Current:Home > ContactAuthor Cait Corrain loses book deal after creating fake profiles for bad reviews on Goodreads -Wealth Axis Pro
Author Cait Corrain loses book deal after creating fake profiles for bad reviews on Goodreads
Oliver James Montgomery View
Date:2025-04-09 04:40:37
NEW YORK — A debut author who used fake accounts to "review bomb" other writers on Goodreads has been dropped by her agent and had her book deal canceled.
Cait Corrain's novel "Crown of Starlight" had been scheduled to come out next year through Del Rey, a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House.
She was accused of creating fake profiles on the influential online platform Goodreads, dating back to 2022, and using them to give negative reviews to other debut authors of 2024 and boosting ratings for her book. Corrain admitted to creating at least eight accounts.
Corrain's scandal became amplified after fellow author Xiran Jay Zhao posted a TikTok on Saturday about the allegations, adding that Corrain appeared to mostly target writers of color. She has not addressed those claims.
Both Del Rey and Corrain's agent, Becca Podos, announced this week that they would no longer work with Corrain, who had a two-book deal.
Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist
"We are aware of the ongoing discussion around author Cait Corrain. 'CROWN OF STARLIGHT' is no longer on our 2024 publishing schedule," the publisher announced on X on Monday.
Cait Corrain apologizes, says she made fake profiles amid substance abuse
On Tuesday, days after the scandal broke online among Goodreads users, the author posted an apology on Instagram, blaming her actions in part on struggles with mental health and substance abuse.
"Let me be extremely clear: while I might not have been sober or of sound mind during this time, I accept responsibility for the pain and suffering I caused," she wrote. "And my delay in posting this is due to spending the last few days offline while going through withdrawal as I sobered up enough to be brutally honest with you and myself."
Corrain acknowledged using multiple pseudonyms to disparage such novels by fellow Del Rey authors Molly X. Chang and Danielle Jensen and books by Kamilah Cole and Bethany Baptiste.
Adam McKay accused of ripping off bookto create Oscar-nominated film 'Don't Look Up'
"I boosted the rating of my book, bombed the ratings of several fellow debut authors and left reviews that ranged from kind of mean to downright abusive," the author admitted. "I felt no ill will to any of them, it was just my fear about how my book would be received running out of control."
Goodreads users have previously squabbled over new novels, delaying releases
Goodreads, the Amazon.com-owned site on which readers post reviews, has been involved in previous controversies over online assessments.
In June, author Elizabeth Gilbert postponed a historical novel set in Siberia after hundreds criticized the book, which had yet to be published, as insensitive amidst Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Elizabeth Gilbert delays releaseof new novel set in Russia due to Ukrainian objections
veryGood! (566)
Related
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Inside Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor's Private Family Life With Their Kids
- Brody Jenner and Tia Blanco Are Engaged 5 Months After Announcing Pregnancy
- U.S. files second antitrust suit against Google's ad empire, seeks to break it up
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Treat Williams' Daughter Honors Late Star in Heartbreaking Father's Day Tribute One Week After His Death
- 3D-printed homes level up with a 2-story house in Houston
- Celebrity Makeup Artists Reveal the Only Lipstick Hacks You'll Ever Need
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- The number of journalist deaths worldwide rose nearly 50% in 2022 from previous year
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- How to deal with your insurance company if a hurricane damages your home
- Looking for Amazon alternatives for ethical shopping? Here are some ideas
- The great turnaround in shipping
- Small twin
- Biden, G7 leaders announce joint declaration of support for Ukraine at NATO summit
- For a Climate-Concerned President and a Hostile Senate, One Technology May Provide Common Ground
- Daniel Radcliffe, Jonah Hill and More Famous Dads Celebrating Their First Father's Day in 2023
Recommendation
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
Kourtney Kardashian Debuts Baby Bump Days After Announcing Pregnancy at Travis Barker's Concert
2 Birmingham firefighters shot, seriously wounded at fire station; suspect at large
Khloe Kardashian Congratulates Cuties Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker on Pregnancy
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
At buzzy health care business conference, investors fear the bubble will burst
U.S. hits its debt limit and now risks defaulting on its bills
Daniel Radcliffe, Jonah Hill and More Famous Dads Celebrating Their First Father's Day in 2023
Tags
Like
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Supreme Court’s Unusual Decision to Hear a Coal Case Could Deal President Biden’s Climate Plans Another Setback
- Torrential rain destroyed a cliffside road in New York. Can U.S. roads handle increasingly extreme weather?