How About We Don't Bully Authors (Or Anyone Else, For That Matter)

Disclaimer: As I mentioned in Monday’s post, there have been some bookish-community-related issues that have been bothering me lately, so my posts for September are going to be more ranty. (If you haven’t read Monday’s post yet, you might want to, since it ties in to this post a little. And if you haven’t entered my giveaway yet, there’s still time!) 

As much as it is probably more fun than it should be to write rants, I wish I didn’t feel the need to write this post. I wish the writing/reading community could be a safer, more positive place for everyone. And I wish I owned a Lamborghini. (Sorry, I got distracted.)

Since I plan to be published eventually, sometimes I wonder if I’m looking at my future—if the hate I see aimed at authors today will one day be aimed at me, and it’s not a pleasant thought (not that I expect to be super famous). I hate that one of the activities that is most therapeutic and natural for me could suddenly become a whole new war zone in my life. I have already witnessed the start of too many wars, both real and metaphorical. I swear it’s been easier to process the idea of needing to leave my home because people would kill me for my skin color if I stayed than it is to think that people might twist my words and my art to make a monster of me simply for their own amusement. 

Of course, I don’t expect this post to change anything, because I am intelligent enough to grasp that most trolls and haters won’t simply listen to reason and reform. Anger is their trade, just as words are mine. But that doesn’t change the fact that I am still perfectly capable of whining about it. 

Two or three weeks ago, Twitter exploded with tons of angry readers discussing Sarah J. Maas, and there I was, sitting on the sidelines, wondering what had happened this time. Because if it isn’t one thing, then it’s another. Always, always. After trying unsuccessfully to figure out what was going on (I was being extra careful to avoid EMPIRE OF STORMS spoilers), I decided to just back off and wait it out, since I figured it would end eventually. Except it hasn’t, not yet at least. And while I realize the world doesn’t revolve around my feelings, I just have to say it: I’m getting so tired of this rampant immaturity. 

I expect you all to listen to your queen and shape up, or I'll take away your coffee privileges. Got it? 

But in all seriousness, do you want to know what happened, why this particular hurricane of hate has been sweeping through, why the Twitter piranhas have been trying to eat Maas alive? From what I’ve been told, Maas didn’t make a pair of her characters gay. She didn’t make a pair of FICTIONAL. NOT REAL. MADE-UP. CHARACTERS. date each other. And apparently that’s enough to warrant death threats. Apparently that’s enough reason for people to tell her to kill herself or choke on certain parts of the male anatomy. 

We have officially reached the point where we are capable of getting so angry over people who aren’t real that we are willing to tar and feather those who are. I feel like this accomplishment warrants some kind of reward, like an all-expense-paid trip to a country that doesn’t have internet. 

I want to be nice here, I do. I want to be kind and gentle, and I want this to be a safe place for you people. I don’t want to lead by an example of anger, but I also don’t want to lie and pretend that I’m not angry when I am. I am angry. And I’m still trying to figure out how to channel this anger so it doesn’t hurt anyone, including myself. 

Because when it wasn’t Maas getting slammed, it was V.E. Schwab. Before that, it was Sasha and Lindsay getting hounded by dozens of trolls on Goodreads. Back when ALLEGIANT came out, it was Veronica Roth getting death threats. Right now it’s also A.C. Thomas, author of THE HATE U GIVE (out next year). It just doesn’t stop. I don’t even know these writers personally, but I care about them because they are writers too, because they are people too, because they care about things I care about, and because they share their thoughts and put themselves out there with so much bravery. I hate watching them get torn apart. 

When did it become okay to bully writers? For that matter, when did it become okay to bully anyone? I’m no stranger to bullying. I’ve been bullied myself. And the older I get, the less tolerance I have for bullies, the less I have the energy to stop and feel sympathetic for the deep hurt inside these trolls that makes them act the way they do. I even dislike that wording. Nothing is making them act that way. They are choosing to hurt people. I’m tired of having sympathy for the devil. I’m tired of overlooking your bad actions because of your tragic backstory. I have my own tragic backstory, and I am still responsible for my actions. As are you. As is everyone. Nothing makes it okay to lash out, to take our wounds and multiply them on others so we’re all painted red. 

