AUTHORS BEHAVING BADLY | Lucy Bloom

[@charlie2.048]

The fact that they would call ANY child a sex worker regardless of that child's history is revolting. Children cannot consent to sex therefore a child cannot _work_ as a sex worker. Children are trafficked, exploited, and abused. The fact that they faked the whole think is even worse.

[@Miligaecia12346]

P

[@EmmiJade]

Ah, yes, a "soft and squishy best friend" is totally a trope that fat people aren't utterly and totally sick of. /s

[@MaxximusP]

The fact they are calling children "sex workers" raises all the red flags in the world, even outside of these children being paid models. Children cannot be sex workers, they are sex trafficking victims. This kind of thing is not only dangerous for kids, it's dangerous for actual sex workers. You can't be a sex worker if you are being trafficked, they are fundamentally different.

[@MaxximusP]

note because I want to be clear: adults can absolutely be sex trafficking victims(and are often so), but children *always* are in these instances.

[@FrenkTheJoy]

Sex workers have to be fully consenting to the job. Children cannot consent to sex. Pretty cut and dried. This author is gross.

[@dearrationals]

​@FrenkTheJoy And women in most places are victims. This whole "it's an empowering choice" is a white/western/privileged phenomenon. Most women/girls in poor countries are trafficked, forced, coerced or into the business because of poverty and not "choice". It's a privileged take to see this business as a "choice".

[@deletedflame8424]

@@dearrationals And that means they are not just sex workers and calling them that is disengenious. They are trafficking victims, that's the point being made here. Also, this business being a choice should really not be seen as just a privileged take, it should be the end goal, no? Sex is always going to be a business, considering it has been since the dawn of time, but it would be ideal if we could make sure women everywhere (not just in the west) have the strength and support they need to escape coercion and live their lives without fear of trafficking so that only adults who really want to do it, end up in that line of work.

[@shizachan8421]

@@deletedflame8424 sex work was always an exploitative business based on patriachy build upon exploiting women and queer people. Hope this helps. There was always a socially more prestigious class of voluntary sex workers recruited from privileged upper classes, we used to call then curtisans foe example. The majority of sex work globally involves violence, SA and exploitation and is usually based upon trafficking or economic pressure. A bunch of mostly white privileged women and their clients shouldn't get to define sex work.

[@cindy11051995]

The thing that's really funny to me is that one star reviews have never detered me from reading a book before as long as it doesn't hit major triggers for me and that's because people like different things. I've read 1 star reviews where people were criticizing tropes that I like and it just made me want to read the book more. Same for 5 stars reviews having the opposite effect and making me less interested in a book. You know what will make me refuse to ever pick up a book though ? This kind of behavior.

[@ReadswithRachel]

THIS. THIS. THIS. All of it. Hard same.

[@adamiseasilystartled]

Yes, exactly!! I often use "bad" reviews of books to help me find books I know I will love.

[@theunsexyoccult1379]

There's a book I love that I found out has two sequels, so of course I looked up reviews. Almost all the negative ones are because they didn't like how dark the books got. That only made me want to read them more because I love dark faerie stories.

[@mathildes8583]

Saaame I usually don't care if what the reader hated was not a problem to me ("nothing happens" being quite nice and inspiring to me personally, for example lol)

[@kiraalldredge48]

Same! I use one star reviews to find spicy books to read because I have a lot of triggers and I can't handle reading the intense or kinky shit.

[@ReadswithRachel]

PLEASE NOTE: I should’ve said this in video but there is no such thing as a child sex worker. Children doing sex work is child sexual abuse. Children cannot consent to such a thing. I used the language used by SC and I should’ve made a note talking about how this perpetuates the exploitation of children. I apologize. Also, no I don’t think actual CSA victims should’ve been used in the as campaign. Both options are exploitative of children. What they should’ve done was hire a local artist to make an art piece (that is not a direct copy of an actual child’s face) for a campaign, not exploit children to help children.

[@1joanna4ever]

Can I ask why you still used the poster in the video? I know that its widely available, but just blurring the kids faces would gift them some anonymity, unless they all asked for people to share their story with their identities attached?

[@Air_Serpent]

@@1joanna4everit's already out and been seen by way more people than Rachel's viewers. Not to mention, she shows proof that it happened so we don't have to look it up or disbelieve. The damage is already done.

[@lexi8445]

the fact that the Sunrise Cambodia campaign also promised to make that girl into a seamstress girlboss is a little tasteless cherry on top

[@jennyjoseph778]

I find it a little weird that their solution to trauma and sexual abuse is "make them work! Clean work tho". Like, I thought the goal was to allow all children to you know, have a childhood...

[@abigailsalmanac]

@@jennyjoseph778 THIS

[@skylarjohnson7779]

I was thinking that. Maybe get her therapy first?

[@chocomelo454]

​@@jennyjoseph778yeah and like, they never stayed that being a seamstress is something she even wants to do if they had said "her dream is to become a seamstress" or whatever then it'd make a BIT more sense bc rn it looks like they're judt making this already exploited girl do even more labor than her peers. Also wasn't there an issue in Cambodia where people were bejng exploited for work there? Or Bc there's a lot of countries where people are being exploited for work top of my head would be countries where cacao can be naturally found, people over tbere are exploited to harvest the cacao pods that'll then be turned into chocolate and coffee, yk.

[@AyakoHideko]

​@@chocomelo454 Yes, there are certain industries where people are being exploited for work here (in recent times, I can think of Chinese foreigners running a bunch of cyberscam centers w/ kidnapped victims), but certain industries that we had been known to have exploited workers in have also been addressed as well (factory workers have certain laws passed now to protect their rights and increase wages and stuff) but if I'm honest, I'm not that in touch either with my society rn to give an honest answer on how much that has improved things. (Meaning it can be good or bad, I'm just telling you that efforts have been made to address it at the very least.) And no, we do not, in fact, have cacao farms in general xD So no rights being violated there.

