tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post7986473969570100998..comments2023-09-07T07:16:10.305-04:00Comments on Flights of Fantasy: Author behaving badlyMarian Pererahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15700524210146863718noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-6688707636601286662010-10-03T10:51:51.547-04:002010-10-03T10:51:51.547-04:00I'm extremely careful with historical details ...I'm extremely careful with historical details in my stories that take place in the 19th century. But if I do make a mistake, (and that could certainly happen)and someone ever points it out to me, I would own up to my error and thank them for alerting me to it.gypsyscarletthttp://gypsyscarlett.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-10070899707104120282010-09-30T20:12:41.937-04:002010-09-30T20:12:41.937-04:00Well, you know. Pike just hasn't been the sam...Well, you know. Pike just hasn't been the same since that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Pike_%28Star_Trek%29" rel="nofollow">Starship accident.</a>Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13636853512160544410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-78479232375472236662010-09-30T00:18:53.133-04:002010-09-30T00:18:53.133-04:00Wow. Just wow.Wow. Just wow.FantasticFictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07585904161476879106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-23802917997817211692010-09-29T15:52:18.746-04:002010-09-29T15:52:18.746-04:00In all fairness, there are several nations and ter...In all fairness, there are several nations and territories whose capitals are not their biggest or best-known cities. So Turkey having Ankara and not Istanbul is not unprecedented.<br /><br />Canada: not Toronto or Montreal but Ottawa<br />British Columbia: not Vancouver but Victoria<br />Australia: not Sydney but Canberra<br />Brazil: not Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro but Brasilia<br />West Germany had had Bonn<br />United States: not New York City, but Washington, DC<br />New York State: not New York City but Albany<br />Pennsylvania: not Philadelphia or Pittsburgh but Harrisburg<br />Illinois: not Chicago but Springfield<br />Texas: not Houston or Dallas but Austin<br />California: not Los Angeles or San Francisco but Sacramento<br />Oregon: not Portland but Salem<br />Washington State: not Seattle but OlympiaLorenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13984896453534621864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-62428021938032128592010-09-29T12:14:14.528-04:002010-09-29T12:14:14.528-04:00fairyhedgehog - Replying to Amazon reviews made An...<b>fairyhedgehog</b> - Replying to Amazon reviews made Anne Rice and Candace Sams infamous too. <br /><br /><b>Mary</b> - I know what you mean about the names of some capital cities. I would have to check whether to refer to the capital of Sri Lanka as Colombo or Sri Jayawardenapura.<br /><br />But even under those circumstances, it's best for the author not to say anything. It's too easy to come off as defensive. And as you said, it's so easy to do research these days.<br /><br /><b>Maria</b> - Plus, what editor would argue with readers on Amazon under those circumstances? (Or any circumstances, really.)<br /><br /><b>LM Preston</b> - It <i>is</i> sad. On a LiveJournal thread, the reviewer said that if the reply had been something like, "you're right, I didn't check my facts, I apologize, and I hope that didn't prevent you from enjoying other parts of the story", she would have taken out any snark on her part and upgraded the review. <br /><br />Instead, the author escalated it to this point. <br /><br /><b>writtenwyrdd</b> - That's a great point. Even if authors don't see anything dishonest about using a fake name in that context, here's a great reason not to do so : If you're found out, every five-star review you have will be suspect.<br /><br />I don't want people browsing the reviews of my book with skepticism.Marian Pererahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15700524210146863718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-22322269227825706062010-09-29T09:52:57.032-04:002010-09-29T09:52:57.032-04:00Gah. How embarassingly arrogant and ignorant. I ...Gah. How embarassingly arrogant and ignorant. I have a relative (a pompous, arrogant ass) who wrote a book on music (vanity press) and then listed it on amazon. It has three glowing reviews, and I am highly suspicious that the only 3 reviews are 5 stars and glowing...writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-51654499593150645052010-09-29T08:43:41.338-04:002010-09-29T08:43:41.338-04:00Oh no, say it isn't so. Wow. Now I must admit ...Oh no, say it isn't so. Wow. Now I must admit I've seen some authors respond to reviews on amazon, but I always figure - why bother? As a book buyer myself, I assess the overall book appearance, the subject and overall group of reviews. I automatically kick out the bad ones if it's not a large number of them. That's so sad that the author took the review so badly.LM Prestonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624508396760965680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-21230734360545662010-09-29T08:19:33.513-04:002010-09-29T08:19:33.513-04:00That is beyond crass.
And then to pretend to be t...That is beyond crass.<br /><br />And then to pretend to be the editor?<br /><br />I'd understand if the review was off topic or baseless, but the reviewer picked on very specific instances. <br /><br />All the author accomplished was making himself look foolish.Maria Zanninihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01604862636922299273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-69737886593781287132010-09-29T06:20:06.608-04:002010-09-29T06:20:06.608-04:00Sigh...
First of all, those mistakes make me crin...Sigh...<br /><br />First of all, those mistakes make me cringe. Nowadays, we have the internet, for pity's sake -- you can research anything, go virtually anywhere. After living among Turks in KKTC (North Cyprus) for two years, I would still double check anything I wrote about Turks or Turkey, especially if I knew it was going to be published. <br /><br />The 'Istanbul is the capital of Turkey' misapprehension is ubiquitous, though. A couple of my daughter's Cypriot Turkish classmates insisted that Istanbul was the capital of Turkey and moreover, that as semi-Turks who had been there, they ought to know better than she did. She never did manage to persuade them otherwise.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-32984535327201723792010-09-29T05:30:45.878-04:002010-09-29T05:30:45.878-04:00What very odd behaviour.
I'm surprised he fe...What very odd behaviour. <br /><br />I'm surprised he felt he needed to reply to an amazon review, but if he did it's a shame he didn't do it straightforwardly the first time.fairyhedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14141089706966852951noreply@blogger.com