Jacob Proffitt > Status Update

So a friend turns to me one day and says "you have ideas for characters and stories for romance but don't feel you can write them and I have enough writing chops and an interest in the stories you want to tell, how about we team up and have some fun?" And she's a good enough writer that I gave it some thought and carved out some time and, well, it looks like we'll have a book ready to enter editing soon.

And I'd really like to be very open about that and talk about our book(s) because the collaboration went very well and we'd like to do some more. But . . . I write reviews. And while I strive for kindness to humans, I haven't ever hesitated to be very frank about the weaknesses and issues I find in the stories I read. I'm pretty careful about not attacking authors or readers or commenters or any actual people. But books, stories, ideas, beliefs and the like don't deserve that same respect, in my opinion. Honesty, yes. But I don't feel at all bad waxing lyrical about things that just don't work or that I find ridiculous or worthy of a good pillorying.

So I give one-star reviews and detail the things I find wrong. And the thing is, Melissa and I have seen how some people get very mad about those who criticize the things they love. We still get the occasional reviewer going through her published (and soon-to-be-published) books and down-rate them all right after giving Ready Player One five stars. Her review of that book was negative and detailed and has some 700 likes and nearly 200 comments so it stands out.

So I fear a backlash on this soon-to-be-new pseudonym/author with a brand new book that might very well come out sometime this year. Plus, I'd like to continue writing my reviews honestly, including rating them according to my enjoyment and opinion.

I think I'm covered on the ethical side. If I review or rate books we write together, I'd follow Melissa's example and be more "here are interesting things you might like to know" and without a rating. (Not that I have issues with authors who rate their own books, I just don't want to do that myself.)

But on the practical/marketing side? What do you think? Openly link this account with the eventual GR author account (like in the profile and stuff)? Don't link them, but review the books with my not-ever-to-be-standard disclaimers like I do Melissa's books? Or be more subtle and just put the occasional reference out there for you very smart cognoscenti to pick up on if you look hard enough? Or let it drop, never mention it again and just give a sly smile when asked about it?

My instincts say link openly and just weather any fallout as best you can. Maybe that's also my inner schemer poking me in the marketing brain saying I have friends and followers and beginning authors can never have enough exposure, you know? Man I hate that cynical jerk in my head, sometimes—drags everything into the mud.

Anyway, I'd like your thoughts, kind friends and followers. I'd love to have your honest reviews of our books, however you decide to rate them. But is that really wise, useful, and/or respectful?

Link openly would be my vote. I would be very interested in reading your book as I do enjoy your reviews. What genre is the book you have collaborated on?

That's quite an interesting dilemma to have. Having edited a book, to which you would not find any references in my account, I can only explain my reasoning for it, and I would not advocate that decision, by the way.

Since this is a collaboration, I think it comes down to what your partner is ready and prepared for. I think if you can openly discuss all of your concerns with your friend, you might arrive at the best decision together - a lot of it depends on the thickness of your friend's skin when it comes to internet trolls and their pointlessly vindictive behaviors.

The reason I decided to not even mention my work on a book is because the book I edited is very different from my private reading material and I did not want any cross contamination there, even though nobody pays attention to editors normally and even fewer people pay attention to me and my reviews (thankfully!). But I tend to be very harsh and judgemental when it comes to my reviews and ratings - even when I read mindless fodder to pass the time, I have a hard time taking off my editorial hat, and that's why I wouldn't want to draw any unwanted attention to an essentially unrelated project.

Having said that, I think your situation is very different - your reviews are well-crafted and, as far as I can tell, very kind even when you dislike something. And you are also a very prominent reviewer with a well deserved following, so the kind of attention your participation would bring, I believe, is much more positive than negative.

I hope you remember what I told you last night, because I've forgotten it despite its being very wise (I remember that much). :) What I remember now is that you get to choose between continuing to review as you have done, harshness and all, and tempering your responses. I don't think you should have to edit yourself entirely, but whatever you put out there, if you don't conceal your connection to your own work, has the potential to bite you. So that's something to consider.

Minor clarifications:

* Genre: the new pseudonym does chaste romances—so very much in line with the works I review. The first is contemporary but we think the brand (which is what a pseudonym really is) could support other chaste romance subgenres (fantasy, historical, sci-fi).

* My partner has a high tolerance for nonsense. We've discussed this issue and she's fine with whatever decision I make. We're both admittedly out of our depth, here, though, so neither of us knows truly what to expect.

* A wrinkle I didn't detail above (because I thought of/remembered it later) is that criticism from a colleague is different than one from a customer on both an emotional and a professional level.

* And yes, dear, I remember that conversation very well and in detail. I'm still mulling it over, but intend to add that as another comment on this thread later today.

I think that you just need to roll with it and be open and transparent about it, no matter what the result may be. It pays to be open, and some people may malign your book (and hopefully not you personally), and others will end up reading your book.

If you have any concerns, maybe you could create a separate account for reviews only, and leave your pseudonym exclusively for any books you write?