[@nataliyanabakova7419]

ok but. why are they taking these children who have been in horrible situations and PUTTING THEM TO WORK??? it doesn't matter if they're getting paid or learning a trade, they're like NINE and should be IN SCHOOL and doing CHILDREN THINGS. lucy bloom said "the children yearn for the mines" but not as a joke

[@AyakoHideko]

Children that end up on the streets don't necessarily end up there in circumstances that kept them in a safe environment in the first place. For some, being in an orphanage, with a roof over their heads, a constant source of food, and caretakers that allow them the space to even consider education & trade skills in the first place is the best option they could have at that point in their lives. I think it's a bit of an oversight to say that they should be in school and doing children things when... Yes. Yes they should. And these NGOs are doing what they can to help. But you have to realize that they can't just "go to school" and "be children" when the circumstances around leading said normal lives aren't there for them. Children that don't see the value in getting an education because of the way their lives had been shaped up to that point might choose to take up a trade instead. An organization as big as Sunrise Cambodia definitely had an education program going, but there isn't much they can do if said children do not, or cannot pursue the path of education. That being said, I'm just trying to explain what's going on here. It is most definitely abhorrent that they did decide to push this horrible ad campaign when the kids themselves are probably not aware of how this singular fake ad campaign might affect the rest of their lives. And this lady is... 🙃 Let's just say, I hope she burns in hell for even trying to justify that.

[@ReadswithRachel]

FYI the part where i yell "wait please".... i forgot to edit that out. That was me telling my kid to wait please for a pop tart. Sorry about that!

[@laurenmiller2841]

I always love you talking to your kid, it's so sweet! I really respect how you manage to balance being such a patient mother and providing such great content for us, so no need to apologize!

[@nicholewarren4229]

I love getting those cute little interpolations! Im sure theyre annoying to have to edit for but they truly make me smile SO much (and as others have stated, the way you talk to your kids with respect and kindness even when they're clearly on your last nerve is SO admirable and wonderful to see!!)

[@sammythehero]

You're fine. It's relatable and personally think it's cute every time.

[@jrlonergan6773]

I laughed out loud.... literally done this a million times

[@CelticGuardian7]

Valid reason for an interlude. (Gosh now I want a strawberry pop tart.)

[@phangkuanhoong7967]

I'm Southeast Asian. That whole Cambodian charity scam feels a little too close to home and extra, extra disgusting to me.

[@kekayowrites]

She really said “if you really hate a book, think who might enjoy it and offer that” and then got upset at Camilla when she did exactly that

[@ImmortalBroken]

I thought the same thing! She also put good comments before starting to criticize, just like Lucy asked for.

[@kitty-pm2md]

for future reference "white south Africans who are Australian citizens" should always raise alarms. a lot of boers moved to Australia at the end of apartheid because this colony is still sufficiently segregated for their taste. double for white south African Australians who exclusively work for "non profits" focused on "helping" (exploiting) people in the global south. they are missionaries, nothing more. for Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, it's usually for anticommunist reasons.

[@ussinussinongawd516]

White south African Australian is such a mouthful I'd just say Afrikaner Aussie

[@AyakoHideko]

Interesting. Thank you for this info! :)

[@DarkArt888]

As a designer myself, she's got the right idea that she needs to sell a story for donations. Attaching a real child's face to one that that, even if it was true, is an ethical violation of extreme proportions. Abstract representation or an illustration would have sufficed.

[@parentingadabsurdum]

My husband’s pet peeve about books is when the author is so in love with their main character that it gets nauseating. The character is good looking (but doesn’t know it), brave (but humble), hilarious, charming, adorable, quirky, not like other girls (or guys). The character might have “flaws,” but is so charmingly, heroically adorable that even their flaws are better than other people’s. Haven’t read the book, but Camilla sounds like she’s got the same pet peeve 😊.

[@inkypunk]

The author then proving your theory right by getting incredibly angry at a mostly positive review because Camilla didn't enjoy her main character.

[@parentingadabsurdum]

@@inkypunk yes, exactly!!

[@kimberly3706s]

@YogaPeryl I share that pet peeve! Another is making a character behave or speak in a way that is completely outside of their own comprehension according to the time period or upbringing or societal experience. If a person is a genuine trailblazer (rare), show the inspiration behind it - DaVinci’s aircraft designs came from his observations of bird and plant matter aerodynamics; no matter how wonderfully inventive a thought or action, it has a root of inspiration. Early abolitionists still held some racist beliefs, typical of their society and time; yet a lead character is somehow endowed with entirely modern sensibilities and sensitivity. I’m tired of the “historical fiction” which is actually a story about modern characters who just happen to sip tea once in a while.😂

[@koidandi]

Lore Olympus

[@MariaRodriguez-dx6sm]

This is Lore Olympus!

[@roseakitohavok]

I 100% agree that the Cambodian sunrise campaign thing seems like fraud. But I also feel even if the kids were the victims of ST, using their photos in the ad campaign would still be inappropriate. Like whether they are correctly or incorrectly labelled as SWs, they still can’t consent to being in the campaign. It still seems exploitative. And it’s still exposing/labelling them as such for life

[@ReadswithRachel]

Oh I ABSOLUTELY agree! I was particularly worried about the little girl who was falsely labeled a sex worker because in the future a man might believe that lie about her and commit violence against her. But all of those children used in that campaign were not able to consent and all of them were taken advantage of by SC.

[@roseakitohavok]

@@ReadswithRachel absolutely agree!

[@roseakitohavok]

Also just got to the 1 star hopeless lovers part, that was enough internet for today 😂

[@lydialuton4402]

I also got a bad vibe from the idea that these kids should be immediately taught a trade and work instead of, idk, going to school with other kids? getting treatment for the difficult things they went through? getting medical care and housing?

[@wendyheatherwood]

They could have done a whole thing of stating that the stories are true, but they have changed the names and hired actors to protect the identity of the victims. But that would only work if they were the true stories of other kids, and it doesn't sound like they were.

