Karlynp & The Doggone World

A celebratory STGRB haiku:

Scrub the internet

of your bile and hatefulness

Fuck off, Vanity

Someone has a great sense of humor. Saw this on --> Twitter!

This total doesn't take into account all of those who donated using other means, i.e... Pay Pal...et al.

Wow, a very impressive show of support from the entire book community. 

Last weekend I wrote a posted titled, The WTFckery Report: Ellora’s Cave Suing Dear Author Blog for Defamation. Why Book Bloggers Should Be Worried. Since that post, there has been some updates on this matter regarding a once admired and respected epublisher (Ellora’s Cave) suing a book blogger (Dear Author) for libel and malice because of this post: The Curious Case of Ellora’s Cave.

The Streisand effect has been in full force this week, and has grown. There is a new hashtag regarding the Ellora’s Cave/Dear Author lawsuit thanks to author, Courtney Milan. Courtney’s post, On Limited Public Figures #notchilled explains:

“I believe that this lawsuit was filed for the purpose of chilling speech–and for the purpose of chilling true speech about a matter of imminent public concern. And I think that despite the outpourings of support, it’s working. This lawsuit is about teaching authors to sit down and shut up, even if their livelihood is at stake. o I’m going to be tweeting harsh things about Ellora’s Cave that I believe to be true, and that I am confident will not be held defamatory under the limited public figure test because they are not made with actual malice. If they sue me, they sue me, and I’ll consider it money well spent.

I can’t give you legal advice about what to tweet. I can’t tell you that tweeting is safe and that it won’t harm you. But I’m going to be tweeting these things under the hashtag #notchilled–because I refuse to have legitimate speech about a matter of public concern chilled by a self-important bag of farts who happens to have access to a lawyer.”

Courtney, using the #notchilled invited people on twitter to do the same. Spread the word. Don’t be silenced.

People are not being silenced. Those who didn’t want to get involved initially are now speaking up, including Ellora’s Cave authors. Even those who aren’t fans of Dear Author or Jane are lending their support in big ways.

Jane is going to fight Ellora’s Cave, or rather I should say Tina Engler because Tina is the one of the parties responsible for the lawsuit, not Ellora’s Cave the entity as a whole, meaning the authors who publish there. The authors at Ellora’s Cave are collateral damage in all of this because regardless of how this turns out it’s very ugly for the EC authors. Knowing what you know now as a consumer/reader, would you buy Ellora’s Cave books in the future? What if all the readers who once supported Ellora’s Cave stop buying their books? You have your answer right there.

Recently two authors wrote posts about Ellora’s Cave. That should push those watching the outcome to not to stand back and remain silent or not care. One of Ellora’s Cave’s biggest authors, Lolita Lopez wrote a post on why she won’t finish the Grabbed Series because Ellora’s Cave owns the rights:

“…I’m going to take her at her word and assume that EC doesn’t want even more bad PR about lawsuits after the sh*t storm their current suit against Jane Litte at Dear Author has created. I’d like to think EC doesn’t want to add “sued mother of special needs child who uses her royalties to fund special needs trust that will keep autistic child with severe heart defects out of state run hell-holes after mommy dies” to their long list of PR flubs. I currently have four contracts on proposals for the next four books in the Grabbed series. These contracts provided no advance and have NO DELIVERY DATES on them. My contracts have a provision for termination for non-delivery so my attorney contacted EC and explained my reasons for wanting to terminate these contracts.

EC’s answer? No. But not just no. It was NO with an added:  we might consider a buy-out but the figure would be quite high and based on the “potential future income” of these books.

Now, let’s not even get started on how they would figure “potential future income” for books that do not even exist. How do they intend to value possible future sales for a constantly shifting market that EC clearly does not understand considering their Amazon sales have nose-dived when many of us have seen growth?

Most people know this, but for those who don’t:  We have a special needs child who had two major heart surgeries before six months of age. She then had belly and mouth surgery at 2. Last year, she was diagnosed with autism and had a heart failure scare. 2014 has been another year of high medical costs and scary moments.

Most of my royalties from the books I write as Roxie and Lo go into a special needs trust that will provide for her future. Every penny that I spend on legal fees, an audit of the EC books or trying to buy-out these contracts is a penny that doesn’t go into mutual funds or life insurance policies that will give the absolute light of my life a bright and happy future.”

Author, Ilona Andrews also wrote a post, urging people to lend their support:

“I know what it’s feels like to be defamed.  I am naturally sympathetic to anyone who feels their name have been smeared. EC is the Goliath.  It has more money and it can draw out the legal battle.  DA’s income is not nearly in the same league.  I can’t imagine their ad revenue covers much more than their expenses. For better or worse, our justice system is more friendly to people with money.  An average citizen with an average income can attempt to sue a large company, but even if their case has merit,  the party with the bigger purse often wins.  It’s not fair.  This case in  particular is a slippery slope.  What’s next?  Bloggers being sued for  negative reviews?  Authors being sued for speaking about the breach of their contract?”

How can someone support Jane and help her in her fight with Ellora’s Cave? Jane has to spend money out of her own pocket to the tune of $20,000 and perhaps more. There are a few ways you can do this.

A Dear Author Defense Fund has been set up by Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books on Go Fund Me. Donations started rolling in yesterday morning, and in 24 hours over $41,000 has been raised. If you can donate, not matter how small, please do.

A couple of key points:

Jane has set aside $20,000.00 of her own money for her defense, but that money will go quickly as the suit progresses.

