
Bethany Elizabeth says
I felt really conflicted about the whole thing when I came across it. I noticed a lot of the comments were very respectful until the author started digging herself in a hole by using profanity and dismissing the values of everyone there. She was careless.
But like you said, the internet is a cruel, merciless place, and what she got for her unprofessionalism was too much. 96 negative reviews/comments? That could seriously damage her career. A fit of rage shouldn't define her life.
Great post, and I totally agree: compassion is key. We all know how rejection hurts.
Yat-Yee says
When I first read the review and response, I reacted with disbelief. What came after, though, completely stunned me. Thanks for pointing out how insane it has become and for the reminder that compassion is needed, for all of us.
nkrell says
This is an excellent post! It has to be one of my favorites and that is saying a lot, considering I've been following your blog for over three years.
Margo says
I would say ditto to Rick's post. The author's behavior harmed more than herself (see the comments from other book bloggers on why they won't work with self-published authors), so the people telling her to calm down, take a better look at the actual content of the review, and stop behaving so badly were justified, I think. The posts really becoming mean and taking it to Amazon to sink her book…that crossed the line.
The other thing the internet doesn't do well is respond in moderation. We either have to excuse all poor behavior or burn the transgressor at the stake.
Anonymous says
I get the good sentiment here. I admire it. But I'm just not sure.
For me, it wasn't the defending her poor grammar or things like that; it was the fu&* you and the horrid way she addressed the blogger. I just read a trad pubbed book that has a typo on page 5. A bad one. A wow, who missed that one. So what. It's a mistake. Even defending the mistake is odd but still pretty inconsequential. Rules? Made to be broken, etc. There was an argument she could have made.
But she screamed at the blogger and accused him of things and responded with Fu&* you. You're saying don't flog her, but she flogged the blogger. Quite publicly.
Are gender roles at play here? If a male author screamed at a female blogger and made demands and used the f word, would we still feel sorry if people publicly flogged the author on Amazon?
Maybe writers, many of whom are bloggers, are sticking up for the blogger. Maybe they are saying we have to be able to speak honestly (and respectfully) on our blogs without someone coming onto our blogs and screaming and accusing and using the f word. The negative reviews I read all discussed grammar/writing issues. They are backing up what the blogger wrote. They are saying, "he told the truth" when the author said he didn't.
My sympathies here are with the blogger.
Taffy says
Aren't our books like our children? Authors want to protect their babies. Sometimes the parent gets involved, other times, the child has to learn to stand on his own, even if he is being bullied.
On the flip side, the author is getting loads of free advertisement. Hopefully,after everything has settled, she'll be stronger. Maybe a fantastic book will come from this…
Munk says
Very well done Nathan. By focusing on the individual you have shone a light on the entire mob.
Other examples: To Kill a Mockingbird and Inherit the Wind, be careful, you are treading on hallowed ground, kudos, really.
Oh, and my blog remains pitchfork ready, if there are any lobotomized mobs looking for a new target.
Anonymous says
Thank you, Nathan, for this compassionate post. Unprofessional behavior shouldn't be encouraged, but it also doesn't justify a lynch mob. All of us make mistakes. Most of us love our books dearly, and we and must restrain ourselves as mothers must restrain feelings regarding their beloved children.
Backfence says
Excellent post, Nathan. A voice of reason amidst the insanity.
I think people behave differently under the veil of internet anonymity (or behind the wheel of a car as in the case of road rage) and say and do things they wouldn't dream of saying or doing to someone face to fact.
Anonymous says
It was sad all around. I think there should have been some responsibility on Big Al's part to shut it down. Allowing that to continue was just wrong!!
Great post Nathan, I hope she's okay. Everyone has a bad day and it doesn't need to be fodder for the internet trolls.
Anonymous says
I think everyone deserves compassion, and the author in question is no exception. But honestly, the mob scene didn't appear to kick in until later. First, the author was given plenty of opportunities to correct her mistake — which was her original, angry response, and she didn't. She never did. Instead, she got worse.
