Saturday 22 April 2017

Why I quit Facebook.

I thought Facebook was a friendly social medium where authors and readers could get together and discuss books and learn more about each other. What a wake up call when I discovered it was a seething mire of authors who feign love and affection for fellow authors and a good many who knifed their so-called friends  in the back through private messaging. 
 
I hated being piggy-in-the-middle and some of the open hostility in comments made me stop and think (I don't like you, nor you, you bitchy mouthpiece, and I don't want to help you in your writing career). There were a good many unpleasant readers I met on the Georgette Heyer group as well. One or two were haughty controlling freaks who dominated threads and nasty little cliques who high-jacked threads. I got so that I hated that group, and really liked the Jane Austen Bath Society group where much nicer people were chatting.   
 
There were good points about Facebook and I did meet some lovely authors though few in number I would want to meet for a chat over a cup of coffee except the Austen group.  While I'm a fan of historical romance in general I do like Regency novels and I thought by joining up with several Regency themed groups, I would be in good company. I was wrong because that is where I met some unpleasant self-seeking authors who keep ramming their novels in your face. The constant begging for reviews of books really annoyed me, and I kept thinking can they be more rude and unprofessional in the way they conduct themselves on social media. Yes is the answer when authors rapidly friend you and straight way ask you have you read my books. Beggars with begging bowls accosting people leapt to mind and while I am most happy to review a book if asked nicely I didn't much like the attitude of authors who sent me details of where to get their books at my expense and then tell me precisely where they wanted the reviews posted. It never crossed their self-centred minds that I might not like the book, or that I might think it badly written or so bloody awful I wouldn't get past the blurb let alone a free excerpt or Amazon sample.           
 
I belong to a review blog and it's always open for submissions as you dear reader can see for yourself. The link is on the side of the page.  When I pointed that out to authors I could almost here the sigh of despair because they wanted the money as much as they wanted a review. Well tough. I only pay for books I myself want to read though will review books for the review blog.
 
Charlotte.  

6 comments:

  1. You are not alone in saying good bye to FB, Charlotte. Two authors have likewise closed/blanked their FB accounts in the last couple of days. Another one is seriously considering her options, but there are still good author/reader forums on the Internet if you know where. Some are by invitation only, others are merely sign-up membership forums. Most pleased you decided to stay with RRM. Thank you for that. best F.

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    1. Thank you for the support, Francine. I do have a private Facebook page just for family and close friends. It's in my married name so I can keep in touch with work colleagues. Charlotte xx

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  2. I'm sorry you've been through this experience, Charlotte. I would have been happy for you to be my friend. Maybe you'll re-think. There are some bad apples everywhere, but I've also met a really nice bunch of authors on FB. And it's so good to be around people of like mind. Anyhow, just hope to have you back some day. :) Meantime, good luck with your books.

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    1. Hello Simone, and thank you for your kind words. Oh I don't write novels and have no aspirations to do so. True enough Facebook wasn't all bad and I did meet some nice people but in my line of work I kept feeling compelled to expose the awful ones for what they were and then I thought to hell with it all. Get out of here and I did. Charlotte xx

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  3. Oh, Charlotte. I am sorry to hear this ... but you are not imagining things.

    I have been around the Austen-Regency genre since my first book was released in 2009, and even earlier than that (1999) on fanfiction boards. As you say, kind, supportive writers and readers can be found on FB, although they are more apt to be gentle lurkers.

    Then there are what I call The Mean Girls. Opinionated "experts" in their genre or group, eager to be friends in order to garner support for their own books. Since you review, you know that lots-o-sales does not a well-written book make! Heaven help the reviewer who is honest, and who does not gush with praise / give five stars! I've seen some dreadful behavior from snippy authors.

    Sigh.

    Thank you, sincerely, for contributing to a review blog. Who cares if the book is given to you, what you sacrifice is time--time that can never be recovered! Hours spent reading, and then putting together an intelligent analysis! It looks easy, but it surely is not. Thank you.

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  4. Hi, Laura. It was an experience I must say, and the snippy comments were from authors who write diabolical novels as trashy as the stock covers that front the books. I reached the conclusion books with coarse covers, as a general rule, are not worth reading. So far I've proved myself right in that assumption.

    Out of ten or more books read for RRM at a time, on average one or two rate a review of worth to the author though often added negative asides have been known to upset them. I do give praise if I liked the book, and in cases of dreadful ones I don't bother writing a review.

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