If you browse the Amazon Kindle boards, when a reader asks for a recommendation on a book, any Indie author who posts their novel is vilified, usually to the point where they remove their posts and apologize.

Why?

If John Grisham or Tess Gerritsen popped on and recommended one of their books, I’m guessing they wouldn’t get flamed. If anything, they’d be praised for taking the time out of their busy schedule to touch base with the adoring fans.

I don’t post on these groups simply because I don’t want to get a bad reputation, but the insults are sometimes quite disturbing, as if all Indie authors are snake-oil salesmen peddling their unreadable garbage.

Too often this is unfortunately true.  Many Indie writers are just not good enough to get published. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a great story, or aren’t passionate and sincere about their work, but if the writing isn’t engaging enough, or is overrun with style errors (head-hopping, POV changes, mixing first and third person in the same scenes, mixing tenses, telling not showing, and on and on), then the reader stops reading, feels they’ve wasted their time (and possibly money), and then, in some cases, has a hate-on for all things Indie.

This is unfortunate. Do I have any suggestions on how this could be eliminated? Yup! I always have an opinion. Readers, I would suggest that those who don’t want to see these posts exercise their mouse clicking finger and vote down the post, so that they then are hidden from the readers, rather than belittle people who are trying to fulfill a dream.  There’s also a little ignore link that lets them block that person forever from their lives.  And Indy authors? Check the thread, see if others are getting slammed, and if so, move on, it’s obviously a hostile crowd.  If you do feel your post is welcome, then make sure your post relates.  Don’t post your latest sci-fi adventure on the chick-lit message board. 

And for flamers, what’s the Golden Rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

Here’s an analogy for those who flame: You’re an employer, you need to hire an employee. You put the word out on Monster.com, and get dozens of resumes.  Many clearly don’t meet your criteria, and in reading the first sentence of their resume, you know this, thus wasting only a few seconds of your day.  Do you send them nasty emails, CC’d to everyone who read the Monster.com posting, belittling them?

I’m guessing not.

Chuck it in file 13 (or click Delete if you didn’t kill a tree), and move on with your day.

Everybody’s blood pressure will thank you (including your own).