I was shocked to learn about the case of Lauren Howard, a 22 year old debut author who, when she asked why her unreleased book was garnering 1 star reviews, received a torrent of abuse.

Yes, negative reviews can be upsetting. I've had reviewers describe The Governess as poorly written trash, and the only good thing being that they can now delete it from their Kindle. It's difficult not to take it personally, but I've had enough positive feedback not to go under.

There's a clear difference between negative reviews- which, after all, people are entitled to make- and outright bullying, which Ms Howard appears to have received. Deleted comments on Goodreads apparently made references to her being raped and sodomised- remarks that don't belong anywhere.

Writers are used to being different and frequent victims of bullying. Don't for heaven's sake gang up on each other. I'm unlikely to have read Ms Howard's book, it doesn't sound like my genre, but if she's been put off writing by a bunch of trolls, that's a real pity.