A few days ago an author made a teary-eyed, now deleted, post on TikTok about how they\u2019ve just been told that since they were only on the bestseller list for a week, they might be dropped by their publisher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If this was the first time I\u2019d encountered this person\u2019s marketing I\u2019d probably be sympathetic, albeit a bit confounded about the strange claim. But this particular author is known for doing rage and pity marketing. They pulled a similar tactic with the marketing of an earlier book, not to mention their all-around nefarious behavior toward reviewers. This author\u2019s success is built on the narrative of them being under attack, their marketing strategy reliant on new enemies and fights to be had. While rage and pity marketing works in the short term, it has the negative effect of making us more jaded and less receptive to future situations with people getting hurt because of actual hate. We become weary of the situation, afraid that we\u2019ll once again be manipulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The people who turn to rage bait know full well how their fanbase will act when they perceive them to be threatened. Harassment, stalking, worse\u2026.people will be victimized over and over again\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having a fanbase means responsibility. You won\u2019t be able to control what they do, but you can control your own output and how your behavior can effect their actions. From what I\u2019ve seen so far, the author is well aware of their effect on their fanbase and simply doesn\u2019t care what befalls others because of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I get why people turn to rage and pity marketing. It creates a temporary surge of engagement that can be turned into buys and cash. But in long term, it will 100% have a negative \u2013 slowly eating away at the empathy of the reader\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a stitch containing the original video, see below<\/p>\n\n\n\n
@alicesutherlandhawes<\/a> I really hope this is savvy marketing but if not then @Piper CJ you need to run! #literaryagent<\/a> #publishing<\/a> #booktok<\/a> \u266c original sound \u2013 Alice S-H \u2728 Literary Agent<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote>