Author Support Group discussion
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Amazon Smear Campaign

What you are going through is like my situation to the 100th power. The fact that this person posts identical reviews is a little bizarre, but to act as though any review in your favor (or any comments in your favor for that matter) are attacks borders on the psychopathic. :-/ (It also wouldn't be the first time we have seen authors and readers deliberately sand-bagging stories, either. It's truly unfortunate.)
I take the attitude that some people will like my book and others will not. I hope that it makes them think.
I make no bones about the fact that I stopped reading romances. When you asked me to read "Heartless," I was happy to oblige but didn't have any expectations. That you made me care enough about your characters to cry was a surprise. Anyone who wants to sandbag an emotionally honest book is cordially invited to go to "Halifax."

Personally, I would ignore it and start to think of a way to get honest reviews to get your rating back. Obviously (and you stated this above), not everyone is going to love your work.
It seems as if the above reviewer is actually a publisher and reviewing books that they carry (5 stars, 5 stars, 5 stars). They are simply slamming their competition. Anyone interested in buying your books could click on the negative reviewer name and see that they are rating their own books. To me, that discredits the review. Good luck!

Robert wrote: "Could you report this to Regency. When you lose they lose. I read your post but didn't see anything about Regency. Did I miss it?"
(Regency is just the type of romance that this other author and I both write. The stories take place in England, usually between the years of 1811-20.)
So, I'm not just imagining things here? Is this really happening? I am having trouble believing this of another human being. And it is so bizarre because she's been accusing me of everything she seems to be doing herself. Multiple profiles, bogus reviews, marking other reviews unhelpful, vicious attacks, etc. I feel like I'm trapped in some sort of weird twilight zone episode!
On an up note, in the four days since the nasty reviews went public, my Kindle sales more than doubled. Is it possible that her nastiness is making people curious?
Does anyone think I should at least report "Rebus" to Amazon for plagiarizing Gail Wagner's review?
(Regency is just the type of romance that this other author and I both write. The stories take place in England, usually between the years of 1811-20.)
So, I'm not just imagining things here? Is this really happening? I am having trouble believing this of another human being. And it is so bizarre because she's been accusing me of everything she seems to be doing herself. Multiple profiles, bogus reviews, marking other reviews unhelpful, vicious attacks, etc. I feel like I'm trapped in some sort of weird twilight zone episode!
On an up note, in the four days since the nasty reviews went public, my Kindle sales more than doubled. Is it possible that her nastiness is making people curious?
Does anyone think I should at least report "Rebus" to Amazon for plagiarizing Gail Wagner's review?

That seems like a reasonable action to me.

What's a publisher doing having this sort of dialogue on an Amazon page anyway? Is that normal? I've never seen a publisher leave a positive review for a book its published either though. That made me boggle a bit.
J. Mullally (who loves The Mistaken Miss) wrote a negative review for Heartless, your brother posted a calm response (not an attack), and then L And S Video, Inc. (who also loves The Mistaken Miss) feels the need to come to J. Mullally's aid? And we're supposed to believe they're not connected in some way.
The comments do seem personal to me, designed to squash the competition (you). Seems that this person believes there aren't enough readers to go round. How bizarre.
I had a similar thing happen last year, but luckily the person chose Youtube as their battle ground, and I could delete all of their comments. They didn't take it to Amazon.
I would contact Amazon about the plagiarism. After all, the reviews are supposed to relate to your book, not someone else's. Perhaps Amazon will then look at things a bit closer.
One thing's for sure... I would never submit my book to HerStory Books.
I'm very sorry that this is happening to you, Jaimey. The rotters.
Sharon wrote: "Jaimey wrote: Does anyone think I should at least report "Rebus" to Amazon for plagiarizing Gail Wagner's review?
That seems like a reasonable action to me."
Does anyone know how to do that? I mean, without it looking like I'm just trying to get neggo reviews removed from my own books for obvious reasons?
Gina wrote: "Do they (whoever they are) think that you are Gail Wagner (or that you have roped in someone else's help), and that you left the negative review for "The Mistaken Miss"? "
That's what I've gathered from their angry diatribe. They are apparently also blaming me for the two 1-star reviews that were left a few months ago for two other MacMurrough books. Those reviews were attacked by Mullally and a few of her other profiles, too. Maybe she needs someone to explain to her that not everyone will like "Ms Macmurrough's" books.
Gina wrote: "What's a publisher doing having this sort of dialogue on an Amazon page anyway? Is that normal?"
My husband said the same thing. We have suspected from the start that HerStory Books is actually owned by J.Mullally who writes under the name of Sorcha MacMurrough. We found it distinctly suspicious that the ONLY Regency romances published by HerStory Books were the ones written by MacMurrough. In fact, I think the only books published by them at all are Sorcha MacMurrough books of various romance sub-genres.
Gina wrote: "The comments do seem personal to me, designed to squash the competition (you)."
Heartless used to have the top spot in the Kindle store for "regency romance" in Amazon search. Betrayal is nearly top in the regency romance community. Hence, the reason my books have suddenly been tagged "not" regency romance.
I'm glad your smearer finally dropped it, Gina. It is such an unlovely, heartbreaking position in which to find yourself.
That seems like a reasonable action to me."
Does anyone know how to do that? I mean, without it looking like I'm just trying to get neggo reviews removed from my own books for obvious reasons?
Gina wrote: "Do they (whoever they are) think that you are Gail Wagner (or that you have roped in someone else's help), and that you left the negative review for "The Mistaken Miss"? "
That's what I've gathered from their angry diatribe. They are apparently also blaming me for the two 1-star reviews that were left a few months ago for two other MacMurrough books. Those reviews were attacked by Mullally and a few of her other profiles, too. Maybe she needs someone to explain to her that not everyone will like "Ms Macmurrough's" books.
Gina wrote: "What's a publisher doing having this sort of dialogue on an Amazon page anyway? Is that normal?"
My husband said the same thing. We have suspected from the start that HerStory Books is actually owned by J.Mullally who writes under the name of Sorcha MacMurrough. We found it distinctly suspicious that the ONLY Regency romances published by HerStory Books were the ones written by MacMurrough. In fact, I think the only books published by them at all are Sorcha MacMurrough books of various romance sub-genres.
Gina wrote: "The comments do seem personal to me, designed to squash the competition (you)."
Heartless used to have the top spot in the Kindle store for "regency romance" in Amazon search. Betrayal is nearly top in the regency romance community. Hence, the reason my books have suddenly been tagged "not" regency romance.
I'm glad your smearer finally dropped it, Gina. It is such an unlovely, heartbreaking position in which to find yourself.

