Self Published Author Doesn't Like Bad Reviews. Cue Hilarity.

[EruditeFool]

It's there.

I’m going to speak frankly as an author who has also self-published.

Did you consult anyone with editing or publishing experience before you published? I ask because your blurb is overly long and gives far too much away. A potential reader wants a short summary to hook them in and excite them. The information you are excited to impart to the reader should be saved for when they read the book. Also, a good editor will prepare you for negative reviews. A book is your baby, I get that. I’ve also been there. An editor will teach you how to present your baby so that more people have a chance of liking it.

[Darth Richard II]

Weird, I can't see it. I only see 34 comments too, which strikes me as wrong.

[Darth Richard II]

Just noticed she changed the blurb. Before it was like, two page at least filled with some really really bad grammar errors. Now its only 3 paragraphs. Wish I had screenshoted the older one.

Edit: Sorry I keep double posting. My brain today...not so good.

[Hello World]

Presumably she didn’t approve the comment yet, EF can see it because he’s the one who made it. Standard procedure on many blogs.

I’m going to speak frankly as an author who has also self-published.
Did you consult anyone with editing or publishing experience before you published? I ask because your blurb is overly long and gives far too much away. A potential reader wants a short summary to hook them in and excite them. The information you are excited to impart to the reader should be saved for when they read the book. Also, a good editor will prepare you for negative reviews. A book is your baby, I get that. I’ve also been there. An editor will teach you how to present your baby so that more people have a chance of liking it.

Seems off-topic to me. If you wanted to criticize her blurb directly to her you could have sent her an e-mail or found a more appropriate post on her blog? As it stands, you’re not replying or discussing anything in the specific post that you commented on, as such your comment might be considered trolling and I won’t fault her if she doesn’t publish it.

Oh, shes been deleting any even remotely negative comments from her blog too.

This isn’t “remotely negative” enough for you?

It would actually be really difficult for me to disagree with you more about this. As a reader, I mostly don’t bother reading 4 or 5 star reviews, because they’re full of glowing praise and rarely tell me anything about a book. As a writer, I’m grateful for all reviews–even the 1 stars!–because it meant someone cared enough to respond. I’ve learned from my 1 star reviews. Sometimes I learned that the book in question wasn’t for that particular reader. But I’ve also bought books because the 1 star review someone else left told me the book was perfect for them.

But seriously, suggesting that readers contact you before they write something less than a 4 star review? Tacky. Reviewers do not exist to serve you.

Actually, having read some of your posts on this forum I can see how this--and several other critical comments on her blog-- do not fit your idea of “negative.”

[Darth Richard II]

Oh please, we all are on to your trolling by now. Create a new identity or something. The game is up.

[HelenaExMachina]

Presumably she didnt approve the comment yet, EF can see it because hes the one who made it. Standard procedure on many blogs.

Seems off-topic to me. If you wanted to criticize her blurb directly to her you could have sent her an e-mail or found a more appropriate post on her blog? As it stands, youre not replying or discussing anything in the specific post that you commented on, as such your comment might be considered trolling and I wont fault her if she doesnt publish it.

:lol:

If only we had a similar troll filter system here...:)

DRII, was the other blurb worse than the 3 paragraph one? :blink:

[Darth Richard II]

Yes, it was something like 12 or 13 paragraphs and looked like something that had been run through google translate. I'll have to fiddle with some of those internet archive sites, see if I can find it.

[Gertrude]

Just noticed she changed the blurb. Before it was like, two page at least filled with some really really bad grammar errors. Now its only 3 paragraphs. Wish I had screenshoted the older one.

Oh wow, she sure did. Damn I want the old one back.

My favorite part was a sentence tacked onto the end of one of the paragraphs describing how her aunts had been preparing her yada yada. Her aunts were witches.

That bit out of the whole rambling page was the biggest what? moment for me. I ... almost want to read this book. Stop me.

[Teng Ai Hui]

DRII, the long 2-page blurb is still up on amazon.com. (I'd link it, but I'm having computer problems at the moment. Sorry.)

EruditeFool, according to the info on amazon, Ms. York has an editor.

[Gertrude]

The Amazon one seems changed too.

[Darth Richard II]

I almost wan to read it so I can legitimately trash it. As much as I sometimes want to, that's one thing I won't do.

[HelenaExMachina]

Someone should read this for the sake of the rest of the forum.

[Hello World]

The projection in here has reached ridiculous proportions.

EruditeFool, it seems that your comment was published and replied to.

By the way, Goodreads are also doing something useful by deleting some of the shittier reviews on her book, although some people remain unhinged.

[Darth Richard II]

See, almost fed it again. Are there Troll Awards?