[@poisonheart2317]

The "put your good comments first, criticisms second" is what they teach us to do as professors/teacher assistants grading papers and essays, but that's because we are paid to make sure kids learn from their mistakes? A reviewer is not a teacher???? What the fuck lol

[@emackenzie]

We're actually taught to do that as students too (my uni most recently recommended the sandwich method of 'good, critical, good') but a professional needs to be prepared for critique that doesn't try to soften the blow if they genuinely want honest feedback.

[@sharonariellalevy7114]

I second the other response - in writing workshops, like university level creative writing, I was taught to alternate good and bad. But you're right! A book reviewer isn't in your workshop to make you better lol. The product is finished. Reviews are for readers and maybe authors who want to improve in the future lol.

[@Nana-hz2tr]

Still can people give constructive criticism without tearing down the authors? The amount of one star reviews I see on goodreads is just mean, and not helpful. Like that person that said they wish they could rip off pages of a book and use as toilet paper. That’s someone’s hard work. Contrary to popular belief, reviews aren’t just for readers, writers also use readers’ feedback too. After all isn’t that how we correct most problematic authors that make the effort to change. I’m not supporting harassing reviewers but reviewers should use more tact as well. If you don’t like it and can’t say anything constructive, just leave the star rating. Most of these situations could be avoided.

[@snicketylemony]

@@Nana-hz2tr Rachel has talked a lot about this in other vids, so you may want to reference those (I believe there’s even one specifically about reviews not being for authors). If people who don’t like the book leave 1 star and no review, how tf are other readers like myself supposed to judge whether to read the book or not? I was looking through reviews last night on a book to see if a trope I like was done well; it seemed like it was the trope the way I like, but then one of the lengthy one star reviews mentioned the book had dub-con that wasn’t noted elsewhere or in trigger warnings. And then there’s BIPOC/LGBTQ+ reviewers I follow specifically so that I can make sure I’m reading books that portray their experiences well-that’s not something that be determined by anyone other than those communities, and one and two stars reviews have helped me avoid supporting authors/books that are bad representation. Like Rachel has said-authors have editors and sensitivity readers whose job is literally to tell the author what needs to be corrected/reworked (plus, friends/family can provide feedback, too). It’s absurd to expect free labor from people who have *paid you* for your content. It’s possible I guess that an author will see a review worded in ✨just the right way✨ (apparently in a different way then their editors, sensitivity readers, and friends/family have said it) that suddenly they change their views/style/content in future books. I’d love to see some examples of that happening….. Even IF reviews can actually be used by authors to improve, it still shouldn’t be the author themself, if they really are only capable of improving by random people on the internet providing feedback then it should still be through an editor/PR person/3rd party and anonymized. That’s what would actually avoid situations like these (aside from, yanno, authors just staying in their lane).

[@eggs_777]

Hey @Nana? People are allowed to not like something. You defending this author is making you look like a sock puppet. Someone’s hard work can be bad, she had opportunities to edit before releasing and also beta readers. She had opportunities before the book was released to get feedback? So just because you think it’s “mean” it’s invalid?

[@maddym4020]

as a fat person her saying "soft and squishy" when describing a fat character told me everything i needed to know. i understand thin people being hesitant to use the word fat as a neutral descriptor because it means something different coming out of their mouths than mine but these constant descriptions of fat people as "soft" and "squishy" and "fluffy" and anything other than actually FAT is so fucking infantilizing

[@lindseystein9676]

In addition to lying & calling children “sex workers,” the way they described the donations would help create “their own micro business” is odd. What the hell is a micro business?

[@UnbridledFinds]

As they say "You can be the sweetest peach on the tree and someone will still not like peaches" and that's ok. I wouldn't expect 100% of people to like anything I do period, much less a literary work I would create. Why is it surprising to these authors?

[@Butterfly-ql4pg]

What really gets me about a lot of these authors is that most of the time the reviews that offend them so much aren't even that mean. They're just simply the readers giving their honest opinions and telling fellow readers what to expect if they ever decide to give reading the books a try

[@theunsexyoccult1379]

As an author, any negative review hurts a little, but it's only the bit personal because I'm close to thr project. By no means, though, do I get so upset I act like a jerk. I don't even respond to reviews. So much evidence proves why that is a terrible idea. As a reader, I actually had an author comment on another person's review in a way that alluded to my negative review. Put a real bad taste in my mouth.

[@megdalena01]

I'm a writer. I've been attending a lot of classes lately trying to hone my craft and something I learned recently is everyone reads your book through their own lens of their lived experiences, so for every single reader it's basically a different book. I love that. I think that's awesome. And I'd argue that it's impossible for someone to misunderstand the point of a book. They understood it based on who they are, and how they see the world.

[@ladylark10884]

i agree! i love lyrical and literary interpretation, i love seeing how people can interpret media so differently from one another. there's no "wrong" to interpret something really, just a different way :>

[@talynhastime9343]

I disagree. I believe people can midunderstand the point of a book. Examples: Thinking Animal Farm by Orwell is an indictment against capitalism; thinking that sex education books are meant to groom children. Even if people come to a book with their own experiences, their perceptions of things can be biased and therefore objectively wrong. Feelings can be real, but conclusions can be wrong.

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

They call that “death of the author.” I tend to be a fan of that reading. I get a lot of flak because I enjoyed Ayn Rand books but I certainly interpret them very differently from the author.

[@angellane1848]

i really wonder what some authors expect from readers. do they never expect criticism? how can you be a creator and have that mindset? also, her hair is wild oml

[@lenorasvaughn]

most authors are very self centred and think everything they out is a work of art ofc its not all but theres too many that do think that way

[@starlitbri]

i got into an argument with a reader once and i still feel bad about it YEARS later even though everyone was on my side because the reader said my friend and i were lazy writers and they weren't going to read our book cause my friend had a fan cast (big part of wattpad lol) at the beginning... before any writing. i literally still get mad when i remember that comment and feel so much worse when i remember my response but i was a teenager when that happened and this woman is over 40. i cannot imagine just showing your ass like because someone just... didn't vibe with your book????? like who thinks everyone is going to love your book and anyone who is meh about it must be attacked over a BOOK REVIEW????? it's one thing for young inexperienced writers to be upset about getting negative feedback for the first time, it hurts! but for a grown ass EXPERIENCED author to be doing this? yikes yikes yikes

[@ReadswithRachel]

You were a minor so I wouldn’t worry about it. You’re an adult now and you know better. I get tagged in stuff where authors who are minors are acting foolish and I never do videos on minors. They have time to grow and learn, which you did!

