Author Cait Corrain loses book deal after creating fake profiles for bad reviews on Goodreads

NEW YORK — A debut author who used fake accounts to "review bomb" other writers on Goodreads has been dropped by her agent and had her book deal canceled.

Cait Corrain's novel "Crown of Starlight" had been scheduled to come out next year through Del Rey, a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House.

She was accused of creating fake profiles on the influential online platform Goodreads, dating back to 2022, and using them to give negative reviews to other debut authors of 2024 and boosting ratings for her book. Corrain admitted to creating at least eight accounts.

Corrain's scandal became amplified after fellow author Xiran Jay Zhao posted a TikTok on Saturday about the allegations, adding that Corrain appeared to mostly target writers of color. She has not addressed those claims.

Both Del Rey and Corrain's agent, Becca Podos, announced this week that they would no longer work with Corrain, who had a two-book deal.

"We are aware of the ongoing discussion around author Cait Corrain. 'CROWN OF STARLIGHT' is no longer on our 2024 publishing schedule," the publisher announced on X on Monday.

Cait Corrain apologizes, says she made fake profiles amid substance abuse

On Tuesday, days after the scandal broke online among Goodreads users, the author posted an apology on Instagram, blaming her actions in part on struggles with mental health and substance abuse.

"Let me be extremely clear: while I might not have been sober or of sound mind during this time, I accept responsibility for the pain and suffering I caused," she wrote. "And my delay in posting this is due to spending the last few days offline while going through withdrawal as I sobered up enough to be brutally honest with you and myself."

Corrain acknowledged using multiple pseudonyms to disparage such novels by fellow Del Rey authors Molly X. Chang and Danielle Jensen and books by Kamilah Cole and Bethany Baptiste.

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"I boosted the rating of my book, bombed the ratings of several fellow debut authors and left reviews that ranged from kind of mean to downright abusive," the author admitted. "I felt no ill will to any of them, it was just my fear about how my book would be received running out of control."

Goodreads users have previously squabbled over new novels, delaying releases

Goodreads, the Amazon.com-owned site on which readers post reviews, has been involved in previous controversies over online assessments.

In June, author Elizabeth Gilbert postponed a historical novel set in Siberia after hundreds criticized the book, which had yet to be published, as insensitive amidst Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Elizabeth Gilbert delays release of new novel set in Russia due to Ukrainian objections

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cait Corrain loses book deal after 'review bombing' on Goodreads