Robert Stanek shat directly into my soul.

[Curethan]

This thread cracked me up.

[Myshkin]

A tip when buying from Amazon: look at the publisher. If a book is self-published (as Stanek's is) and still has several hundred glowing reviews then you can be pretty certain that the reviews are fake. Just don't try to get Amazon to do anything about it. I myself have been banned from participating in the "Amazon community" because I dared to to try to make people aware of the Stanek fraud.

As for recommendations on good fantasy, I suggest you read the Lit forum more often; if a fantasy novel is published you can be pretty sure it will be discussed in this board's Lit forum.

[The Real Will]

A tip when buying from Amazon: look at the publisher. If a book is self-published (as Stanek's is) and still has several hundred glowing reviews then you can be pretty certain that the reviews are fake. Just don't try to get Amazon to do anything about it. I myself have been banned from participating in the "Amazon community" because I dared to to try to make people aware of the Stanek fraud.

As for recommendations on good fantasy, I suggest you read the Lit forum more often; if a fantasy novel is published you can be pretty sure it will be discussed in this board's Lit forum.

I've heard a lot of times that Amazon seems to support Stanek's misrepresentation which I find a little bizarre. I guess they're in favour of anything that increases the sales of books on their site, but it seems a little short sighted and I can't imagine that Stanek is a bookselling powerhouse that they can't afford to annoy. I wonder, has the OP complained directly to Amazon? I can understand them not wanting to get involved in a brawl between fans, but if customers are complaining directly...

[Jaxom 1974]

A tip when buying from Amazon: look at the publisher. If a book is self-published (as Stanek's is) and still has several hundred glowing reviews then you can be pretty certain that the reviews are fake. Just don't try to get Amazon to do anything about it. I myself have been banned from participating in the "Amazon community" because I dared to to try to make people aware of the Stanek fraud.

As for recommendations on good fantasy, I suggest you read the Lit forum more often; if a fantasy novel is published you can be pretty sure it will be discussed in this board's Lit forum.

Is there anywhere you aren't banned...? :P

[Xalinor]

http://conjugalfelicity.wikispaces.com/robertstanek

For more on Stanek, read this hilarious six-part article.

[Myshkin]

Is there anywhere you aren't banned...? :P

Here.

[Jaxom 1974]

Here.

That's only because baseball is really just starting for the year and we haven't had to listen to all of that Dodgers claptrap you're always spouting for a few months... :P

[Liadin]

http://conjugalfelicity.wikispaces.com/robertstanek

For more on Stanek, read this hilarious six-part article.

Wow. Just..... wow.

[The Evil Hat]

http://conjugalfelicity.wikispaces.com/robertstanek

For more on Stanek, read this hilarious six-part article.

:bowdown:

That was an enlightening read, to put it mildly. I wonder if Stanek ever expected someone to dig through all of his crap and actually prove that all he said was bullshit.

[The Real Will]

http://conjugalfelicity.wikispaces.com/robertstanek

For more on Stanek, read this hilarious six-part article.

Wait just a second. He's republished the same story three different times under three different titles claiming it's three different books? And I don't mean "published the same story" in the Dan Brown sense. I mean he's literally taken the same text, slapped a new cover on it, and called it a new book. Were people here aware of this? Because writing fraudulent reviews is one thing, but that's a whole other level of low.

Mind you, I guess anyone who buys two Stanek books deserves whatever happens to them.

[Grendalen]

Mind you, I guess anyone who buys two Stanek books deserves whatever happens to them.

I want to agree with you but I just can't. Listen, if someone reads a Stanek book and likes it (*shudders*) then that's their business. It doesn't mean they deserve to be tricked into buying the same damn book again, with whole pages of identical text. I'm sure some people here have bought the same book twice because it has a new cover or something, but this is terribly misleading.

[Seli]

http://conjugalfelic...om/robertstanek

For more on Stanek, read this hilarious six-part article.

Nice :laugh:. The only thing missing in the deep analysis of the Amazon reviews was a Tolkien vs Tolkein comparison. In any random sample of reviewers the misspelling of the name will occur numerous times.

[Liadin]

I'm curious about the guy now. Is he a bitter failed writer who honestly believes his stuff is good, that the world is out to get him, and that he has to fight fire with fire? Or a cynical con man who knows he writes crap, but figures he can supplement his income by tricking people into buying it? Or a combination of the two?

And are those kids in the Jacques picture really his kids? (For their sake, I hope not...)

