Author Throws Tantrum, Curses out Reviewer - Page 6

Cordanim · 03-31-2011, 09:17 AM

Thanks - that was a better read, probably, than her book would be

Now back to work LOL

Yolina · 03-31-2011, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

has it occurred to anyone that she is not a native speaker of English?

She is, but even if she weren't it wouldn't be a valid excuse - if you're not comfortable writing in whatever language, don't!

Quote:

of course this then opens up the whole... did you have an editor? issue...

She obviously didn't... She probably didn't see the need for one given that she thinks that her writing is flawless

Oh and English is not my first language

queentess · 03-31-2011, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Herley

Any normal author knows the drill when it comes to reviews: be thankful for positive ones, and say nowt about the others. Complaining just makes you look silly and makes the inkblot bigger.

That's the key point right there. Just because she self-published a book doesn't give her the title of Professional Author...

Worldwalker · 03-31-2011, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yolina

She is, but even if she weren't it wouldn't be a valid excuse - if you're not comfortable writing in whatever language, don't!

English wasn't Joseph Conrad's first language, either (I believe it was actually his third) but his writings are considered classics of English by people who are not me. He is far from the only writer to be celebrated for works not written in their native language. So, even if English wasn't her first language (and anyway, it is) that still doesn't excuse her clumsiness in it, nor her unwillingness to find an editor with greater fluency. And nothing, nothing, justifies her behavior, her demands, her insults to the reviewer and the readers, and her outbursts of profanity.

The issue has never really been her writing at all. It's been the astoundingly unprofessional behavior on the part of someone presenting herself as, and expecting acceptance as, a professional writer.

spellbanisher · 03-31-2011, 10:12 AM

Whether or not she is a native speaker is irrelevant in this case. If you are going to try to make money writing stories in a language, you should be judged by the same standards as any other professional writer in that language.

Andrew H. · 03-31-2011, 12:45 PM

I also thought that the author was a non-native speaker until I read more about her. Given the kinds of mistakes she makes, though, I'm a little skeptical that more education in grammar would have helped. Maybe some ESL.

And while there may be some piling on by reviewers, I'm actually fairly sympathetic to the reviewers given that the author began arguing with the reviewers. It's my general opinion that review sections should be author-free zones, where readers are free to describe or discuss their opinion of the author's work without having to justify themselves to the author. I think it's this breach of that reviewing convention that has energized so many reviewers - they feel like they should go all out to repel an invader.

And, as I said, I'm sympathetic to that - I want to read what other readers thought of the book in question. And while there is also be a place for readers and authors to discuss the author's book, that place is not in the reviews.

Worldwalker · 03-31-2011, 01:12 PM

Someone pointed out, too, that this was not a one-time thing: she spent about ten days making various comments and insulting the reviewer, apparently in quest of a response to her liking. She got her response, all right, though I doubt if it was to her liking.

Some of her errors do seem a little "off" to the English-speaking ear, as if they had been made by someone more accustomed to a different language structure. However, most people writing in a foreign language are fully aware that they don't know the language as well as a native speaker would, and are eager to correct errors, not defensive about their mere existence. Even if they can't hire a professional editor, they generally at least find some sort of native speaker to point out the obvious problems for them (unless they're writing instruction or assembly manuals for various gadgets!). This person is responding with the anger of someone who is a native speaker, but the language skills of someone who isn't. It's all very confusing.

Elfwreck · 03-31-2011, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

I also thought that the author was a non-native speaker until I read more about her. Given the kinds of mistakes she makes, though, I'm a little skeptical that more education in grammar would have helped. Maybe some ESL.

Her bio says she was born & raised in London, not that she's a native speaker of English. She may have grown up in a multilingual household where English was only used occasionally, and the grammar and syntax were irrelevant as long as the meaning was understood--which is a lot easier to manage in face-to-face encounters than in text.

Quote:

And while there may be some piling on by reviewers, I'm actually fairly sympathetic to the reviewers given that the author began arguing with the reviewers.

She didn't just begin arguing; she started with insulting and demanding. I'd have more sympathy for her if she didn't start by insisting the reviewer had read the wrong copy and it was an unfair review. (As far as anyone's been able to figure out, the reviewer read the correct copy. At least, a couple of the quoted lines are still in the sample available at Smashwords.)

Most of the commenters were fairly restrained, just pointing out that yes, that was awful grammar, and that her comments indicated a lack of expertise in writing, so they were inclined to believe the original review. The "piling on" didn't start until she started insulting individuals and telling them to shut up.

While there's room for sympathy if she's just gone through something awful in her offline life, she didn't have to comment. This isn't like criticizing a co-worker and finding out that he's just faced a devastating family crisis; her work is being discussed by strangers, in a place she wasn't required to comment. The co-worker can't just leave the building (and keep his job); she has the option of clicking the back-button, and nobody would've known.

bZkindle · 03-31-2011, 01:59 PM

It sure seems like english is her first language:

This woman has no excuse.
Bad writing.
Hubris.
Rude behavior.
Sock puppets/family members posting 5 star reviews.

She deserves the wrath of the internets.

spellbanisher · 03-31-2011, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bZkindle

It sure seems like english is her first language:
This woman has no excuse.
Bad writing.
Hubris.
Rude behavior.
Sock puppets/family members posting 5 star reviews.