[@cassandramalvasia3629]

I totally agree with you. Plus that you were a minor back in the day so it makes sense that the negative feedback hurt. Grown up people (not just authors) are supposed to already realise that not all people vibe either with what you do or even with them as personalities and negative feedbacks are nothing more than a way to improve themselves and become better, albeit,it seems that not all grown ups are mentally mature enough to react properly to negativity

[@DanielleOutLoud]

I am obsessed with these ABB videos. I thrive on any drama I’m not involved in 😂😂

[@quirkyblackenby]

Lol same. I love other people’s dramas

[@user-lf8zr1cm5i]

HARD SAME

[@mattblissett1966]

Same, politically i may not agree with the creator, but she presents her points with consideration and she collates the horrors with consideration and detail. I subscribed and enjoy her videos.

[@am475]

The one time an author interacted with me was like a decade ago when I was young and had a small book review blog, and to celebrate my one year of blogging I hosted a book giveaway (only open to readers in my country). The author sent me an email basically asking me not to ever do that again because giveaways hurt their sales. Never mind that no one in my country would’ve ever heard of them or been able to buy their book unless they wanted to import it all the way into our country (fat chance). But me being young and feeling guilty just apologised and the experience just scared me off continuing blogging.

[@kierstenhale763]

That doesn’t make sense because to do a giveaway, wouldn’t you have had to purchase the book? 🤣

[@am475]

​@@kierstenhale763 Yeah, their explanation was that people would be holding off on buying the book because they're waiting for results of the giveaway, hence decreasing preorders, hence decreasing retail orders? Something like that. They were really polite about it so I didn't want to make a fuss, but still was a very discouraging experience.

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

Wow that’s ridiculous. That’s great publicity for them, they should have been thanking you!

[@gokuxsephiroth4505]

That's so stupid. You would have had to buy the bloody book, so they'd have already had their sale! That's like saying Christmas is bad for business because everyone's giving the gifts to each other lol

[@CEMonaghanOfficial]

Bruh. That's messed up.

[@Michiiru]

1 star reviews have literally never deterred me from reading a book but authors responding to those 1 star reviews in a weird passive aggressive catty manner makes me avoid them like the plague.

[@cygnonymous]

rachel i just need you to know that "upsetti spaghetti" has permanently entered my vernacular because of you, thank you so much

[@LadyReader]

I was there where all exploded in Camila's bookstagram and goooosh, that woman is insane, telling people that they're dumb because they decided not to read her book after all of this 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ i had no idea about the first things you said, she was already a horrible person and we didn't know 😱

[@eliselapuce]

It's always funny to me how people think they are entitled to other people's money, efforts and time. No, Lucy, people are entitled to make their own decisions, whatever you agree or not with their reasons, AND EVEN IF THOSE REASONS ARE OBJECTIVILY UNFAIR (which they are not in this case, but even so, people are still entitled to do so).

[@MsAdlerHolmes]

Australian here. Yes, the previous government had a terrible habit of giving non-representative people portfolios - e.g. a straight white cis man as Minister of Women, a straight white cis man as Minister for Indigenous Affairs, former fossil fuel business people as Minister for the Environment. But she's absolutely being terfy about it. I'd love a trans woman as our Minister for women.

[@madeleinesim8339]

Agreed! I think this was initially in relation to Tony Abbott, but she for sure used it as a platform/ excuse to be transphobic, too

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

Terfs start from the assumption that trans women are really men. And I just want to shake them and say, what if you tried starting from the assumption that they’re women??? All your concerns evaporate as soon as you realize that trans women are women

[@chelonianmobile]

Round peg as ambassador to a square hole?

[@peggyluwhoreads]

Anybody else get the icks from the way LB kept saying 'Camila' in the messages?

[@peggyluwhoreads]

Also, she's effing trying to hard.

[@LaineyBug2020]

Lol, like it was reminding her of someone she knew?

[@jonnie7891]

It’s so unhinged.

[@Sheena000]

Authors want to profit off their art but get upset when consumers treat it like any other product.

[@belladriggers8210]

I just looked at her GoodReads and she’s left one and two stars on a bunch of books 💀

[@sammyylamb]

Omfg the agency apologizing for her like she’s a bratty toddler with parents that refuse to actually discipline their kids 😭 that’s so embarrassing!!

[@danaslitlist1]

The worst part of this was the publishers response! “Sorry we can’t do anything. We hope we can get more reviews from you!!” Hey, hey guess what? You absolutely can do something, you can tell Lucy to stop being an asshole or you’re dropping her! You could absolutely enforce rules that say this behavior is unacceptable and if little else, paints the publisher and all who are-tied to Lucy’s books in a bad light. This really goes to show how little publishers, agents, authors, etc view reviewers free labor. It’s honestly disgusting and appalling

[@LynxieDove]

Publishing companies are notoriously bad for only looking at the bottom line, that is at how much money they are getting...as well as being shortsighted and not realizing that it's in their longterm best interest to pay attention to authors that are behaving badly...because otherwise, the company could look bad because they are publishing that person's work. But, I think at best they think of it as publicity, as in no publicity is bad. Never mind the fact that while a bunch of people might hate-read someone's book, their not likely to for the next book.

[@annd2631]

From my understanding. It wasnt the publishing company it was the PR firm that kind of connected Lucy's book with reviewers to create buzz. They were hired to promote it. So.. lucy is a client which i think explains their response. The book was self-published, so its unlikely Lucy will drop herself from her own publishing company.

[@danaslitlist1]

@@annd2631 this makes more sense! Thank you!

[@GrayTimber]

Finding out that Lucy is a radfem makes too much sense, I was literally wondering to myself if she were bc of the earlier part of the video where all she did was blame all men even when there were women in same high roles.

