LET'S BAN TOGETHER TO STOP THE THIEVERY!

My Dearest Readers, Writers and Precious Patrons,

I'm OUTRAGED!

Yes, that's right! Completed P.O.'d. Because of this I am writing this blog post. I believe that YOU ALL NEED TO BE AWARE!

I'm sure you're all aware of the danger of Book Pirating. It's out there! Everyone knows it.

But now there is a new type of shark in the water...

Brace yourselves my beloveds, for THIS is a DOOZY!

In recent days I've come across two new types of author/book and reviewer con. I truly believe that this one is even worse then plain old pirating. I might have to explain this one to you from the beginning. I'll try to be short.

For several moths now, I had been receiving Book Review Requests--randomly and without warning. Just out of the blue, I'd get these odd and out of place Review Requests. The most peculiar part about it was that I was getting them sent to my personal email address.

Now, here is the part that kept bugging me. I work as part of The Review Board and am constantly doing book reviews. However any books that I review are assigned to me by the moderator of TRB. So whenever I'd get these incidental requests, I'd (1) redirect them to The Review Board or (2) ignore them altogether. Here are the biggest issues:

• With the amount of things that I do (and I do A LOT) there was absolutely no way that I could keep track of all of these random requests.
• I kept wondering, HOW in SAM HELL are these people getting my personal email address.

I'd chit chatted about it back and forth with my Bestie, and she said, "Keep an eye out. You never know where people can get your email address from." I concluded that she was right and did as she suggested.

So, I sat and I waited.

Weeks passed...

Sure enough someone sent out a bulk email to several people, one of which was me. I initially ignored the email and moseyed along with my day. As luck would have it, during the remainder of the day that very same person sent out another bulk email address apologizing for some things and said that she'd never done that before and was a member of a website which listed every one of our email address. Here is a portion of the email just as I'd received it.

"I thought I was emailing people who read and review books in their spare time, people who liked to except unsolicited emails asking for book reviews.

You are all listed on this site:

www.jaydpromo.com"

Now let's be clear... BY NO MEANS am I blaming the person who sent out the emails!

However, after I read that instantly my curiosity was peeked so I clicked the link. And guess what I found out people? Go ahead, guess. I'll wait....

When I clicked on the link and read through the website, I discovered that these people, IF you can call them that, were charging authors for "membership" in exchange for a "list of reviewers". Furthermore, the claimed that they were paying these reviewers commissions for reading and reviewing.

In a word....

WHAAAAAT?!?!?!?

My beloveds, what they are REALLY doing is STEALING YOUR MONEY! The are getting these email addresses from websites, Facebook and whatever other means, and then BLATANTLY LYING to their members! We are not getting any such commissions and they are stealing your money!

Once again, the website is www.jaydpromo.com.

Please spread the word! Tell a friend! Tell a friend of a friend! Contact the actual site moderators and demand an explanation. DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO TAKE THEM DOWN!!

Here is the second situation...

A friend of mine who is new to the publishing game got a hold of me yesterday. She told me that her FREE book was being listed on ePub PDF Books, FOR SALE!! That's right, you read correctly! They took a FREEBIE and listed it on their site FOR SALE!!

Here is where this differs from the typical type of pirating:

• They take a FREE book. Be it a book that was once on promotion, or one that is always free, and list it for sale on their site.
• They attempt to SELL a book that cost them nothing.
• They DO NOT pay the authors royalties or commissions on these sales.
• An Author WILL NOT know that their book has been listed here unless they search for it.
• Unlike OTHER pirating sites (and I'm not saying that the other ones are okay either), they do not give your book away for free, but attempt to make money off of your hard work without your knowledge or consent.

APPALLED?

UMM, YES!

Friends, please, please please spread the word. Tell everyone. Join me in the fight to STOP THIS! Search their site, look for your book, contact them and demand for them to remove your book.

THIS IS AN ALL OUT OUTRAGE!