I’m so tired of this. 

I know it’s best to ignore the trolls, to avoid their anger so I don’t catch it like a virus (and, you know, sneeze it out on others). But to me, that seems like a faulty solution, because you lose if you engage and you lose if you sit on the sidelines. Either way their words aren’t harmless. So you stand up to them and try to be as nice as possible about it and end up feeling like you’re getting dragged down to their level, or you stand by and do nothing even though that doesn’t feel like the right thing to do, because you would be wrong to stand by and do nothing if this were happening in front of you instead of online. Of course, you can flag comments and report abuse, but usually nothing happens when you do. Like I said, lose-lose. 

I know these authors usually have support systems, so please don’t think I’m sitting here chewing my nails, seeing myself as their savior, the one to swoop in and stop the bullying. But the fact remains that these authors are no less human than the rest of us, and depression and anxiety are big issues in the writing community. Words from trolls have as much power to hurt writers as they do to hurt non-writers. When you consider these people are being bullied about their job, the thing that pays their bills, I find that especially troubling. And I would love to wake up one morning to an internet free of trolls, free of unnecessary anger and hate, a world where people live and let live. 

(This all being said, I’m definitely not ignoring the bad eggs among the authors who troll their trolls, or, you know, stalk them.) 

Can we do something? Can we take back this ground with positivity? Can we drown out the trolls with nice thoughts and nice words so no one even pays attention to the angry angries anymore? Can we find some way to make overwhelming kindness a thing again? Or am I just being too idealistic? 

What about you, my little coffee beans? What do you think about all this drama? What is your policy when it comes to trolls? Do you know of any authors who have been specifically targeted lately? (Also, please, no spoilers for EMPIRE OF STORMS, or I will give you a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it. I haven’t even read CROWN OF MIDNIGHT yet. WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?)

ZENITH // So. Many. Trolls.

Disclaimer: There have been some bookish-community-related things that have been bothering me lately, so my posts for September might tend to be a bit more ranty. We’ll see. I apologize in advance if you prefer more positive things. I promise I will try to be nice, and I promise I won’t go overboard. But if I don’t talk about this stuff now—if I wait another few months—then I won’t play nice. And you want me to play nice. 

Rating: Four Stars—Great

I wouldn’t be surprised if a bunch of you already know who Sasha Alsburg is—but in case you don’t, she’s the popular booktuber behind abookuptopia. (I have no clue if that’s the right way to introduce a Youtube channel, but whatever. We’re just going to go with it.) For a while now, I’ve enjoyed watching her videos, so I was excited to learn that she was co-authoring a book with Lindsay Cummings (I ordered her books, THE MURDER COMPLEX and THE DEATH CODE, off Book Depository last week, and I'm stoked to read them). Initially, Sasha and Lindsay had planned to release the book in parts, but when the first part topped the New York Times Bestseller list for ebooks, they ended up with a lovely book deal from Harlequin Teen (expected publication date, Fall 2017). 

And…here’s where the problem starts. Shortly after ZENITH, Part One was published, I blithely wandered onto Goodreads, all happy and excited for Sasha and Lindsay, only to see so many people saying so many ugly things about (and to) them. Now, of course, I am not some sheltered little person with no idea what goes on in the outside world. I am well aware that trolls exist, and I have come across far too many for my taste. I also know engaging with them only makes it worse, which is why I'm not putting this discussion up on Goodreads and why I will delete your comments unanswered if you try to troll me on my blog. Normally I ignore trolls, because they are like spiders. You really dislike them, but you're never going to be able to rid the world of them by pointing out to them the error of their ways. But it bothered me enough this time that I’m going to share my opinion here, where most, if not all of you, are reasonable people with nice brains. So in the end, I guess it probably doesn’t matter, since you are all sensible enough not to be trolls, I would hope. Whatever. I need to rant. For the sake of argument, please pretend to be trolls so I can properly chew you out. Okay? Okay. 

