Okay, so I started noticing this about a month ago, but Amazon has started letting people leave 'ratings' without leaving reviews.
And it sucks.
Wish in One Hand now has two single star ratings that drag down the overall star average without any explanation or user ID or anything. No clue as to why they left a bad rating. No clue if they even bought the damn book. (Which I suspect they might not have since I hadn't sold any copies of WIOH this year prior to last week, and the rating came before the sales.) No reasons, just slammed with shitty stars.
Goodreads, of course, has been doing this all along. It sucks there, too. I suspect, though, that people don't pay as much attention to the rating average on Goodreads when buying a book. On Amazon, stars are critical to sales. You see all five little yellow stars filled or partially filled and you're more likely to click through. You see only four stars and the fourth star isn't even filled in, and you might just move on to something with more star power.
I mean, let's face it - people are lazy. You have to grab them immediately and encourage them to put forth the effort to click through and read the blurb. Stars do that. More stars = more click-throughs = more chances to make a sale. And the reverse of that is also true.
Gah, as if selling books wasn't hard enough.
And it's not like people won't abuse that rating thing. Noooooo. At least when someone had a bone to pick with you before, you could maybe contest the bad review they left. This? I'm not sure how anyone does anything about a random anonymous bad rating.
Not sure what the fuck Amazon thinks it's doing there. I just hopes it goes away before it does too much more damage.
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Monday, February 17, 2020
Friday, August 16, 2019
I Won't Do It
I hate when authors front load a description of their book in the book's title. I just stumbled across one that was like "TITLE: A chilling psychological thriller, that will keep you on the edge of your seat." (Yes, the misplaced comma was theirs.)
Seriously, folks? This is how you're going to pimp your books?
Have readers gotten so lazy that if the description isn't in the title, they won't read further to see if the book is right for them?
:shudder:
Anyway, I won't do it. It feels sleazy to me. And I have a really tough time buying books that use that marketing scheme. Cuz... sleazy.
Imagine if other products started that crap...
Cheerios: A tasty, heart-healthy cereal that will make your family smile.
Umm, yeah. Maybe it's just me, but I don't want the commercial right there in the title. If you can't grab readers with your title, your cover, and your blurb, sticking the description in the title probably won't do it. Although in this 'short attention span theater' world we live in, maybe that's all the time you have. :shrug: I still don't like it.
And if I don't like it when someone else does something, I won't do it myself. I keep hearing Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday in my head talking about hypocrisy.
What do you think?
And for a bit of fun, write a NAME: DESCRIPTION thing for a product like the Cheerios example up there. (Mine was lame. Can you do better?)
Seriously, folks? This is how you're going to pimp your books?
Have readers gotten so lazy that if the description isn't in the title, they won't read further to see if the book is right for them?
:shudder:
Anyway, I won't do it. It feels sleazy to me. And I have a really tough time buying books that use that marketing scheme. Cuz... sleazy.
Imagine if other products started that crap...
Cheerios: A tasty, heart-healthy cereal that will make your family smile.
Umm, yeah. Maybe it's just me, but I don't want the commercial right there in the title. If you can't grab readers with your title, your cover, and your blurb, sticking the description in the title probably won't do it. Although in this 'short attention span theater' world we live in, maybe that's all the time you have. :shrug: I still don't like it.
And if I don't like it when someone else does something, I won't do it myself. I keep hearing Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday in my head talking about hypocrisy.
What do you think?
And for a bit of fun, write a NAME: DESCRIPTION thing for a product like the Cheerios example up there. (Mine was lame. Can you do better?)
Monday, August 5, 2019
A Pet Peeve for Your Monday Morning
In a world where there's so many things that piss me off, let's take a little side trip down Pet Peeve Lane to talk about something that pisses me off without any global or societal ramifications...
TILL.
Now, it's a perfectly valid word on its own. You can till a field, for instance. Or you can till your garden.
But when it's used as a contraction for the word UNTIL, it totally pisses me off. Sure sure, the dictionaries have caved and said TILL is now considered a proper way to convey UNTIL. Except it's not. It's totally not. And I don't care if it's become accepted. It's wrong.
When you take letters off a word to shorten it, it becomes a contraction and it needs an apostrophe. UNTIL would then become 'TIL. Not TILL.
Where's the apostrophe?
