TGTBTU is a reader blog. We are for readers by readers and everything I do – event, news or feature wise – is for readers just like us.
TGTBTU is very author friendly or at least I think we are. If you are an author that doesn’t like to see honest opinions, thinks there should be no such thing as bad reviews, think Average (a.k.a. a “C” grade) is a bad thing or only want sunshine blown up your arse, then this isn’t a good blog for you to hang at.
So I can’t decide:
Is Deborah Macgillivray, stupid or clueless? Or is it just me who thinks it is seriously stoopid and nervy for her to show up on a reader blog? At this point do you think an endorsement from her helps an author or hurts them? Is it like a cover quote you just ignore, or would you put the book down? Honestly, I feel bad for Kathryne Kennedy.
Until told otherwise I am gonna play Pollyanna and believe she doesn’t know that Mac is no reader’s friend, at least not to one who thinks she/he can like or dislike whatever the fuck he/she want.
I think Deborah should add this to her retaliation list: only ‘highly recommend‘ books you really don’t want people to buy. Sort of like another way to harm the bitches that dare to speak against her work.
I like Dorchester and I happen enjoy a hella lot of their books, but it would be nice to see her dropped. It should be a rule: stalk a reader, lose a contract. Of course I also think there is no excuse for an author to have reviews removed because it is bad or a low grade. When I hear an author does it, I don’t buy them again much less endorse their work. For anyone playing the home game, I DO NOT Recommend paying for anything written by Deborah Magcillivray due to her long-term abuse of the Amazon rating system, due to her abuse of her status as a reviewer on Amazon, and due to her harassment of readers who dislike her books.
Maybe that is just me…
What Sybil said.
It’s not just you. I had a book by McStalker that I got rid of asap. I would think more then twice about getting a book with her name attached to it in any way, shape, or form.
Stupid, yes. She could also be sneaky.
Maybe she, for some reason, does not like Kennedy and thought that she could tarnish Ms. Kennedy’s reputation by association.
I sure as heck don’t want to buy a book that she would endorse, and maybe Macgillivray knows what damage she can do by putting her name anywhere near another author.
After all, she was horrible enough to start stalking readers, so why not ruin other authors?
I understand Chantal’s position, and it could indeed be a ploy by DAMcG to damage Ms Kennedy, but as a reader who has a limited book budget, this already means a lost sale for the latter.
Sorry, but that’s that for me.
And the gall of DAMcG? outrageous, really.
Yeah, MacG’s endorsement is pretty upsetting. She’s got to be both clueless AND stupid to think her positive opinion of any book would go over well here.
I really don’t know what to think of this. I can only hope Kennedy does not know about MacG’s reviewer stalking, but unless she’s been living under a rock . . .
Hear hear!! Actually, whenever I see her books at the USB, I hide them in the “old western” section behind the shelves where no one goes…mwah ha ha ha ha…
😉
Well, I’d wanna know where the rec you’re referring to is.
I mean, if it’s an Amazon review, then the author in question can’t control it-ergo, it’s not anything that could be laid at her feet, blamewise, and she shouldn’t bear any sort of punishment.
Likewise, if the author isn’t one that hangs out on blogs or loops, than she probably isn’t aware of how DM operates-again, I couldn’t fault her for that. I’ve talked this over with a number of people, some of the bookstore owners, and they were unaware of this mess until I brought it up. A lot of people outside blogland/Amazon forums are completely unaware of it.
Now if it’s somebody that I had good reason to believe was in on the ‘clickies’ and the stalking crap, by all means, I’d burn her books if I found them on my shelf.
However, I’m more likely to believe the author in question is unaware of what DM is really like. Unless it’s brought to her attention and she decides she’ll just ignore it because it suits her, I wouldn’t be one to punish the author over it. If her book interested me, I’d buy it.
DM is the one who screwed up. DM, and whatever authors were involved in her little crusade, should bear the consequences, not innocent bystanders. DM certainly mowed enough of them down-I wouldn’t want to add to it.
Again, I’m not sure where this rec is…if it’s on the author’s blog, an amazon review, or what.
But outside of blogland, there are a LOT of people who are completely unaware of this.
I’m talking romance readers, bookstore employees, even people who are very active on various yahoo reader groups.
The circle of romance blogs a lot of us hang around in, we are aware of it.
But outside that circle, not so much. You’d be surprised at just how many people don’t know anything about it.
Shiloh, the review is here at TGTBTU
And could you stop being so utterly and unflappably level headed? You make everyone else–with the possible exception of Nora Roberts–look bad! 😉
Shiloh,
Click on the link for Kathryne Kennedy up in the post.
Then read the replies. You will see it there.
And now I found where the rec was from, right here.
Still, I’m still more likely to think that the author isn’t aware.
LOL. I found it.
Hey, I can’t help it. It’s in my make-up. I tend to see multiple sides of almost everything. Well, except the Daddy/Daughter crap, stalking readers, or certain other things that make my IRRATIONAL button go off.
I wish someone would give me the Reader’s Digest version of this latest foofurrah. I have no idea what is going on and feel like I’m not sitting at the popular kids’ table at lunch again.
Gwen, you mean you don’t wanna go read the hundreds of comments scattered all over blogland? 😀
My version of the Cliff Notes: DAMcG has created a possee of amazon members who terrorize reviewers who post anything below 4 stars for certain authors/titles. DAMcG went as far as to publicly threaten one of those reviewers when she (the reviewer) fought back over having her 3 star review taken down.
That DAMcG has the nerve to come to a readers’ blog to recommend anyone… well, she’s either narcissistic enough to believe her opinion holds sway outside of amazon, or–conspiracy theory ahead!–she’s trying to harm another author’s sales instead.
Either way, it would be interesting if someone would point Ms Kennedy to the loooooooooooooong threads over at Dear Author.
Ah. Tempest in
a teapotI mean, Romancelandia.Romancelandia: Drama ain’t just in the books! 😉
I would be more likely to shrug my shoulders if it weren’t for the fact that DAMcG actually threatened this reviewer’s children and other family, and boasted of having the real name and address of same.
Otherwise, yeah.
You have got to be kidding me. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Criminy. That’s rabbit-in-the-pot craziness. How stupid.
I sat down and read all 48 million comments over at DA shortly after this happened. Likely this was because I should have been studying. But yeah. Batshit insane is putting it all mildly.
LE GASP shi you so didn’t read the post… it sez reader blog… and there is a link and this was posted like right above the post (well give or take)
GWEN! write that down… that is so a good pondering title
Le gasp…. Sybil… I’s got book brain. I can’t read between the lines on anything right now. I needs big…shiny….flashing… lights.
No big, shiny flashing lights, just a mermaid. 😉
Don’t feel bad. It was half English and half Syblish (this time in the form of assuming we are up on everything *g*).
no I am just lazy so I just linked… 🙂
ALICIA! Hi Honey!! What’s shakin’ in your neck of the woods?
So – let’s see if we have this right. DM is both stalker and author? That’s so very artiste of her.
I don’t think it would bother me too much, not unless I discovered that the author was part of DAM’s fangirl group.
I tend to buy new authors based on blurb, cover art and most of all an excerpt.
Since DAM has a long history of endorsing authors by her own publishers, and since Kathryne Kennedy’s book is published by one of them (Dorchester), I think DAM was trying to support KK.
Much the same way that the SS supported the Third Reich, I’d say. “Strong arm” tactics are never a good idea, I don’t care how well intentioned. Just ask Jeremiah Wright.