*headdesk*.

[megwrites]

Unprofessional author is unprofessional. Or: there is a damn good reason that you don't respond to reviews and this is fucking well IT.

This is now the second professionally published author who has come to my journal and displayed their fail (the first being Lois McMaster Bujold who MammothFailed epically). Do I have a beacon out that says, "Welcome to the Fail Lounge. Feel free to take your pants off!"?

Let me just enumerate, for any one listening, the biggest reason that it is not a good idea to respond to reviews: you're not going to change their minds. Ms. Stein certainly did nothing to make me feel differently about her book.

Have you ever heard of an author going to a reviewer, arguing, and honestly changing someone's opinion? Has it ever helped that author look like a better person, improved their sales?

If it has, please throw me a link. Because all I can think of are the many authors (*coughcough* Alice Hoffman *coughcough*) who have done it to their detriment.

Comments

[fiction-theory.livejournal.com]

I'm really sad to hear you say that, but I understand that you have to do what makes you safe. I hate to think that this one boneheaded person has made you feel unsafe.

Know that this journal is a safe space, and if you wish to express your opinions here, I will not permit anyone to make attacks on you, flame you, or otherwise be disrespectful toward you.

I don't know if I would call my reviews brave. Okay, so maybe somebody comes along and yells at me. It still doesn't mean I face the kind of racism that people of color in America face. If anything, I feel like such a coward. I feel like it is insufficient. I mean, so I read and I say, "Hey, I thought this was bad" or "I thought that was a big racist".

Does it help? And what things did I miss? What racist tropes am I putting into my novel without realizing it? What mistakes will I make that hurts others who have been hurting for too, too long?

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

I appreciate your reassurances. It's not that I don't feel safe on your journal. There are just so many oddballs out there, that I guess I fear them coming into MY space, you know? And, it's not so much a huge fear, but it does stir some anxiousness that I hope will recede shortly.

I do think your reviews are brave because it's not always easy to stand up to people who disagree.

I respect what you're doing and how you're learning as you review. As someone who grew up during all the violence of the 60's, I've tried to be mindful of the way I treat all people, especially PoC. I have a lot of wonderful non-white folks in my life and I try to be constantly mindful of the way I portray all people in my stories.

So, I respect what you're trying to do and I appreciate the opportunity to learn through your observations, too.

I would never want to disrespect anyone, their beliefs, or their ways of life.