Hi! I don’t really have any new info to update, since I already provided the whole weeklong rundown in my State of the ARC and Monthly Wrap Up posts. This week was mainly focused on accountability and trying to stay on track with scheduling posts on here. 

This week’s prompt came from one of my besties, Sara. We got on the topic of fandoms, and how there are some that cross into toxicity. I know that I’ve seen some toxic fandoms over the years—readers who can’t stand any type of criticism of their favorite books, authors who send their fans after readers who offer a review that has less stars or praise than they think they deserve, even when an author or fandom comes after another book and mass rates it one star. 

The first time I ever encountered a toxic fandom was when I read/watched Stephen King’s Misery. If you don’t know about the story, a romance novelist who is about to end his current series gets into a car wreck and is saved by a super fan who holds him hostage and manipulates him to change the ending. 

In December of 2023, a debut author was dropped by her agent and publisher because she was engaged in review-bombing books by other authors on Goodreads through making fake accounts. 

My own experience with a toxic fandom was when I read a book that came highly recommended on TikTok (I have since learned not to get my recommendations from there) and shared why I rated it so low. The fandom of Zodiac Academy came for me for my opinion, and I still receive comments on the video so often. While a few people shared comments supportive of my opinion, the majority of comments and stitches were outraged that I didn’t like their favorite book.

One example of a toxic fandom gone wild and turning on the author is George R.R. Martin, who is unusual because the A Song of Ice and Fire series developed fandoms for the books and the show. I had read all the books and have been waiting for the next book in the series to come out … since 2011. GRRM has periodically strung his readers along with all the other projects that he works on, including the shows Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, and promises to have the next book out shortly. Unfortunately, the promised dates have all come and gone, and there is no book. The ending of the show left a lot to be desired, and his loyal fans have turned the tables. While I understand the desire for the next book to be written, I can’t get behind bullying the man—it isn’t going to make it happen any faster, and I can just write mildly passive aggressive mentions to him in my posts. 🤣

In the last few years, Colleen Hoover books have exploded on the scene, with one even being made into a recent movie. I read a couple of her books and decided they weren’t for me, but I skated by under the radar of her toxic fandom, who seems unable to accept that everyone isn’t going to like what they like.

For one final example, Anne Rice had a complicated relationship with her own fandom. She took legal action against fans who wrote fanfic of her characters, who she felt protective over. Writing fanfic of Rice’s work is still banned on some sites. 

These are the toxic fandoms I’m aware of, but I want to hear about any you’ve encountered.