You might just as well say ISNT is okay in place of IS NOT. Or IVE works instead of I'VE. Or WELL is peachy when you're saying WE WILL. That last one makes it kinda confusing, don't it? Because WELL is a word that means something totally different. Like...
TILL
And where the hell did the extra L come from? There's no rule anywhere that says when you take two letters off the front of UNTIL, you add a extra L at the end. For what? Balance?
Might as well make 'TIS into TISS. Remove a letter from the front, add an extra letter at the end. Right?
Bah and feh.
So, I'll keep using 'TIL when I want to shorten UNTIL. And I'll keep getting irritated when I see others using TILL. Because it makes no sense.
Some days, I wish that was the only irritating, nonsensical thing in my life. But it's not. You do not want to know what I could've ranted about this morning.
Your turn. What non global or societal thing could you rant about this morning? Have at it.
TILL.
Now, it's a perfectly valid word on its own. You can till a field, for instance. Or you can till your garden.
But when it's used as a contraction for the word UNTIL, it totally pisses me off. Sure sure, the dictionaries have caved and said TILL is now considered a proper way to convey UNTIL. Except it's not. It's totally not. And I don't care if it's become accepted. It's wrong.
When you take letters off a word to shorten it, it becomes a contraction and it needs an apostrophe. UNTIL would then become 'TIL. Not TILL.
Where's the apostrophe?
You might just as well say ISNT is okay in place of IS NOT. Or IVE works instead of I'VE. Or WELL is peachy when you're saying WE WILL. That last one makes it kinda confusing, don't it? Because WELL is a word that means something totally different. Like...
TILL
And where the hell did the extra L come from? There's no rule anywhere that says when you take two letters off the front of UNTIL, you add a extra L at the end. For what? Balance?
Might as well make 'TIS into TISS. Remove a letter from the front, add an extra letter at the end. Right?
Bah and feh.
So, I'll keep using 'TIL when I want to shorten UNTIL. And I'll keep getting irritated when I see others using TILL. Because it makes no sense.
Some days, I wish that was the only irritating, nonsensical thing in my life. But it's not. You do not want to know what I could've ranted about this morning.
Your turn. What non global or societal thing could you rant about this morning? Have at it.
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
An Expletive-Laden Rant
Yesterday, a newsletter arrived in my inbox. And I'll admit, I did what I usually do with newsletters - I skimmed through it. But I read enough to seriously harsh my day.
I won't say whose newsletter it was. You probably got a copy in your inbox, too. Cuz it's by someone who's like 'in the know' and junk.
And what did it say? Well, basically, it said that if you don't already have things like reviews and buzz and bling and stuff, that you shouldn't bother marketing. Not just an encouragement to avoid it, but an out-and-out 'don't do this at all' thing. You won't get anywhere anyway, so why bother?
Probably the last thing I needed to read yesterday. Like the last... thing... I needed.
Like all of this shit isn't hard enough. Like I'm not already hitting my head on a rock every damn day while still trying to stay positive. Some fancy pants shithead is gonna drop a boatload of negativity in my inbox?
Well, you know what? Fuck him and the horse he rode in on.
Yeah, getting sales is fucking hard. But at least I'm trying. I sold 27 books off my marketing efforts last week. That's 27 books I wouldn't have sold if I hadn't paid for marketing. The ad paid for itself and made me a little scratch over and above that. That's a win in my ledger.
So, who the fuck does he think he is telling struggling authors not to bother marketing their goddamn books? I mean, where does he get off pushing that kind of crap on unsuspecting, and perhaps close to giving up, authors? Asshole. Somewhere out there, there could be a low-list author getting ready to slit their proverbial wrists because they were already at the end of their rope and he lit it on fire.
Maybe he thought he was saving some of us the heartache by discouraging us and thereby saving us from failure? Well, don't do us any favors, bud. It's hard and we know it, but we don't need you rubbing our faces in it. I had a couple therapists and a social worker (for brain injury therapy) once upon a time who tried to save me from the chance of failure. I fired them all and hired new ones. If I'd listened to them, I'd be selling plants at a nursery right now. Feh.
Or is it that we struggling wee authors might maybe be taking a tiny little piece out of his precious pie? Up yours. Take your money and your sales and leave us the fuck alone. We aren't hurting anyone. I can pretty much guarantee we aren't taking marketing space that would've gone to you. So, stifle yourself.