[@alex-ex2id]

"Maybe I should be nicer when I'm being mean... nah I don't have it in me" this resonates deeply with me

[@Pharm2be]

I know you can’t judge people based on shallow knowledge but she gives such strong terf vibes

[@Pharm2be]

Ope. Should have waited six minutes. Yeah. I’m pretty sure she’s a terf

[@ladylark10884]

right??

[@Lacmene8]

while rachel doesnt feel comfortable calling her a terf i have no such restrictions, lucy is a transphobe and a terf

[@hershelroswell]

oh no she absolutely is a raging transmisogynist. the talk about "lady bits" made me want to remove my brain and give it a deep-clean

[@AwsomenessRain]

She did straight up call trans women men, so yes she is a trans exclusionary feminist as well as being a transmisogynist.

[@samatavideo]

The whole ad campaign is suspicious af. In and of itself, the hiring of children for that kind of media labor feels coercive, exploitative....and a whole lot like trafficking (which has a much broader definition than we often think of). Also...are we just supposed to be rooting for child labor as "seamstresses" now????

[@junipersbrew]

From the beginning with the award show dust up and then her book titles, I thought, "This woman smells kinda TERFy." Then lo, and behold!

[@fenrik8178]

Any and all campaigns that use pictures or videos of real children or even adults (doesn’t matter if they’re real or not) to raise money always makes me feel uncomfortable. I honestly don’t trust many charities.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I don’t mind ones that interview real adults with their consent, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to have a child portray a “sex worker” in order to get adults to give money. A child cannot possibly understand that long term ramifications of that. I also don’t think having an actual child CSA victim is appropriate. Both are exploiting children.

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

It takes a lot for me to trust a charity 😢

[@taylorgayhart9497]

I want to add one more thing to this whole conversation about “useful reviews”; if someone is creating content, whether it’s for KZbin, TikTok, or Instagram, the point of it isn’t just to be informative, but it’s also meant to be entertaining. I come to your channel because I know you will make me laugh and I like when you do you rant reviews. So a vicious and funny review is useful to me when I’m searching out content for entertainment. I have been in a book rut for two years now, but I still enjoy hearing about your experience when reading a book, and if it’s bad I want to you to tell me how. So authors need to stop using this term “useful reviews” because it’s just asinine.

[@YrkH8r]

I will admit that I've been that author who looks at reviews. I've largely broken myself of the habit over the years, but when I first started ghostwriting in 2016 it was a pretty constant part of my routine. Because I ghostwrote, I couldn't do what Lucy and others in this series do and engage with the commenters, which probably saved me a lot of grief. I've actually had a pretty good track record, with most of the books I've ghosted having mostly four and five-star reviews, with smatterings of threes here and there. Two and one stars were rare, which I think is pretty good when I only have 4-6 weeks to complete a 40k-word first draft to turn in to whoever I'm working for. Still, those rare bad reviews would wreck an entire day and it wasn't good for my mental health. Usually when I give in, it's during a really low stage of depression (I've been diagnosed with bipolar) and I'm looking for that dopamine hit of 'look at what you did right, so you aren't a terrible author.' I really do appreciate the ones that have constructive criticism in them. Now I tend to get that hit from posting fan fiction instead and it's a lot faster engagement too. I do intend to write my own manuscript someday, but I've got a 4-year-old and a baby on the way and I stay home to save money, so there really isn't time to give it the attention it deserves. In a few years, hopefully. I understand the urge to look at reivews, but it never ever ends well. I really, really hope I have the strength to stay away if I get traditionally published.

[@taylorgayhart9497]

This is a new topic for me, so maybe I’m off base, but I honestly think the whole concept of ghost rating is kind of shitty. Like the fact that somebody else is getting credit for work you did kind of sucks.

[@YrkH8r]

@@taylorgayhart9497 I assume you mean ghostwriting not rating, cause that's something different entirely. And it really depends on the situation and the boss. I get paid a flat fee that pays my rent. I'm willing to sell it and it allows me to stay home with my kids, rather than spend a forty-hour work week in a minimum-wage job that I'd just have to turn over to a daycare. Seriously, childcare where I live would eat up almost if not all of my paycheck. It's a marketable skill, just like drawing. Plenty of authors in the professional world employ ghostwriters. James Patterson, for one. My favorite series as a kid was Animorphs and a huge chunk of that is ghostwritten. Pretty much any celebrity's book out there has a ghost to thank for its creation. There are a lot of reasons why people choose to ghostwrite or hire someone to ghost for them. I'm not trying to jump down your throat, if that's what it sounds like. I just get touchy when people talk trash about my profession. It is a job to me and one I'm good at. I do not have the time or resources to sink into doing a novel fit for publication at the moment. This keeps me writing and honing those skills, with the bonus that I'm paid for it. I don't think I'm being used. I'm writing dime store smut or easy mystery novels most of the time and I'm cool with that.

[@urlsisi]

@@YrkH8r Hi! Sorry if this is too much to ask but I would like to know how you got into ghost writing? It sound really interesting and I'm looking for ways to monetize my writing. I have only been able to get jobs translating tho. Sorry if it's too personal or something you don't share.

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

I sometimes ask friends to read and curate reviews for me if I feel like I can’t handle it

[@kellyc4729]

The whole “put good first” reminds me of a struggle we have at work. I’m in corporate communications and wrote an apology letter. Our customer experience team fought me on it because I come out telling the customers what we fucked up first. They wanted to shove a bunch of positive things in it so the problem got pushed to the second page

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Yea that def made the customer experience much better Im sure / heavy sarcasm Its kinda funny you were doing the work better than people who specialises in it. :'3

[@sarhiar8166]

As a second gen khmer daughter. My neck broke to turn back at my screen when I heard this white women doing non profit work in Cambodia. Ofc you can be white and do nonprofit work outside of your own home, but many communities end up feeling uncomfortable because there has been a pattern of exploitation and miseducation of the communities they enter.