I think the Amazon situation is really unfair to her, but not once did she show humility or admit she had erred.
The very sad thing is, she may well have ruined her future writing career and I feel very sorry for her for that. But I also feel that acting professionally on the internet is something I work at hard every day. This is why I am signing anonymously, because I don't want to officially comment on this.
Nathan Bransford says
Rick-
I hear you, and I think there's an element of sensitivity on the part of self-published writers. They've worked so hard to step out from the stigma and it feels like that can evaporate if there are bad ambassadors to that movement.
But one author spouting off on a bad review is not going to unbuild everything. Self-publishers, I think, need to have more confidence that one person can't undo a movement.
That's in part where I think the proportionality is out of line. People are acting as if the future of self-publishing is at stake and are giving this person consequences to match, but really she's just a small voice in a big ocean and doesn't deserve to be treated as if she holds the future of self-publishing in her hands.
Yamile says
After such sad incident, I've become a follower of Al's blog. His review was polite and honest. And I do feel bad for the author.
Thanks for this post, Nathan. It shows the kind of man you are. (I'm still so sad you're not an agent anymore. Not that you'd MY agent, but a girl can dream, right?).
Sommer Leigh says
Like another commenter said above, my whole body went numb when I started reading what was happening. Holy cow on everyone's part.
I ended up writing a College of Blogging post last week based on this uprising that basically boils down to learning when to keep quiet on the internet and also that the author, while reacting with knee-jerk impulsiveness and poor judgement, is still a human being who got emotionally worked up and said things she probably regretted a whole lot the next day, but is still a human being. Like all the rest of us mistake-makers.
I've gotten some beautiful replies and some real honest comments on my post:
Responding to negative comments and bad blog behavior
jjdebenedictis says
Here's a TED talk about "mirror neurons" and empathy:
The Empathic Civilization
The short version of this is: as humans, we're wired to empathize with what others are feeling.
The problem with internet witchhunts is we see other people gleefully dogpiling the person they've chosen to punish, and we don't (usually) see the dogpilee's distress.
So our tendency to mirror other people's emotions becomes one-sided. And yes, that's pretty unfair.
Sierra McConnell says
People who mobbed her are obviously those who have never created something for themselves or others, and who have never had that creation questioned. They've never had to defend it, and have never been in the state to feel that sort of aggression.
As writers, we have all been there. And to say you haven't, you're lying. Sure, some of us might have the professional wherewithal to not say anything, but you're feeling the need to punch someone in the face when you get that emotionally involved in anything.
I feel sort of sorry for the people who felt the need to mindlessly tear at her in her obviously weakened state, and hope one day they evolve to the point that they can think for themselves.
Caitlin says
What a wonderful post. It's so easy to use the Internet with a thinly-veiled notion of anonymity to attack another person.
Sara (sarasexpletives) says
It would have been more poignant to ignore the author's profane response, but unfortunately the masses respond to the profane more than the professional. Perhaps both responses were inappropriate, but I agree the lesson is that emerging writers should stick together and learn from each other because as you perfectly stated, "The internet is a terrible place to make a mistake", yet we ALL make them.
Naima says
I'm glad you took the time to be somewhat a voice of reason in this witch hunt, and I’m happy to see other people sympathize with her too.
I hope Ms. Howett will read your post and all the nice comments, so she would believe again that there are compassionate people on the internet.
Anonymous says
I felt like sending the author two dozen roses just for having the guts to go after the snarky reviewer.
At least she was honest. I think we give too much superficial power to online book reviewers. You know, the ones who claim they have a "passion" for certain genres and live to review books for the sake of the genre, as if they are saving the world from all that is evil.
But they only think they have the power. It's a false sense of security. In reality, no one really ever pays attention to them or makes purchases based on what they review. They are more like carnival sideshows than anything else, living in small worlds where they think they rule. And when an author has the guts to go after them, I can't help feeling a sense of relief.