All I want is to sell books without some numbnuts trying to step on my throat. Without the bestseller telling his readers that any book priced at $2.99 or less has to be crap. Without a boatload of bestsellers trying to shut big-bad Amazon down. Without this jerkstick telling me to quit advertising until I'm 'worthy' of it.
Yeah, marketing a book with few reviews is an uphill battle through fire ant nests covered battery acid. I don't need someone standing in the paradise zone eating bon-bons and stabbing at me with pointy sticks, as well.
So, I spent most of yesterday afternoon depressed as hell. And then I wrote this post. Now, I'm just pissed. Maybe some good came out of that stupid newsletter after all and the fire that's been mere embers will finally flare into a conflagration.
It doesn't matter. He's dead to me. Onward and upward, folks. And don't let anyone tell you not to do what you think is working for you. Market the hell out of your books if you think it's doing some good. Keep writing. Keep publishing. Keep moving forward, however you get the job done.
And remember, every book you sell is one more person who is reading your work. I got 27 new opportunities this past week. Yay.
* In the cool light of morning, I admit it's entirely possible I took this the wrong way, but I'm leaving it up. This rant helped me. Maybe it'll help someone else, too.
And if you know the name of the newsletter person, I left it off on purpose, so don't try saying it in comments cuz I'll just not approve the comment. K?
I won't say whose newsletter it was. You probably got a copy in your inbox, too. Cuz it's by someone who's like 'in the know' and junk.
And what did it say? Well, basically, it said that if you don't already have things like reviews and buzz and bling and stuff, that you shouldn't bother marketing. Not just an encouragement to avoid it, but an out-and-out 'don't do this at all' thing. You won't get anywhere anyway, so why bother?
Probably the last thing I needed to read yesterday. Like the last... thing... I needed.
Like all of this shit isn't hard enough. Like I'm not already hitting my head on a rock every damn day while still trying to stay positive. Some fancy pants shithead is gonna drop a boatload of negativity in my inbox?
Well, you know what? Fuck him and the horse he rode in on.
Yeah, getting sales is fucking hard. But at least I'm trying. I sold 27 books off my marketing efforts last week. That's 27 books I wouldn't have sold if I hadn't paid for marketing. The ad paid for itself and made me a little scratch over and above that. That's a win in my ledger.
So, who the fuck does he think he is telling struggling authors not to bother marketing their goddamn books? I mean, where does he get off pushing that kind of crap on unsuspecting, and perhaps close to giving up, authors? Asshole. Somewhere out there, there could be a low-list author getting ready to slit their proverbial wrists because they were already at the end of their rope and he lit it on fire.
Maybe he thought he was saving some of us the heartache by discouraging us and thereby saving us from failure? Well, don't do us any favors, bud. It's hard and we know it, but we don't need you rubbing our faces in it. I had a couple therapists and a social worker (for brain injury therapy) once upon a time who tried to save me from the chance of failure. I fired them all and hired new ones. If I'd listened to them, I'd be selling plants at a nursery right now. Feh.
Or is it that we struggling wee authors might maybe be taking a tiny little piece out of his precious pie? Up yours. Take your money and your sales and leave us the fuck alone. We aren't hurting anyone. I can pretty much guarantee we aren't taking marketing space that would've gone to you. So, stifle yourself.
All I want is to sell books without some numbnuts trying to step on my throat. Without the bestseller telling his readers that any book priced at $2.99 or less has to be crap. Without a boatload of bestsellers trying to shut big-bad Amazon down. Without this jerkstick telling me to quit advertising until I'm 'worthy' of it.
Yeah, marketing a book with few reviews is an uphill battle through fire ant nests covered battery acid. I don't need someone standing in the paradise zone eating bon-bons and stabbing at me with pointy sticks, as well.
So, I spent most of yesterday afternoon depressed as hell. And then I wrote this post. Now, I'm just pissed. Maybe some good came out of that stupid newsletter after all and the fire that's been mere embers will finally flare into a conflagration.
It doesn't matter. He's dead to me. Onward and upward, folks. And don't let anyone tell you not to do what you think is working for you. Market the hell out of your books if you think it's doing some good. Keep writing. Keep publishing. Keep moving forward, however you get the job done.
And remember, every book you sell is one more person who is reading your work. I got 27 new opportunities this past week. Yay.
* In the cool light of morning, I admit it's entirely possible I took this the wrong way, but I'm leaving it up. This rant helped me. Maybe it'll help someone else, too.