[@ussinussinongawd516]

Honestly alot of poorer people do try to enter mission areas just to get their free food and supplies that they occasionally give out

[@skelelizzi]

Lucy Bloom is someone who says they have friends but they just turn up unannounced and get mad when she is told to leave. Her passive aggressive nature that escalates is actually terrifying.

[@floreya67]

Big oooff, thank you, adding Lucy to my 'do not read' list. Thank you for expanding that list with all your wonderful ABB videos!

[@oliviah4731]

Lmao, I was in an argument with someone who told me to always review five stars, even if my review is negative. Like.. no? I'm being an honest reviewer.

[@baby_dino3300]

It really feels like the reason the author gets so upset is that, it feels like, her main character is a 'self insert', so any negativity said about the character traits felt like a direct attack, because the author believes she too has all these traits

[@crizmeow8394]

it's incredible to me that she got so offended by a constructive, regular, personal review. I've been waaay meaner on my reviews and the author did not try to bully me, because publishing something should come with the expectation of the fact that some people will dislike it or outright hate it, and that is okay

[@QueenCloveroftheice]

Me about 10 minutes into the video: getting terf vibes… At 20 minutes: How did I know?! The people who call themselves feminists but then get wildly angry at women are usually terfs

[@batty_cats]

tfw your cat sits on the keyboard and unpauses the video while you're in the shower, so you watch it again because your cat saw it all the first time and not you.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Your cat is my favorite viewer

[@kbird6208]

That is an awesome cat

[@alexisreads]

immediately got the vibe that Lucy and JKR would be friends and those tweets just confirmed my suspicion lol

[@Pipkiablo]

The sex worker bs aside, their 'solution' is to teach her how to sew? I've seen campaigns that did things like that, but it was a solution for adult women that already had large families to feed who couldn't leave their houses to work. It helps them supplement the family's income by giving them something they can do without having to leave their house and their children to fend for themselves. For the children themselves, these same campaigns usually raised money to get them school supplies and equip the local schools so they could get educations and actual better jobs, so that they won't need to be taught to do low income things like sewing to support their families. This campaign's solution just reads like they're teaching children to work in sweatshops.

[@AyakoHideko]

Very much agree! I've looked into the actual organization and they're pretty big and influential inside our country, so I'm pretty sure that they do have an education program for the kids they do take in. I think it's just this one ad campaign being so terrible, both ethically and functionally, that it misrepresented their entire point as well in the process. On top of it being super degrading to the kids they're trying to help, they're also misrepresenting their whole role in helping the kids too, since through my research, it seems that they have been able to help some of their kids get education abroad, as well as a host of other things the kids they do take in choose to pursue outside of education. On one hand, it feels entirely outrageous to me that they even thought that these ad campaign weren't morally reprehensible to publish. On the other, it is also so laughably bad at the job it's doing that I don't entirely know how to feel either. 😭

[@ArriDarling]

When Rachel brought up the little girl in Cambodia, I was reminded about the Chinese Model whose likeness was used to advertise for a plastic surgery clinic. The ad (a family photo) was basically saying how the husband didn't know his wife had surgeries until his ugly children was born. The ad went viral and ruined the model's career because if all the lies and speculation brought on by the internet. In the end, (and hopefully I'm recalling this whole thing correctly) this poor model didn't even know what the photos she had taken were going to being used for. So take aaaallll of that and imagine a child having to go through that... Shame on you Lucy.

[@Kellyc888]

I cannot believe that Lucy claims to be a feminist and then continually tears down other women for using their voice to speak up about things they find problematic. Such hypocrisy!

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yeah she's a hypocrite 💯

[@CEMonaghanOfficial]

Yeah. The louder someone claims to be a feminist, the more sus it is to me. Like, if someone is a feminist, the way they talk about things will make that apparent.

[@taylorgayhart9497]

“Damn. Maybe I should be nicer when I’m being mean… I don’t know if I have it in me.” 🤣🤣🤣 God I love you Rachel!!!

[@nerdypenguin9164]

I always love when authors fixate on one tiny part of a review and completely ignore the rest. Even taking that part out of context that they didnt like. It makes me wonder how they can truly be a writer when they cant even read/interpret a review properly.

[@EstarLevina]

I am releasing a book this summer. I actually hope I get at least one 1 star review because it means enough people read my work for someone not to like it. I'm weird though. Lol

[@dreamer72]

I was scared until I remembered the author I liked was named Judy Blume not Lucy Bloom so crisis averted.

[@skylarjohnson7779]

These authors remind me of when I was 12 and starting to post fan fiction and had no idea how to take criticism because I was 12. They’re acting like they’re 12.

[@SAVYWRITESBOOKS]

i can't get over your eyeshadow in this

[@smiledarnyou]

I was very VERY excited to get this notification during my break this morning. I work at a B&N and I've been crossing my fingers that the negative publicity wasn't going to push actual interest for this book, and thankfully there hasn't been a single order placed for it 😅

[@st4r_k1ll3r]

her first crime was that haircut

[@LoafEnd]

"...her life features many ups and downs which she confronts with copious amounts of energy and optimism." LMAO girl, more like " with copium." Also I literally said to my partner that I didn't know why but she was giving TERF, another win for the subconscious.

[@ohshit4860]

Copium is such a great term, I love it

[@ArcticWolfe84]

The comment about the Minister for Women not being a trans woman definitely has TERF vibes to me, but for a bit more context about the broader issue being addressed: Back in 2013 our Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, declared himself the Minister for Women. This is the same Tony Abbott who was the target of former Prime Minister Julia Gillard's internationally famous misogyny speech. It was...a bad time in Australian politics.

[@snooganslestat2030]

I re read the comment about 1* reviewers being bad lovers a couple times. 😂

[@XxLostFinalGirlxX]

I swear Rachel made a whole poem in the intro of this video and I don't even think she realized it

[@VeggieSwiftie]

This is like when business owners reply to negative comments on Yelp or Google or whatever and berate the reviewer. That reply deters me way more than a negative review.