Linda Godfrey says
Kudos Nathan for a post that basically argues for plain old lovely civility even on the Internet. I wish there were an app for that.
Timothy Coote says
The mob effect only happens if there is a mob.
I think this, again shows the fact that we are at a tipping point in the evolution of e-publishing.
Anonymous says
Much respect to you, Nathan. Awesome, poignant post.
Tameka
Jeffrey Beesler says
Nathan, I commend you for posting on this with such insightful precision. I especially like the fact that you take the time to look at the matter from all angles and present the motivations why each side did what they did.
It's times like these where psuedonyms can come in handy for the disenfranchised. Also, maybe the adage of "There's no such thing as bad publicity" might play a role in the self-published author's future. Time will tell.
Anonymous says
This mob mentality is a major reason why I won't go to what could be an otherwise helpful writers site. I won't mention the name other than to say the abbreviation is also a rootbeer brand. The modus operandi there often becomes mobbish. Woe betide if you defend a small publisher who doesn't shell out 5-digit advances.
I was sickened by it and stepped away quickly. I don't go to dog fighting matches either.
The author behaved badly, but the internet mob behaved worse.
Staci says
I'm so glad you said this, Nathan! Even though the author acted badly, so did all the people who thought it would be fun to pile on. This is a person with real feelings.
As an author who is trying to write my first book, I'm impressed with anyone who has finished a novel and sold even one copy.
Anonymous says
Did anyone else wonder if someone might have been impersonating the author? That thought chilled me, because there is simply no one to protect yourself from such malice.
The entire episode, with the exception of the reviewer's gentle critique, was disheartening. Thank you, Nathan, for adding a much needed note of compassion.
Wild About Words says
Ah, a cooler head has prevailed. Thank you, Nathan, for your compassionate take on this unfortunate incident.
Theresa Milstein says
I'm glad you've written this post, especially since you have so many readers.
The review was fair, kind even considering the errors. Regardless of the author wrote in the comments section, she doesn't deserve fake 1-star reviews. It's obvious the "reviewers" just looked at the first post because all the errors pointed out are the same.
When I first saw her comments, I worried about her mental state. After how nasty people got, I worry about her mental state even more.
Because of what happened, I wrote a post about the responsibility of reviewers. I think too many bloggers write glowing reviews to support their friends whether or not the books have merit. In my opinion, it's undermining the credibility of reviews. Then when new authors do receive bad ones, it probably does come as a bit of a shock.
https://theresamilstein.blogspot.com/2011/04/reviews-and-responsibilities.html
The Writing Goddess says
I think there were some lessons learned… if not by that author.
I think a lot of writers have been saying to themselves, "That could so easily have been ME," and have resolved to behave more graciously in the future, so that's a good thing.
I also noticed in the comments that some of them apparently came from agents, who noticed nastiness being publicly voiced by writers whose work was in their own slush pile. They stated that this would cause them to reconsider those very writers because of THEIR behavior.
Somebody smart said keep your words sweet, since you may have to eat them later, and that's especially true on the Internet.
Kaitlyne says
Fantastic post. Thank you.
Anonymous says
Hi Nathan
Totally agree with you. Now I'm interested in the aftermath. I followed the links from your first post and ended up on the Dearauthor page describing a similar incident of writer's rage.
'If you do decide to "slam an author" you'll be inserted into their books in an unflattering way' which could lead to 'a tort action for defamation'.
I'm not suggesting this or any author will be doing this deliberately or maliciously. I just wondered who hasn't created characters based on people they've known or used real situations in their work – transforming experiences into art?