And if you know the name of the newsletter person, I left it off on purpose, so don't try saying it in comments cuz I'll just not approve the comment. K?
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
The NEW Goodreads Giveaway Program
I got an email this morning from Goodreads with the subject of 'Introducing the New Goodreads Giveaways'. I almost deleted it as junk mail. Good thing I didn't. It's all about the new super-special programs that Goodreads is implementing for giving away books through them.
And it's no longer free.
Starting in January of 2018 - so about 6 weeks from now - you can only give away books if you pay them to hold your giveaways. Isn't that special? I know in the email they sound super excited about it.
I remember an old saying and I'm paraphrasing because I don't remember remember it. "Marketing is telling you to go to hell and making you think you're going to enjoy the trip."
That's about how I'm feeling about the whole Goodreads Giveaway Program this morning. They've basically told me to go to hell and they're trying to make me think the trip will be super awesome.
Basically, you can get the Standard Plan or the Premium Plan. Standard is $119 and Premium is $599. But if you ACT NOW, you can get 50% off, or some such thing. So, $60 or $300... to give away a book.
I like giving away books. It makes me happy. Not $300 happy. Not even $60 happy. Lord knows it isn't like I've seen great things come my way because I've given out a book here or there. I got one review once from someone who won a Goodreads giveaway. And there's one winner who immediately listed my book for sale on Amazon. Gnarly. I'm supposed to pay someone so someone else can get a free book they can then list for sale? Ummmmmmmm. No.
Anyway, they can do what they want to do. It's their business, after all. I think it's short-sighted and stupid, but I'm entitled to my opinion. I'll still have my books listed on there for readers to add to their lists. Until they start charging for that crap.
And yes, I'm bitchy about it. It's like there a consortium somewhere thinking up ways to make the self-publishing business harder every damn day.
I have a distinct urge to run away this morning. But it's rainy and cold. Don't mind fishing in the rain. Don't mind fishing in the cold. Cold and rain? No freakin' way. I think I'll sort my library this morning and see what needs to be donated to St. Vinny's.
What are you up to today? Do you enter Goodreads giveaways? Ever won anything thru there? I have, but it's been a while.
And it's no longer free.
Starting in January of 2018 - so about 6 weeks from now - you can only give away books if you pay them to hold your giveaways. Isn't that special? I know in the email they sound super excited about it.
I remember an old saying and I'm paraphrasing because I don't remember remember it. "Marketing is telling you to go to hell and making you think you're going to enjoy the trip."
That's about how I'm feeling about the whole Goodreads Giveaway Program this morning. They've basically told me to go to hell and they're trying to make me think the trip will be super awesome.
Basically, you can get the Standard Plan or the Premium Plan. Standard is $119 and Premium is $599. But if you ACT NOW, you can get 50% off, or some such thing. So, $60 or $300... to give away a book.
I like giving away books. It makes me happy. Not $300 happy. Not even $60 happy. Lord knows it isn't like I've seen great things come my way because I've given out a book here or there. I got one review once from someone who won a Goodreads giveaway. And there's one winner who immediately listed my book for sale on Amazon. Gnarly. I'm supposed to pay someone so someone else can get a free book they can then list for sale? Ummmmmmmm. No.
Anyway, they can do what they want to do. It's their business, after all. I think it's short-sighted and stupid, but I'm entitled to my opinion. I'll still have my books listed on there for readers to add to their lists. Until they start charging for that crap.
And yes, I'm bitchy about it. It's like there a consortium somewhere thinking up ways to make the self-publishing business harder every damn day.
I have a distinct urge to run away this morning. But it's rainy and cold. Don't mind fishing in the rain. Don't mind fishing in the cold. Cold and rain? No freakin' way. I think I'll sort my library this morning and see what needs to be donated to St. Vinny's.
What are you up to today? Do you enter Goodreads giveaways? Ever won anything thru there? I have, but it's been a while.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Punishment and Crime
Yesterday, Hubs was reading me news stories about the crime that's sprung up in the wake of the hurricanes. Apparently, St. Martins/St. Maartens is like a freaking warzone after Irma. Parts of FL have turned into a free-for-all. Looting abounds.
Seriously? I mean, WTF is wrong with people? Find an instance where people are beaten and battered and hit them again? Kick them when they're down? That's pretty low. And I find myself longing for the good old days when 'looters will be shot on sight' was a thing.
