Online Chat with Bestselling Authors: November 15th!

On Saturday, November 15th I'll be taking part in a Goodreads online chat about the heroines we love, unlikely heroines, and stereotypes of women in fiction, alongside the following ALLi award-winning authors ...

J.F. Penn | Bette Lee Crosby | Orna Ross | Patricia Sands | Christine Nolfi | Linda Gillard | S.R. Johannes | Rasana Atreya | Joni Rodgers

We’re also giving away paperbacks in a variety of genres: suspense novels sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, contemporary literature to warm your heart and literary gems from authors across the globe!

You can sign-up to the event HERE, and follow me on Goodreads HERE.

Hope to see you there! We're very much looking forward to chatting with you all!

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Do You Agree, or Disagree? (#7) Topic: Goodreads needs a major makeover.

Note: Sorry this post is a bit longer than I had intended, but it's a sensitive topic and a decent explanation is in order to avoid any misunderstandings.

I like Goodreads. I like that I can run giveaways for my books without any hassle. I like the exposure I get from running giveaways, too. But that is pretty much the only thing I do like about Goodreads.

For authors, Goodreads can be a scary place. It's like stepping into the playground at recess knowing you're going to be beaten up for simply being that kid.

I have been ignoring the bullying. There is not much I can do about it. The only way to keep my sanity is to ignore. And I am a strong advocate of free speech. If a person dislikes a book, I don't think they should have to censor their opinions. I may not agree with the way certain reviewers express their opinions, but I certainly agree that they have the RIGHT to.

But this post is about more than that.

This post is about something I choose not to ignore.

Yesterday, I noticed that there are a few reviewers who have multiple accounts in different names. And I've noticed, on one of my books, that the same negative review is posted more than once. They are identical to each other.

Let me reiterate. The review itself is fine. It's not nice. But I don't (and shouldn't expect to) have a say in what is said. What is completely unacceptable is the fact that the reviewer is clearly trying to get the rating of my book down by posting it more than once under different names. That is not nice. And I do expect to have a say in THAT.

But what are my choices? A flag button. Goodreads staff may or may not respond to my flag. Something may or may not be done about this. Flagging doesn't mean anything until a staff member acts on it. Most of the time, they don't.

So, I am going to say it loud and clear:

I DO NOT AGREE WITH HOW GOODREADS IS RUN.

Do you? If Goodreads were to get a major makeover, how would you improve it without enforcing censorship?

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