Your situation is a heartbreaking one and one I am all too familiar with. You are not the only author who is receiving bogus reviews on Amazon. Many authors have been receiving the same vicious attacks that you have been experiencing. I have recently discovered that some authors are using a website which posts self-written reviews from multiple third party accounts for their books. I have a suspicion that many of these same authors are using this site to post bogus reviews for their competition.
I am aware of at least 2 authors who are using multiple accounts to post negative reviews for authors who write the same genre of fiction that they do. Incidentally, they never go after the authors who don't sell books, only the popular ones. It was one of these same authors who through their smear campaigns found a way to get me banned from Amazon.
Like the others have mentioned, I would suggest that you bring your situation to the attention of Amazon. Had I done so instead of trying to take my attackers on I would still be able to participate in the amazon Forums. You need to nip this in the bud before it gets any worse. But don't stop doing your usual Amazon activities otherwise the people attacking you will think they have won and will probably do the same to someone else.
Kevis wrote: "I have recently discovered that authors are using a website which posts multiple reviews for their books."
I don't understand. This website posts more than one review for a book, posting each review as a different reviewer?
All of this sucks! I have been warned over and over about readers and how not all will like my books and some will hate it, some of them enough to say so. That's fine, we're all entitled to our opinion. No one ever mentioned there may be other authors out there who hate me just because I'm writing the same genre.
Kevis wrote: "Like the others have mentioned, I would suggest that you bring your situation to the attention of Amazon. Had I done so instead of trying to take my attackers on I would still be able to participate in the amazon Forums. You need to nip this in the bud before it gets any worse."
That's what I'm afraid of, getting banned. Amazon is the only place my book is for sale because I chose to go with CreateSpace for publishing services, an Amazon company. Upside, I do still retain full rights and can go with another self-publisher if it comes to that.
I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I've been targeted due to sales rank and popularity. Small comfort but it is something.
The biggest problem I see here is the fact that J.Mullally, she who basically started it all, is an Amazon Vine Reviewer. I do not know how to fight someone who has already gotten Amazon's attention enough to be invited into that program.
Does anyone know the email address for Amazon's "complaint" dept? I have searched the help site and can't find one. I know they are not the best for putting that kind of info in easy-to-find places.
I don't understand. This website posts more than one review for a book, posting each review as a different reviewer?
All of this sucks! I have been warned over and over about readers and how not all will like my books and some will hate it, some of them enough to say so. That's fine, we're all entitled to our opinion. No one ever mentioned there may be other authors out there who hate me just because I'm writing the same genre.
Kevis wrote: "Like the others have mentioned, I would suggest that you bring your situation to the attention of Amazon. Had I done so instead of trying to take my attackers on I would still be able to participate in the amazon Forums. You need to nip this in the bud before it gets any worse."
That's what I'm afraid of, getting banned. Amazon is the only place my book is for sale because I chose to go with CreateSpace for publishing services, an Amazon company. Upside, I do still retain full rights and can go with another self-publisher if it comes to that.
I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I've been targeted due to sales rank and popularity. Small comfort but it is something.
The biggest problem I see here is the fact that J.Mullally, she who basically started it all, is an Amazon Vine Reviewer. I do not know how to fight someone who has already gotten Amazon's attention enough to be invited into that program.
Does anyone know the email address for Amazon's "complaint" dept? I have searched the help site and can't find one. I know they are not the best for putting that kind of info in easy-to-find places.
Another question:
Should I blog this, try to get Amazon's attention? I am no good at these cloak and dagger machinations. (Not in real life, anyway. LOL)
Seriously, I have no problem with negative reviews. These most recent are obviously bogus, however, and that just is NOT acceptable. How do I make my point with Amazon without sounding like just another disgruntled author?
Should I blog this, try to get Amazon's attention? I am no good at these cloak and dagger machinations. (Not in real life, anyway. LOL)
Seriously, I have no problem with negative reviews. These most recent are obviously bogus, however, and that just is NOT acceptable. How do I make my point with Amazon without sounding like just another disgruntled author?