Once again their site is http://www.epubpdfbooks.com/. We work too damn hard to have to deal with this! It's just flat out ridiculous!

SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!

Feeling some kind of way...

Hello RWPP's

So, I'm feeling some kind of way about a reply to a blog post from a blog on LinkedIn that I follow. 

Frankly, I'm pissed and have a bone to pick with this person and all others like him that think the same way.

However, I'm turning to you--my faithful readers/followers--for your input... because, quite honestly I might be overreacting. However, how can I not?

The subject is the always famous "Reviews".

Now, although I have TONS & TONS to say about this subject, I'll try to limit myself to the affair at hand.

Here is how it all started...

Something like a week ago, someone on LinkedIn asked in one of their groups/blogs about book reviews. Basically this person is a new author and is looking for book reviews and was asking for information therein.

Now being that I have some information to give, I answered said person's post and recommended The Review Board, as it's a board that I work with hand in hand and I highly endorse, since their reviews are in depth and informative. Moreover, they are FREE! Yes, of course their is a waiting list, but what would you expect from a place that offers quality reviews for no cost at all, plus accept ALL GENRES. We get a little busy from time to time...

Anywho...

Needless to say whenever someone commented on the post, I'd get a notification. I'm sure those on you on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter know what I'm talking about.

Then, yesterday at some point, one individual left the following comment:

"It's not people who provide the most powerful reviews (barring a review by President Obama). It's organizations in your book's genre that count the most.
For example, I wrote a novel about young Jewish lovers during the Holocaust that was trade-published in 2007 ("Jacob's Courage"). My best, most powerful and influential compelling reviews came from Jewish Book World and The Association of Jewish Libraries.
You see, it's not individual readers (bless their hearts) that count the most. It's organizations in your book's genre that count much more. Because, while each person's review may impact a handful of other new purchases, each organization's reviews can impact the purchasing of hundreds of thousands or millions of prospective readers.
Don't get me wrong. I love each of the many personal positive reviews that my books have generated with readers at Amazon, B&N, Alibris, Scribd, Kobo, Sony, Scrollmotion, etc. These people took the time (and cost) to read and positively review my books. I love that. But, those reviews are not likely to drive any really significant new purchases.
However, the organizations that these people belong to and the organizations that oversee the events and credibility of my books' genres count for so much more influence.
So, go ahead and enjoy reviews from readers. But know that reviews from respected organizations in your book's genre are far, far more powerful and influential. Figure out how to get those reviews and you'll be in like Flint.

By Charles W-"

Now forgive me if I cannot see the "helpful" hint in this reply, but is it just me, or is this person saying that us "average" folk aren't good enough to review a book, because our reviews "don't count"??

I mean, I could be wrong... right?

 Right.

 And so...

In continuing with my conversation. 

Point 1)

I thought that it was US, the averages day folk that BUY the book. I mean, am I wrong? And if our reviews don't count, then why the hell are we giving them?!

Point 2)

I am simply NOT A FAN of his condescending and obnoxious tone! Here is what it sounded like to me. (insert sarcastic tone here) "Oh! Those sweet little people, bless their souls! I'm so grateful (wink, wink) of their reviews and all, but it's simply not enough. Besides, MY book is better than YOURS because this high end society says so. Now there!"

Point 3)

How many movie and book critics are out there that either slander a book or give it praise and the general public disagrees completely? I'm just saying!

Point 4)

Made by a good friend of mine Mr. D. John Watson; these high end places only count for "specialty books" meaning things that are not so common. But for us average everyday writers of fantasy fiction and nonfiction, it's the little people's reviews that matter.

Point 5)

I know of high end places that charge RIDICULOUS amounts of money for reviews--and by 'ridiculous' I mean up to $500--and STILL give lackluster reviews or flat out bad ones. So, what's the point in that?

Now...

All that being said, and still not covering the extent of all that I wanted to say, I'll cue you all in. What you are thoughts on the matter??