Online Badmouthing Can Cost A Writer Their Career. Don’t Do It!

The Internet is a wonderful thing for writers. It gives us information and makes research available to us within minutes. It is also a portal to misconceptions, lies and viciousness when used the wrong way. These days more writers, especially aspiring ones are running to the Internet with their disgruntled feelings and broken hearts. It seems very harmless to talk about your latest experience with a literary agent on Twitter or to blog about your somewhat negative brush with a publisher at this year’s BEA, but it’s not harmless at all. Badmouthing people on the Internet is not as "safe" as you think. Even if you’re posting anonymously. There are many reasons and examples why not to do it.

I don’t know why people think that talking about someone on the net is safe. Why do you think that the target of your venom won’t find out? If you do then you’re living in a fantasy world. Out of all the people who are badmouthed in the industry, agents are the number one targets. Some writers despise agents to the point of tearing down their characters and devoting entire blog posts on how they feel about an agent. Be warned, the agent will find out one way or another. People think agents do not search the net. They do. They are busy people but they search the net from time to time and mostly, they Google themselves just to see where their name leads them. If you speak about them on any portion of the net, Google Alerts lets them know immediately. Do not do it.

How do I know? Well, I have Google Alerts myself and I love it. Any time someone writes my name down or one of the names of my books on the net, I get an email informing me. I started Google Alerts after I found out I’d been the target of a two-faced book reviewer. I googled myself one night and came upon a book review blog where people were discussing recent books. One person left a not-so-flattering review of my recent novel. That didn’t bother me. I am an author. I expect to get all kinds of reviews. What bothered me was the person who wrote it. This had been the same person who praised my book on other sites, saying it was one of the best of the year. Yet on this site I lucked up on, she’d said it was the worst she’d read of the year. Hmm, I didn’t understand it. It hurt a little because if you claim to like a book, why turn around and say you didn’t? I realize some reviewers have motives. Some reviewers do not review books just for the fun of it or to educate the public. Some actually review to tear down books. It’s not something I understand and these fake reviewers give real book reviewers a bad name.

So what did I do about it? I did the professional thing and left it alone. I didn’t email the woman and I didn’t confront her. It confused the heck out of me and I discussed it with some of my friends who shook their heads too. But as far as contacting the lady, I left it alone. I am smart enough to know that contacting a reviewer is only asking for trouble. If she could badmouth my book like she did then she could easily do more damage if I’d contacted her. My point is that you should keep your negative comments to yourself. As you can see, when you talk about someone, they will find out. Agents and publishers have many friends in the industry. These friends might read something you’ve written and report it. The agent’s loved ones could find your rant and do the same thing. It is much more serious than people believe.

Authors have lost book contracts because of their behavior about their publishers and agents. Some go beyond blogging and choose to badmouth their agents/publisher at conferences and festivals to other professionals. And guess how the info gets back to the person? Through the same professionals you sprouted off to. Twitter is the most damaging thing that can happen to an author or aspiring writer if they use it negatively. Authors are using Twitter to bully book reviewers and to "warn" writers about various agents they’ve worked with or were rejected by. Authors form online cliques and use these groups as a way to harass anyone who has said anything bad about their books. They go as far as putting people’s personal information online or anything else to embarrass or threaten the target’s wellbeing. I don’t care if you’re published or not, this behavior is never acceptable. If you have problems with an agent or publisher, be professional and take it up with them in private. If you have a problem with a book reviewer, you can email them but I wouldn’t. Book reviewers have a right to their opinions. Even unfair reviews have a right to be read. An author’s unreasonable and childish antics would hurt their career and sales more than any bad book review. Remember that everything you do on the net is visible. The writing world is too big of a place to take the chance.

Resist the urge to badmouth. Most times, if you feel the need to badmouth than the issue is not that serious. Every agent isn’t going to want to represent you. Every publisher isn’t going to be the greatest one you’ve worked with. Every author isn’t going to be your friend. Every book reviewer isn’t going to give you a glowing review or be fair about it. But just like you have the choice on how you want to use the net for your career, others do too. This is a big world and the Internet has made it even more gigantic. There are no such things as secrets online. If you don’t know this, it could cost you the chance of a lifetime.