Think before you Twitter

Sharon Wheeler

I was going to spend today’s blog happily raving to you about the gems in my review pile which have kept me gainfully employed on my train journeys around the exotic hot-spots of the UK. But you’ll have to tune in next week to hear about what you should be reading, as I really couldn’t resist sticking my oar in over the saga of Alice Hoffman and her bad attack of hair-trigger Twitter.

For those of you who’ve missed this latest little saga of author entitlement, Hoffman’s latest book received a lukewarm review in the Boston Globe.

Instead of realising that it goes with the territory, Hoffman threw a hissy fit, flounced over to Twitter and slagged off the reviewer and the paper – and then proceeded to hand out the reviewer’s phone number and email so that any sheep-like followers could email her to complain.

Since the ensuing row kicked off, Hoffman’s Twitter post has been pulled down, and she’s given the usual passive-aggressive “I’m sorry if I offended anyone” response. Actually, you’ve behaved like a spoiled brat and what you’re encouraging people to do smacks of harassment.

I read the offending review, and good grief, it really isn’t a hatchet job. Hoffman whined about the reviewer giving too much of the plot away. It’s hard to tell whether that’s the case without reading the book (and no, I won’t be bothering, thanks). But it’s why I restrict my summary of a plot to one paragraph and why I’m so anti reviews that are basically a précis of the novel. That way, no one can complain that you’ve ruined their enjoyment of the story.

I’m trying to see this from both sides of the fence. Authors have sweated blood over their darling, and it obviously hurts when it’s not met with glowing praise. But, like I’ve said here before, a reviewer has a job to do – and that’s not to cheerlead for a writer. If you don’t want your work criticised, don’t publish.

Anyone who follows any sort of online media must know that there’s the potential for a minor spat to blow up into something much bigger – look at how people used Twitter to put the pressure on Amazon in the row over rankings and GLBT books. A lot of us have learned by experience not to fire off emails when you’ve got steam coming out of your ears. A few people might want to transfer that rule to Twitter and Facebook.

The online world of Twitter, Facebook, Crimespace and the like is a constant cacophony of “me, me, look at me, buy my book!” from writers who are desperate to be noticed and for their novels to sell. They’ve suddenly got all these cybertools at their disposal and many still haven’t worked out how best to use them. In the old days, probably the worst a writer could do was to get pissed at a meet and greet, or signing. Shit sticks in cyberspace.

The whole saga has shades of Anne Rice’s classic line to a reviewer about interrogating the text from the wrong perspective! What it boils down to, though, is that any writer who insults and patronises readers and reviewers is an idiot and that they’ll find both have long memories.

Comments

[Gary Corby]

Not that I endorse the behaviour, but I wonder if her sales went up as a result of the spat?

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawlbTKfXQVL0JoM8BgC3rDZ59J7AFq71NHo]

So you're saying Hoffman was wrong in referring to her reviewer as an idiot by ending your own blog entry referring to Hoffman in the same way?

I agree that Hoffman should not have given out that reviewer's personal information, and that she did not act like a mature adult about the situation. But we all get angry sometimes, and we all blow up sometimes.

She knows that she acted wrongly, and her sales are likely going to suffer from this fiasco. Personally, I'm a little intimidated by the manner in which an author who writes as well as Hoffman does is currently being treated. Does being an author mean we're not allowed to be human and make mistakes? Maybe I'm lucky my writing sucks.

[Lartonmedia]

I'd like to know that as well! I suspect some people will boycott her, but others might go and buy the book out of interest.

[Lartonmedia]

I don't think it's a matter of how well she writes -- she *did* behave like an idiot! Of course people make mistakes -- we've all done things that make us cringe when we think about them later.

If she'd just have whined about the review, a lot of people would have rolled their eyes and not thought much more about it.But the thing that tipped it for me was broadcasting the reviewer's email and phone number with the express intent of getting people to harass her.

Which is why I linked it to thinking before you Tweet!