(I always knew that my forensics background would come in handy, LOL.)

Thank you for the link, Stuart. I really appreciate all the support. :o)
Here is the email I just sent to Amazon:
"Dear Amazon,
I recently received two identical negative reviews for two of my books. While I have no problem with negative reviews normally, these two happen to be identical to each other as well as identical to a review left for someone else's book by a different reviewer/profile. Below are the links to the three reviews:
Review posted by "Gail Wagner" on July 20 for The Mistaken Miss by Sorcha MacMurrough: http://www.amazon.com/review/R11ILOQS...
Review posted by "Rebus" on July 22 for Redemption by Jaimey Grant: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1LISKIA...
Review posted by "Rebus" on July 22 for Heartless by Jaimey Grant: http://www.amazon.com/review/R5MJQX2T...
I assume with copyright laws that this is plagiarism. I thought this should be brought to your attention since I know this against Amazon policy. It had occurred to me that this could actually be one person using two profiles and therefore well within their rights. However, the reviewer named "Rebus" also left a 5-star review for The Mistaken Miss by Sorcha MacMurrough. Link: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3LMPOTF...
On another matter, there are numerous accusations from a few different profiles claiming that I am using multiple profiles to sandbag the author Sorcha MacMurrough and her supporters. Obviously, the accusations are coming from her supporters. I do not know why they are accusing me of this activity or what benefit they think it will be to them or Ms MacMurrough but I would like it to stop. I have never read or reviewed a book by Sorcha MacMurrough. The majority of the accusations can be found in the second comment on Gail Wagner's review of The Mistaken Miss, link here and noted above: http://www.amazon.com/review/R11ILOQS...
Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Laura J Miller
Author Jaimey Grant"
I will let you all know what their response is...if I even get one...
Here is the email I just sent to Amazon:
"Dear Amazon,
I recently received two identical negative reviews for two of my books. While I have no problem with negative reviews normally, these two happen to be identical to each other as well as identical to a review left for someone else's book by a different reviewer/profile. Below are the links to the three reviews:
Review posted by "Gail Wagner" on July 20 for The Mistaken Miss by Sorcha MacMurrough: http://www.amazon.com/review/R11ILOQS...
Review posted by "Rebus" on July 22 for Redemption by Jaimey Grant: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1LISKIA...
Review posted by "Rebus" on July 22 for Heartless by Jaimey Grant: http://www.amazon.com/review/R5MJQX2T...
I assume with copyright laws that this is plagiarism. I thought this should be brought to your attention since I know this against Amazon policy. It had occurred to me that this could actually be one person using two profiles and therefore well within their rights. However, the reviewer named "Rebus" also left a 5-star review for The Mistaken Miss by Sorcha MacMurrough. Link: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3LMPOTF...
On another matter, there are numerous accusations from a few different profiles claiming that I am using multiple profiles to sandbag the author Sorcha MacMurrough and her supporters. Obviously, the accusations are coming from her supporters. I do not know why they are accusing me of this activity or what benefit they think it will be to them or Ms MacMurrough but I would like it to stop. I have never read or reviewed a book by Sorcha MacMurrough. The majority of the accusations can be found in the second comment on Gail Wagner's review of The Mistaken Miss, link here and noted above: http://www.amazon.com/review/R11ILOQS...
Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Laura J Miller
Author Jaimey Grant"
I will let you all know what their response is...if I even get one...

