“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”- Mahatma Gandhi
ALERT: American Book Publishing: No Case, No Criminal Contact & No Legal Action Taken
ALERT: American Book Publishing “Investigation” Research Released: No Proof of Victoria Strauss’ Claims
Weinerdogs & Flying Monkeys: Sharing Their Views & Criticism of The Write Agenda
Ann Crispin: “There’s a hate site devoted to trashing Writer Beware. Run by a scammer, yeah, though he’s “anonymous.” <sigh> (Facebook, July 31, 2011.)
Ann Crispin: ” You might want to check out The Write Agenda site. It’s a hate site, and nothing else, set up by people with an axe to grind against Writer Beware.” (Goodreads, July 16, 2011)
Ann Crispin: “Re: the C. Lee Nunn allegations that Writer Beware fabricated Ms. Nunn being investigated by the authorities. One would think that Mr. Write Agenda, having been exposed to Writer Beware‘s extensive documentation and organized record-keeping a couple of years ago (and, after being exposed to it, dropping his lawsuit with a dull thud) would realize that Writer Beware never makes claims without documentation to back them up.”
[Note to readers: Propaganda? Firstly, is the assumption is that we were ever “exposed” to the “extensive documentation” of Writer Beware. Honestly, we have not. Secondly, we’ve never been in a lawsuit with Writer Beware (yet). Thirdly, Writer Beware has made “claims without documentation to back them up” (click here) and we have proven that fact. Fourthly, more ad hominem. Seeing a pattern here? She never directly addresses the fabrication claim and goes directly into an off topic smoke screen.]
Ann Crispin: “Writer Beware exposes scam publishers, and one of them has started The Write Agenda (anonymously, but we know who it is, it’s obvious) and has been stalking both me and Victoria Strauss wherever our books are mentioned.”
[Note to readers: The Write Agenda monitors the activities of publishing industry “watchdogs.” We are not a “scam publisher.” We are not associated with any publisher. Paranoia? If Ann “A.C.” Crispin wants to call it “stalking,” fine. We’ll continue to call it monitoring.]
Dave Kuzminski: “it’s [sic] clear that they’re trying to make it appear that Yog’s Law doesn’t apply to everything so they can ignore it and their victims will believe they’re doing everything correct in order to get published even if that means paying.
[Note to readers: A comment from the infamous and notorious Dave Kuzminski? One would think that he had learned his lesson (clickhere). We have effectively addressed Yog’s Law (click here) and addressed its fallacies. We never said that it doesn’t apply to anything. It does have its applications in limited circumstances. If you are not a “traditionally” published author and you choose “untraditional” means to publish your book it doesn’t necessarily make you a “victim.” ]
James D. Macdonald: “If you claim that you’ve “disproved” Yog’s Law, or that you’ve found “a fallacy” in Yog’s Law, or that Yog’s Law“doesn’t apply,” either you’re a scammer, you’re a dupe of scammers, or you have no clue about publishing.
[Note to Readers: We never said that we “disproved” Yog’s Law. We did say that it has fallacies and does not apply in some circumstances. More ad hominem. Again, seeing a pattern here?
James D. Macdonald: “It won’t do the little guy any good. When you Google on The Write Agenda this thread turns up first.”
[Note to readers: Concered here? Notice the effort to affect Google results and influence Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts? Paranoia? Obviously, The Write Agenda has become a concern to the “weinerdogs.” Be sure to read the allegations contained in the Bauer vs. Glatzer case here.]
James D. Macdonald: “But bringing up American Book Publishing? That’s a blast from the past. I’d almost thought Cheryl was out of business. Could just be a smokescreen, because if Mr. Write Agenda only talked about Bouncing Bobby we’d know right away who it was. Incidentally, since ol’ Agenda tried to disprove Yog’s Law, I Googled on “Yog’s Law,” and guess what I found! Someone else tried to do the same thing, three weeks ago. Our old pal Dick Tate of Tate Publishing.
[Note to readers: American Book Publishing is hardly “a blast from the past.” However, Macdonald, Strauss, Crispin and the SFWAwant it to be. We did prove that their is reasonable doubt to their claims (click here). American Book Publishing is not out of business. More paranoia (smokescreen)? We didn’t “disprove” Yog’s law. We did demonstrate its fallacies. More Google searches onYog’s Law? More paranoia? Do you think that Macdonald feels that his world is being threatened? Yes, Richard Tate also has issues with Yog’s Law.]
James D. Macdonald: Goodness! An open letter to SFWA? This almost makes me want to go look. I wonder how it stacks up against the old Forum? Now those were letters! Have they actually sent this letter? Or (gutless wonders that they are) do they realize that sending it would reveal their names?
