Picture this if you will. A society where everyone has an anonymous suggestion box at the end of their desk, the side of their car, or even stuck to their back in a kick-me-sign style. Imagine that at any time someone could secretively slip a tiny sheet of paper in there and evaluate your performance. No identity would be tied to the paper. There'd be no retribution for the commentator. Oh what a world.

Think of the grocery clerk that rolled his eyes at you, the police officer who gave you that parking ticket. Think of your boss who always makes you work over time and fill up his coffee. Think of your colleague who is online shopping all day while you bust your bum. Oh, the scathing suggestions you could pen. Imagine the justice scrawled on tiny slips of parchment. 

But our world doesn't work that way. At least not most of the time. Sure, you can complain about your co-worker or tattle on the clerk at the supermarket, but usually you have to march your fanny to a manager and take the time to complain. If you tell your boss, you could risk him or her spilling the beans to your co-worker. And there's probably no suggestions box on the CEO's desk. And if there were, how many brave souls would dare? 

Our world doesn't function with anonymous suggestions and thank goodness. With anonymity, people can become some of the most vile of creatures. Ever heard of internet trolls? What about group riots where faceless looters flip cars and set couches on fire? We need accountability or some of our most base desires take over. We become animals. Me Tarzan. You Jane. 

But what about writing in the 21st century and life on the internet? If you have a book published lately, you know where I am headed. We authors have an anonymous suggestion box posted next to the purchase link of our product. It is the equivalent of Dunkin Donuts having their Yelp reviews scrolling on the brick next to the entrance as you walk in to buy apple fritters. Do reviewers who tear us to shreds have to give their real names? No. Do they have to prove they've actually read our books? No. Do they have to prove they don't have a personal vendetta against us and therefore are plotting to destroy our lives and boil our bunny rabbits? Once again, no. Sometimes I think about the reviewing system I am required to depend upon and feel like crawling into a corner and sucking my thumb. You mean if I tick someone off in real life they can ruin my book career? Why yes, yes they can. Lord help us if that ever happened in real life. Hold onto your butts, workers at the Secretary of State. I'm coming for you. 

And yet, I'm not advocating for any of this to change. We need reviews. We need people able to give honest opinions about products without fear of retribution from product makers. Reviews are essential. I use them all the time. So, why bother bringing it up? I should just talk about something interesting like where the Malaysian airplane went. That sure hasn't been talked about enough. 

The reason I wrote this post is that last week I met with an aspiring teenage novelist. I wish you could have seen her. Her eyes were so bright and sparkly. Her smile was so wide. When she talked about wanting to publish her book on Amazon, my immediate reaction was to dissuade her, which I stopped myself from doing but only barely. What would reviewers do to her wide-eyed wonder? What would her smile look like a few weeks after publication? I wanted to shelter that adorable child and keep her safe from phrases like, "Can I get a BORING!" (Quoted from a review I got this week.). It's a harsh world out there and, baby, it ain't getting any easier.

While I would never dissuade anyone from publishing, I do think a dose of reality can be helpful. If you know of any bright-eyed, aspiring authors, I think it's okay to show them some of your one-star reviews. Maybe it will help them take a little more time before publication. Maybe they'll look into hiring a professional editor. They'll might want to learn the hard way, but we can be there to soften the fall. And it might help them to think of that blinking suggestion box floating over their heads day in and day out. It never goes away. It doesn't answer to reason. And it can have a life of its own. 

In the end, the best we can do is put out a damn fine book and ignore the suggest box. Nay-sayers are mostly nit-wits anyway, right?

What are your thoughts on the realities of harsh reviews? How would you counsel an aspiring author these days? 

Writing is a lonely profession. I spent my first five years as a fledgling writer in isolation. I was an author island, typing away in my armchair day after day with no colleagues, no compatriots, no co-workers. You see, I'm not one of those fortunate people who's married her first reader. My husband is a lovely man. He'll do dishes and put kids to bed until the cows come home, but ask him to read a teen dystopian manuscript and he slowly dies a little each page. There is no one in my household that yearns to read my fiction. I have teacher-writer friends who started reading my work in the beginning, but I knew after a few pages it became tiresome for them. Later I was lucky enough to stumble on some online writer friends who were kind enough to give me feedback on my writing. Writing conferences garnered new friends here and there. It was amazing how exciting it was to talk to fellow authors, to share trade secrets and miseries, to give virtual pats on the back. Insert semicolon smiley face and hug icon here. 

This past year I started talking with some indie authors whose books sat beside mine on the Amazon shelves. I met some amazing people and quickly formed a bond. It was not much later when nine of us decided to pool our resources and form an author collective. I'd seen the Indelibles do it and thought it was brilliant. "You mean you guys work together, support each other and spread the love around? Sign me up." 

Today introduce you to Infinite Ink, my author collective. Please go to the website and poke around. There's a fantastic giveaway, a list of our books, our author bios and free books. These ladies write speculative fiction like me. They are fabulous people. You'll love them and their books. 

Any authors out there who are considering an author collective, I'd recommend it 110% percent. The camaraderie and support has been phenomenal. Not a day goes by that I don't receive valuable information, tips and help. When a bad review gets on of us down, we pump her back up. When a new promotion site pops up, we consult about its worth. We share blog posts, tweets, and jokes. I'm no longer an author island. I'm a guest at the best indie party in town. And the lampshades abound. 

The moral? Find a buddy, a writer friend, someone who's book you've seen on your Amazon shelves and reach out to them. I've found indie authors to be some of the most wonderful people on the internet. Your marketing efforts will be magnified and you'll feel more fulfilled. And if all else fails you'll have lots of couches around the country that you can crash at. 

So what about you? Anyone out there interested in author collectives? Sound off below. 

Greetings, friends. I wanted to take a moment to let you know about an exciting new book by author Dan O'Brien. He's written over 20 books––including the bestselling Bitten, which was featured on Conversations Book Club’s Top 100 novels of 2012. Check out the blurb below.