Just recently we received this comment from an Anon:
Here’s an interesting post from a successful author about why she replies to book reviews. She wrote multiple posts about this for Digital Book World. On one of them (I think the second post here), she goes into more depth for her reasons. Of course, Ridley and her cohorts jump in and start berating the author, who continues to behave respectfully. The owner of DBW finally deleted some of Ridley’s posts and reprimanded her and the other bullies about behaving respectfully (something they clearly are incapable of doing). It shows how ridiculous and insane these bullies are so clearly!
http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/when-you-wish-upon-a-star-you-get-the-pointy-end-why-authors-should-always-respond-to-negative-reviews/
The article in question is titled: When You Wish Upon a Star, You Get the Pointy End (Part 1): Why Authors Should ALWAYS Respond To Negative Reviews. In it, author Elle Lothlorien describes her philosophy on responding to reviews by readers in a business-like way. Treating readers as customers and trying to improve their experience of an author’s product.
Below are some screenshots we took of the people who left the author comments. Recognize any names? BBG list anyone? We think it is telling that Digital Book World had to reprimand them for verbally attacking the author with name-calling and personal insults. Some of the comments were even deleted as a result and you’ll notice that the bullies then went after DBW for doing this. This is just further proof of what we have been saying about these people for so long.
Now, we think that what Elle is saying in her post is perfectly rational and logical. Treat your readers as customers. Most reader/reviewers who are not bullies, who do not intend to be abusive and who are writing an honest, critical analysis of a book will not feel intimidated by Elle’s philosophy (although it is always a good idea to make sure they are comfortable with talking to the author, just in case). So, why does it intimidate the bullies so much? Simple. The bullies want to be bullies. They want to be mean and nasty and vulgar. They’re not interested in an author improving the book for them because they either don’t care or they don’t want to read something they’ll like. They want to read something they’ll hate, so they can continue to be mean and nasty. When they are presented with the author’s polite questions, they remember that they are dealing with a human being and suddenly they develop a conscience that tells them that being a bully is wrong. Since they will never admit that they’re wrong, instead of getting angry at themselves for what they’re doing, they get angry at anyone who suggests such a horrible crime or who tries to reprimand them for their behavior (i.e. Elle and Digital Book World in this case).
Thank you, Anon, for sharing Elle’s post with us. And everyone else, keep ‘em coming. The more proof we can show, the more educated people will be.
Again we have a personal attack on the person and not the concept. Jeremy Greenfield handled it very well, I thought.
Yep, we thought so, too.
Wow, excellent post, STGRB! I wonder what that DFB Kat Kennedy will have to say about it. Hey, DFB should be her moniker on the website from now on – LOL! Suits her perfectly.
All I have to say is that Ridley is one delusional, disturbed, psychotic… Scratch that. Words cannot describe the next level of crazy this woman displays on a regular basis.
I commend Elle for handling it the way she did. I find it amusing they tried to hijack their forum and got “DENIED” stamped right on their foreheads. Jeremy did a great job in shutting them down.
This goes to show that even kind words and polite responses do not stop them from continuing their insults. They are relentless. They are disturbed. They are the next level of crazy.
DENIED stamped on their foreheads – haha! That’s right!
Jeremy did do a good job. In his place, I wouldn’t have been so kind.
Well said. Ridley is in a league of her own. The disturbing thing is, she actually seems proud of her Internet reputation and the mountains of negativity she leaves all over the web. A normal, healthy individual would be capable of stepping back and taking stock of her own actions. But she’s clearly mentally ill, and mentally ill people usually believe their own delusions.
Oh hell. She’s not mentally ill, she’s just a bitter old bitch.
Simples!
“So, why does it intimidate the bullies so much? Simple. The bullies want to be bullies. They want to be mean and nasty and vulgar…When they are presented with the author’s polite questions, they remember that they are dealing with a human being and suddenly they develop a conscience that tells them that being a bully is wrong. Since they will never admit that they’re wrong, instead of getting angry at themselves for what they’re doing, they get angry at anyone who suggests such a horrible crime or who tries to reprimand them for their behavior (i.e. Elle and Digital Book World in this case)…”
This response is actually quite typical of many abusers. Abusers expect victims to be victims. If a victim protests or disputes or resists the abuse in anyway, the abuser will become even more abusive.
The bully reviewers are particularly sadistic and disgusting in their efforts to discredit and silence their victims. They utilize the internet to involve all their friends and supporters to also bully and abuse the victim. They have no problem lying in order to discredit their victims. They are every bit as sleazy and disgusting as some creepy man raping his underage stepdaughter and then discrediting her (criticizing her for lying, running away, poor grades in school, etc) to other family members in an attempt to conceal his own wrongdoing. Bully reviewers’ actions deserve exactly the same amount of respect and credibility.
Kat needs to stop demanding respect and learn how to show some. If she views herself and her fellow bullies as customers, she and they would do well to understand that a merchant or an establishment has the right to refuse service to customers perceived to be entertaining unreasonable expectations. If Kat was a waitress and she was treated abusively by patrons, she has the right to refuse them service and the management has the right to insist the abusive patrons leave. I doubt Kat has ever been a waitress or anything else useful or meaningful. She is incapable of comprehending that business relationships are a two-way street.
Great post, Gyruleine!