[Note to readers: We think James D. Macdonald did read our letter to the SFWA. Gutless wonders? Really? It seems that James D. Macdonald was very supportive of the anonymity of Miss Snark.]
James D. Macdonald: “Of course. Anonymous cowards can’t handle honest comments. In the fullness of time we’ll discover which scammer this one is. There are no secrets in this world. It’ll come out.”
[Note to readers: “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.” Interestingly, James D. Macdonald didn’t have any issues withMiss Snark, The anonymous Literary Agent. Was she a coward? No, she was glorified as a hero. No scammer here Uncle Jim. By the way, was that that your wife charging $1000+ for manuscript critiques? (Click here.) What kind of scam is this being ran out of theJames D. Macdonald household?]
Teresa Nielsen Hayden: “The Write Agenda has continued to splutter and denounce the lot of us. I now have a couple of pages there devoted to me, starting here. There’s still nothing of any real substance; just angry grousing and griping. The only thing I find remarkable is the site’s repeated characterization of my writing as “narcoleptic babble.” I do believe that in all the years I’ve had that disability, this is the first time someone’s publicly thrown it at me as an insult. Well, heck. We already knew Robert Fletcher and C. Lee Nunn were a class act.” (Making Light: July 21, 2011)
Teresa Hayden: “Word to the wise: a new outfit calling itself The Write Agenda has been taking potshots at Victoria Strauss, Ann Crispin, our own Jim Macdonald, Absolute Write, Writer Beware, Preditors and Editors, SFWA, Atlanta Nights, and other entities that give newbie writers helpful information about the scams and nogoodniks that prey on them. To state the obvious, The Write Agenda is not the kind of company you want to keep. For one thing, they’re attacking some of the best and most helpful resources for aspiring writers. For another, it looks like the site is either being run by Robert Fletcher of The Literary Agent Group, or C. Lee Nunn of American Book Publishing. Maybe it’s a collaboration. In any event, Fletcher and Nunn are both bad news.”
[Note to readers: Paranoia? You decide. “[O]ur own Jim Macdonald.” Avoid us because we may actually point you to seeking the truth. Narcoleptic babble. Teresa is on the Propaganda Watch List and the Defamation Watch.]
Teresa Hayden: “The Write Agenda has been following Making Light bloggers and commenters who have Twitter accounts. Patrick and I blocked them when we found them in our followers list. If you find them in your own list, do whatever amuses you most.They’ve [sic] also posted a string of new blog entries denouncing me, Jim Macdonald, Yog’s Law, Ann Crispin, and other usual suspects, and an open letter to SFWA in which they misspell multiple names, grossly misquote Jim Macdonald and Robin Bailey, and demand that SFWA discipline, expel, and repudiate Ann Crispin, Victoria Strauss, and Jim Macdonald in order to preserve SFWA’s good name. They do get one thing right, probably by accident: they point out that there’s an element of the argument ad hominem in my own remarks about the Write Agenda. That’s true! There is! And furthermore, it’s valid! There’s a long history of bad behavior on both their parts that tells us that if Robert Fletcher and/or C. Lee Nunn are associated with a project, prudent writers shouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.
[Note to readers: More paranoia? Block us. You really don’t want to seek the truth do you? ]
Victoria Strauss: “I have to echo Ann’s caution about being careful with whom you associate yourself. If you’re looking for allies, The Write Agenda is a dubious one to choose. Any overtures it may have made toward you are intended to further its own agenda–to discredit Ann and others who warn about scams in the book publishing world–not to help you with your cause. ” (Goodreads, July 16, 2011)
Victoria Strauss: “ I shouldn’t complaint—[sic] I’d rather have the mosquitoes than the spraying.”
[Note to readers: Teresa, even the” weinerdogs” have typos. We never claimed to be perfect. That’s what editors are for. Did you miss this one?]
Victoria Strauss: “Are these the same people I noticed were trolling the Writer Beware blog? I’d say yes. We have a pretty good hunch as to who that person is. Ann and I have been aware of The Write Agenda for a while. We haven’t responded mainly because, despite Mr. Agenda‘s intensive efforts (he follows my every Internet move), he hasn’t been able to scrape up much visibility. He’s probably gotten more traffic today than in the entire time his blog has been up.”
Victoria Strauss: “Also.. they are using a screencap of Writers Beware, which starts right below the, warning, ‘THE CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION’ Which just sort of begs for a takedown notice. I’m not bothering with this, because he’d just put up the post again, without the screen capture. The capture also includes the entirety of my warning about American Book Publishing, which might inspire a thinking person to put things in context.”
Victoria Strauss: “If you’re curious and want a laugh. Most of the recent stuff is aimed at me.”
