Authors should really stop telling readers how to give reviews

[Lexxie]

Originally Posted by thebloodfiend

Well, here's something to brighten your day: ttp://stopthegrbullies.com/

I'm still scratching my head at this.

This kind of thing actually scares me! I can't understand that some people will actually use bullying, outing posters' real names, marital status etc. And it looks a lot like stalking to me - following people on twitter and goodreads and who knows where else to write mean things about them.

[Mr Flibble]

Originally Posted by Lexxie

This kind of thing actually scares me! I can't understand that some people will actually use bullying, outing posters' real names, marital status etc. And it looks a lot like stalking to me - following people on twitter and goodreads and who knows where else to write mean things about them.

Yeah, they are doing precisely what they say they hate in the people they are "outting".

I mean, yes, i can see why someone might feel the need to out bullying on GR - there have been some hella dogpiles on authors and reviewers alike - but to do it by using the very tactics they say they abhor?

Does not compute.

PS: anyone else see the bit about using this thread and info here to stalk/harrass people? O.o

[ViolettaVane]

That site is disgusting.

I think the authors listed on "We Recommend" might want to issue disclaimers as soon as they find out, and say they're not behind the site and that it should be taken down. The authors of really big-name books (Ender's Game??) are probably going to know this is happening, but some of them... well, it strikes me as a naked (and very pathetic) attempt to pump their own books.

AW is on their shit list too, looks like. One or more of them have probably been banned from here.

[ViolettaVane]

Yes, they are threatening people who post ON THIS THREAD RIGHT NOW. That made me think twice about posting. Then I thought about it the third time and became infuriated. I was actually bullied severely throughout most of my school years and I'm not going to put up with it as an adult.

[Mr Flibble]

Hang on a mo - I may have misremembered that bit...Just checking

ETA: Yeah - i think I read that part somewhere else, and in my mind it segued into this site. Sorry about that.

[ViolettaVane]

Oh yeah... I jumped to conclusions too, oops. I just checked and they don't mention this thread, just AW Water Cooler. But I don't doubt they are monitoring it anyway.

[eternalised]

We have bullies on AW?

Note: the GR bullies can also be found hanging out on the Amazon fora and the Absolute Write Water Cooler, so beware on these platforms as well.
If you or anyone you know are targeted by these bullies, please contact us and let us know. We will profile the bullies on our site, using whatever public information we can find to expose what they are doing.

I'm a bit confused about this. Most of the GR bullies they talk about are reviewers. AW is a place mostly for authors. The "Stop the GR bullies" website appears to be made by authors.



And when/where have people ever been bullied on AW? We don't generally review each other's books here - we do sometimes give criticism or betaread, but these things aren't public and meant to be constructive. I just don't see how they could place that under bullying.


Then again, I don't understand how they can place honest reviews under bullying either. I for one enjoy Kat Kennedy's reviews. I'd love for her to review my book.


I suppose the people behind Stop the GR buddies need to take a dictionary and look up the meaning behind "bullying." Also, to make an entire website dedicated to this sort of thing, actually mentioning people's private details online and such...It goes way too far. At first, I thought it was a joke, meant to be sarcastic. I don't see the purpose for it besides it being a joke.

If someone gives their honest opinion about something, be that your book or whatever else, that's not bullying. If their boss came to them and told them they were slacking at the job, would they consider that bullying as well?

[Amadan]

Goodreads is like a lot of other places, if you don't get involved in the drama, most of it will pass under your radar. I post and read reviews there. Maybe because I read few YA books and no self-published books, I've yet to become embroiled in one of these meltdowns; the people I interact with are mostly grown-ups.

Oh, and if the good folks at "StopGRBullies" are reading this, they can feel free to go bite a swan. And if any AWers want to friend me on GR, my profile is here.

[bearilou]

Originally Posted by Amadan

And if any AWers want to friend me on GR, my profile is here.

I did but my goodreads ID is not the same as my AW ID so...

[callalily61]

I think "Go bite a swan" is the best retort I've heard all day.

[Alessandra Kelley]

Originally Posted by thebloodfiend

Well, here's something to brighten your day: ttp://stopthegrbullies.com/

I'm still scratching my head at this.

It seems to be a nasty character-assassination site (including the majorly not cool publishing of personal information about hated targets) devoted to attacking people who expose authors behaving badly.

Their poster child tight now is Kat Kennedy, whom I had never heard of (I am on Goodreads, but not active in the YA part, which seems to be where most of the crazy has been happening). She is "#1 best reviewers #2 most followed #81 top reviewers." Her blog is http://www.cuddlebuggery.com . She seems to be an outspoken reviewer of YA who has a small part of her blog devoted to author temper tantrums. I see nothing to object to here.

As for the site linked to, visually it reminds me of those old ranting self-published magazines. Philosophically, it is a tantrum.

Their definition of "bullying" seems to be "exposing bullies."

This is a common tactic of bullies.

As for Goodreads, it has its flaws, but I have found it a perfectly viable book cataloging and review site. Of course, I mostly stay out of YA.

My GR profile is here.

[shadowwalker]

I guess my main concern was that I thought it was (finally) a place where the 'gaming' thing wasn't going on, and then to see things like this occurring. But you all are right - a few bad apples shouldn't spoil the barrel. And hopefully after this, this whole 'librarian' thing will be looked at as far as the powers bestowed.