She deserves the wrath of the internets.

Or her own reality tv show.

bZkindle · 03-31-2011, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spellbanisher

Or her own reality tv show.

At this point she should be exploring all other options.

Worldwalker · 03-31-2011, 02:20 PM

"Which you can now buy on Kindle Amazon"? She has issues that go beyond bad writing.

Also, if you're going to read excerpts from your book ... for the love of God, practice a few times so you don't have awkward pauses and hesitations in the reading (I know, she's too good to need to do that). Ideally, read it off something that allows you to look at the camera -- computers are good for this. And don't fiddle with your hair!

Yolina · 03-31-2011, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bZkindle

The delivery is awful. Spoken word artists spend a lot of time learning and practicing... it's not for nothing.

wvcherrybomb · 03-31-2011, 02:29 PM

This woman is just obnoxious and WEIRD.

If she had to put an excerpt reading on You Tube, she could have at least got someone to do it who could actually read seamlessly.

It's funny that she chose a passage where she has some weird sentence structure going on. But since she thinks all of her writing is perfect, I guess it wouldn't have mattered.

Elfwreck · 03-31-2011, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wvcherrybomb

This woman is just obnoxious and WEIRD.

If she had to put an excerpt reading on You Tube, she could have at least got someone to do it who could actually read seamlessly.

It's funny that she chose a passage where she has some weird sentence structure going on. But since she thinks all of her writing is perfect, I guess it wouldn't have mattered.

From the sample at Smashwords, which is over 30 pages long, there are no passages without weird sentence structure.

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03-31-2011, 09:17 AM	#76
Cordanim Kindle Newbie Posts: 29 Karma: 5280 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Cambridge, ON Device: Kindle Paperwhite 3G, Kindle 3 3G, iPad 2, BlackBerry Bold 9900	Thanks - that was a better read, probably, than her book would be Now back to work LOL

03-31-2011, 10:12 AM	#80
spellbanisher Guru Posts: 826 Karma: 6566849 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Bay Area Device: kindle keyboard, kindle fire hd, S4, Nook hd+	Whether or not she is a native speaker is irrelevant in this case. If you are going to try to make money writing stories in a language, you should be judged by the same standards as any other professional writer in that language.

03-31-2011, 12:45 PM	#81
Andrew H. Grand Master of Flowers Posts: 2,201 Karma: 8389072 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Naptown Device: Kindle PW, Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard), iPhone, iPad 3 (not for reading)	I also thought that the author was a non-native speaker until I read more about her. Given the kinds of mistakes she makes, though, I'm a little skeptical that more education in grammar would have helped. Maybe some ESL. And while there may be some piling on by reviewers, I'm actually fairly sympathetic to the reviewers given that the author began arguing with the reviewers. It's my general opinion that review sections should be author-free zones, where readers are free to describe or discuss their opinion of the author's work without having to justify themselves to the author. I think it's this breach of that reviewing convention that has energized so many reviewers - they feel like they should go all out to repel an invader. And, as I said, I'm sympathetic to that - I want to read what other readers thought of the book in question. And while there is also be a place for readers and authors to discuss the author's book, that place is not in the reviews.

03-31-2011, 01:12 PM	#82
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	Someone pointed out, too, that this was not a one-time thing: she spent about ten days making various comments and insulting the reviewer, apparently in quest of a response to her liking. She got her response, all right, though I doubt if it was to her liking. Some of her errors do seem a little "off" to the English-speaking ear, as if they had been made by someone more accustomed to a different language structure. However, most people writing in a foreign language are fully aware that they don't know the language as well as a native speaker would, and are eager to correct errors, not defensive about their mere existence. Even if they can't hire a professional editor, they generally at least find some sort of native speaker to point out the obvious problems for them (unless they're writing instruction or assembly manuals for various gadgets!). This person is responding with the anger of someone who is a native speaker, but the language skills of someone who isn't. It's all very confusing.

03-31-2011, 01:59 PM	#84
bZkindle Fanatic Posts: 510 Karma: 1025024 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Canada City, Soviet Canuckistan Device: k2, k3G, kindle DXG, Sony T-1, iPad, iPhone, stone tablet	It sure seems like english is her first language: This woman has no excuse. Bad writing. Hubris. Rude behavior. Sock puppets/family members posting 5 star reviews. She deserves the wrath of the internets.

03-31-2011, 02:20 PM	#87
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	"Which you can now buy on Kindle Amazon"? She has issues that go beyond bad writing. Also, if you're going to read excerpts from your book ... for the love of God, practice a few times so you don't have awkward pauses and hesitations in the reading (I know, she's too good to need to do that). Ideally, read it off something that allows you to look at the camera -- computers are good for this. And don't fiddle with your hair!

03-31-2011, 02:29 PM	#89
wvcherrybomb Sharp Shootin' Grandma Posts: 847 Karma: 1123940 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Sunny Florida Device: Kindle 3, Kindle Fire, Literati (has been adopted by my daughter)	This woman is just obnoxious and WEIRD. If she had to put an excerpt reading on You Tube, she could have at least got someone to do it who could actually read seamlessly. It's funny that she chose a passage where she has some weird sentence structure going on. But since she thinks all of her writing is perfect, I guess it wouldn't have mattered.