{"id":6351,"date":"2024-01-09T16:39:20","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T00:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=6351"},"modified":"2024-01-09T16:58:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T00:58:39","slug":"the-kindness-of-strangers-and-strange-authors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2024\/writing\/the-kindness-of-strangers-and-strange-authors\/","title":{"rendered":"Kindness of Strangers on Goodreads"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I read about a recent book scandal, I was reminded of the line, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”<\/strong> <\/a>Blanche Debois says it in the Tennessee Williams play, Streetcar Named Desire<\/em>. It\u2019s a curious line because Blanche is not great at assessing strangers, and the only kindness she\u2019s received was that in exchange for sex. Still, that line came to mind, when I thought of how authors rely on strangers to review their work. So much depends on the kindness of strangers who have the power to lift up a book or send it crashing.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Image from the Wikipedia page on the movie, A Streetcar Named Desire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Strange Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

That line, \u201cI have always depended on the kindness of strangers,\u201d  came to me when I thought about Cait Corrain, who wasn\u2019t kind to strangers. In planning for her debut novel, she acted strangely. Luckily for the authors she had maligned, her shenanigans<\/strong><\/a> (a kind word) on Goodreads was exposed. She had created a number of fake accounts and was busy review bombing other authors (mostly of colour) who were also coming out with their books at the same time as hers. While giving their books one-star reviews, she was giving her own five-star reviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But after being found out, she got busy apologizing for her actions, blaming substance abuse and depression for her strange behaviour. She\u2019s trying to repair the damage, but so far, it\u2019s not working. She\u2019s lost her agent and her publisher. I don’t know what’s happened with the book she wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my previous work as a family therapist, I had clients who suffered with depression and substance abuse. Generally speaking, we have empathy for those who are having a hard time managing in life. But in the end, we are each responsible for our actions. In this case, the authors that Cait Corrain hurt need our empathy. What was she thinking? Did she really think she could succeed by tearing down the competition? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviews on Amazon and Goodreads<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This scandal made me wonder about all the reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. If she could manipulate that platform (Amazon owns Goodreads) so easily, then others could as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an author who works hard not only on my writing but also on marketing, I\u2019m struck by the fact that some bestselling authors have thousands of reviews. Sometimes it seems overnight, especially when you see reviews on books yet to be published. This is wonderful for those authors. All I want is a fair playing field. One, where every author has an equal chance of being reviewed honestly. Is that too much to ask?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Review Homes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t speak for others, but for me, a good review is the reward I get for taking the time to write a good story. I\u2019m a self-published author, so that means I have to work even harder to get noticed. Trade journals and major newspapers do not review books written by indie authors. But early on in my career, I managed to get some notice for my debut novel, A Cry from the Deep, <\/em>in the Irish Times<\/strong><\/a>. And since it was published online, it\u2019s still available. I\u2019m grateful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And The Miramichi Reader,<\/a><\/strong> <\/em>a fabulous journal of book reviews, is one any reader can subscribe to. The editor, James M. Fisher, largely accepts reviews of traditonally published books, but on occasion, publishes reviews of noteworthy indie books. A few of my novels have been reviewed in The Miramichi Reader. <\/em>Lilacs in the Dust Bowl, <\/em>the second book of my Lukia’s Family Saga trilogy, was one<\/strong><\/a> that got some attention in that lovely . After my books had been reviewed in their journal, I ended up writing some reviews for that publication myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I was pleased to get a wonderful review from Publishers\u2019 Weekly<\/strong><\/em>, a highly reputable American trade magazine for publishers, literary agents, booksellers and librarians, for Paper Roses on Stony Mountain.<\/em><\/strong><\/a> That was a welcome surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, some doors have opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relying on the Kindness of Strangers <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So, if you love a book, please take time to write a review. No matter the work, every author, beginning or seasoned, sweats over their words. And if you don\u2019t like the book, please be kind. We authors depend on the kindness of strangers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thoughts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What are your thoughts on the above? You can leave a comment below. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I read about a recent book scandal, I was reminded of the line, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” Blanche Debois says it in the Tennessee… <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[744,4],"tags":[609,1237,78,254,1238,1239,1120,1172,1236,1240,1235],"class_list":["post-6351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-writing","tag-a-cry-from-the-deep","tag-cait-corrain","tag-diana-stevan","tag-goodreads","tag-irish-times","tag-kindness-of-strangers","tag-lilacs-in-the-dust-bowl","tag-paper-roses-on-stony-mountain","tag-publishers-weekly","tag-tennesee-williams","tag-the-miramichi-reader"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/OIP-1.jpeg?fit=474%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LuVB-1Er","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7451,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2026\/books\/a-house-full-of-strangers\/","url_meta":{"origin":6351,"position":0},"title":"Book Launch of A House Full of Strangers","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"9 \u0422\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043d\u044f, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm pleased to announce the book launch of A House Full of Strangers: Based on True Stories. 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