Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkScribe
You surprise me, I had built an image of you over the past year of two of someone who is thoughtful and considerate, someone who has some real standards. It is often surprising to find that the little subtletys that go toward building an online impression can be so out of whack. I would not have expected you to be accepting of cheating in an industry that you have so much invested in. There are many ways to build a following, to gain attention. Your idea regarding offering free books to those who provide a review is possibly a good one. Another tried and tested on is the loyalty system - offering discounts for subsequent purchases by the same reader. Paying for reviews is not a good one, it damages everyone to some degree.
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First and foremost, I am a realist. I accept that lying, cheating and stealing goes on throughout society, business and marketing, and I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch over one more straw on a 50-story haystack.
As far as my image to others, I'd like to think the fact that I don't participate in any of those practices--even if it means two years' hiatus from writing while looking for a workable promotional system, and zero sales for a dozen perfectly good and well-received novels--counts for something. If not...
c'est la vie. (Makes you wonder why I bother to write, doesn't it? Yeah, me too.)
So my opinion is, if this is what sets you off on a righteous rampage to fix the world... well, you probably haven't been paying enough attention. But either way, John Locke is
one guy... he does
not represent all independent artists, any more than Barry Bonds represents all baseball players. He's one bad egg in an otherwise good basket, and despite what alarmists say, his presence will not make the rest of the basket go bad. He's a blip that will fade away. Stop fanning the flames, and let it fade.