Best of luck, Ross

That email that you sent to Amazon is an excellent start to resolving your problem. However, Amazon sometimes takes their good time about responding to emails. You may also want to talk to an Amazon rep.
If you visit Amazon's online help department and click on "contact us", you can choose to use the phone service to have Amazon call you. I have used this option before and it normally only takes them a few seconds to call you back. I really hope Amazon is aggressive in getting to the bottom of this situation.
Kevis wrote: "Jaimey,
That email that you sent to Amazon is an excellent start to resolving your problem. However, Amazon sometimes takes their good time about responding to emails. You may also want to talk to..."
I used the same link that takes you to the phone option but selected email instead. I'm supposed to hear back from them within 12 hours. If I don't, I'll try the phone option. :o)
Thanx again, everyone, for your help.
That email that you sent to Amazon is an excellent start to resolving your problem. However, Amazon sometimes takes their good time about responding to emails. You may also want to talk to..."
I used the same link that takes you to the phone option but selected email instead. I'm supposed to hear back from them within 12 hours. If I don't, I'll try the phone option. :o)
Thanx again, everyone, for your help.

After I wrote that I wouldn't submit my book to HerStory Books, I looked for the submission guidelines too and was surprised to find nothing at all. I thought that all publishers said something about sending in manuscripts, on account of them being... well, publishers... who need books to publish.
For publishers, they certainly do leave a lot of typos about the place.
I think you are doing exactly what needs to be done Jaimey. Please, let me and everyone else in the group know if there is anything we can do to help out. It's disgusting what some people will do to others. As authors, I feel theres is a kind of bond between us, not friction as if we need to be adversaries.
To quote the famous Mike Gundy: "Makes me wanna puke!"
To quote the famous Mike Gundy: "Makes me wanna puke!"
Just back from vacation and catching up. This is a hot mess! How could anyone defend a review that was cut and pasted. Ridiculous! I can tell you are sick about it because you take pride in your work and you review with great care and integrity.
I wish more people were like you in there approach but sadly when people feel threatened or empowered they sometimes allow themselves to be insensitive and cruel.
I wish you the best in this situation.
I wish more people were like you in there approach but sadly when people feel threatened or empowered they sometimes allow themselves to be insensitive and cruel.
I wish you the best in this situation.
Madison wrote: "...you review with great care and integrity. I wish more people were like you in there approach but sadly when people feel threatened or empowered they sometimes allow themselves to be insensitive and cruel."
I wish it were that simple. I've NEVER reviewed a book by Sorcha MacMurrough. Never. The two people who have dared to go against the popular reviews already left for her books were basically told their opinions are wrong. These MacMurrough supporters have decided that because I received negative reviews, it must be me in disguise. Apparently, only a disgruntled fellow author can possible find fault with MacMurrough's writing...
Jj wrote: "As authors, I feel theres is a kind of bond between us, not friction as if we need to be adversaries."
I know. Does she actually believe that a reader wants only one book, ever? Or one author, ever? Like Gina said, there are more than enough readers to go round.
You know what the real kicker is? I had tagged all Sorcha's books several months ago before this all happened. And if these "people" are not her (which I highly doubt), I am deeply sorry for all the crap they are doing on her behalf. At one time, I was actually disappointed that her books were only available for the Kindle, a device I can't see myself paying $400 for. I wanted to buy a paperback and give her a shot as a new author. Now, I wouldn't be able to read it without a feeling of dislike, which is truly sad--if she's not the instigator.
I just received this email from Amazon:
"Hello Laura,
I've removed the review you noted, and it should disappear from Amazon.com soon. We want our review forum to be a place for constructive reviews that may be useful to other customers, and I thank you for bringing this to our attention.
We hope to see you again soon.
Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:
If yes, click here:
*****
If not, click here:
*****
Please note: this e-mail was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming e-mail.
To contact us about an unrelated issue, please visit the Help section of our web site.
Best regards,
Courtney
Amazon.com
We're Building Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company"
No mention of the other matter. Should I send a new email in regard to the other matter or just let it go?
My husband warned me that those reviews may return, slightly reworded. He's probably right.
Here's something interesting my brother found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herstory
Until later...
I wish it were that simple. I've NEVER reviewed a book by Sorcha MacMurrough. Never. The two people who have dared to go against the popular reviews already left for her books were basically told their opinions are wrong. These MacMurrough supporters have decided that because I received negative reviews, it must be me in disguise. Apparently, only a disgruntled fellow author can possible find fault with MacMurrough's writing...
Jj wrote: "As authors, I feel theres is a kind of bond between us, not friction as if we need to be adversaries."
I know. Does she actually believe that a reader wants only one book, ever? Or one author, ever? Like Gina said, there are more than enough readers to go round.
You know what the real kicker is? I had tagged all Sorcha's books several months ago before this all happened. And if these "people" are not her (which I highly doubt), I am deeply sorry for all the crap they are doing on her behalf. At one time, I was actually disappointed that her books were only available for the Kindle, a device I can't see myself paying $400 for. I wanted to buy a paperback and give her a shot as a new author. Now, I wouldn't be able to read it without a feeling of dislike, which is truly sad--if she's not the instigator.
I just received this email from Amazon:
"Hello Laura,
I've removed the review you noted, and it should disappear from Amazon.com soon. We want our review forum to be a place for constructive reviews that may be useful to other customers, and I thank you for bringing this to our attention.
We hope to see you again soon.
Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:
If yes, click here:
*****
If not, click here:
*****
Please note: this e-mail was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming e-mail.
To contact us about an unrelated issue, please visit the Help section of our web site.
Best regards,
Courtney
Amazon.com
We're Building Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company"
No mention of the other matter. Should I send a new email in regard to the other matter or just let it go?
My husband warned me that those reviews may return, slightly reworded. He's probably right.
Here's something interesting my brother found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herstory
Until later...


