Cait Corrain review bombing controversy

In late 2023, aspiring fantasy author Cait Corrain made multiple fake accounts on Goodreads to review bomb other authors of color. Del Rey Books and agent Rebecca Podos canceled their contracts with Corrain.

Events

On December 5, 2023, Canadian author Xiran Jay Zhao posted on Twitter, "If you as a debut author are going to make a bunch of fake Goodreads accounts one-star-bombing fellow debuts you're threatened by can you at least not make it so obvious". Xiran named the author as Cait Corrain and shared a Google Doc showing screenshots of low ratings from accounts allegedly owned by Corrain.

The fantasy novel Crown of Starlight was scheduled to be Cait Corrain's debut title, scheduled to be published on May 14, 2024 via Del Rey, a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House. As of December 12, Corrain was no longer represented by agent Rebecca Podos. Del Rey and UK publisher Daphne Press also cancelled their contracts with Corrain.

Cait Corrain's responses

Corrain described the negative reviews as having been left by a friend. He provided screenshots of a Discord conversation with a friend, who was later found to be "non-existent". Online users also commented that the list of targeted authors included people of color. Corrain later issued an apology, claiming to have "suffered a complete psychological breakdown" after "fighting a losing battle against depression, alcoholism and substance abuse". They deactivated social media and entered an "intensive psychiatric care" facility on December 12, 2023.

Reception

The controversy was cited by industry professionals as an example of abuses on Goodreads. A February 2024 interview with The Daily Beast gave Corrain's side of the controversy. Corrain blamed the controversy on drug abuse, alcoholism, and ADHD medication, denying that racism played a role.

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References

Category:Controversies