Sarah is administering the fund through GoFundMe, and contributions can be anonymous. She will not reveal donor information. If the defense case can be completed for less than $20,000.00, we will attempt to refund donor money through GoFundMe’s refund options.

All funds, minus the fees charged by GoFundMe, will be used for Jane’s legal defense. Sarah is not being compensated for my role in setting up the fund. Any funds that are left over when the suit is finished will be donated to the Society of Professional Journalists Legal Defense Fund.

If you’re not comfortable donating through the Go Fun Me website you can you can send a contribution via Paypal to jane AT dear author DOT com. Please make sure to earmark the funds “Jane Litte/Dear Author Defense Fund.”

If you’d prefer not to use a credit card, please email Sarah at sarah AT smartbitchestrashybooks DOT com.

The site is here: http://www.gofundme.com/DA-DefenseFund. And if you like a good bitly link, here’s one: http://bit.ly/help-jane-fund

For those who can’t donate, you can help continue to spread the word (and slap aside any subtweets who are happy Jane is getting sued and use the word “karma” for what Jane is getting. For more about that WTFckery in itself, click here: Jenny Trout: Don’t Do This Ever and click here: Tez Says: Subtweeting)

Speak up. Spread the word. Don’t be silenced. Keep Not Chilled going strong.

Round Up of Websites and Blogs:

Tina Engler has no problem speaking up loudly as she did on the Passive Voice blog in a post titled: A Note About Confidentiality Clauses discussing Courtney Milan’s #notchilled post.

Tina Engler as Jaid Black has a new post titled: For the Silence Victims. She uses “Salem Witch Hunt” and “McCarthyism” to describe what is happening to her and Ellora’s Cave.

Melville House: Is Amazon Responsible for the Ellora’s Cave Fiasco

Angela Sparrow: Ellora’s Cave is in Breach of Contract

Cat Grant: Example of her Royalty Checks from Ellora’s Cave

S.J. Frost: Ellora’s Cave Refused To Give Me My Rights Back Twice

The Misfortune of Knowing: Beware: Anonymous Commenters & Those Who Seek to Unmask Them

All About Romance Weighs in on the Ellora’s Cave Suit against Dear Author

Jezebel: Erotic Romance Publisher Spins Torrid Tale of Defamation

Carolyn Jewel: The Flush Pile

Lisa Matthews: I’m an Ellora’s Cave Author

To donate: http://www.gofundme.com/da-defensefund

If you are not familiar with the case and why it is so important you support DA in this fight, please go to Twitter and check out the hash tag #notchilled

For more references on the fund:

http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/blog/the-dear-author-jane-litte-legal-defense-fund

This is such great news! If a business tries to fine you over a negative review, California will give them a $10,000 fine right back.

If you’re a business owner with a thin skin in California, you’re about to have a bad time.

The state has had problems with businesses requiring customers to agree not to say anything negative about them online. But this week, California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a state bill that cracks down on the controversial practice.

 

“No consumer should ever face penalties for voicing their opinions on the services or products they have purchased, and California law is now clear that no company has the ability to silence consumers,” Assemblyman John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles), a sponsor of the bill, said in a statement.

 

Read full article: Negative online reviews are now protected by law in California

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/410320216023951836/

I know this is really about bragging rights of being a 'NYT best selling authors', but I think it's a cool thing to do.

The NYT Unveils New Monthly Lists Such as Humor, Family, Travel, Among Others

 

Today The New York Times Book Review announced changes to its Best Sellers lists, in print and online. As part of the redesign, 12 new monthly lists will be introduced to The New York Times Best Sellers franchise.

 

Entirely new lists to The Times include: Travel; Humor; Family; Relationships; Animals; Religion, Spirituality and Faith; and Celebrities with more rolling out in 2015.

 

I literally shook when I read this. I am mad as hell at the crazy 'fan' who could be so shallow and callous as to threaten an author with over ONE HUNDRED 1-star ratings from fake sock puppet accounts on Goodreads and Amazon -- all over a stupid book giveaway.  

As of this posting, and nearly 24 hours after this began, the author has not had any 1-stars added to either Amazon or Goodreads so it is possible it was just an empty threat.  But it was still a threat, and one that really disgusted me.

There is a BIG difference between 1-starring an author using your own genuine account based on whatever reason you felt it deserved (as long as you stay within the TOS), then compared to threatening an author with 100 dis-genuine sock accounts created purely for retaliatory measure. THIS IS GAMING THE SYSTEM!  It is against the TOS! And it is a spiteful shitty thing to do.

We hear a lot about BBAs these days, much of it deserved, but to be fair there are badly behaving 'fans' as well. And this Tina Anderson is a prime example.

For more screen shots and the rest of the story, see Author LIsa Survillas' Facebook post

It is also being discussed by Evil Wylie on Twitter, and author Alina Man on Facebook.

I saw this in the Huffpost today, pretty interesting! Click image to enlarge the infographic.

Source: Grammar Infographic Shows Why Writing Skills Matter

This is from a Steampunk collection you can find here:

http://www.thomaswightman.co.uk/126932/1384764/work/book-sculpture-derailing-my-train-of-thought

This video had me in stitches laughing. Enjoy!

Please note these are free pre-orders due out on July 7th!

Two more Entangled freebies. I should note that I could only find the first one in the database.

Both were originally published in this anthology:

Letters at Christmas

Erin's Gift