And it can happen to any of us, at any time... just because we're published and are relatively easy targets.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I now have a blueprint on how to drive my sales up. I have officially begun my smear campaign against Steven King and Dean Koontz and anyone else who gets in my way. Lookout bestseller list! Here I come!

Yeah, I'm just going to sit back for now and try and get back to writing. I need a nice dose of unreality, I think...
My oldest brother (I have three brothers) has been doing a little more digging into a couple of the Amazon profiles that have been involved in the smear campaign. He found one that seems to be related to the previous ones, EternalSpiralBooks. Here is a quote from their website:
"We publish romance in all genres through the HerStory Books imprint. Please visit the site for our latest titles, free newsletters and more: HerStory Books"
EternalSpiralBooks is yet another SUPER FAN of MacMurrough. So far, as far as I know, the only time these people have actually mentioned me by name is in the comment by HerStory Books in reply to the review from Gail Wagner. I'm sure that will change now that those reviews have been removed.
Meanwhile, I changed my Amazon profile name to reflect my real name, Laura Miller, complete with "real name" badge. She can't claim I'm Gail Wagner anymore, who also has a "real name" badge. My oldest brother's profile also reflects his real name and we told our younger brother to do the same. (It was my younger brother who made the comment to Mullally's review.)
What a sad, sad world to live in. I have heard of cyber-bullies but this is my first real dose of one.
I really, really need to get back to writing. My husband is concerned that this situation has taken too much valuable writing time away from me. I suppose that means, in a way, she's winning.
"We publish romance in all genres through the HerStory Books imprint. Please visit the site for our latest titles, free newsletters and more: HerStory Books"
EternalSpiralBooks is yet another SUPER FAN of MacMurrough. So far, as far as I know, the only time these people have actually mentioned me by name is in the comment by HerStory Books in reply to the review from Gail Wagner. I'm sure that will change now that those reviews have been removed.
Meanwhile, I changed my Amazon profile name to reflect my real name, Laura Miller, complete with "real name" badge. She can't claim I'm Gail Wagner anymore, who also has a "real name" badge. My oldest brother's profile also reflects his real name and we told our younger brother to do the same. (It was my younger brother who made the comment to Mullally's review.)
What a sad, sad world to live in. I have heard of cyber-bullies but this is my first real dose of one.
I really, really need to get back to writing. My husband is concerned that this situation has taken too much valuable writing time away from me. I suppose that means, in a way, she's winning.

I hope the 'real name' changes make this person sit up and think. I altered mine to show it was my 'real name' after my 'problem writer' insisted I was a male who'd left a negative review for her. Mind you, despite both myself and her reviewer having the 'real name' tag now, she still thinks I'm him.
I imagine that your 'problem' believes you are a number of people simply because that's exactly what she is. We get tarred with the same brush.
Amazing, isn't it? I keep trying to wrap my brain around this behavior, trying to understand a person who thinks this is acceptable. At first, I thought it was one, maybe two people with multiple profiles, but now I wonder if you may be right. Perhaps there is actually a group of people who all believe they are right in their behavior--although their accusations toward me seem to imply that they know better.
If anybody is willing, here are the links to the reviews for each of my books. I would really, really appreciate it if some of you could read all the reviews, marking them helpful. Only if you find them helpful, though. I feel so bad that these people have brought the helpful percentages of my readers/reviewers so low.
Spellbound: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IZZ2S6
Heartless: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IZZ2RC
Redemption: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J6N9LQ
Betrayal: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IKKMEA
If anybody is willing, here are the links to the reviews for each of my books. I would really, really appreciate it if some of you could read all the reviews, marking them helpful. Only if you find them helpful, though. I feel so bad that these people have brought the helpful percentages of my readers/reviewers so low.
Spellbound: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IZZ2S6
Heartless: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IZZ2RC
Redemption: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J6N9LQ
Betrayal: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IKKMEA