First of all, let me just throw out a disclaimer here so none of us start out confused or needlessly upset. I am not saying people are wrong to share their negative opinions. If you dislike a book, you are free to write a review talking about how much you disliked said book. However, there are a few boundaries when it comes to free speech, just as there are boundaries when it comes to freedom of movement. 

For instance, say you are walking down an empty sidewalk. On this stretch of open cement, you are free to swing your arms just as much as you would like; you’re not going to hurt anyone. Likewise, in the privacy of your own space (like your blog), you are free to write what you like because people don’t have to come within reading distance of you unless they want to. 

However, say you are walking down the same sidewalk, but this time it’s super crowded. Of course, you could swing your arms as much as you’d like, but you’d hit a lot of people, these humans would get upset, and that would be on you. You would be the problem. When you start hitting people left and right, you sign away your option to stay out of that fight. Similarly, when you wander onto someone’s positive review and insult them for liking a book or say other nasty things without employing your God-given filter, you are hurting people, and that is where your privileged freedom ends. Freedom is not freedom if it requires that you take away another person's right to be treated like a human being. And when people get angry at you and want to throw you into a metaphorical dumpster after you trash them or bully the authors themselves, that is their right. I have exactly zero sympathy if they turn around and bite you in the face. This isn’t kindergarten, and if you don’t understand that at this point, you do not belong on the internet. 

But I’m getting distracted here. 

Perhaps you are wondering why the trolls were going into a feeding frenzy over Sasha and Lindsay’s book deal. Fortunately, you have me to explain these things for you. *polishes nails* 

From what I gathered before I decided I would rather chew off my favorite big toe than continue reading hateful comments, the biggest issue many of these people have is with Sasha’s perceived easy success. After all, Lindsay was previously published, but Sasha has, according to them at least (I don’t know everything, so I can’t say if they’re wrong), never finished a novel-length work before. And suddenly she’s got a major book deal and the coveted #1 New York Times Bestseller label. Even before that, she had managed to snag Jo Volpe as her agent (the same Jo Volpe who represents Veronica Roth). Not to mention she has over 300,000 subscribers on Youtube. 

So, these trolls are alleging that Sasha has had all this wonderful success handed to her on a silver platter, that ZENITH only did this well because Sasha is pretty and knows how to pout at a camera, and that all her fans are giving her book five stars regardless of the quality of the content because they are sheeple. They are saying that she doesn’t deserve her success, that it isn’t fair that she gets all this without working for it while all these poor souls have struggled to get published with no success. 

Well, as someone who has had over forty rejections on her first manuscript, I say boo hoo. Boo. Hoo. Life isn't fair. Fair is where you buy cotton candy. (I know, I’m a real shoulder to cry on. Have a tissue.) 

This is an actual video of me. 

But seriously, in case you missed it: GET. OVER. IT. 

Do you know why I’m being this harsh? Do you? I’m being this honest about my feelings because I don’t even care if Sasha did have her success handed to her on a silver platter (which she didn’t, because she worked for it, because no one gets a free ride; she got the deal because her book was popular—that is how the industry works). I am not ignorant, neither am I blind. I know full well that writing is one of the most competitive work fields. But I have never assumed that, in order to succeed in this field, you must first metaphorically slit your opponent’s throat. 

Here is how it works. The publishing industry is about money. That is not a shameful thing. All these people who work in publishing companies or as authors or whatever, they need money to eat and to live quality lives if they can manage it. Let’s be honest—we complain far less about doctor’s bills, and they charge far more than publishing companies do. And unlike books, you don’t always have the choice about whether or not you incur those bills. So unless you have something constructive and knowledgable to say about this issue, please go complain about something worth complaining about. Or better yet, shut up. I am beyond done with all these abusive comments in reference to a publisher publishing something or an author making money. 

Oh yes, I understand the struggle in these people’s minds, because I have wrestled this particular demon myself. Multiple times. I understand how sour you can get in your head when you see your own BEAUTIFUL BABY WORK OF GENIUS collecting dust in your hard drive because Little Miss Agent failed to recognize your screaming intellect whilst publishers fall over themselves buying wet rags and passing them off as REAL LITERATURE. *gasp* So let me give you a tiny piece of advice. Remember that the church might have punished Galileo, but he was still right: The universe does not revolve around you. 

