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A debut author was arrested for writing bad reviews of books by authors of color It is owned by Amazon the site has been rejected by its publisher.
According According to reports, sci-fi author Cait Corrain was found to have left numerous one-star reviews of books by black authors and other authors of color on Goodreads while promoting her upcoming book, Crown of Starlightexcellent scores.
The “bombshell review” controversy forced her publisher, Del Rey Books, to announce that Corrain's book would not be published in 2024.
“We are aware of the ongoing discussion surrounding author Cait Corrain,” Del Rey Books' post on X previously tweeted last Monday (December 11). “WREATH OF THE STAR no longer in our 2024 publishing schedule.” In a follow-up tweet, the Penguin Random House-owned imprint also said they would not be publishing any more books under Corrain's contract. Corrain's first novel was set to be published on 14 May 2024 and had won rave reviews in advance.Corrain was also dropped by her literary agent, Rebecca Podos, and her press affiliate.
Corrain's behavior was captured by Canadian sci-fi author Xirin Jay Zhao in a TikTok video covering Corrain's bad reviews aimed at black writers like Bethany Baptiste and other POC writers. They all had books coming out next year between January and August. Goodreads issued a statement, saying, “Goodreads takes very seriously the responsibility of maintaining the authenticity and integrity of our reviews and protecting our community of readers and writers. We have clear reviews and community guidelines, and we remove reviews and/or accounts that violate these guidelines.”
Corrain acknowledged her behavior in a letter published in X, writing that her actions were due to depression and substance abuse. “Let me be extremely clear: while I may not have been sober or healthy during this time, I accept responsibility for the pain and suffering I caused,” he wrote, stating that before publishing the letter he was “going through withdrawal as I woke up enough to be brutally honest with you and myself.”
Authors affected by Corrain's bad reviews on the Amazon-owned site weren't too happy with her non-apology. Baptiste, who had called attention to Corrain's actions before the controversy broke, wrote in a post on X afterward: “Well, many layers to Cait Corrain's lies. And yet, when I spoke my truth in a 62-tweet thread, I was called a liar and accused of duplicity.”