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How to win friends and influence people - Not!
Oh dear! Not the best way to respond to a bad review!
http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/2011/03/greek-seaman-jacqueline-howett.html#comments
Comments
Read it people, all the way to the last comment if you can :D Cringeworthy fun!
I agree. I'm so glad she published the book. You don't need to read the book - all the entertainment is in her battle with her reviewers. Hope people post more comments soon! Hilarious.
Here's my review
'I cannot say I have read (insert title) because I won't attempt to read narrative which is full of spelling and punctuation errors, so I cannot give it a star rating. The comments on booksandpals blogspot, however, are really entertaining, five star stuff! Bring it on!'
Oh yeah but I'm not gonna ackchally DO it. I'm a coward. She might come round here with a pick-axe, and what with my ex coming after me - it's getting a bit crowded in the doorway. Don't all hack at once, one at a time please.
The girl has obviously made a mistake but it is also obvious she is quite naive and unworldly wise. Everybody responding in the way that they have, is nothing short of bullying IMO.
People don't have to respond at all.
It's bullying.
I don't feel sorry for her one tiny bit. She should have known better. The Internet is NOT a kind place to those who throw their toys out of the pram in that manner.
If she has been so unprofessional as to publish an incomplete manuscript, that is her problem. But lashing out at someone who is writing an informed opinion piece on a sub-standard piece of text - simply because of pride? - is absolutely unacceptable.
That is what people are commenting on. Her writing is poor, and she accuses the reviewer of deliberately mis-representing her book, which he is not. Her extreme reaction is unnecessary, and she needs to realise that her behaviour is not permissible. This is an industry that does not have - and does not need - that kind of attitude. It's tough enough as it is.
The author also claims her 'sentence' "Don and Katy watched hypnotically Gino place more coffees out at another table with supreme balance." is "fine". I think that rather proves the reviewers point.
Surely though if she'd walked into an office and had this argument with the boss, once she'd had the situation explained to her by the boss, you wouldn't have the rest of the office staff following her down in the lift, or the stairwell and making comments would you? You wouldn't have people in the street constantly telling she was wrong and how awful her behaviour was.
Certainly looks that way.
Anyone get as far as this?
"Miss Howlett:
*We* don't even want your book.
Best,
PublishAmerica "
That did make me laugh. (But then I'm mean!)
I think we've all learned what not to do if we get a review we don't like.
Having said that, there do seem to be a lot of people who like to jump on a bandwagon like this and make it worse and I think the comments probably should have been closed sooner.
I'm trying very hard to forget her name and the title of her book.
I guess so. Or maybe if she'd had a friend who could have advised her to behave better in an arena like this.
Just one of the sites commenting on this matter.
Is it relevant that the book was self-published?
Only in the fact that obviously she published it without getting a proffesional to check it over.
I've read most of the thread and have to say that she gets what she deserves, I have had bad days and have been upset by things but would hope that in dealing with something like this I wouldn't resort to the 'F' word and be fairly abusive to people who are only stating their opinion.
dora she brought it upon herself and she should have apologised, she didn't therefore as far as I'm concerned she gets what she deserves.
The girl has obviously made a mistake but it is also obvious she is quite naive and unworldly wise. Everybody responding in the way that they have, is nothing short of bullying IMO. [/quote] [quote=dora]I think everyone here and everyone who has responded to that thread, are being quite mean.
I'm totally with you on this one, dora. I've come across references to this blog so many times today - occasionally posted as a genuine warning of how not to respond to negative reviews but mostly for "entertainment" at the expense of someone who is obviously a vulnerable individual. Yes, the author was naive and wrong in her responses but she did not deserve the response she has had from people who would otherwise never have heard of the blog or her book. Does it not strike any of you that the responses could come from someone who is on the edge, who is not responding rationally?
It's been like watching a car crash and then listening to spectators saying it was the driver's fault for not wearing her seat-belt. Yes, it was her fault but does that give everyone the right to laugh at her injuries?
And don't we all live in glass houses....?
[quote=Patrick]Does it not strike any of you that the responses could come from someone who is on the edge, who is not responding rationally? [/quote]
That's always possible of course, but she actually came over as someone who thinks they know better and doesn't need advice- I've met a couple of those over the years.
I'd hope none of us ever go viral for the wrong reasons...
It's like reading the Daily Mail comments after an article, there are a lot of mean, nasty people out there who seem to enjoy making fun of others. Yes Ok she put her book on Kindle so should take any comments but they should be constructive not nasty.
I feel sorry for this girl.
I don't think it's bullying or bad, just boring. She is in the public world as Dorothy mentioned and the second you step into that arena you are bound by an unwritten contract as to how you conduct yourself. There is no comeback from an authority if you break that contract but there can be are devastating consequences with your target audience.
All this woman has done is naively put herself in the position of becoming a meme. While this will bring her worldwide recognition on the net it will crush any literary credibility she hoped to gain by publishing her books.
http://ereads.com/2011/03/greek-seaman-runs-aground-on-treacherous-typos.html
Isn't mobbing a form of bullying? Either way it's not attractive. And I agree, pretty boring.
Starts with her bio.