EDIT: Now that I think about it, he seems more like the angry-failed-writer type to me. He engages too much with his critics to be a cynical con man. His primary customer base seems to consist of unwitting people he can fool into thinking his books are popular on Amazon or BN.com. But he's not just focusing his energies there--he gets into arguments about his own credibility via sockpuppet, creates fan sites for himself and writes passive-aggressive blog posts. Why bother? Anyone who looks into these things is going to realize he's not entirely aboveboard and is unlikely to buy his books.

The cynical-con type is exemplified by another Amazon fraud, Harriet Klausner. Sure, she reviews more books than she could possibly read, and sure, her reviews reword the bookjacket or rip off Publishers Weekly, but the demographic she's appealing to are the random customers who look up the latest obscure romance novel, see that Amazon's #1 Reviewer has given it 5 stars, and happily buy it without looking any further into the issue. If they look into discussions about HK, they'll realize she's a fraud, but most people don't and she knows it--thus, she never engages with critics, not even when they slam her in the comments section of her own reviews. And her blog is simply another venue to post her reviews, not a place to take her critics to task. If Stanek simply wanted to make the most money possible with the least effort, and didn't feel like his books really were wonderful and worth reading, it seems like he'd follow the HK model.

Thoughts?

[Celebuial]

http://conjugalfelicity.wikispaces.com/robertstanek

For more on Stanek, read this hilarious six-part article.

I'd never heard of Stanek until a few days ago, but after reading this I was really shocked at the lengths he has gone to! If anything I would say that he needs psychiatric help! I don't understand how he can seriously believe that people will not realise what he is up to! I mean fair enough if he actually believes that he is a gifted writer (We've all seen talent shows where people truly think they can sing, dance, whatever, but can't), but to actually expect people to believe all the rubbish he writes? That he is important enough for people to spend their time rubbishing him, not because he is conning people but simply because of jealousy or spite? Wow!

I'm no psychologist (as an astrophysicist I do somewhat loathe the fact that in some places they are calling this a natural science instead of a social science, but he must be showing tell-tale signs of some dis-order if not many! Maybe we should all campaign for him to get a proper check-up from a member of the medical proffesion instead of just ripping into him... I feel sorry for his family, I can't imagine what it must be like to live with a man like this.

[The Real Will]

Thoughts?

I think you're broadly correct. He obviously cares and expends a great deal of effort defending himself from the "haters", but I can't believe that he is entirely oblivious to the fraudulent nature of his actions. If it had just been the sock puppets and ridiculous self promotion* then maybe I'd buy it, but the repackaging of the same book in different covers? That's the cynical move of a con-man and I don't see how a "tormented artist" (if that's the way he sees himself) justifies it.

*Even if it were only the sock puppets, the fact that he accuses his detractors of being a small number of people running a large number of fake accounts shows either a cynical self-awareness, or breathtaking lack of self-awareness.

[Liadin]

I think you're broadly correct. He obviously cares and expends a great deal of effort defending himself from the "haters", but I can't believe that he is entirely oblivious to the fraudulent nature of his actions. If it had just been the sock puppets and ridiculous self promotion* then maybe I'd buy it, but the repackaging of the same book in different covers? That's the cynical move of a con-man and I don't see how a "tormented artist" (if that's the way he sees himself) justifies it.

*Even if it were only the sock puppets, the fact that he accuses his detractors of being a small number of people running a large number of fake accounts shows either a cynical self-awareness, or breathtaking lack of self-awareness.

Yes, I agree. That's pretty cynical and not a move I would expect of even the most bitter of rejected writers. Probably the best answer is a combination of failed artist and con man.

[Myshkin]

Thoughts?

I'm pretty sure he as at least semi-serious mental issues. And I'm not kidding here. Probably most of the time he realizes on some level that he is a fraud, but I suspect that he also truly believes that he is the victim of a vast conspiracy.

[slim da reaper]

I'm pretty sure he as at least semi-serious mental issues. And I'm not kidding here. Probably most of the time he realizes on some level that he is a fraud, but I suspect that he also truly believes that he is the victim of a vast conspiracy.

I AM!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Myshkin]

Ok, the other Stanek thread has finally hit 400 posts and been closed, so I propose that this thread should now be recognized as the official Stanek thread. All in favor? All opposed? Motion passed.

[slim da reaper]

Here's the audio sample I mentioned btw. I suggest checking out the stuff narrated by Stanek himself for the full experience. His voice really does bring the magic of ruin mist alive. Seriously aweinspiring stuff imo.

I'm phoning my ex roleplaying group because I'm sure he's recounting our Thursday night D&D night :P