Writer Admits Writing Fake Bad Reviews For Non-White Authors

Young adult author Cait Corrain has lost her book deal and been forced to publicly apologize after being exposed for sabotaging her non-white competitors. Corrain admitted to creating multiple fake Goodreads accounts to “one-star bomb” rival authors while lavishing praise on her own upcoming novel.

According to the New York Post, Corrain blamed her actions on struggles with “depression, alcoholism and substance abuse” as well as a recent “complete psychological breakdown.” She explained in an Instagram post that she’d created approximately eight bogus profiles, leaving scathing reviews of several authors’ books that dismissed them as “legitimately awful” and claiming “everyone who says otherwise is on [drugs].”

Among the authors targeted were Molly X. Chang, Danielle Jensen, Kamilah Cole, and Bethany Baptiste, the Post reported. Corrain said her “memories of this are extremely fuzzy” and more authors may have been affected. She also admitted to fabricating a “nonexistent friend” to initially pin the blame on before finally confessing.

Though Corrain accepted “responsibility for the pain and suffering [she] caused,” some authors questioned her explanations. Baptiste said Corrain “lied in public and in private” and “pinned it all on a fictional person.” She described Corrain’s actions as “intentional” and “deliberate,” noting that Corrain continued to lie even after being given the opportunity to come clean.

Bestselling author Xiran Jay Zhao first exposed Corrain’s fake accounts in a public Google Doc, revealing months of review sabotage intended to boost Corrain’s upcoming novel Crown of Starlight. Xiran gave Corrain multiple chances to confess on her own before finally revealing the full extent of her duplicity.

In the aftermath, Corrain’s publisher, Del Rey Books, cancelled her book deal, saying, “‘Crown of Starlight’ is no longer on our 2024 publishing schedule.” Her literary agent, Rebecca Podos, also cut ties, as did her U.K. publisher, the outlet noted.

Xiran was left wondering, “You ever seen someone destroy their own life?” and suggested that jealousy ultimately motivated Corrain.

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