‘God forbid that a dog should die’: when Goodreads reviews go bad

From cancelled books to ‘review bombing’, it might seem as though the website can make or break a career. But how influential is it really?Something dramatic happens on a social media platform every day. On Goodreads, the anachro­nistically designed website for logging, rating (out of five) and reviewing books, the dramas are more amusing, and they occasionally even draw attention from areas beyond the site’s supposedly book-loving users. The most recent featured Cait Corrain, the fantasy author who set up an elaborate network of fake accounts to post positive reviews of her own forthcoming book as well as negative reviews of authors she felt were her competitors. When citizen journalists uncovered her plot in December 2023, her book was cancelled, and she lost her agent and a future book deal.A juicy, postmodern story of self-sabotage, or a sad one about the intersection of the internet and mental health. Regardless, its stakes are relatively low: publicly harassing one’s colleagues is a sackable offence anyway, and it’s hard to find someone who really cares about the vicissitudes of the young adult literature world who isn’t part of the subculture. I’m not; I’m a professional critic, and an author of a literary novel. I’m a snob. I care about my book, and the authors I feel are my competitors. And while Goodreads has been around since 2007, its significance to the broader literary world remains steadfastly confusing. Does it sell books? Does it make and break careers?... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-02-17 09:00:10 UTC ]

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Book Expo 2019: Adult Breakfast Authors Say Crime Pays in Literary World

Thursday morning's Adult Book & Author Breakfast featured Rachel Maddow, Malcolm Gladwell, Karin Slaughter, Marjorie Liu, and Ta-Nehisi Coates introducing their newest books, with presentations emphasizing the true crimes that inspired each to write. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook shuts down billions of fake accounts

Social media giant says it has seen a "steep increase" in the creation of abusive, fake accounts. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2019-05-23 21:23:34 UTC ]
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More Data on Content Moderation Won't Silence Facebook’s Critics

Facebook’s latest report lays out the sheer scale of its battle against fake accounts, spam, and other abuses. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2019-05-23 21:09:55 UTC ]
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Some Facebook content reviewers will focus solely on hate speech

Facebook isn't just interested in cracking down on fake accounts. While discussing the firm's latest Community Standards Enforcement Report, company VP Justin Osofsky revealed during a call that the social network will run a pilot program where some... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2019-05-23 18:11:00 UTC ]
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Birne joins PEW Literary with Faber deal

Eleanor Birne has joined PEW Literary as associate agent this month, moving from David Godwin Associates, and has already done a deal with Faber on Amber Medland’s debut novel about mental health and the impact of the #metoo movement. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trigger to launch children’s mental health and wellbeing imprint

Trigger Publishing will launch trade-focused children’s mental health and wellbeing imprint Upside Down Books later this year, with Alli Brydon, formerly of the Bright Agency, joining as commissioning editor.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Therapy on the couch, plus the London book fair – books podcast

On this week’s show, Claire and Sian meet up at London book fair to discuss the trends and biggest books announced for 2019 and 2020. Then they sit down with neuropsychologist AK Benjamin and novelist Anthony Good, who have written two very different books turning the tables on therapy.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Christchurch attack: tech firms must clean up platforms - Javid

UK home secretary says they ‘have responsibility not to do terrorists’ work for them’Internet companies who allow the distribution of banned content “should be prepared to face the full force of the law”, Sajid Javid has said, as he called on people to stop watching and sharing the livestream... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sweden’s Dorotea Bromberg Is London Book Fair’s Lifetime Achievement Laureate 2019

Dorotea Bromberg co-founded Swedish book publisher Bromberg Bokförlag with her father. The company still punches far above its weight in the literary world. The post Sweden’s Dorotea Bromberg Is London Book Fair’s Lifetime Achievement Laureate 2019 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Poetry looms large on Carnegie and Kate Greenaway longlists

A number of poetry titles are in the running for this year’s CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway awards, with titles about Norse myths, suffragettes, mental health and human rights also on the longlists. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dodo Ink to publish mental health essay anthology

Indie press Dodo Ink is publishing a "broad and fascinating" anthology of essays by a host of writers on mental health in January 2020. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small Island author Andrea Levy dies, aged 62

Andrea Levy, writer of bestselling Windrush generation novel Small Island (Headline), has died from cancer at the age of 62, with the publishing community paying tribute to how she "reshaped the literary world". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cassell acquires first book by ex-Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge

Octopus Publishing Group imprint Cassell has acquired the first book by ex-Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge, discussing the effect of isolation on mental health. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wellcome Book Prize Announces Its 10th Anniversary Longlist

Almost evenly divided between fiction and nonfiction, the 2019 Wellcome Book Prize longlist features issues of gender, identity, mental health and medicine. The post Wellcome Book Prize Announces Its 10th Anniversary Longlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mental health books outsell diet and exercise books at Barnes & Noble

In a shift, American readers have become more interested in books about mental health than about diet and exercise, according to data released by bookstore chain Barnes & Noble. The data, collected around the New Year's season, seems to indicate that readers' annual resolutions are focusing... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette acquires SPCK's Sheldon Press

Hachette UK has acquired the Sheldon Press, a specialist medical, mental health and self-help imprint of the Christian knowledge publisher SPCK. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller's 'alternative' predictions for 2019

A major publisher opening a regional office in the north of England; closer collaboration between indie publishers and indie bookshops; thriving book trends including feminism, vegan cookery, publishing around mental health, and feelgood fiction; and continued growth for audio are among the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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61 amazing independent bookstores worth supporting this holiday season

They don’t own Whole Foods, but they do sell books! As Groucho Marx once said, outside of a dog, books are man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Joy of Waterboiling is hot tip for oddest book title prize

This year’s shortlist also includes Jesus on Gardening, Equine Dry Needling and Why Sell Tacos in Africa?A book that celebrates Germany’s timesaving contribution to global cuisine is among the contenders for the 2018 Diagram prize for the oddest title of the year. The Joy of Waterboiling may... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Campaign to Promote Physical Bookstores Launched

A number of industry members have gotten together to form Love Your Bookstore, a campaign aimed to help draw attention to all physical bookstores as the holiday shopping season begins. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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