An author is as likely to be harrassed by an insane critic as a critic is likely to be harrassed by an indignant author. Dealing with crazies online is just part of being online; I don't know what sort of insulation from such retaliation you'd propose.

You still have your manuscript, right? You've posted it online? What stops you from turning it into an ebook and publishing it on Smashwords or CreateSpace or Scribd? Your audience would be small, but you probably would find an audience, with a chance of actually getting noticed if your work really has academic merit.