About the state of fandom in romantasy in general.
I scrolled through Reddit today and encountered this:
This is a commentâone out of over 160, about a popular series. This is not SJM specific, but I see something similar day in and day out.
Specifically regarding SJM, a good chunk of comments are all about how SJM is a money grabber, how every character sucks, how Rhys is a dictator, Feyre is a breeder, Elain shouldâve died, cassian is an abuser, and on and on.
And then we all complain about SJMs silence. Her lack of interaction with the fandom. Her disinterest in the readers.
And then I think: writers, who write for weeks, months and sometimes years are doing this as a Job. This is their work. And not only do they deserve to be compensated for their work, but alsoâŠ.appreciated? How about that?
How would any of these keyboard warriors feel if someone came to them and berated every single thing that they did. Publicly. Wrote long reviews of every mistake, fault, and totally personal opinions about the quality of their performance at work?
Oh, well, authors should have thicker skin!!!â
Itâs a boring and lonely activity (trust me I know). And they often crank out huge book annually.
And thenâŠthey have to deal with this avalanche of hate, derision and complaints.
No one trains authors to develop âthicker skinâ. They are often suburban moms who wanted to write. They arenât trained by the CIA to develop survival tactics and not pay attention to all the crap that is being posted about them and their work.
SJMâs writing has been called every possible derogatory word, sheâs been called everything from a racist to a money grabber to a plagiarizer.
Honestly? When is this going to stop?
The way readers treat writers is revolting.
Is this because the internet offers anonymity and you can just say anything?
I get writing an honest review (hey I hated HOFAS! But I chose not to write a review because I knew it wouldnât have been kind) or offering a genuine critique about something, but my godâŠa little kindness? A little grace?
Can anyone really blame SJM for completely withdrawing from the fandom? Can you imagine waking up, going on your basic social media and only seeing endless vitriol in regard to what youâve created?
I donât even know why Iâm writing this but I guess Iâm just tired of seeing books and authors that I love and who changed the trajectory of my life being bashed and insulted all over the internet.
Sometimes, not saying anything is the best policy.
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