Don't Be That Idiot

A brief note about etiquette

Now that most authors have finally gotten the message that sending invitations to strangers to “Like” their author page on Facebook is cringy, here's hoping I can put an end to another noxious and cringy trend — spamming threads.

One of my biggest social media pet peeves is when someone gets on another author's page and promotes their own book. When there's a thread about one author's book and another author interrupts the thread to promote themselves.

“If you like stories about aliens who live in haunted houses and hunt vampires, you should read my book! Here's a link!”

Monumentally bad taste. Just – don’t. Second only to that, is when a well-intentioned reader interrupts a thread about one author to promote another.

“Oh, you like gay, Black, female authors? You should really read this author!”

I get it, you are trying to be helpful and promote your favorite author. Maybe you truly believe that other people in the discussion would love this author too. But that's tacky, and rude, and I would go so far as to say disrespectful. Let the author whose page it is or who the discussion is about, have their moment in the sun. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to promote your favorite authors. This ain’t it. When someone is praising one author, this isn’t the time to promote yourself or another author. That’s desperate, droll, and extremely unprofessional. Have a bit more class.

Now, if you spot a thread titled “Who are your favorite authors?” Or “Do you know of any other books like this?” Feel free to recommend away. I would still hesitate to recommend your own book. That still feels a little desperate and tacky, except under certain circumstances, like the original poster specifically requested that authors recommend their own books.

In a couple months, my most popular novel, The Resurrectionist, will be re-released. I will also be releasing a prequel/sequel to Rabbit Hunt titled Emily. It's the origin story of the crazy goth chick at the end of Rabbit Hunt. Both will be available on my website, Wrathjwhorror.com. I'll promote them both on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, and at every convention and book signing I attend. What I won't do is promote them on your page. What I won't do is interrupt discussions of other author's books to crow about my latest releases.

See, the horror community is small. The Extreme Horror/ Splatterpunk community is even smaller. Pissing off other authors by trying to steal their spotlight can get you a bad reputation. It can get you overlooked for anthologies and conventions. No one wants to share a reading or a panel with the guy who's always trying to hog the spotlight and claim the glory for themselves or their friends. Don't be that idiot. There are so many better ways to promote yourself and your friends. Just — don't.