[Hrokkan of Skagos]

I read the blurb and I'm not quite sure why she is capitalizing every other word, and especially the word Teenager.

Also, did I read that wrong or is the story actually about some girl hooking up with a f***ing dragon?

[kuenjato]

The Amazon one seems changed too.

One of the Goodreads reviews systematically analyzes the blurb.

[Darth Richard II]

I read the blurb and I'm not quite sure why she is capitalizing every other word, and especially the word Teenager.

Also, did I read that wrong or is the story actually about some girl hooking up with a f***ing dragon?

Maybe? It's not the clearest of blurbs.

[Gertrude]

Also, did I read that wrong or is the story actually about some girl hooking up with a f***ing dragon?

Yep.

eta: oh hey, one of the reviewers on GR had the foresight to copy it for posterity in his review -

DRAGONBRIDE

The Dragon Chronicles Book #1

(©Copyright by Raani York)

Shalima, “Daughter of the Light” and is born under special circumstances, is raised by her Aunts instead of her mother because she needs to be prepared to fulfil the “Old Scriptures”, which tell us, that she is the only Magician on Earth.

Her Aunts carefully prepare her for her obligations and her duty: she will have to get married to the “Holy Golden Dragon”, the King of the Dragons, a huge Earth Dragon with magical talents. She is prepared by her “Master” in Magic and grows up with witchcraft in her life as normality. Her Aunts are witches.

She cannot believe that she is the “Chosen One”, who has to protect the Dragon Species, the Nature and finally the Earth. But when she turns a Teenager it seems, that the Old Scriptures are right. Compared to what she had thought, Dragons really exist.

There were three different kinds of Dragons. The big Earth-Dragons living in the mountain caverns, the Fire-Dragons living in volcanoes and the Water-Dragons feeling most comfortable in lakes and rivers.

The Earth-Dragon was a beautiful huge creature, growing in length up to 90 feet. His scales shimmered from emerald green over rust red until deepest black. There were some extremely rare examples whose scales showed an unexplainable purple, but obviously at the moment the „Red Earth-Dragon“became pronounced extinct.

The Water-Dragon was a conceited, extremely elegant creature, built a little bit smaller and more fragile than the Earth-Dragon. His scales went from silver grey over turquoise and ocean blue up to the deepest midnight blue, which gave him a sparkling cool beauty.

By the development of his back legs to fins his suffered a little bit under the limited ability to fly, but in his element, the water, he was of unprecedented elegance. He only went for short flights and only for nutrition, since he felt most comfortable in his home under water.

The Fire-Dragon had hardly ever been seen by humans. He lived in places, unreachable for people, usually volcanoes or the burning inside of the Earth. There the Dragon-Father had his court and there also the rutting and intercourses took place, rituals never been seen by any human being.

The colors of his scales went from lemon yellow over orange up to the darkest wine red. The Fire-Dragon had to take care for his scales with his oily spittle to beware them from drying out by the constant heat.

And finally there was the Holy Golden Dragon. He was a huge Earth-Dragon with scales shimmering like gold in the pure sunlight. The King of the Dragons. Smart, a little bit cunning, but good and protecting the humans...

Only he had the right to father his descendants with a very special human woman. This woman was the only magician and was only born once in a century.

As soon as the two were married the magician usually moved in with the Dragons to be with her husband and support him... She also protected the Species of the Dragons which was really in danger by the low hunt instincts of the human beings.

Under hunters and warriors it was an absolute highlight to kill a dragon. The magician would also be the one protecting the Dragons and her husband the Golden Dragon, to protect the nature, fight demons and hold her hand over humans and animals...

After their marriage Shalima lives with her husband, the Holy Golden Dragon in the Dragon’s Empire and fulfils her duty when they discovered an old parchment roll which announced the End of the World. A terribly evil creature would overtake the Earth if they didn’t act. And they did act. They leave the Dragon’s empire to look for helpers, for keys to rescue the world and for their own little army to fight the evil.

When the battle takes place the Holy Golden Dragon loses his life and the Dragon Species dies. Shalima is left back with the Dragon’s last present: His children...

so yeah ...

[Anatúrinbor]

Hello World = Raani York?

Actually,

This isn't "remotely negative" enough for you?

Oh please, we all are on to your trolling by now. Create a new identity or something. The game is up.

The projection in here has reached ridiculous proportions.

I agree with you on this. If someone points out that you made a bullshit statement the best thing to do is to call them a troll, apparently. Correct me if you have something more intelligent to say, though.

[Darth Richard II]

It's a well tested and effective tactic, you filthy troll.

Edit: Also, Hello World has pulled shit like this before in other topics. See his all consentual sex is really rape argument in, oh, I think it was the worst thing you've ever read topic.

You dumb troll.

...

Nah I love ya bro.