The controversy emerged when it was discovered that fake accounts reportedly created by Cait Corrain, the author of a soon-to-be-released sci-fi fantasy novel, left one-star reviews on books by multiple authors of color while giving her book five stars on the popular book review website Goodreads.
There was a noticeable pattern of one-star reviews left by the same accounts on books slated for release in the first quarter of 2024. After discovering that many of those negative reviews were written about books authored by people of color, many had questions and wanted to know what was going on. In addition all of the accounts that had left negative reviews on those books had all given Corrain’s novel, “Crown of Starlight”, five star ratings.
Bethany Baptiste and Kamilah Cole were among the Black authors whose books were directly targeted in this review-bombing incident. The situation gained significant attention when Canadian author Xiran Jay Zhao exposed Corrain’s actions by sharing a 31-page Google document containing screenshots of the fabricated reviews.
Despite initially blaming a friend for the incident, Corrain later posted an apology on social media, attributing her actions to a battle with depression, alcoholism, and substance abuse.
However, some authors, including Akure Phénix and Bethany Baptiste, expressed skepticism and rejected the notion that mental health struggles could excuse racist behavior.
A sincere apology. I know this is long, but that's because I'm trying to own and openly address every aspect of what I did. pic.twitter.com/MEtyDLCkDw
— Cait (@CaitCorrain) December 12, 2023“Mental illness doesn’t make you racist. You were already hateful in August 2023, You harassed my book on Goodreads until I deleted it.”Phénix posted. ” I had no idea who it was and a new one was made. I am still recovering.”
PSA: Mental illness doesn’t make you racist. You were already hateful in August 2023. You harassed my book on Goodreads until I deleted it. I had no idea who it was and a new one was made. I am still recovering. https://t.co/8XBdPt8EaU
— Akure Phénix
| PREORDER HEAVENLY TYRANT!!!! (@AkurePhenix) December 12, 2023
“Wrong time, wrong list. No, we were exactly where we were supposed to be. I have PTSD, depression, & anxiety. I understand the wrong meds or dose can make your mind feel like it’s snapping in half. Meds don’t make you racist. Racism is in you. You hid it by lurking and plotting,” posted author Bethany Baptiste.
The repercussions for Corrain escalated when Del Ray Books, owned by Penguin Random House, announced on December 11 that they would not be publishing “Crown of Starlight.”
“We are aware of the ongoing discussion around author Cait Corrain. CROWN OF STARLIGHT is no longer on our 2024 publishing schedule,” the company posted.
Additionally, Corrain’s agent, Rebecca Podos, confirmed the termination of their professional relationship in a post on X.
“Cait and I will not be continuing our partnership moving forward,” she wrote. “I deeply appreciate the patience of those directly impacted by last week’s events as I worked through a difficult situation.”
The post White Woman Author Reportedly Targeted Books By Women Of Color With One-Star Reviews. Her Publisher Has Now Cancelled Her Debut Book appeared first on Essence.
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