[@Coyoteari]

I’m new here & making my way thru the ABB playlist, & seeing new disclaimers pop up every couple videos is a wild peek into the bs this poor woman has had to deal with

[@comfortismusic2013]

I remember the sunrise Cambodia campaign being blown up. I was on the website around the time it was live and those three stories rub me the wrong way even at my young age. Sunrise Cambodia ads after that gave me a bit of a little ick. As an Aussie I would like to apologise for these kids being exploited, I know I can’t do anything but I’m sorry.

[@malyceascarlet9837]

The funny thing is she has been accused SEVERAL TIMES of sanitising her own Wikipedia page. Like, she has called the person who summarised the latest controversy a troll, trying to appeal to someone while sources were posted, like?

[@Gigi82knits]

I seek out lower star reviews especially! They are most helpful to find out quickly if I would enjoy the book. If there's a book with only 5 star reviews I'm instantly suspicious. Some of my favourite books aren't even popular. This author is cutting into her own flesh.

[@cascabels]

The fact that 2015 tweet about Lady Parts is the ONLY thing that comes up if you search her Twitter for “trans” even though we’re under constant attack in every English speaking country & many others… she’s such an outspoken girlboss feminist but can’t speak up for trans people? It kinda sounds like she knows her opinion would be very unpopular! Also, speaking of being a girlboss feminist, nothing says respecting women like telling people to “suck a fat one”. That cracked me up.

[@1917yee]

She's a TERF lol

[@staters_college_tagers]

i know rachel shied away from making a judgement call about this, but as someone who has encountered many such types, bloom hits all the flags for somebody who wants to be transphobic and mean but has to maintain social respectability for the sake of her career. i think it’s t-minus about a year til she starts retweeting genuine fash rhetoric

[@dreamgirlfriendevil]

@@staters_college_tagers my thoughts exactly.

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

​@@staters_college_tagers I think it is also so Bloom doesnt come after Rachel with legal threats. Because TERFs have a history of doing that/Bloom would def do that. She seems unhinged enough. Also yea. Maybe the end of this month? Next month? They always go mask off at the end

[@catcat63527]

12:10 I hope that one day, someone makes a expose like this for Rana Ayyub, writer of "Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up". This woman not only misrepresented a horrible incident of independent Indian history and tried to blame the current Prime Minister without any proof, she is also a terrorist sympathiser (you will see what I mean if you read her tweets over the years). Like, she has literally spoken again trail of people who have killed people in hundreds because they are Muslims. During lockdown, she launched a ad campaign titled "Help India Breath" which collected over $300,000. Of this money, she donated less than $20,000 and rest she transferred to the accounts of her father and sister. When the government of India refused to let her leave the country for a conference in Britain, the whole journalist community internationally swooped in saying "India is censoring media". Even the UN account tweeted out saying "India should not retain Rana Ayyub", but then the head of UN social media at the time was a Bangladeshi woman she who is on the run from the government of Bangladesh for money laundering too. So I kind of understand why, but seriously...? Oh, also Washington Post still asks this woman to write for them, so I guess It doesn't matter to Americans that they employ a terrorist sympathiser as long as the terrorists she supports are bombing India and the Arabs. As long as it is not while people, it is all acceptable.

[@Garrison_the_Barbarian]

I’ve written a few brutal book reviews in my day. I’ve also written some fairly tame three-star reviews, one of which caused an author to respond to me with a comment so long that it exceeded the maximum word count. I won’t say this person’s name, but I won’t give him another red cent. Judging from Lucy Bloom’s idiotic behavior, I probably shouldn’t give her the time of day either. Thanks for warning us about her, Rachel. Keep up the good work!

[@thewholekitandkaboodle7569]

I know that this is a very small moment, but kisses are the X in XOXO. The circle is the hugs, because it is supposed to be the circle of your arms. Don’t know how that makes the visual of an X into a kiss, but that’s besides the point lol

[@OryxArya]

Australian here! Just to put Lucy’s original tweet in context, an ex-prime minister, known for his conservative values, homophobia and misogyny was appointed to minister for women during that time. Tony Abbott was also the target of Australia’s only female prime minister’s inspiring Misogyny speech, which is definitely worth a watch. He is against pro-choice and same-sex marriage and is known for eating a whole raw onion on TV once.

[@CEMonaghanOfficial]

Makes it even weirder she was talking about trans women in those tweets, tbh

[@DestinysPookie]

My family comes from Cambodia. thanks for covering the controversy of her "non profit" work (based on lies/deceit). Its a 3rd world country with the stigma for its child sex slavery and for her to tske advantage of that is so vile. i have a niece named Pisey who has dealt with CSA also.

[@watsup47able]

I'm not defending her, and she does seem pretty terf-y, but the whole 'minister for women should be a woman' thing came about because at the time, Tony "onion eater" Abbott (Aussie PM until he was booted out by his own party) made himself minister for women, and no one liked that decision! In her tweets she's tagging Malcolm Turnbull, who was the Aussie PM after Abbott (until he was booted out by his own party, don't get me started on the ridiculousness of late 2010s Aussie politics). Just giving some context, but doesn't excuse her language or actions!

[@lidaw.5145]

For myself, I have a strong stomach when it comes to contents of books, and one-star reviews are a good way for me to distinguish whether the book was one-starred because of the quality of writing or content (for example, Indra Das's The Devourers, whose content turns a lot of people off but that I'm personally fine reading)

[@WitchLunaEstrella]

Gotta love how Lucy (and that one other person) keeps saying the protagonist has flaws and the book is about her mistakes and then doesn't cite any of them as examples. I know some might be spoilers but there's gotta be something she could've said that wouldn't spoil the book as a whole.