Oops, sorry... I wasn't clear there. What I meant was that she thinks that your brother and her negative reviewer are all you because she is pretending to be multiple people and has no difficulty imagining other people being equally devious.
This seems like just the one entity to me. Or maybe one and her best friend.
Ah. I get it now. I do think there may be more than two, possibly. But the fact that there is only one in the group with a "real name" badge makes me wonder.
When I set up my real name, they offered me "Laws of Nature" as a possibility since I have my business card on file with Amazon. (I have a super tiny bath and body store on ebay with a bank account to match.) If this HerStory or EternalSpiral are legit, why don't they have something similar?
When I set up my real name, they offered me "Laws of Nature" as a possibility since I have my business card on file with Amazon. (I have a super tiny bath and body store on ebay with a bank account to match.) If this HerStory or EternalSpiral are legit, why don't they have something similar?

I think that as reviews can impact upon book sales, and are therefore fiddling with a person's livelihood, Amazon should make all accounts 'real name' ones. Anonymity can make people feel that they can do/say anything without consequence.
Gina wrote: "I think that as reviews can impact upon book sales, and are therefore fiddling with a person's livelihood, Amazon should make all accounts 'real name' ones. Anonymity can make people feel that they can do/say anything without consequence."
I agree. Totally. I think this would really cut down on the nastiness. Although, Gail Wagner sure didn't care if everyone knew she was the one to write the original "Don't waste your money!" review. And, despite everything, I have to admit that her review was excessively nasty.
I agree. Totally. I think this would really cut down on the nastiness. Although, Gail Wagner sure didn't care if everyone knew she was the one to write the original "Don't waste your money!" review. And, despite everything, I have to admit that her review was excessively nasty.

Jaimey,
You must be a shoemaker with your own set of helpful Elves. Your sales pages look much better now. ;)
UPDATE!!!
It seems Amazon, having speedily deleted the plagiarized reviews, is now looking into the comments situation. The comments were deleted from the negative review of Heartless but the ones on Spellbound remain. Amazon also deleted the comments for two negative reviews Sorcha MacMurrough received, both of which included comments that specifically named me as the instigator of the whole situation. There is still one of MacMurrough's reviews that retains its comments, one of which does include my name.
I have not received an email from Amazon in regard to this situation so I can only assume they are still looking into it.
Thanx again, everyone, for all the love and support! :o)
Oh, and I have to correct a statement I made in an earlier post: There is one other profile in this group of person(s) who are targeting me who uses the "real name" badge. Accent Marketing Group and J Mullally are the only two with real names.
I already feel so much better about all of it. :o)
On a semi-related note: I am running a poll on my blog. Publisher Reviews: Do They Matter? If you get the chance, stop by and vote, leave a comment if you have more to say about the subject.
http://jaimeygrant.blogspot.com
(And I wouldn't object at all if you decided to "follow" my blog. LOL)
It seems Amazon, having speedily deleted the plagiarized reviews, is now looking into the comments situation. The comments were deleted from the negative review of Heartless but the ones on Spellbound remain. Amazon also deleted the comments for two negative reviews Sorcha MacMurrough received, both of which included comments that specifically named me as the instigator of the whole situation. There is still one of MacMurrough's reviews that retains its comments, one of which does include my name.
I have not received an email from Amazon in regard to this situation so I can only assume they are still looking into it.
Thanx again, everyone, for all the love and support! :o)
Oh, and I have to correct a statement I made in an earlier post: There is one other profile in this group of person(s) who are targeting me who uses the "real name" badge. Accent Marketing Group and J Mullally are the only two with real names.
I already feel so much better about all of it. :o)
On a semi-related note: I am running a poll on my blog. Publisher Reviews: Do They Matter? If you get the chance, stop by and vote, leave a comment if you have more to say about the subject.
http://jaimeygrant.blogspot.com
(And I wouldn't object at all if you decided to "follow" my blog. LOL)
That's great Jaimey. Glad they took care of it. It's nice to know that someone can't get away with that type of behavior.
Jj wrote: "That's great Jaimey. Glad they took care of it. It's nice to know that someone can't get away with that type of behavior."
I know. I was so afraid they might. And I don't think it's totally over yet. We'll see what Amazon ultimately decides to do. I know none of the profiles will disappear. Amazon won't "remove" any of their customers over such a trifling matter. But I wouldn't be totally surprised if Amazon decides to remove our ability to leave comments. Even mine.
I know. I was so afraid they might. And I don't think it's totally over yet. We'll see what Amazon ultimately decides to do. I know none of the profiles will disappear. Amazon won't "remove" any of their customers over such a trifling matter. But I wouldn't be totally surprised if Amazon decides to remove our ability to leave comments. Even mine.
New update (and typical of Amazon, I might add):
Ignore what I said earlier. The comments have all returned. Go figure. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if anything else happens.
I will wait much longer next time before I post anything. Sorry. :o)
Ignore what I said earlier. The comments have all returned. Go figure. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if anything else happens.
I will wait much longer next time before I post anything. Sorry. :o)