[James D. Macdonald]

Anywhere a system exists you'll find someone trying to game that system.

[M.Macabre]

This is pretty much why I don't touch GR communities with a ten foot pole. Every time I give it a go, it takes less than five minutes for me rage at something.

Although some reviewers might have been rude, it's also extremely unethical to reveal individual's private information on a blog, with the intention of making contact information available so that followers can harass the individuals. It's disheartening to know that someone is actually paying for that site, since it is powered by wordpress, although they are violating WP's TOS.

[dolores haze]

After rating/reviewing a few self-pubbed books on Goodreads I started getting inundated with requests from authors to read/review theirs, as well as multiple requests from YA authors to vote their books up some lists. I disconnected my notifications, defriended a bunch of people and then GR was wonderful again. It doesn't have to be drama central. But then again I accept that not everyone is gonna like my stuff. Some of the appalling author behavior, though, has made me think about cancelling my author profile and just enjoy GR as a reader. When did writing devolve into a blood sport? Yeesh.

[Alessandra Kelley]

Originally Posted by dolores haze

After rating/reviewing a few self-pubbed books on Goodreads I started getting inundated with requests from authors to read/review theirs, as well as multiple requests from YA authors to vote their books up some lists. I disconnected my notifications, defriended a bunch of people and then GR was wonderful again. It doesn't have to be drama central. But then again I accept that not everyone is gonna like my stuff. Some of the appalling author behavior, though, has made me think about cancelling my author profile and just enjoy GR as a reader. When did writing devolve into a blood sport? Yeesh.

There is a lot of weirdness about voting onto lists. List about it (oh, the irony) here.

[Calle Jay]

Wow. Talk about something leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

When did it become about bashing your writer-colleagues instead of writing good books people wanted to read? Or reading good books you want to recommend to your friends?

(shakes head and sticks her nose back in the book she's reading)

[bearilou]

Originally Posted by Calle Jay

Wow. Talk about something leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

When did it become about bashing your writer-colleagues instead of writing good books people wanted to read? Or reading good books you want to recommend to your friends?

It became about bashing instead of writing good books when...um, when...ah...yanno, I got nothing. It's just so toxic. I know for myself I can't be creative when I'm toxic like that.

Originally Posted by Calle Jay

(shakes head and sticks her nose back in the book she's reading)

*reads over your shoulder*

[aruna]

Originally Posted by Old Hack

That is one nasty site.

A nasty-schoolgirl site.

Originally Posted by Amadan

Goodreads is like a lot of other places, if you don't get involved in the drama, most of it will pass under your radar. I post and read reviews there. Maybe because I read few YA books and no self-published books, I've yet to become embroiled in one of these meltdowns; the people I interact with are mostly grown-ups.

Oh, and if the good folks at "StopGRBullies" are reading this, they can feel free to go bite a swan. And if any AWers want to friend me on GR, my profile is here.

This is it exactly. I've been on GR two years now, not terribly active there, and I have not seen a single case of bad behaviour or bullying on my own. Every case I've seen, it's because I've followed a link from AW. I've met only nice people on GR. Today I created my first list, and it was wonderful to see it grow from about 20 to almost 100 in a single day -- and gain 20 voters!

[jjdebenedictis]

Originally Posted by dolores haze

I started getting inundated with requests from authors to read/review theirs, as well as multiple requests from YA authors to vote their books up some lists. I disconnected my notifications, defriended a bunch of people and then GR was wonderful again.

You are wiser than most.

When did writing devolve into a blood sport? Yeesh.

Writing hasn't, but sales? Sales has always been a cut-throat business. Anytime there's money at stake, someone, somewhere, will go off the rails.

[Phaeal]

I have yet to join a Web community that didn't have its bad actors. So far, AW has had the fewest and does the best job of policing them. GR isn't bad in my experience, but yeah, it has its share of people more interested in expressing their inner drama queens than actually reading and talking about books. As elsewhere, learn who they are, then avoid them.

Now, you want to see real blood flowing, join an RPG group.

[Alessandra Kelley]

Originally Posted by Phaeal

I have yet to join a Web community that didn't have its bad actors. So far, AW has had the fewest and does the best job of policing them. GR isn't bad in my experience, but yeah, it has its share of people more interested in expressing their inner drama queens than actually reading and talking about books. As elsewhere, learn who they are, then avoid them.

Now, you want to see real blood flowing, join an RPG group.

Hey, my RPG group has been meeting weekly for almost thirty years, and a nicer bunch of ...

Oh, wait.

Do you mean an online RPG group?

Never mind.

[frimble3]

And why is it almost always YA? Have some of these authors/reviewers/bloggers read so much of that 'mean girls in high school' tripe that they think real life is like that? Or that this behaviour is considered acceptable IRL?
I dunno, I avoid 'social media' and this seems like a better idea every day.

[evilrooster]

Originally Posted by eternalised

And when/where have people ever been bullied on AW? We don't generally review each other's books here - we do sometimes give criticism or betaread, but these things aren't public and meant to be constructive. I just don't see how they could place that under bullying.

I'm sure everyone here knows what to do if they see a post that looks like bullying, or if they feel bullied themselves? The wee little triangle button is your friend. Or PM Mac, or another mod.

/PSA

[thebloodfiend]

And Foz Meadows writes a rather nice post:https://fozmeadows.wordpress.com/201...ing-goodreads/