mordantata:

barbex:

knightjeran:

apentomyheadandimdead:

Yes, it’s true. And it seems that many people do not know this.

When you bookmark something on AO3, you can choose to add tags or comments, but these are not private! The author can see these!

So don’t be rude! Don’t be an ass and leave something in your bookmarks that you wouldn’t tell the author.

to add a few more

but then there’s this???

If you, as a reader wants to put some critical remarks on your bookmark, please make the bookmark private. 
Seeing those comments really hurts writers.

Fanfiction is not the same as professional writing and shouldn’t be treated as such. A lot of writers are just writing to relieve stress or for fun, and if they don’t specifically ask for criticism assume that your critiques and negative ‘reviews’ are unwanted. The content you are seeing is free, remember that.

Imo this is the same as if someone loaned you their notebook with their writing in it, even if you didn’t like it would you leave a review because ‘they let you see it so’? It’s very easy to not leave negative comments or critiques when they aren’t asked for, or at least make them private.

I will say, I love reading the bookmarks on my fic because you get some AMAZING gems that give me great feedback as to what works in a story. Also, you get things like THE BEST COMMENT I HAVE EVER GOT ON A THING. I would never have seen this if I hadn’t been someone who read my bookmarks. Bask in its glory:

This is the worst story I’ve ever read I hate it so much I wanna burn it to the ground then bake the ashes into cookies and eat them and cry like a big baby loser thinking about how much I hate this wonderful perfect too good for this world story

I legitimately fistpumped when I read it the first time, and it brightens my day EVERY SINGLE TIME I read it.

(the story in question, for the curious)