Diane wrote: "Jaimey, Do you think It would help if some of us went over to the negative reviews and clicked on the "report this" button? Amazon would be forced to look at the situation and you might not have to..."
Honestly, I don't think it would. As far as I can tell, the reviews I received are legitimate. (Except the two that were plagiarized, which are still deleted; Amazon does draw the line at plagiarism.) It's only the comments to certain reviews that are outright fabrications. I'm not sure reporting them (can they be reported?) will do any good, really.
But, what do I know? I'm so tired right now I can't see straight.
Thank you for your concern and offer of help. I'll give Amazon another week or so.
Honestly, I don't think it would. As far as I can tell, the reviews I received are legitimate. (Except the two that were plagiarized, which are still deleted; Amazon does draw the line at plagiarism.) It's only the comments to certain reviews that are outright fabrications. I'm not sure reporting them (can they be reported?) will do any good, really.
But, what do I know? I'm so tired right now I can't see straight.
Thank you for your concern and offer of help. I'll give Amazon another week or so.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profil...
Ultimately, as writers who are putting our work out there, we place our heads on the chopping block and there's always going to be someone there who's itching to lop it off... sometimes even those who are close to us.
LOL, neurtotic snobs. That's hilarious.
That's too bad, you had to lose a friend over a book. But as you said, we put ourselves out there in this business. It's scary and exhiliarating as well as extremely frustrating at times as well. So sorry.
That's too bad, you had to lose a friend over a book. But as you said, we put ourselves out there in this business. It's scary and exhiliarating as well as extremely frustrating at times as well. So sorry.

