What's Happened to Respect?

I hate when I see published authors bashing other published authors. I think it's quite fair to say I didn't like Book X or it didn't draw me in or what have you, but when a published author rants on and on in public about Book X being terrible and crap and no one should read it and how did it get published...

Ugh. And really, if you behave that way, the next time I see your book in a store, I probably won't buy it. Is that fair? Maybe not, especially if it's a book I'd otherwise grab in a heartbeat, but it seems in this day and age of say whatever you want, when you want to, people have forgotten a little thing called respect.

I may not like Book X for whatever reason, but I respect the time that the author put into the book. Maybe it's not my cup of tea, but tastes are subjective. No one person is the authority of all things that should be in print.

Maybe this post will piss some folks off, maybe some people will decide not to read any of my work ever, maybe some will even call me naive, and if that's the case, fine. There's a fine line between opinion and bashing and more than ever, people seem to trounce right across it without a second thought.

And when published authors do it, it makes me gnash my teeth. Please, even if you hate their book(s), have a little respect for your fellow authors. And if you must book or author bash, do it in private.