Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat. This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
Does an author’s online behaviour affect your buying behaviour?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
Yes. An example is a few years back an author branded readers as ignorant if they didn’t like her books. She blamed the reader for not being smart enough to understand what she meant. It would have been ok if it was on a forum where only authors chat. But she did it on a mixed forum where there were more readers than authors. I lost all respect for the author and haven’t bought a book since.
If I am a friend of an author and don’t like their posts I can unfollow or unfriend and then it doesn’t affect me. On the other hand if its on an authors public page or group where readers can join and its not just friends then yes it does affect me. On public pages and platforms I think authors need to be careful as readers come from diverse political and social sides. If you attack a reader for differing in view then expect backlash. Keep it to your private walls.
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group. I will be late replying as have a trip to the city today.
And don’t forget: if you’d like to participate in our weekly Book Chat by posting the question and your answer on your blog, drop us an email via our Contact page and we’ll send you the list of questions for 2021.
I don’t really follow many authors on social media. There have been ones I followed in the past but mostly I was put off by a ridiculous number posts in one day promoting a new book. I know promotion is important, but 5 posts in one day was just too much.
I would be put off by behaviour that wasn’t Godly, but I know some people have different standards than I do, even other Christians.
It’s easy enough to stop following someone on social media.
There have been author’s whos books I no longer read, but that was more because of the book content than the author’s behaviour.
I can understand that I have unfollowed Author pages and groups that are only sell, sell, sell and no other interaction. And yes its easy to unfollow. Its harder in a group even with guidelines some Authors I have found tend to blame a reader for not understanding a book rather than looking at the common comments on what readers didn’t understand in a book. These are normally authors who don’t want to spend the time and money to make the the book the best it can be.
I have mainly become a friend to authors whose books I have enjoyed. I get out off by authors and any people who promote themselves. I like to hear what others have to say about them.
I find the behaviour that can frustrate me is more in a group where they forget readers are part of the group. Although I unfollowed so many and unfriended many due to political content and even had one author Private message me telling me what I should think and that I was being brain washed. This person is now blocked. I can understand authors having an opinion on their private pages but on public pages where anyone can join or even on other SM media they need to be careful.