Cait Corrain review bombing controversy

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In late 2023, aspiring fantasy author Cait Corrain created multiple fake accounts on Goodreads to review bomb other authors. Del Rey Books and agent Rebecca Podos canceled their contracts with Corrain.

Events[edit]

On December 5, 2023, author Xiran Jay Zhao posted on Twitter, "If you as a debut author are going to make a bunch of fake Goodreads accounts one-star-bombing fellow debuts you're threatened by can you at least not make it so obvious".[1] After Internet speculation on the author's identity, Zhao named the author as Cait Corrain and shared a Google Doc showing screenshots of low ratings from accounts allegedly owned by Corrain.[2]

Corrain issued an apology, saying that they had recently "suffered a complete psychological breakdown" after "fighting a losing battle against depression, alcoholism and substance abuse".[3] They entered an "intensive psychiatric care" facility on December 12, 2023.[4]

The fantasy novel Crown of Starlight was scheduled to be Cait Corrain's debut title, published in 2024 through Del Rey, a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House.[5] As of December 12, Corrain was no longer represented by agent Rebecca Podos. Del Rey and UK publisher Daphne Press also cancelled their contracts with Corrain.[5]

While Corrain initially described the negative reviews as left by a friend and provided screenshots of a conversation between herself and the friend, they later said that the friend had been "non-existent".[6][7] Internet users also commented that the list of targeted authors included people of color.[8][6]

The controversy was cited by industry professionals as an example of abuse issues on Goodreads.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Murray, Conor (2023-12-13). "Author Cait Corrain Loses Book Deal For 'Review Bombing' On Goodreads—Here's Why It's A Longstanding Problem For The Platform". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  2. ^ Zornosa, Laura (2023-12-13). "An Author Review Bombed Books on Goodreads. Then Her Debut Book Was Dropped". Time. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  3. ^ Creamer, Ella (December 13, 2023). "Publisher drops author for using fake accounts to 'review-bomb' peers". Guardian. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  4. ^ Gelt, Jessica (December 12, 2023). "Cait Corrain apologizes, checks into rehab after Goodreads 'review bombing' rival authors". LA Times. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Writer admits to 'review bombing' other authors' books, then has own novel cancelled". Associated Press. December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Yang, Angela (December 13, 2023). "A first-time author lost a book deal after they were accused of trying to sabotage reviews of other authors". NBC News. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Lowe, Lindsay (2023-12-15). "Cait Corrain And The Goodreads Review Bombing Contoversy, Explained". www.today.com. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  8. ^ Haile, Nardos (2023-12-13). ""Review bombing" and lost book deals: The Goodreads scandal explained". Salon. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  9. ^ Alter, Alexandra (December 13, 2023). "She 'Review Bombed' Other Writers. Then Her Book Got Pulled". New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
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