I have been writing a series of blog post on interactions between author and readers. Although my posts focus more on the how-to-use social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram), overall I believe that the main aim for such interactions is to build relationships.
One news that has been trending this week is ‘Outlander’ television (tv) series, which is based on the book of the same name by Diana Gabaldon. The first episode, which debuted last week, garnered 3.7 million views in USA. That is pretty impressive for an adaptation of a time-travelling historical romance book. Despite the success, it seems that Ms Gabaldon was tactless in her responses to her fans’ comments on the show’s casting.
Diana Gabaldon reacted to fans’ comments on ‘Outlander’ casting
In my humble opinion, only her third paragraph was nicely worded while others are a bunch of rants. I believe that Ms Gabaldon should have carefully-drafted a response to her unhappy fans. First, she could have acknowledged the surge of interest in the production of the tv series. We all know that it is hard to please everyone so that third paragraph would be great for her next sentence. Then she could write that she trusts the judgement of the casting director(s) and/or producers. The actors have been picked because they were brilliant at their audition(s). She could end her post with a good luck wish to the cast and crew.
The important lesson here is that you have to be careful with what you post online. An author is a public figure. Therefore s/he must keep their negative thoughts in check because any negativity is likely to affect the fanbase and/or potential readers. Case in point, Ms Gabaldon has already lost some of her fans.
SS Readers Corner 
Writers rely on readers, they owe them professional courtesy. This was really short sighted of her. She should have been prepared for this reaction when she signed over the rights.
Thanks for the comment. I think she was overwhelmed by the amount of posts (900+) she received, therefore the rants. I agree with you – authors ought to extend professional courtesy to their readers.
Thanks for the blog! The writer reader relationship is always very interesting!
Wow! Bar that third paragraph, she sounded like she got out the wrong side of the bed! Eesh! There is such a thing as diplomacy and understanding and I don’t think she’s grasped that as such. She needs to take a leaf out of Cassandra Clare’s book, who I feel deals with the good and the bad really well.
Thanks for the comment. Which Cassandra Clare’s book are you referring to?