Evil Wylie says
Many bloggers decline to review self-published books because the authors are more likely to take offense. This is not a new phenomenon. Yes, traditionally published authors do respond to negative reviews sometimes–but they're more likely to have received advice from agents and editors on how to respond in an appropriate manner. Will one self-published author destroy the whole "movement"? No, but her public tantrum certainly isn't doing the perception that exists any favors. She doesn't deserve negative Amazon reviews, but she doesn't deserve compassion either — to my knowledge, she hasn't even apologized to the blogger she called a "rat" and a "snake."
Sherry says
While I agree that the mob went on way too long with the comments, and there was no reason to go over to Amazon and leave fake 1-star reviews to go with the fake 5-star (or friend/family) reviews, I only feel a certain amount of pity for the author. Among those flaming comments were pleas for her to just stop and leave it be; she wouldn't. This was a grownup who must never have had a true critique in her life. Al's crit was very kind and actually positive and she lambasted him from the beginning. She is now the epitome of internet cautionary tales. But I'm willing to bet she still blames Al for her downfall, not herself.
Simon Hay Soul Healer says
It looks like reality/unreality TV to me. The drama is excessive and the author is engineering her own demise. Sadly, I see this everywhere. What's happened to respect and self-respect? The reviewer was professional and compassionate. The mob was in a frenzy, but this behaviour is what our media bombards us with. It's like an addictive drug that many of us can't ignore. I feel sad for everyone involved.
Sommer Leigh says
I think I'm having comment issues. I'll try again-
I ended up writing a College of Blogging post about this subject after it happened, although not specifically about this incident but more about watching what you say online and reminding people that the author is still a human being even if she made some very poor decisions when she responded to that negative review. She makes mistakes just like the rest of us.
My post:
https://sommerleigh.com/archives/2756
Misa Buckley says
Many of the first comments were pleas to the author to consider what she was saying – advice that she not only ignored but was rude about. My sympathy for her died right about the time she told an agent to "f*** off".
I agree that piling on Amazon is wrong, immature and hurtful. It went far too far, and perhaps the reviewer should have locked comments before it got so terribly out of hand.
But there's quite a few people (Nathan NOT included) who are taking the moral high ground after blogging/tweeting/passing the URL around, and I find that just as distasteful.
Misty Provencher says
Oh guys… I respectfully disagree.
I read the review (which wasn't all that bad) and read most of the posts until I couldn't stand it anymore.
I agree with compassion, yes-definitely. I disagree with being a sheep, yes definitely.
But what I saw on that blog wasn't exactly an issue of compassion. In fact, I thought the poster of the review was trying to remain compassionate even after the author attacked him.
What I saw was an author who went a little too far over tilt on a bad review. I saw posters call out the author on her bad behavior and I saw the author grow more and more insistent that anything less than a review of five stars was unacceptable reviewing.
I noticed that you said these posters went on to Amazon and proceeded to cream the author- yes, agreed, that would be totally inappropriate- but all I saw on the blog itself was an angry author who resorted to attacking anyone who disagreed with her anger. I'm glad I wasn't involved in that mess, but I'm not sure the posters did anything to deserve being considered uncompassionate either. Posters pointing out bad behavior in someone who is behaving badly doesn't constitute a mob to me.
Maybe I didn't read far enough to see the posters band together and organize an Amazon bad-review-campaign against the author. If I missed that part, I completely apologize. But, what I saw of it, I think it was an act of compassion for people to point out to the author that she was behaving badly, as it's definitely going to have a much bigger negative impact on her reputation than any sour blog review or cranky posts.
So, if by compassion, you mean that people should've jumped to say "Yes, Author, a new format might've cleared up everything…", I think it could've happened if the author had not jumped to a direct attack right out of the gate. I agree that compassion is extremely important, but just like when a child tantrums: sometimes it is equally important for others to point out the mistake in doing that and calmly remind the tantrumer that we just don't behave that way to one another.
Stephanie Black says
Great post, and beautifully said. Thanks!
Yolanda W. says
Very nicely written Nathan. I knew about the beginning of this and as others was a bit shocked by her behavior. However, I had no clue, until today, that she had been "mobbed". This is the part that I find very appalling. I really feel for her.