Victoria Strauss: “Someone alerted me to the Wiki vandalization last night. I’m not surprised–Mr. Agenda has also posted complaints about me to ComplaintsBoard.com and RipoffReport.com, issued fake press releases urging people to boycott my books, and attempted to start mirror blogs to disseminate his silly posts about me. He just started a LinkedIn group. It reminds me of the boy who threw rocks at me on my way home from school when I was eight. My mother told me it was because he was really in love with me. Sorry, Mr. Agenda, I’m already married.”
[Note to readers: Fake Press releases? No, they are very real. Ironic when their own strategies are used against them; the “weinerdogs” don’t like it. We’re not throwing rocks. We’re just asking Victoria Strauss to come clean . . . tell the truth . . . produce documentation that leads to the truth. Is there a problem with that? Honestly, we do love Victoria Strauss. There’s no intention to spoil her marriage. However, something was lost in “watchdog” land that needs to be rectified.]
Victoria Strauss: “We at Writer Beware are 99% certain who “The Write Agenda” is–not a group of bloggers, but a scammer who is the subject of warnings from us (and many others). Mr. Agenda is bravely hiding behind an anonymous blog in order to throw daggersat [sic] those he believes are his enemies. (You’ve moved way up the list, Ed–Mr. Agenda‘s Facebook page now links to your post. Likely he saw it because you mentioned Writer Beware–he monitors us obsessively.) Most of the people on the so-called “propaganda watch list” are folks who warn about literary scams, people who’ve posted on Absolute Write/Writer Beware/Making Light, or writers who’ve said non-positive things about disreputable publishers (such as Strategic Book Publishing). But the list also includes people who don’t seem to have connections to any of these. Go figure. Maybe Mr. Agenda just didn’t like their profile pics.”
[Note to readers: Sorry Victoria Strauss, you got it wrong again. We are in fact a “group” that is growing daily and you need to face the reality that your bias reporting has caught up to you. Complain all you want about our choice to be anonymous, you also never complained about Miss Snark, The anonymous Literary Agent. Honestly, we have no enemies. We’re just trying to get you to tell the prove the claim that you make with documentation. More paranoia (Click here for more information.]
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NOTE TO READERS: Writer Beware’s Comments Policy is another example of how the “weinerdogs” selectively play by the rules . . . even their own.
“Writer Beware actively monitors comments on this blog. If you make a comment, we will see it, even if it’s on a post from 2005, when we first started blogging. However, because we want to foster discussion and acknowledge alternative viewpoints, we have a very liberal comments policy, and don’t do much moderating. Anyone is welcome to comment, including people who vehemently disagree with us. We delete comments ONLY in the following, extremely limited, circumstances:
– If they’re personal insults, either of us or of other commenters.
– If they’re libellous.
– If they’re spam.
– If they’re obvious self-promotion. If someone told you that leaving a link to your book in blog comments was a good marketing strategy, you probably shouldn’t be taking their advice about other things, either. [Note to readers: It’s a non-profit site that utilizes non-profit resources, However, who posts links to their own books? Victoria Strauss and Ann “A.C.” Crispin.]”
References
” Ed Dravecky | Facebook.” Web. 14 June 2011. <http://www.facebook.com/dravecky/posts/102228109869770>.
“Making Light: The Write Agenda: The Wrong Company to Keep.” Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden. Web. 14 June 2011. <http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/012966.html>.
McIntyre, Gwendolyn. “Pages For Small Wages – It’s Time Once Again For Another Episode of Spot The Plonker.” Pages For Small Wages – Page 1 of 77. 02 Aug. 2011. Web. 03 Aug. 2011. <http://pagesforsmallwages.tumblr.com/post/8402948419/its-time-once-again-for-another-episode-of-spot-the>.
“On Fiction Writing – WRITERS BEWARE (showing 1-50 of 78).” Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. Web. 20 June 2011. <http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/423529-writers-beware>.
“The Hutt Gambit – Protest/Boycott Disney’s Release of Author, A.C. Crispin’ Book, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom (showing 1-3 of 3).” Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. Web. 14 June 2011. <http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/521848-protest-boycott-disney-s-release-of-author-a-c-crispin-s-book-pir>.
“Victoria Strauss | Facebook.” Web. 14 June 2011. <http://www.facebook.com/victoria.strauss1?sk=wall>.
Webb, Rita. “The Write Agenda Defines Hate Groups.” Rita’s World. 3 Aug. 2011. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. <http://afantasyfiction.blogspot.com/2011/08/write-agenda-defines-hate-groups.html>.
“Writer Beware‘s Comments Policy.” Writer Beware™ Blogs! Web. 14 June 2011. <http://accrispin.blogspot.com/p/writer-bewares-comments-policy.html>.
“Writer Beware | Facebook.” Web. 14 June 2011. <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Writer-Beware/374157262457>.
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