Official Statement written by Chantal Agapiti

Regarding the events that took place on the social media platform Threads on Thursday, March 19th, 2026.

Dear authors, readers,

I've come to you today to elaborate on the above-mentioned events in my own words. It's been a year and a half since I created a bookshop called The Dreamer's Bookshop, whose purpose is to support fellow indie authors in realizing their dream of having their books on the shelves. And that's what I've been working on ever since.

Over time, we have grown to a small yet great indie community, and we support each other however we can. Being an indie author myself, I know firsthand how difficult it is not only to sell books but to have a meaningful reach and visibility online. Exposing yourself and engaging with people on social media daily is quite demanding, especially when you're neurodivergent, as I am. But I went outside my comfort zone and worked hard to battle the fickle algorithm to obtain a significant reach to support my indie community to the best of my ability.

That's what I was doing on said Thursday, March 19th, when I was engaging with indie authors on Threads. I was reaching out to indie authors who include significant topics like invisible illnesses and diversity in their books. These matter to me as I suffer from Fibromyalgia myself, and I advocate to create awareness. To be seen and understood is everything to people suffering from chronic illnesses, especially when they're invisible to the human eye. Moreover, I embrace diversity in all its forms, and I cheer those who don't fit the mold and stand out against all odds. People like us are often ignored or treated like marginals in this harsh world, which is why we can never highlight it enough.

As I was engaging with indie authors replying to my post, all of a sudden, I was overcome with lots of incoming messages. I was working on my iPad when I received several pop-ups at once with the accompanying beeping notifications, incessantly on my screen. Just imagine walking down the street with flyers in your hands, and you start a conversation with a passerby about your shop. Suddenly, another person arrives and interrupts your conversation, then another joins and another,… You look around and find yourself surrounded by a mob of people you've never seen or spoken to before. And they all keep closing in on you….

I felt overwhelmed; I didn’t understand what was going on. Why, after years of peaceful engagements, was I suddenly targeted and accused with ill words like scammer, predator, telling me to be ashamed, writing in all caps as if they were yelling at me… As a trauma survivor, I felt in danger, panicked, and ran for safety. I felt threatened to the core as my bookshop and our little indie community means everything to me. I burst into tears as if someone had died, as I felt my whole world collapsing in front of me, I couldn’t breathe…

In that moment, I just wanted it to stop, so I deleted that conversation. It only takes a fraction to press a button,  and I wasn’t thinking at the moment; I was only reacting. Full-blown survival mode... It’s so easy from the outside to judge. I wish I hadn’t been triggered and suffered my anxiety attack. Yet I owned it and spoke out. Still no empathy or humanity whatsoever coming from that mob. On the contrary...

Today, Saturday, March 21st, 2026, after two days and a minimum of five indie authors speaking out in my favor, telling the mob that they are wrong, they still haven’t stopped. Nobody has reached out to me since. The mob has been fed a bone to prey on, and that’s what they’ll do no matter what.

The Dreamer's Bookshop is so much more than a point of sale, and I have been honest with indie authors about what to expect when participating, which is great support. The reality is that selling books is hard, so if that’s their main priority, I can’t promise them I will be able to achieve that. But one thing I can assure them is that I’ll work every single day to create reach, visibility, and engagement, which is priceless for us indie authors.

This admission should be seen as proof of transparency and honesty. Just think about it, which business wants to profit from an author, would tell them the shop might not be the right fit for them? Which scammer would do that? Instead, they would make false promises to lure the author in, wouldn’t they?

I would also like to specify why I didn’t tag any of the indie authors from the bookshop, nor have I named any of them by name in these accusatory messages. It's because I respect each and every one of them as individuals, and I would never drag any of them into the mud I found myself in. Those indie authors are not my employees, and they’re free to decide for themselves on how to react. Some went out and faced the crowd, and such spontaneous support should be appreciated even more.

Conclusion: engaging online is like diving into the ocean. You might be so lucky enough to encounter the most beautiful tropical fish you have ever seen. But sometimes you find yourself amongst a frenzy of sharks. When one attacks, they all will join as a group. They won’t see or hear anything other than what they're preying on. And until any of them decides to revert and whistle the others back, I'm afraid they won't stop. The only thing I can wish for is some human decency in realizing one has gone too far, and defamation can have devastating effects on a person's life, career, and mental health.

Words matter, use them with care.

Thank you for reading.

Take care of yourselves,

Chantal Agapiti.