Writing is subjective. Reading is subjective. And unfortunately, sometimes a book you love beyond measure (whether it's yours or not) just won’t get the recognition you feel it deserves. I know I get frustrated when I see how many people dislike IMAGINARY GIRLS, by Nova Ren Suma. But I also understand that this probably means I have more obscure tastes. Maybe this will even mean I will end up writing books that only appeal to people with obscure tastes. Will that be disappointing in terms of sales? Probably. Will I paint myself as the struggling, true artist, buried under the commercialized crapheap of mainstream writing, one of the last few literary lights in a cold, dark world. Heck no. Heck no. The moment people adopt that pretentious attitude about art, any sort of art, is the moment they cease to be true artists and become only tired parodies of themselves. 

So yes, sometimes publishers will print books we generally consider sub par (*ahem* FIFTY SHADES OF GREY *ahem*). When that happens, I think it’s important that we all sit back and realize that, if someone is able to make a decent living in this craft, and if people are willing to spend their money on these books, there’s really no reason to complain. This is why we have book reviewers. They let us know how they feel about new and old books so we can make informed decisions before purchasing them ourselves. Also there is this lovely invention called the library where I'm told you can borrow books FOR FREE. No publisher is going to stop you in a dark alley, relieve you of your wallet, and thrust a stack of poorly-written novels into your fear-paralyzed arms. And next time, when you see a publisher making another sound business decision like buying ZENITH, maybe you should consider applauding them for doing their job well, since Sasha’s success wasn’t the thing that made it so you didn’t succeed. 

Bottom line: If you hate a book, put it down, walk away, share your opinion politely, and then MOVE THE HECK ON. It is literally that easy. You do not need to bully the author or insult the fans or earn hundreds of brownie points in the club of I Really Stinkin’ Hate This Book by being a female dog about it. It shouldn't bother you that other people like a book you hated. You are not five. 

Oh, and another thing, when I see a writer or a wannabe-writer bullying other writers or fans of other writers, they go on a very special, very exclusive list called “People whose books I will never knowingly buy or promote”. Writing is business, as much as it would be nice if it were purely art. And if you behave unprofessionally, I will have no part in this business you want to run. If you do not support your fellow authors and at least keep quiet if you can’t bring yourself to be happy for their successes, I will not support you. I know this probably doesn’t mean much. Maybe it's even petty. It’s not like my boycott will hurt you. I don’t fancy myself someone who could cause a sales tipping point from obscure to popular by my words alone, so I also don’t fancy myself as someone who could damage another’s career. That’s not even an aspiration of mine, because I would prefer to go through this life doing as little harm as possible. But in the writing world, it helps to have support. And if you don’t support others, I will not have your back. The writing community is just that—a community, not a place where we stand around and throw crap at each other because we’re too immature to handle our jealousy like sane people. If you can't play nice, then don't try to join the other kids on the playground. You will just make everyone miserable. 

But back to ZENITH, because this is supposed to be a review of sorts. As you have already seen, probably, I gave ZENITH four stars. As short as it was, I really enjoyed what I read. Yes, it wasn’t perfect, but it has spirit, it has energy, and it has a vast deal of potential. People have claimed it’s a rip-off of THRONE OF GLASS, but having a female assassin for a main character does not make your book a rip-off of anything. In fact, I’m more interested in Andi’s character arc than I am in Celaena’s (although I am interested in hers as well). While Celaena is a hard-core assassin, the Bloody Baroness suffers each time she kills someone, which is a fascinating mental state, if you ask me. I already know I will be preordering the full book when it gets closer to publication. And, of course, I will be talking more about it then. In the meantime, rest assured, there is plenty of stabbiness and internal wrestling, and I am sad I don’t have the full book in my hands yet. 

What about you, my little coffee beans? If you’ve read ZENITH, what did you think about it? Have you been following the drama around ZENITH? Do trolls bother you?