To get back to the topic at hand: sure, some books are just dreadful. I once included the phrase "the nicest thing I can say about this book is that the author was very brave to publish it" in a review. But honestly, my focus was on the lousy prose and not the character of the author (whom I do not know).
I think I may be the victim of a smear campaign on Amazon. I need opinions.
A few months ago, I got two 1-star reviews for two of my books, Heartless and Spellbound. Now, I know not everyone will like my writing and I am fine with that. Some may even hate it and I'm fine with that too. However, after I received these reviews, I looked at the reviewer's history and noticed she gave many, many other Regency authors 1 or 2-star reviews. Granted, that could simply mean she dislikes Regency romance. Obvious question then: Why read so many of a genre you dislike? I realized after a little more searching that she favors one Regency author in particular and gave that author glowing 5-star reviews on all 20 or so titles by that author. Ok, so she has a favorite and I'm not it. Fine.
All the other reviews for all four of my books started getting voted "unhelpful." Whatever. (I do apologize to the writers of those lovely reviews for the dropping of your percentage.)
My brother called me to tell me he made a comment to each of those negative reviews. I groaned because I assumed his action would just make things worse. He didn't attack the reviewer, merely tried to clear up a few issues she'd made over the blurbs. (Her reviews seemed to focus greatly on the book blurbs rather then the books themselves.) He was then accused of being me and being un-Christian. I posted then, simply stating that I was the author, thank you very much.
Heartless: http://www.amazon.com/review/R4H637XO...
Spellbound: http://www.amazon.com/review/RTEP1I8E...
I noticed my tags dropping in the Regency Romance community. Very well, a few people don't believe my books qualify as Regency romance. I do find it rather hard to believe that 7 feel this way...Again, whatever.
So, I avoided Amazon for a while, laid off making lists and writing reviews. Probably a mistake given that this person may have wanted me to go away.
My husband convinced me to resume my normal Amazon activities. I refused to do anything that was being done to me but I did start doing reviews again and updating my lists and guides and so forth.
Some of you may have noticed that I was without internet recently. Well, I got back online to find two more 1-star reviews, another one for Heartless and one for Redemption. Great big ouch! These reviews were intentionally hurtful, mean, downright nasty.
Redemption:
“This is the first book I have read by this author, and my last. VERY poorly written. Stiff, simple, rushed writing, without any detail. The plot is contrived and boring. More typos and misspellings than I have ever seen, and I read 2-3 books per week. The author needs to go to writing school. How did she get published? It is beyond me!. Too bad I bought 2 of her books before trying one out first. PERFECTLY AWFUL!! Again, save your money!” ~Rebus, July 22, 2009
Heartless:
“This is the first book I have read by this author, and my last. VERY poorly written. Stiff, simple, rushed writing, without any detail. The plot is contrived and boring. More typos and misspellings than I have ever seen, and I read 2-3 books per week. The author needs to go to writing school. How did she get published? It is beyond me!. Too bad I bought 2 of her books before trying one out first. PERFECTLY AWFUL!! Again, save your money!” ~Rebus, July 22, 2009
First question: How can they BOTH be the first of my books this person has read? (Or are these actually helpful and I'm just smarting too much to notice??)
Reeling from the blow, I stumbled around on Amazon, wondering who this new person was and why they were so angry at me. I stumbled across this:
Review left for a book called The Mistaken Miss:
“This is the first book I have read by this author, and my last. VERY poorly written. Stiff, simple, rushed writing, without any detail. The plot is contrived and boring. More typos and misspellings than I have ever seen, and I read 2-3 books per week. The author needs to go to writing school. How did she get published? It is beyond me!. Too bad I bought 2 of her books before trying one out first. PERFECTLY AWFUL!! Again, save your money!” ~Gail Wagner “Gail”, July 20, 2009
Is it just me, or were the reviews left for me plagiarized? (Notice the dates.) Now, before you think perhaps these are the same person, you should know that on July 21, Rebus, the reviewer who left the identical reviews for me, left a 5-star review for The Mistaken Miss.
Still, you ask, what is the significance? Check out the comments on Gail's review of The Mistaken Miss: http://www.amazon.com/review/R11ILOQS...
Comment, posted July 21 by J Mullally, the poster of my very first negative reviews, to Gail Wagner:
“Your review does not really ring true because:
a-You can sample on a Kindle before you ever buy any book;
b-The publisher has posted samples at the bottom of the product page; see below if you want to read. Looks like a lot of detail to me-what she is wearing, how she is feeling, and so on.
Therefore, anyone can try before they buy, and also see whether or not the writing is riddled with errors, as you claim. Also, the author comes from the UK-they spell differently there, you know. Finally, there might be conversion issues with the HTML into the Kindle.
c-Rushed writing? The book is at least 100,000 words by my guesstimate.
d-Contrived-well, a lot of romances could be described as that, since the whole point is to meet, fall in love, and live happily ever after in a very short space of time.
e-Any comments on Philip's dire past, or their enemies, or the wonderful sexy chemistry between the couple and the really hot love scenes? All the other reviewers mention them.
It might be better to be specific-plot, character, setting, to prove you actually read the book? It is unfair to authors to 'review' books you have not read, wouldn't you [and most reasonable people:] agree?”
Comment posted July 21 by HerStory Books (publisher of The Mistaken Miss) in reply to the comment from J Mullally:
“So, the story so far as we know it:
Regency author Jaimey Grant got a negative review. She and her friends attacked it, and decided that because, in their opinion, the reviewer 'favored certain authors over others'.
So that, even though this reviewer has posted DOZENS of reviews on all manner of books and movies, they decided that they were going to attack this author with bogus reviews on this and a couple of her other books. And attack the reviewer by deliberately giving her negative ratings.
The 'reviewer' MC from California who has posted this bogus review, also looks to be the reviewer Gail Wagner from San Jose, CA, and vice versa.
Needless to say, this is unfair not only to this author, Sorcha MacMurrough, but all of the other authors in the same publishing house.
We will certainly discourage our loyal readers from behaving in the unsuitable manner in which Jaimey Grant and her friends have, but they should ask themselves, how would THEY feel to be similarly unfairly and even maliciously treated?
Thank you to the reviewer for bringing this to our attention, and no, you are certainly NOT to blame for the appalling manner in which they have acted.
You have a reviewing account and reputation of long standing, and are certainly not out to attack anyone. We are sorry you are being attacked yourself.
The Amazon reviews are supposed to be helpful and thoughtful feedback and constructive criticism, not vindictive and baseless attacks.”
I want to say here, that beyond my one line responses to the first two negative reviews, I have said and done NOTHING to any of these “people” or to the author they seem to think I've attacked in some way.
So, give it to me straight. Am I crazy, seeing shadows where there are none? Or am I being slammed on Amazon?