[@victoriamoraes4769]

Not me looking in the comments for Lucy’s reaction bc you know she’s *that* kind of person

[@tahliae]

Full disclaimer: US Citizen. BUT I think a trans woman would be an AMAZING Minister of Women. Talk about a ferocious advocate for women having control of their own bodies and equity in general! 😍 Edit: obviously, someone with credentials for the job, but that should go for all political posts 😂

[@themyskira867]

I can offer a little more context to the minister for women thing. The tweet was made on the day that Malcolm Turnbull successfully challenged Tony Abbott for the leadership of the Liberal Party (and as a result replaced Abbott as Prime Minister of Australia). Under Tony Abbott's prime ministership, the federal minister of women was... Tony Abbott. Yeah, he put himself, a cis man, in charge of the women's affairs portfolio. Which tells you just about everything you need to know about the Abbott government. So essentially what she's saying is, 'hey Malcolm, how about we get really revolutionary here and make the next minister for women *not* a cis man?', which is a crack a lot of people were making at the time... except that the wording she went for was "lady bits". Which, okay, it's a throwaway line. It *could* just have been poor wording on her part, doesn't necessarily mean she had any intention of excluding trans women. ...except that her next comment is about excluding trans women from the women's affairs portfolio, despite the fact that we've never even *had* a trans person elected to federal parliament, sooooooo. 🚩🚩🚩 Basically, the first tweet isn't necessarily terfy in context, but when her response to someone pointing out that not all women have so-called "lady parts" is 'yes and this makes them less qualified to represent women as a group', it's kinda hard to read that any other way.

[@likeahorse]

not only is the lady bit thing transmisogynistic, but it's also the classic terf move of forgetting that trans men exist.

[@pandaaaaa4]

26:40 Lucy point no 2: Always leave good comments first, criticisms second Also Lucy: gets pissed when someone did exactly that on insta Note 14:15 when the reviewer leaves good comments and then criticises the characterisation and Lucy gets pissed and whiny Which is it Lucy, which is it.....

[@jgasparmiswiredke]

As an author, it really sucks just how often authors crap on the review space when reviewers owe us nothing. I had sent a book out for a review for the first time last year, and was really anxious about it (first book jitters, I wasn't sure if the book would have any positives in it, generally hoping for like a 3 star) but I knew that a negative review could come despite what I feel about my writing. It just makes it harder for us to get reviewers to give our books a chance because they don't know what kind of an author they're dealing with. And that just hurts everyone, because we use criticism to grow, readers look to reviews to see if a book is worth it, and reviewers are wasting energy policing tone because an author might get butthurt. Though this is just my opinion

[@CelynBrum]

I don't read online book reviews because I don't buy books online. But with computer games, I often find the negative reviews more helpful? When people tell me what they didn't like, I can judge whether those are things that matter to me. Good reviews tend to not say anything I couldn't work out from the adverts.

[@kriscuit]

"soft and squishy" is such a weird way to talk about fat people

[@LaineyBug2020]

The rest of the day I'm goito have to explain "Sorry, I was watching an Author's Behaving Badly rant on KZbin and the creator kept cutting to a meme of that song, now it's stuck in my head! Have you seen Reads With Rachel?" Rachel, what a clever way to get free labor out of me, lol!

[@larissaoliveira6526]

my brain playing the X-men 80's opening every single time that Rachel says "sleep avenger" or "x", that's my hero folks

[@Beccanin]

Ngl it's pretty sad to apparently be selling out books, having lots of support and touring but to spend all her free time essentially stalking people who say anything even vaguely negative about her or her book lol. Surely there's better uses of her time than making herself angry and miserable. Also I love one star reviews, it's such a easy way to see parts of the books content and make a judgement, more often than not someone else hating a book has pointed out aspects I'm interested in. Some of my favourite books have some pretty wild 1 star reviews ripping into them that got me interested to start with lol.

[@jaggerra7]

I think it's because when they write these books they put themselves as the main character, everything they want to be and to have. So a less then glowing review feels like a personal attack on their core selves instead of just a review of a book. They make their insecurities other people's problems. Such shitty behavior is the one thing that makes me avoid reading anything by such an author, something that even one star reviews don't do. There are plenty of one star books that I adore, and just as many 5 star books that I loath, but bad author behavior kills any interest I have in that author's works forever because it flavors everything I would read by them.

[@moemunneymoe]

If I was an author I probably wouldn't be able to not look at reviews but I would NEVER comment on them!

[@deegleffler4887]

I think x is kisses, o is hugs loved this video. Encourage and support women (by telling them they're bad in bed if they dont like ur book)

[@CEMonaghanOfficial]

Mildly obsessed with the last sentence LMAO I needed a good laugh, thanks

[@Eeeli_Jah]

The minute I saw her, I said "why am I getting a TERF vibe from this" and then lo and behold

[@asthmaticbee]

I feel like the only times authors should directly respond to reviews is when explicitly invited to, or answering questions in the questions section on goodreads lol.

[@Blaqueword]

Only time i stand by an author “defending” their work is in the case of the marginalized coming across reviews that are bombing for “identity politics” or racism. I know a few writing peers who have to deal with antiblackness or homophobia in general reviews.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Oh I fully agree with you on this.

[@abigailsalmanac]

I saw a negative tiktok review with only like 60 likes, and she even used a puppet account to attack that reader. On that tiny account!

[@erikdaniels0n]

I saw Camila’s post on Tik Tok before it went crazy viral and have been waiting for this. This woman is unhinged

[@theycallmejodamo]

I mean. Hot take here. But as an author, I kinda love “negative” reviews. Because it gives me drive and a lot of the times, it gives me material to work with. For example: I had one review where someone said “I don’t mind that MC smokes like a freight train, but it’s terrible that he just flicks the butts out and litters like he does”. So now MC has a “butt bottle” he carries in his back pocket so that he’s not harming the planet with his vices. Are all “negative” reviews that spot on? Absolutely not. But are there 20 other rave reviews to occupy myself with? Also no, because I fucking suck at marketing, but that’s another beast lolz 🤣🤣 Either way, the only time a review is for an author is when it’s “When is the next one going to be finished?” Other than that, go write. Or play Brick-N-Balls. Or turn the beat around because you love to hear percussion 💃💃. Or something else productive 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

There needs to be a mandatory lesson before an author gets to publish REVIEWS ARE NOT FOR YOU. BUT FOR OTHER READERS.