As a Goodreads Librarian, as well as avid reader and reviewer, I support this stand against these Trolls – if you also agree, please reblog this and spread the message worldwide 🙂
I am making this post as a public service announcement. I just want to encourage all of my fellow readers and bloggers who are Goodreads members to disengage from attacking authors on the site. In the past couple of days, I have seen several Facebook posts by authors of different genres who have mentioned being attacked by readers. ‘Readers’ are one-starring pre-released books or dive bombing every book the author has ever written with one-star reviews. Why? Because these ‘readers’ feel as if the author has made some reprehensible infraction against the world of literature as a whole *eye roll*. I know…dramatic, right? But sadly, it’s true. The internet trolls have now taken up residence on Goodreads. They are pollinating the site with their vitriol against authors and fellow readers who might support the author or their book(s). At some point, we as a community of readers and authors…
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Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
You can’t stop someone being a jerk. You can, however, make them unimportant. Not responding to them should go without saying. Getting 100 other, favorable reviews will negate the bad ones, and make the trolls look unreasonable and not to be regarded seriously.
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I am sure most of the abuse has come from those who have never themselves put pen to paper or finger to keyboard. Only those who write, and the people closest to them, can understand how demanding and exhausting it can be. Whether, it is deemed as typing and not writing by their quick to pounce critics, does not take away from the fact that they should be treated with dignity and respect for making any sort of attempt in the first place.
I would find it soul destroying to be attacked in such a manner after all my hard work and commitment. I can’t imagine how those authors feel.
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Reblogged this on Adventures and Musings of a Hedgewitch.
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I would never rank or review a book I haven’t read, even if I found earlier material by this author sub-par. That’s no guarantee a later book wouldn’t have improved.
Personally, I haven’t experienced this trashing problem on Goodreads. It may be because my books don’t attract people who read trashy books – they are quite literary in style and purpose and not an especially easy read.
When I review a book, I do it from the perspective of a former grad student in English. I write my reviews as if they were analytical term papers, and I try to say something good to offset any critical comments. If I really loathe a book, I just don’t review it. I don’t enjoy making other authors miserable!
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Reblogged this on Have We Had Help? and commented:
I signed the petition, why haven’t you?
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If both Amazon and Goodreads won’t do the decent thing Chris, then it is incumbent on us, the writers, to make what is going on truly public. Thanks for re-posting this. 🙂
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It seems there’s a surge of bad behaviour from both sides of the camp. Authors have also been attacking honest reviewers, which is just as bad in my opinion.
And there is that golden rule: DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS
Ignoring them is the best thing to do.
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At some point in life Lucy, we each need to decide whether or not to take a stand against bad things like bullying, war, atrocities, tyranny, etc.
To ignore such things in fact, condones and supports them and their spread.
I’ve spent a lifetime trying to defend those who are unable to defend themselves and I’m too long in the fang to stop now 🙂
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I know and I do stand up and express my opinion about how wrong such behaviour is, but I also know that engaging with a troll or a bully will lead to more rotten things. I don’t know, I fear there is no perfect solution here. Like I said, some authors can be fierce bullies themselves too.
I also know that if you want peace you will have to be prepared to fight for it, but in this case it is not ignoring the behaviour as such, but I mean ignoring the attack if and when it happens, because sometimes people just post something to rile and they rejoice when they get a response.
With regards to reviews and attacks on GR, my policy is to ignore and move on. I will not waste my time on trolls.
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I will however support those who do feel they need to take that stand, like I did when I posted my How To Handle Bad Reviews post in response to an attack by an author and his editor and friends on an honest reviewer who simply didn’t like the book and said so.
And like I did here by liking and tweeting the article at hand. 🙂
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I know you to be a funny and fiesty lady who certainly does not lack courage Lucy 🙂
I reblogged the article because, unlike other articles I’ve seen, this one does not criticise GR.
It highlights the presence of Trolls, and let’s face it, Trolls are spoiling things for everyone else, whether it be GR, FB, Twitter, etc.
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They are! But unfortunately they are an infestation on the interweb which cannot be exterminated. We will have to deal with them when they rear their ugly heads.
And I do believe the only way to get rid of them is not feed them. Then they will slink away and try to find a victim who will take their bait.
I have no room today to reblog it with 9/11 and a book trailer reveal, but nudge me Saturday.
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I agree with Ms. Pireel. I always try to be very respectful with books I review, even with ones I don’t like. If I don’t like a book, I try to point out something that is good about it. I have had authors threaten me (to have me thrown off Goodreads) after posting that I don’t like their books.
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