Robert Stanek shat directly into my soul.

[mormont]

I'm pretty sure he as at least semi-serious mental issues. And I'm not kidding here.

[mod] I think that attempting to comment on the mental health of an individual you don't know and haven't met, particularly if you are not a mental health professional, is ill-advised and crosses the line into personal commentary. Discuss the man's books, discuss his public actions if you must, but lay off discussing his mental health, please. [/mod]

[Hooplehead]

I've fallen victim to terrible self-publishers a few times on Amazon. Amazon really needs to do a better job of policing that crap or at least making it obvious to potential victims, er... I mean, customers.

One time it was just a reference book for myself, the other time it was supposed to be for a gift. Both times I ended up with "books" that were actually more like pamphlets. Bound with staples. Page edges rough and sharp. No editing. And of course in both cases the items had received multiple 5-star reviews. And in both cases I was the first 1-star review.

[Marcelo Rebelo Firqoralas]

[mod] I think that attempting to comment on the mental health of an individual you don't know and haven't met, particularly if you are not a mental health professional, is ill-advised and crosses the line into personal commentary. Discuss the man's books, discuss his public actions if you must, but lay off discussing his mental health, please. [/mod]

How on earth could it be? With all the abuse thrown on Stanek, trying to explain his behaviour with a mental diagnosis could only be seen as an attempt at understanding him.

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

Can't believe noone's mentioned the fake book discussion forums he made, where he had a bunch of sockpuppets talking to each other about his books.

[Stone-Made-Soft]

Haha, there are 2 Robert Stanek books on that page, listed as narrated by 2 different people. Both are clearly Stanek.

Seriously though. Wizards First Rule. Do it.

That's wrong Tormund. Friends don't let friends read Goodkind.

[Joanna vander Poele]

That's wrong Tormund. Friends don't let friends read Goodkind.

Now I have to re-read the thread, because the first time around I almost died in hysteria.

[Liadin]

Hilariously, despite the dozens of rabid "fans" on his website, he only has three people in his facebook fan group, and that's including himself. He hasn't been able to get anyone else to respond to discussions there, either.

[Alexia]

I didn't know that Amazon carried self-published books. :dunno:

[Ran]

Amazon will carry most any book with an ISBN number, self-published or otherwise.

[Acid Rainbow]

HAHAHA, I almost feel sorry for Stanek. Why would he waste his life making a sockpuppet army and creating hundreds of accounts on his forums so he can praise his own books?

And I noticed the Facebook fans are 2 now. Including Stanek.

[Larry.]

What's most odd about his compulsiveness in his fiction promotion is that for his technical guides, he actually sells quite a few books, based on the William Stanek books listed on Amazon. Very strange dude, based on the evidence presented in these threads, though.

[Slick Mongoose]

HAHAHA, I almost feel sorry for Stanek. Why would he waste his life making a sockpuppet army and creating hundreds of accounts on his forums so he can praise his own books?

And I noticed the Facebook fans are 2 now. Including Stanek.

Are you sure the other one isn't Stanek?

[awesome possum]

I feel sort of bad for the guy. All he wanted to do was write fantasy and George R.R. Martin had to come along and steal his fame and fortune. I knew there was a reason the last two books have taken so long to come out. GRRM has been so busy ruining Stanek he simply doesn't have time to write anymore.

[Jaerv]

All this scorn is so sad, all these poor people who hate art because they don’t understand it.

But I will not break. To be a genius is not a gift, it is an obligation, making suicide unthinkable.

I will endure. I will keep working, always remembering the others who were misjudeged by the world throughout their lives: Hölderlin, Kafka, Trakl, and all the others…

I will keep writing!

One day it will be: Hölderlin, Kafka, Trakl, Stanek.

[slim da reaper]

HAHAHA, I almost feel sorry for Stanek. Why would he waste his life making a sockpuppet army and creating hundreds of accounts on his forums so he can praise his own books?

And I noticed the Facebook fans are 2 now. Including Stanek.

So can I ask what made you leave Mr Stanek? was it because of Mr Stanek? haha

I propose a FB facebook page based on that scene from

.

Where we stand up and each shout: I'M STANEK!

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

I swear to you guys that stanek iss at my regular bar right now. He said his name is craig and he comes here all the time, but I come here all the time and I've never seen him. I just googled his pic and my wife and I agree it's the same guy. Haha.

[Liadin]

Wait a minute.... Stanek also has a facebook group about himself and has 4 other people in it. Can one make sockpuppets on facebook? Or would he have to recruit family/friends/employees to join? He even managed to get someone to respond to a wallpost....

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

One of his friends seems to be a Greek Orthodox priest.

God, I don't even know.

[Acid Rainbow]

I guess you can make sockpuppets on Facebook, but it must be much harder and more time-consuming than doing it on a message board. You'd need to maintain an entire separate personality.

[Liadin]

I didn't know that Amazon carried self-published books. :dunno:

Seems like a good time to insert a Public Service Announcement:

Amazon will carry just about anything, as will other online booksellers. And while Stanek is extreme in his self-promotion efforts, it's certainly not unheard of for self-published or even traditionally-published-but-obscure authors to create a few sockpuppets and/or have family and friends positively review their books. These obscure books typically have 4.5-5 star averages, with almost all of the reviews being short, vague, and published from accounts that have few or no other reviews. Beware.

Honestly, I would suggest that, when looking at books online that have not been recommended to you by any reputable source: look at the publisher, use the "search inside" feature to read the first few pages if available (if not, ask yourself why not), and above all, read some reviews, positive and negative. This was the OP's mistake. Never base your purchase on the star rating alone, because star ratings mean nothing. If you can't find any reviews that sound like an intelligent human being analyzing the positive and negative aspects of the book (they all sound like they were written by a marketing department, or are just too vague to say anything), you'd do well to avoid buying that book, at least until you can find real people who can verify that it's worthwhile.

/soapbox

I guess you can make sockpuppets on Facebook, but it must be much harder and more time-consuming than doing it on a message board. You'd need to maintain an entire separate personality.

But you could create accounts and have no activity on them? If they don't friend anyone and keep their info private? (You can tell I joined facebook back when you had to have a valid college email address....)