I'm sure that was a major deterrent and kept many borderline criminals from committing that particular crime. Unless you're profoundly stupid, getting shot for looting would stop you from looting. Wouldn't it?
Nowadays, though, punishment is less deterring. Looters will be arrested, spend a night in jail while awaiting bail, then be out again to loot some more. It just doesn't have the same ring it to, does it? Maybe, perhaps, down the road a piece, they'll spend some more nights in jail. Big deal. They get three hots and a cot in jail, TV, free education, etc., plus everything they can smuggle or barter or steal. Sure, they lose their freedom for a while, but they don't seem to really give a shit about it. They'll be out - sooner than expected with parole and junk - and then they can go back to their criminal enterprises.
Punishment for crime was also supposed to be about justice for the victim. I'm not really feeling the justice - especially when I watch shows like The First 48 and see guys getting 8, 10, 12 years for murder. Of which you know they'll only actually serve 50% if we're lucky. How is that justice? Someone is dead and the person that made them dead gets a light sentence. Ugh.
Meanwhile, our jails/prisons are full. And I hear people saying THAT's the reason why people get off so easily - because there isn't room for them in prison. Umm... yah. If prison was the deterrent it was supposed to be, there would be fewer people going to prison. Although, it might be too late for that now. It makes me crazy.
So, yeah, I'm in the 'looters should be shot' camp. I'd bet that after you popped the first few, the next group thinking about looting would think twice.
Seriously? I mean, WTF is wrong with people? Find an instance where people are beaten and battered and hit them again? Kick them when they're down? That's pretty low. And I find myself longing for the good old days when 'looters will be shot on sight' was a thing.
I'm sure that was a major deterrent and kept many borderline criminals from committing that particular crime. Unless you're profoundly stupid, getting shot for looting would stop you from looting. Wouldn't it?
Nowadays, though, punishment is less deterring. Looters will be arrested, spend a night in jail while awaiting bail, then be out again to loot some more. It just doesn't have the same ring it to, does it? Maybe, perhaps, down the road a piece, they'll spend some more nights in jail. Big deal. They get three hots and a cot in jail, TV, free education, etc., plus everything they can smuggle or barter or steal. Sure, they lose their freedom for a while, but they don't seem to really give a shit about it. They'll be out - sooner than expected with parole and junk - and then they can go back to their criminal enterprises.
Punishment for crime was also supposed to be about justice for the victim. I'm not really feeling the justice - especially when I watch shows like The First 48 and see guys getting 8, 10, 12 years for murder. Of which you know they'll only actually serve 50% if we're lucky. How is that justice? Someone is dead and the person that made them dead gets a light sentence. Ugh.
Meanwhile, our jails/prisons are full. And I hear people saying THAT's the reason why people get off so easily - because there isn't room for them in prison. Umm... yah. If prison was the deterrent it was supposed to be, there would be fewer people going to prison. Although, it might be too late for that now. It makes me crazy.
So, yeah, I'm in the 'looters should be shot' camp. I'd bet that after you popped the first few, the next group thinking about looting would think twice.
Friday, January 13, 2017
Stealing Cover Art is Wrong, Too.
Recently, I ran across something disconcerting on Facebook (I know, I know... big surprise). I belong to several groups for independent authors who want to post links to their books in hopes of finding new readers, etc. On one of these groups, a person - who shall remain nameless - has been posting about their book and the cover caught my eye. Not because it was a particularly good cover. Nope. The cover had the look of being homemade and the image used seemed to have been ripped off from an old crime novel.
As you may know, I am a huge fan of old crime novels, so it wasn't hard for me to think that. They all have a certain flavor.
So, being the sleuth, I applied my Google-fu. I searched 'old book covers' and then the key elements of the cover in question. Then I scrolled through the images. Took me like five minutes to find the old cover that this author had stolen for his new book.
That rubbed my fur the wrong way, of course. For numerous reasons which I will elaborate on later. But I tried giving this modern-day author the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he'd contacted the original author or artist... Umm, they both died a long time ago. Then I thought maybe he got permission from the original publisher. Yeah, they're no longer in business. Or rather, they got bought out by someone who got bought out by someone who got absorbed by one of the BIG 5. I rather seriously doubt the BIG company gave this self-published dude permission to use an image they own, no matter how long ago it was published.