Devena says
Hi Nathan,
This is exactly why I read your blog; you put things in such a compassionate perspective, a much forgotten perspective online, I think.
What made me annoyed with that author was the rudeness with which she addressed Al… I have to say, it was initially good to see people sticking up for him, which was a rather 'mob-like' interpretation of their comments, I suppose:) But, you're right, it was a pack mentality response, not one centred in either compassion or reason. I guess the anonyminity of the internet makes all of us who are inclined to mob around think it's okay to bash someone over the head until they agree with you. Virtual violence in a way…
I feel sorry that Al had to deal with an unprofessional author, and I feel sorry she had to experience online retaliation on the part of others (and ironically not Al himself who was wonderfully professional and polite throughout)… but most of all, I was sorry to witness the deterioration of the situation to acts of random unkindness that I think all of us (even those who whacked the author) would have perhaps had no qualms squashing out in real life… Let's face it, if we saw someone standing alone being villified and torn apart, let alone their creative work being mocked and derided (whether or not we liked it) we'd have spoken up for her to be left alone… In many ways, being virtual has perhaps blinded us to the fact that the emotional wreckage virtual violence can cause is probably as bad in its own way as mob violence in reality …
Thanks, Nathan, for the reminder that we're all real people behind the flat screens:)
Suzi McGowen says
There was one (very well known) author with literally thousands and thousands and thousands of followers. He pointed her out to his readers, who seemed to take it as a "have at 'er" endorsement.
I've read this author before and generally found him to be kind, so I don't think it was his intention.
Lesson to be learned: With great power comes great responsibility.
D.G. Hudson says
Witch Hunts, virtual or real, are never justified. It's another form of internet bullying, and the people who indulge have never gotten beyond that 'high school' attitude. Likely they never will.
Authors must remember they are on display and there will always be those who are jealous of what you've accomplished.
Professionalism means thinking before you spout off and shoot from the lip. (Or at least wait until you're a celebrity and can get away with it)
I feel sympathy for this author, but I also think she has some lessons to learn.
Renee Collins says
Nathan, you are my hero. 🙂
Seriously. Thank you for this post.
K. L. Brady says
Newsflash to Authors: Not everyone will love your work. Some will hate your work. Some will hate you because they hate your work.
You can’t respond. You simply can’t. You will always be hurt way more than the reviewer. Look at this author’s situation. What’s the reviewer’s name? Does anybody remember or care? Nobody will remember him. But her name has gone down in author infamy forever. She's little more than a cautionary tale.
So, here is a list of five things you can do instead of respond to a bad review.
1. Have a shot of Grey Goose (or your alcohol of choice).
2. Plot the reviewer’s demise. (Plot…don’t execute).
3. Include the reviewer in your next novel—perhaps as a dog-butt ugly homeless schizophrenic.
4. Have another shot of Grey Goose.
5. Read all of the GOOD reviews you’ve received.
This is a public service announcement.
Ann Best says
Something for us all to remember: The pen and tongue are mightier than the sword. A word, once spoken, can't be re-called. For a writer: If you get a "bad" review, be still. In this case, I would say that silence is indeed golden.
That woman did make a mistake–she lashed back with profanity–but we all make mistakes. I'm wondering what she's feeling right now. Is she the kind of person who could sink into depression and possibly be on the brink of suicide? I don't know. I can't see inside her head. But I would hate to be one tongue that might have pushed her over the edge.
Big deal. It's just a book. As was said about A Million Little Pieces, it's not a weapon of mass destruction. Why does "the mob" have to lash out? Crazy world.
Anonymous says
9.53 Anon again
Forgot to add that the fake reviews and comments on Amazon are distasteful and should be removed. I thought you had to buy the book in order to comment?
D.G. Hudson says
@Misty — You expressed what I was thinking as well. The author ignited the issue, and then probably couldn't back down. But the author had the initial control, and she lost it.