Thankfully, I have only dealt with this once in my career and I hope to never deal with it again but sadly, bullying in the author community is becoming very real. I have heard about it over and over again and I truly think it needs to be addressed for many reasons. I will say that I don't believe that my blog will stop all of these bullies nor do I think that I have the power to do that. I equally know that I may be getting looks of anger from the people guilty of this very thing and I may even receive retaliation. I hope someone wouldn't be that childish but the possibility is there. Still, writing this is worth it because at least I've put it out there. I think before I go any further I should note that I won't be calling out anyone. I promise. So, please read until you reach the end.
First, I will explain how this is happening because honestly, there may be someone who is bullying and don't realize that they are doing this. I'm always an author before reviewer or blogger so I'll begin with how authors are being bullied.
Authors get reviews. We get them through bloggers and professional reviewers. We get them from people who picked up our books because they thought it was interesting because of the cover or the synopsis. Regardless of the work we put into our books or anything else, we realize there is a chance that the person who just picked up our book won't like it. We can't please everyone because everyone has different tastes. We also realize they may write a bad review. I will be honest and tell you that I love my reviews because they tell me what I'm doing right and what needs to improve. The reviews I don't like are the ones that tear down. I don't care if they are mine or someone else's reviews, if I read a review that spews absolute hate to the point where I wonder if there was a personal vendetta, it makes me cringe. It makes it even worse when I can't see anywhere in their statements that they have read the book. I wish that I could tell you that the bullying ends there. It did in my case but I've witnessed fellow writers go through much worse. The worst example has come from a reviewer that has threatened the people who support the author they are attacking. Understand that I believe that it is highly unprofessional. It should not happen. Also, know that I will not respect a reviewer who does any of these things or worse. Yes, I do realize that it can become even worse than what I've mentioned.
Now, I will write about the flip side of the coin. I read an article about a woman who reviewed a book and was contacted by someone claiming to represent the author asking her to change her mind about her review. From what I understand this person became very angry when she refused and began to harass her. As someone who can see both sides of this, I was horrified. This should not happen. I would like to put this out there...If I see all five star ratings and reviews and no one star or two star ratings and reviews, I become suspicious of whether they are true.
Also, just a short note on bloggers who are bullied and how to prevent being a bully: If you don't agree with a blogger, quit reading their blog. Don't start a campaign to stop it. It's that simple. It's the same thing with an author. If you don't like their books, don't read them.
Now, to everyone who has been bullied, don't give up what you love. Continue on. You will find support in those who truly care. Those are the ones who matter. As for me, I will continue to support authors, bloggers and reviewers who are true. I will not quit supporting them due to threats. I will review the books that I want to review without tearing down the author's works because even if I didn't like it all, there was something in the book that I did like. I will respect the author by pointing out the good and telling them what needs to be improved. I support reviewers who are honest. I'll end this by saying, don't be a bully. Thank you for reading.
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