To all who gave revenge 1-star reviews of Lynn Shepherd’s books on Amazon: Please take them down.
We might be disappointed and disagree with the stance Shepherd took on J.K. Rowling in a Huffington Post article Sunday night. No creative person has the right to tell another creative person not to create. And, it’s a pretty foolish thing to criticize the reading habits of the readers you’re hoping to reach. That said, it was an opinion piece. Amazon is not a blog on which to leave comments, nor is Amazon a medium through which to blindly slander writers (regardless of the writer’s actions elsewhere). Amazon is a place to provide thoughtful, honest, knowledgable reviews to inform other consumers of the details of a product–and the product alone. Please hold up Amazon’s integrity in this regard and keep your reviews thoughtful.
Furthermore, please keep in mind the longterm implications this article will already have on this writer. Lynn Shepherd will be remembered for slandering J.K. Rowling in the years to come, but people will forget about this incident when they think of J.K. Rowling. Shepherd is human, and entitled to her opinion, however negative it may sound. Her work still deserves honest, thoughtful critique in sales channels–despite the fact that she has denied this to the world’s most successful author–as all writers and creative people deserve honest, thoughtful critique. Please stop the debilitating reviews of a writer still building her success. She is human, prone to mistakes as humans are. In the words of Robert Byrne, “To err is human, to purr is feline.”
If nothing else, let’s agree that Amazon is not a comment board, and that readers should be able to rely on it for accurate information about the contents of any book they wish to read–regardless of your personal opinion of the writer.
Thanks,
Wise Ink, Concerned Citizens in Publishing
I totally agree with this. Just because one person tries to make a name for herself bullying another writer doesn’t mean we should all stoop to her level. Thanks for putting this out there.
Thanks, Heather! The whole event was disappointing to us–that the writer took such a negative stance for a little publicity, that the J.K. Rowling fans have followed her to that same negative space, and that Amazon’s review system has been compromised for readers wanting honest reviews.
I wouldn’t even call it bullying, Heather. That’s like saying ants are trying to bully me into dropping some candy for them. It struck me as whining. Someone interested in writing for the adult market should act a little more adult. “Boo hoo People like you better than me.” That doesn’t get it done.
But I thought the title was great. I HAD to read it. I wish she had done more with it and her opportunity on a platform as big as Huffington Post.
I agree with this. I was initially dumbfounded by the HuffPo article, and even shared it on my FB page. But people do and say dumb things. Should saying something dumb destroy your career? I don’t think so.
I’m sorry, but she earned those “1” sham ratings for being dumb as a bag of hammers. How stupid can you be to publicly criticize a high-profile, 15-billion dollar author – you have not even read? Jeez. She doesn’t deserve to sell any books. Those shame ratings are the equivalent of telling people to support a smarter world by not buying books written by one of the dumbest people walking the face of the Earth. Public service.
Freedom of speech is dead in the States and around the world, especially for a career-minded person. We all in the writing world fear the wrath of single-minded groups and so we speak nice.
Having said that, I have never read or watched any of Ms Rowling’s book or movies, but only because of personal preference in material. But how can anyone not respect her achievements? And her success. I must tip my hat to her. Good or bad writing is the opinion of the readers, as it should be. Terry Patterson once said he was a terrible writer, but told a pretty good story. His success speaks for itself, as does J.K. Rowling’s.
Lynn Shepherd has learned a valuable lesson in modern life. Nothing we said can or will atone for her mistake. I must also say that trashing someone– anyone– for publicity is for the world of actor’s and singers, not writers.
Couldn’t agree more Dannie. Thanks for the comment.
I like that you asked people to stop being idiotic, but I don’t get why they would do so. I mean all Shepherd said is that Rowling should leave some real estate for others, and that’s not a horrible thing to say… at all.
It’s not like she said Rowling is a hack – even if she is. It’s not like she said Rowling is a petty little prat who like Dumbledore lucked into an army of sycophants who may or may not be psychotic… Although recent experiences seem to prove it so. And it’s not like she said Rowling isn’t much of a writer – although that’s true.
So why the backlash? Are fans of Rowling that insecure and immature? How sad.