Kara > Status Update

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 beautifully said

👏🏻👏🏻 Well said! <3

Thanks y’all!

Amen Kara! There are some serious problems of corruption in this community. Authors who aren't cut out to be in the business, can't handle feedback, and then dispense their fan-girls and trolls to harass other readers. Oh and the latest thing-I was just informed today that I'm banned from one of the PR company's ARC list because some authors complained about my honest reviews. So some authors are definitely actively influencing and tampering with reviews.

T H I S is everything! 👏👏👏👏

@ Book-Bosomed:

nods head in agreement

That’s ridiculous! What is the point of this website then? If I wanted glowing reviews from fan girls and boys, I’d got directly to the authors’ or publishers’ websites! I want honesty up in this bitch! That is a damn travesty. Look, there are authors who just shouldn’t write. I’m sorry, but it’s true. If you don’t have basic grammar skills and the ability to tell a story cohesively and engagingly, you should not be published. Don’t get your minions all riled up to grab their pitchforks and go after honest reviewers. That’s just bullying and harassment. And not every book is a five-star read. That needs to be acknowledged and accepted. Jesus, this is just shameful.

And the fact that goodreads is supporting this behavior is the worst part!

@ Kara:

"I want honesty up in this bitch!"

👏👏👏

Kara wrote: "That’s ridiculous! What is the point of this website then? If I wanted glowing reviews from fan girls and boys, I’d got directly to the authors’ or publishers’ websites! I want honesty up in this b..."
I couldn't agree more, Kara! What's basically happening is that the authors are paying the PR companies and then they side w/the authors (likely the ones who can't write and don't really understand the business) rather than reviewers because...well money over integrity obviously. They shouldn't. I used to work in publishing and the best advice I ever heard an editor/publisher tell authors was to stay out of reviews. But that's not happening. Some of these indie authors and the pr companies that represent them are so ingrained in the reviews that they feed each other. This particular one rather surprised me as I always thought they were the most open and honest, but clearly not. I'm 100% w/you that it's shameful and dishonest. It's hurting the industry, it's hurting consumers who want honest reviews, and it's hurting the authors who are serious about their work and are no longer getting reliable feedback.

Yep-100%. Feeding the egos of authors and making sales has always been part of the game, I’m sure. But what I find offensive is Goodreads and other so-called “unbiased” platforms providing a place where this goes on wholesale. It’s like an open secret that authors and publishers are paying for positive reviews, or friends of the authors are creating multiple accounts to rave over their buddies’ mediocre crap. I get that this site exists to turn a profit, but don’t be disingenuous. There should be a disclaimer that there are purchased reviews. Indie publishing is great in that it offers exposure to authors you’d probably never have the chance to get exposed to otherwise. But if you want to be a writer, you can’t take your toys and go home and tell mommy every time someone doesn’t like your work. That’s how art works: artists create it, consumers consume it, and reviewers review it - and they owe it to the fucking consumers to review it honestly and without an agenda!

Kara wrote: "Yep-100%. Feeding the egos of authors and making sales has always been part of the game, I’m sure. But what I find offensive is Goodreads and other so-called “unbiased” platforms providing a place ..."

I'm with you completely Kara. And I suspect GR has gotten worse because Amazon started cracking down and did a bunch of purges after complaints from consumers over misleading reviews. Of course, some are still slipping through the cracks. Since Amazon owns GR, I'm not sure why they don't start cleaning up too. They certainly need too. Like you mentioned, I've seen duplicate accounts, authors rating their own books under multiple accounts, some not tagged as the author, as well as reviews that do nothing other than repeat the blurb and then gush about the author, never giving any kind of assessment of the book. Those fan girl reviews stick out like a sore thumb. I'd never buy a book based off one of them.

It’s honestly disheartening. As a life-long reader, I love the written word. Nothing makes me happier than a good story, well told. But it’s really hard to find in an atmosphere of payola and artifice. The thing that these shit authors don’t seem to realize is that, while they’re making money now, they’re not going to be remembered. You can buy reviews, but you can’t buy longevity or respect. They’re diluting the pool with their substandard crap that no one will remember in even five years’ time, most likely.

Kara wrote: "It’s honestly disheartening. As a life-long reader, I love the written word. Nothing makes me happier than a good story, well told. But it’s really hard to find in an atmosphere of payola and artif..."

Agree, it really leaves a bad taste for the romance market. Buying reviews and bullying the community is not the way to be a successful author. If those type of authors spent half as much time improving their writing, their plots, and their characters, they would't have to resort to such shady tactics.

...and not using the same stale-ass characterizations for every damn book. Oh look -yet another cocky* manwhore billionaire meets a shy, undersexed bumbler! I can’t wait to see how this new, refreshing story will end! You’re spot-on there: they buy what they don’t have the ability to earn, and bully when hey get caught out.

*This word is my personal trademark. I’ll sue if you use it.

And wait Kara, it gets even worse apparently. Just saw this on my news feed--the crazy author who stalked a blogger is going to write a book and profit of it!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

I KNOW! I SAW IT TOO! How fucking irresponsible is that shit, that someone would publish a book about something so reprehensible! “Hey authors, if you don’t like a review, it’s okay to STALK and harass the reviewer!” The only positive thing is that every single review is one star. But this is shit. Just pure shit. Fuck you, Kathleen Hale, that you would be proud of this.

I seriously hope the reviewer who had to endure that files an injunction/lawsuit to stop that shit. I mean, it's almost up there with OJ Simpson trying to write that If I Did It book. And then you gotta wonder how many other authors (the ones harassing reviewers and complaining to the PR companies to get honest reviewers booted) are teetering on the edge of this insanity too. Makes me think we all should just abandon living authors and just read the ones who can't troll you, ban you, harass you, or stalk you. LOL Nineteenth century writers are looking more appealing all the time. ;-)

The OJ book was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the synopsis. I’m down with your idea - I’m not thinking Charles Dickens is going to hunt me down for saying “Oliver Twist” is melodramatic poop.

Kara wrote: "The OJ book was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the synopsis. I’m down with your idea - I’m not thinking Charles Dickens is going to hunt me down for saying “Oliver Twist” is m..."
LOL I was thinking along those same lines, like the Shakespeare fan club won't start trolling me if I say I mostly found him a boring dead white guy, right? And at least we know we'll be reading books that aren't forgettable. ;-)