(Note – The original post is from the “A Knife And A Quill” blog. Thank you -vmls)
MONDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 2012
No More Sock Puppets Please
by “A Knife and A Quill”
These days more and more books are bought, sold, and recommended on-line, and the health of this exciting new ecosystem depends entirely on free and honest conversation among readers. But some writers are misusing these new channels in ways that are fraudulent and damaging to publishing at large. British author Stephen Leather recently admitted that he used fake identities online to promote his work. The American bestseller John Locke has revealed he has paid for reviews of his books. The British author RJ Ellory has now confessed to posting flattering reviews of his own work and to using assumed names to attack other authors perceived to be his rivals.
These are just three cases of abuse we know about. Few in publishing believe they are unique. It is likely that other authors are pursuing these underhand tactics as well.
We, the undersigned, unreservedly condemn this behaviour, and commit never to use such tactics.
But the only lasting solution is for readers to take possession of the process. The Internet belongs to us all. Your honest and heartfelt reviews, good or bad, enthusiastic or disapproving, can drown out the phoney voices, and the underhanded tactics will be marginalized to the point of irrelevance. No single author, however devious, can compete with the whole community. Will you use your voice to help us clean up this mess?
‘Signed’ by -
Linwood Barclay, Tom Bale, Mark Billingham, Declan Burke, Ramsey Campbell, Tania Carver, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, N.J. Cooper, David Corbett, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Stella Duffy, Jeremy Duns, Mark Edwards, Chris Ewan, Helen FitzGerald, Meg Gardiner, Adèle Geras, Joanne Harris, Mo Hayder, David Hewson, Charlie Higson, Peter James, Graham Joyce, Laura Lippman, Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid, Roger McGough, Denise Mina, Steve Mosby, Stuart Neville, Jo Nesbo, Ayo Onatade, SJ Parris, Tony Parsons, Sarah Pinborough, Ian Rankin, Shoo Rayner, John Rickards, Stav Sherez, Karin Slaughter, Andrew Taylor, Luca Veste, Louise Voss, Martyn Waites, Neil White, Laura Wilson, Darren Sant, Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology (Kindle)
I think it is rampant especially for newish author’s….
I think you’re right, Susie. I think there are a lot of what you call ‘newish’ writers out there… brash and impatient to make a buck and a name for themselves, and they are going to muck things up and we (Indies) all end up getting tarred with the same brush. I see in their writing that they have no real love for the craft… their works are often rushed and sloppy… and they’ve no pride if they are willing to put out a mediocre effort. Too often it is hard to tell if the story really is any good because the grammar and poor formatting/styling distract the reader to much to concentrate on the story
When I see a bunch of five star reviews on a book and I can’t get past the first few paragraphs… well, somebody is blowing their own horn, aren’t they?
Thanks for stopping by… sorry I missed you little ‘to do the other day. It seems like I am running behind with my blogging and following lately.