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This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
| Writing Scandals 6: Cait Corrain Schnujo's having school probs asked me a while back about writing scandals. It still stands: What a great topic! It’s been a little while, but two have come to my attention recently. One (this one) was because one of my publishers sent out a blanket e-mail praising us for not doing this. The other because a friend/ fellow author had some inside knowledge. Let’s start this with the abuse of the Goodreads system! Cait Corrain In 2023 new author Cait Corrain was all set to release her debut fantasy novel in 2024 and it came with some fanfare as it was being published by renowned publisher Del Rey. But on Goodreads, it came with a huge triumphant blare, with a series of glowing 5-star reviews encouraging people to read it, from ARC readers. That’s par for the course, to be honest, especially if the ARC readers are friends. However, another fantasy author was also set to debut and put out a veiled comment about people giving their own book great reviews and then review-bombing other debut novelists with a series of fake accounts. It did not take long to work out he was talking about Corrain. At first she, of course, denied it, but then proof was presented and she put forward a Discord conversation saying a friend had done it. This friend was another fake account. Corrain had been giving herself praise and 1-starring other writes, a majority of who were writers of colour. Faced with this, she admitted it, and her agent and Del Rey dropped her. She has subsequently blamed mental health, ADHD medication, alcohol, drug abuse, pressure and probably Venus rising in Aquarius at the wrong time. She is denying there was any racism. So, what it turns out happened is she set up a heap of fake Goodreads accounts using a series of email addresses. All of their first reviews were praising her book. Then they all went on a review-bombing spree. The book has not been subsequently picked up, and, it was noted by my publisher, is not in any list of upcoming releases for 2026. And no, there has been no explanation given as to why she did what she did. Everyone thinks it was a mixture of ego and no self-esteem. No excuse, by the way. It was a dick move all round. What it has done, however, is highlight how easy it is to game the Goodreads system. Goodreads does nothing to stop review-bombing or self-aggrandisement. This has put the whole site under the spotlight. Notice a lack of Goodreads advertising in the past 12 months? This controversy is why. I mean, it won’t kill Goodreads, but it has made them look as reliable as Wikipedia. |
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