Then I wondered if maybe the copyright had run out. Umm, if I read it right, the work doesn't become public domain for like another 27 years. (Anything before 1923 is okee dokee, but after that, not a chance.)
So, yeah, this dude ripped it off.
Then I went to this dude's Amazon Author Page. He's got a ton of books and almost all of them have covers that appear to have been ripped off from old pulp fiction novels.
Gah.
Anyway, it kind of makes me wonder... If someone doesn't give a rat's ass about stealing cover art, how much of his work is actually written by him. :shrug: I am not willing to waste my time and money to find out. I did do a quick 'look inside' on one of his books and noted three things - 1) he doesn't give credit to anyone for his cover art, and 2) he made damn sure he had all his copyright verbiage on HIS stuff while blatantly ignoring other people's copyrights, and 3) he fully admits to writing a fifth book in someone else's four book series from back in the '30s.
This pisses me off no end. First, because it's STEALING. Second, because self-published authors have a hard enough time struggling against the negative concept of the reading populace without this shit. Third, because it was so obviously a hackjob of a cover. You can still see pixels of where he erased the old cover. He didn't even bother to hide what he'd done. People like him make people like me look bad, and that really grinds my ass.
Arrgghh.
Anyway, not really sure what to do with this. I thought about calling him on it publicly, but I really don't need a shitstorm raining down on me from a potential psycho or his psycho fans. I thought about contacting the BIG publisher, but I doubt they would want to put forth the effort to go after this twerp. So, here I sit. Frustrated and angry and wanting to smack someone in the back of the head.
And I can't even go fishing to drain off the negativity because the weather sucks and the fish aren't biting. Ugh.
All I can do is the best I can do. Stay on the legal and ethical side of things. Try not to worry too much about shitheads like that. And hope that readers will see the HUGE difference between morons like that and honest self-published authors.
Peace out.
As you may know, I am a huge fan of old crime novels, so it wasn't hard for me to think that. They all have a certain flavor.
So, being the sleuth, I applied my Google-fu. I searched 'old book covers' and then the key elements of the cover in question. Then I scrolled through the images. Took me like five minutes to find the old cover that this author had stolen for his new book.
That rubbed my fur the wrong way, of course. For numerous reasons which I will elaborate on later. But I tried giving this modern-day author the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he'd contacted the original author or artist... Umm, they both died a long time ago. Then I thought maybe he got permission from the original publisher. Yeah, they're no longer in business. Or rather, they got bought out by someone who got bought out by someone who got absorbed by one of the BIG 5. I rather seriously doubt the BIG company gave this self-published dude permission to use an image they own, no matter how long ago it was published.
Then I wondered if maybe the copyright had run out. Umm, if I read it right, the work doesn't become public domain for like another 27 years. (Anything before 1923 is okee dokee, but after that, not a chance.)
So, yeah, this dude ripped it off.
Then I went to this dude's Amazon Author Page. He's got a ton of books and almost all of them have covers that appear to have been ripped off from old pulp fiction novels.
Gah.
Anyway, it kind of makes me wonder... If someone doesn't give a rat's ass about stealing cover art, how much of his work is actually written by him. :shrug: I am not willing to waste my time and money to find out. I did do a quick 'look inside' on one of his books and noted three things - 1) he doesn't give credit to anyone for his cover art, and 2) he made damn sure he had all his copyright verbiage on HIS stuff while blatantly ignoring other people's copyrights, and 3) he fully admits to writing a fifth book in someone else's four book series from back in the '30s.
This pisses me off no end. First, because it's STEALING. Second, because self-published authors have a hard enough time struggling against the negative concept of the reading populace without this shit. Third, because it was so obviously a hackjob of a cover. You can still see pixels of where he erased the old cover. He didn't even bother to hide what he'd done. People like him make people like me look bad, and that really grinds my ass.
Arrgghh.
Anyway, not really sure what to do with this. I thought about calling him on it publicly, but I really don't need a shitstorm raining down on me from a potential psycho or his psycho fans. I thought about contacting the BIG publisher, but I doubt they would want to put forth the effort to go after this twerp. So, here I sit. Frustrated and angry and wanting to smack someone in the back of the head.
And I can't even go fishing to drain off the negativity because the weather sucks and the fish aren't biting. Ugh.
All I can do is the best I can do. Stay on the legal and ethical side of things. Try not to worry too much about shitheads like that. And hope that readers will see the HUGE difference between morons like that and honest self-published authors.
