Debut author Audra Winter managed to do what most self-published writers only dream of: turn her first book into a viral sensation before it even hit shelves. Her TikTok campaign for The Age of Scorpius dominated BookTok feeds in the months leading up to release.
Featured VideoShort, cinematic videos teased the story’s sprawling fantasy world, while cliffhanger snippets left potential readers desperate for more. Preorders for the debut novel were equal to the hype around it.
However, the excitement quickly unraveled when the novel finally landed in readers’ hands. By that point, pre-release reviews on the TikTok shop were already locked for those who preordered, so all of the five-star ratings reflected hype rather than actual reading experiences. Once readers finished the book, if they managed to finish it, the tone shifted sharply.
AdvertisementFrom marketing triumph to literary letdown
Many early supporters felt blindsided. The book’s actual content, according to numerous Goodreads reviews, failed to meet the expectations set by its viral campaign. While the premise of a sprawling, emotional fantasy saga sounded promising, readers criticized its execution.
@evanwritesbooks What do you guys think of this whole Age of Scorpius Audra Winter saga? What do you think about her choice to take it down and resell it? I’m fascinated by this whole saga and honestly agree with both the criticisms and the support. #authorsoftiktok #fantasybooktok #booktok ♬ original sound – Evan Pickering
One critical review from Goodreads user Zara summed up the prevailing sentiment. They wrote that the novel was “poorly written, poorly developed, and poorly edited,” even noting misspellings of the author’s own invented words. Characters, they argued, felt “flat and flawless” with little emotional depth. Main character Kaia, framed in the narrative as noble, came off instead as “a bully and a busybody.”
AdvertisementZara also took issue with the author’s decade-long claim of working on the book, suggesting the writing still “reads like it was written by a 12 year old.” Despite multiple rewrites, they concluded, “the author’s writing never developed beyond the skill of a child.”
“While I commend her passion for her project, her success in popularising her book as well as building a fan base before even publishing a single word is her only impressive feat. Perhaps she should consider a career shift to literary marketing.”
Social media reactions
BookTok, which had once propelled The Age of Scorpius into trending status, turned into a forum for disappointment. Reviewers posted reaction videos reading excerpts they found clunky or inconsistent. Many people did a careful analysis and shared their opinions on what Winter could have done better.
Advertisement@k.e.preston_author Who bought Age of Scorpius? Why did you buy Age of Scorpius? Say what you will about Audra Winter, the girl ran a very effective marketing campaign and sold a lot of books. This struggling author wants to know what it was that drew you to this story. #theageofscorpius #audrawinter #booktok #fanart #fantasyart ♬ original sound – K.E. PrestonAuthor
Some fellow authors commended her on getting her first, albeit bad, book out there and urged her to keep writing.
@bydonmartinI hate HOW this is happening for Audra Winter. I don’t think the lesson she needs to learn is to stick with marketing. I don’t think her one book is somehow an indictment of all indies. I think some authors are doing way too much with their almost gleeful feedback. I also think being a “bad” writer is exactly where you should be at 22. Audra is way, way ahead of the curve and I’m sure one day will write a bestseller.
♬ original sound – bydonmartin
On Goodreads, one-star ratings began to outnumber positive ones. The backlash underscored a recurring theme in BookTok culture: a viral campaign can sell a book, but it cannot guarantee a good story.
Advertisement@andidrewcos This is sooo disjointed but heres my thoughts lmao #booktok #indieauthor #audrawinter #theageofscorpius ♬ original sound – Andi Drew
Age of Scorpuis, rereleased
The good news is that Winter has taken all the criticism of her debut novel to heart and is going to be rereleasing it after extensive edits.
AdvertisementShe shared several posts on TikTok with this news, and with any luck, the novel will be as successful as the original marketing campaign.
@audrawrites Thank you for everyone who has given feedback and encouraged me to do better! I want to give you the book you deserve. I recognize that there are so many people trying to help – I got defensive and frustrated readers who were voicing their concern. I’m sorry, and I promise I’ll do better from here on out to focus my attention on refining the story that matters to me more than anything else in the world. Thank you all for your patience with me while I took a few days to recover and process the feedback I’ve received. #theageofscorpius #theworldofgardian #ageofscorpius #booktok #fantasy ♬ original sound – The World of Gardian LLCAdvertisement
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