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How to win friends and influence people - Not!

edited March 2011 in Official postings
Oh dear! Not the best way to respond to a bad review!
http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/2011/03/greek-seaman-jacqueline-howett.html#comments
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Comments

  • Sounds as though she only believes the complimentary reviews!
  • Oh...my...god, that's the funniest thing I've read in a long time! She almost dug herself to Oz!!

    Read it people, all the way to the last comment if you can :D Cringeworthy fun!
  • How is she going to extricate herself from that hole?
  • pbwpbw
    edited March 2011
    [quote=bored_robots]Oh...my...god, that's the funniest thing I've read in a long time! She almost dug herself to Oz!![/quote]

    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!'
  • PBW - I wonder sort of response your review will get!
  • I'm guess it will rhyme with 'tuck off'! She seems to like that phrase :P
  • [quote=Jenny]PBW - I wonder sort of response your review will get! [/quote]

    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.
  • I thought you'd already been and gorn and dunnit, PBW!
  • That is incredible. How absolutely ridiculous and unprofessional. Disgusting behaviour.
  • My intention was to drop by Tb for a few moments to catch up before moving onto other things more pressing and here I am half an hour later reading this. Unbelievable and hilarious.
  • The reviews on Amazon of her other book, 'The Secret Passion of Twins' are even more hilarious. As is her incomprehensible blurb about her book.
  • read nearly all of it, laughed and laughed, wondering what was in her mind to respond in that manner! Now she has surely dug a grave for her writing!
  • Liz, that brought another smile to my face. So terrible it's nearly good. :-)
  • She didn't need to dig a grave, there was already a massive tomb erected by the reviews for her other book...
  • I think everyone here and everyone who has responded to that thread, are being quite mean.

    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.
  • I almost, almost want to have a look at a copy. But I also have to admit I feel sorry for her - it's not easy to write a book, she clearly has good ideas, it's just her grammar, punctuation and personality getting in the way. To me, it feels as if English isn't her first language.
  • Dora, she was very rude, so can't really expect people not to respond in horror. But I agree, I think the blogger should have closed the thread once all the points had been made.
  • [quote=Liz!]can't really expect people not to respond in horror[/quote]

    People don't have to respond at all.

    It's bullying.
  • No, not bullying, Dora, not at all. Anyone who ventures into the Big Wide World and puts work out there has to grow up very fast indeed and grow a rhino skin at the same time. She is unprofessional and in a professional world that Will Not Do. No one will ever take her seriously again and it is her own fault. I never reacted to bad reviews from the start, deciding to keep quiet and keep calm and try and learn from any comments made. I wish others had respected that way of thinking, those who asked for an 'honest opinion' and then reacted in like manner when they got it. Not one of them has made it in the harsh publishing world.
    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.
  • I don't think it is bullying at all. Her accusatory tone with Al is incredulous - THAT is bullying. Telling her critics to '**** off' - THAT is bullying. That is trying to silence someone because you don't like what they have to say.

    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.
  • There is bullying - her telling the reviewer to "(something too rude to type here) off" and that she told her to get another copy, then insisted she do so.

    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.
  • All publicity?
  • Hmm, I agree telling people to Eff off, isn't the way to do things. By raising this point I am not saying this girl is right to have said what she said or acted as she did.

    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.
  • [quote=Liz!]it feels as if English isn't her first language. [/quote]

    Certainly looks that way.
  • Looks like new comments have now been stopped. Personally, I think that as the author was permitted to keep replying - and chose to do so - it was OK to keep the thread open.

    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.
  • That's the internet for you, dora. You're not in an office, you're not in private and you can't expect to make comments like that and for other people not to react. If she had responded politely - or not at all - then all this wouldn't have happened.

    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.
  • not sure about that, I think the more people who read the comments the better, because it might teach others to be more careful in future how they respond with vitriol on a public forum. I noticed people said they were directed there from Facebook and Twitter, the Internet is wide open when you post on a blog, she really should have known better. Whether English is her first language or not, she knew enough English to be downright rude!
  • She's certainly got herself some publicity out of it, whether that was her intention or not.

    I'm trying very hard to forget her name and the title of her book.
  • [quote=heather]If she had responded politely - or not at all - then all this wouldn't have happened.[/quote]

    I guess so. Or maybe if she'd had a friend who could have advised her to behave better in an arena like this.
  • http://kindlewriters.com/2011/03/29/how-not-to-deal-with-negative-reviews-of-your-ebook/

    Just one of the sites commenting on this matter.

    Is it relevant that the book was self-published?
  • yes. Many of the comments referred to her damaging the image of indie people.
  • [quote=Jenny]Is it relevant that the book was self-published? [/quote]

    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.
  • Agree with the majority of comments made here. If you don't want bad reviews, don't offer your book to a book review blog and if you do and you get a bad review, take in on the chin and learn from it. This is also a good reminder to not put anything on the Internet that you wouldn't be happy for the world to see! I've heard that many publishers and agents are using this example as a what-not-to-do if you want to be taken seriously as a writer.
  • I've seen all sorts of published authors react badly to bad reviews - some of you may remember an incident on this board a couple of years ago when someone criticised a traditionally published book and the author appeared to argue about it. But with Kindle making publishing easier than ever this is bound to happen more. Any clueless wannabe can upload anything without any checks as to its content and it then comes as a real shock when readers don't receive it as kindly as their friends and family.
  • That was totally unbelievable. Honestly she gives hard working writers a bad name...
  • [quote=dora]I think everyone here and everyone who has responded to that thread, are being quite mean.

    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....?
  • Well, at least we can content ourselves that we won't ever go 'viral' in the same way as J Howlett, can't we? I certainly hope so!
  • I certainly agree that after the initial responses that were clearly trying to help, it did become unpleasant and went on for too long.

    [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...
  • I agree with Dora and Patrick. There was no need for all those horrible comments. This girl needs help not abuse and is it any wonder she ended up swearing.
    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.
  • edited March 2011
    I only read a few the other day and found it boring. Read better arguments elsewhere and if you want better quality of mad check out Failbook.

    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.
  • Many of the former comments were constructive, and the latter comments were aimed at her attitude to these as much as anything else.
  • Hey guys! Just LOOK at the publicity she's getting! Everyone is gonna buy her book just to see what all the fuss is about. This is one shrewd lady.

    http://ereads.com/2011/03/greek-seaman-runs-aground-on-treacherous-typos.html
  • Well, I'm not. I've got better things to spend my money on!
  • It's ranked at 6756. Keep an eye out to see if that goes any higher (lower). Mind you that's not a bad position anyway so it has worked on some level.
  • edited March 2011
    I didn't read all of it, but I didn't notice anyone suggesting she should have English lessons - not just grammar and spelling, but how to use the language. It comes across as English as a Foreign Language.
  • An "official posting"?
  • No, that's true, maybe people were worried it would sound rude. But as I said above, I agree, it sounds as if English is not her first language.
  • If criticism is justified it should be accepted with good grace and a promise to try harder in future.
  • [quote=SilentTony]I don't think it's bullying or bad, just boring.[/quote]

    Isn't mobbing a form of bullying? Either way it's not attractive. And I agree, pretty boring.
  • http://www.reocities.com/jacquelinehowett/poems.html

    Starts with her bio.
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