Peace out.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Rant. Profanity Warning. Yada Yada.
I was going to type out an open letter to book pirates and the thieves who frequent them, but then it occurred to me that none of them really care. Oh, there may be a super small percentage who would feel guilty. An even smaller percentage may even stop reading books they didn't pay for. ROFL... lol... heh, yeah...
What else should any of us expect in a world where people expect free shit? And if the stuff isn't offered it for free, they're perfectly happy taking it.
They don't care if someone had to work to provide it for them.
They don't care if someone else has to do without to provide it for them.
They only care that they don't have to provide it for themselves with their dollars or their effort.
Watch First 48. You'll see dozens of people killing over their belief that they have every right to what you own - including your life.
Or watch the Presidential campaign.
Hell, watch the news.
So many people want free stuff. I wonder if any of them even consider where their 'free' stuff actually comes from. That commercial with the scooter sums it up pretty good. You can get a motorized scooter 'at no cost TO YOU'. Someone's paying for it. We're all paying for it, actually - including the person who's supposedly getting it 'for free'.
I've heard the rationalization that people only pirate books because they can't get the books in their own country. Wah. I've heard the rationalization that they read pirated books because they can't afford to buy books, so stealing them is the only way they'd be able to read new books. Double Wah.
Know what I did when I didn't have money to buy books? I read the same ones over and over. I went to the fuckin' library. I went to thrift stores and bought ten books for a dollar (4 for a dollar now, with inflation).
Know what you do when you can't get books in the country you live in? You work to change the shitass country you live in so that you do have access to books.
You don't steal.
Oh, that's right. Other cultures don't put the same value on personal property and individual rights as I do. (Almost said 'as we do', but then I remembered that America is on the toboggan ride to that fresh hell already. Bernie Sanders, anyone?)
What this means, for me, is that sooner or later, I'm going to have to stop. I can't afford to keep funneling my time, money, effort, sweat, etc., into their thieving machines. Free books for everyone = fewer authors willing to write quality books. Free medicine for everyone = fewer competent doctors. Free education = fewer quality teachers. You get the idea. No one wants to bust their asses and have nothing to show for it at the end of the day.
Or maybe you don't get the idea. Which is why all of this shit is not only occurring, but becoming more widespread every day.
Fuckers totally harshed my day.
Assholes.
What else should any of us expect in a world where people expect free shit? And if the stuff isn't offered it for free, they're perfectly happy taking it.
They don't care if someone had to work to provide it for them.
They don't care if someone else has to do without to provide it for them.
They only care that they don't have to provide it for themselves with their dollars or their effort.
Watch First 48. You'll see dozens of people killing over their belief that they have every right to what you own - including your life.
Or watch the Presidential campaign.
Hell, watch the news.
So many people want free stuff. I wonder if any of them even consider where their 'free' stuff actually comes from. That commercial with the scooter sums it up pretty good. You can get a motorized scooter 'at no cost TO YOU'. Someone's paying for it. We're all paying for it, actually - including the person who's supposedly getting it 'for free'.
I've heard the rationalization that people only pirate books because they can't get the books in their own country. Wah. I've heard the rationalization that they read pirated books because they can't afford to buy books, so stealing them is the only way they'd be able to read new books. Double Wah.
Know what I did when I didn't have money to buy books? I read the same ones over and over. I went to the fuckin' library. I went to thrift stores and bought ten books for a dollar (4 for a dollar now, with inflation).
Know what you do when you can't get books in the country you live in? You work to change the shitass country you live in so that you do have access to books.
You don't steal.
Oh, that's right. Other cultures don't put the same value on personal property and individual rights as I do. (Almost said 'as we do', but then I remembered that America is on the toboggan ride to that fresh hell already. Bernie Sanders, anyone?)
What this means, for me, is that sooner or later, I'm going to have to stop. I can't afford to keep funneling my time, money, effort, sweat, etc., into their thieving machines. Free books for everyone = fewer authors willing to write quality books. Free medicine for everyone = fewer competent doctors. Free education = fewer quality teachers. You get the idea. No one wants to bust their asses and have nothing to show for it at the end of the day.
Or maybe you don't get the idea. Which is why all of this shit is not only occurring, but becoming more widespread every day.
Fuckers totally harshed my day.
Assholes.
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