Good news, everyone! Just recently, there has been a bright light gleaming from within the darkness of the Amazon jungle. Within the last month or so, literary superstar Anne Rice has taken to the Amazon fora to post positive and helpful advice for all authors everywhere — old and young, new and experienced, traditional and indie. Back in December, she started where she shares her knowledge and experience on editing and proofreading: For us authors: on copy editing, proofreading, what I know, what I can share:
Note her Warning to Authors at the bottom. Unfortunately, like everyone else who has braved the discussion threads of Amazon, Anne too has noticed the hostility and general contempt that the AFT (Amazon Fora Trolls) have for authors. In fact, we published some of her comments on this topic in our post, Words of Wisdom From Anne Rice.
So… do you think she got attacked for her warning? You bet.
Has she stopped posting and offering her advice to authors? Nope.
In fact, she has responded to the trolls with such sophistication and eloquence, it seems they don’t really know how to respond to her. She’s too smart and trolls tend to be … well … not so smart. 
What’s great about Anne is that she has no reason to be afraid of posting in the fora and saying exactly what she thinks. Like Dougie Brimson, she is a superstar and already has a huge fanbase with which she communicates on a daily basis.
All the same, though, we find it incredibly sad that when a literary icon like her offers to engage positively with others online, the trolls immediately move in and try to pull her down.
And this is exactly why we call them trolls. This is what they do.
Yet despite their attempts to drag her down into the mud, she rises above it and continues to help those seeking her advice and in general, her thoughts on various subjects. In this post, we will show you some of those thoughts, such as her thoughts on editing and proofreading:
Why she started the thread:
Her thoughts on indie publishing:
On print on demand:
On NY publishing:
On audiobooks:
On B&N:
Her solution for poorly edited books (instead of leaving scathing, one-star reviews):
Her advice for authors:
And finally, her attitude toward keeping the Amazon threads positive and productive:
As we here at STGRB are all fanboys and fangirls of Anne, we happily applaud her offering to share her expertise and knowledge. We encourage all authors to contact her either on her , or through her where she interacts with both readers and writers:
She also has a public email address for those who wish to talk with her privately.
Thank you, Anne, for all you have done to make authors’ online experience better. You are one cool lady.
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Wow! Anne Rice is a true lady and such a talented author. She is so kind to give up her free time to offer help and support to new authors.
I went onto the Amazon thread where Anne Rice is posting, and I saw all the well know trolls trying to wind her up, but she just brushes them of as if they don’t exist. What a classy lady!
More and more people are getting wise to the trolls on the Amazon forums and on GR. The tides are starting to turn, I am so happy to see this.
Great post STGRB!
Thanks, Anon! The tides are indeed turning. What Anne is doing is awesome. Not only are people wising up to the trolls and their tactics, some of the names on our troll list are interacting in a positive manner with Anne. Instead of focusing on attacking authors, they are engaging in polite and constructive conversation with her. This is a very good sign.
I agree Anon, she is truly an amazing woman to do this.
Hi everyone, I am a long time lurker of STGRB, but when I saw your post on Anne Rice today I got so excited, that I had to come out of lurking mode.
Firstly, I am delighted to see STGRB are still posting regular blog posts. I remember what Goodreads was like before STGRB started this blog, many authors were being viciously attacked on a daily basis. The bullies seemed to be in control of things, and Goodreads were doing nothing to stop them. But thankfully, more recently the atmosphere on Goodreads is much calmer, people feel safer there. STGRB have had a huge impact on these changes and people are very grateful to you.
STGRB’s “Do’s And Don’t’s For Victims” are very helpful, you guys give great advice, I have shared that link with so many of my friends. Evidence showing authors being attacked on Goodreads is well laid out on STGRB, people can clearly see what is happening and who is carrying out the attacks. Knowledge is power, STGRB gave me the knowledge I needed to protect myself against the angry mobs who patrol Goodreads.
I love your blog post about Anne Rice. Anne Rice is a super star. I am so happy to see her standing up to the angry bullies on the Amazon forum. I knew Goodreads was a dangerous place for authors, but I hadn’t realized until today that the same angry mob are on Amazon forums, too. Is anywhere on the internet safe these days? There are so many angry, bitter people online.
So now that I have come out of lurking, I’m sure I’ll make more comments in the future. Interestingly enough, it was the angry bullies who told me all about STGRB. While verbally attacking me last year, they told me to go back a cry to STGRB. Well, they actually said a lot more then that. They had a few choice words to say about STGRB, lol!
After that I became curious as to what STGRB meant, so I Googled it and the rest is history.
I think this blog is fab! Everything is clearly laid out, evidence is given to back up all you say. The thing I like most about STGRB, is even though you are reporting serious, upsetting incidents of cyberbullying, you manage to do it in a positive and upbeat way. I think that is why this site has gained so much popularity. You give people the hope and support that the angry bullies try to take away.
Things are looking up for 2014, lets all help to keep this moving in this positive direction.
“…some of the names on our troll list are interacting in a positive manner with Anne.”
Best news I’ve heard in a long time.
Here’s some more good news. We’ve been keeping an eye on Kat and Steph at Cuddlebuggery (two of our Biggest Offenders) and they also seem to be cleaning up their act. Ever since GR changed its reviewing policy and ever since Kat and Steph got busted for what they did to Judyann McCole, their behavior has changed dramatically. Although, they still owe Judyann an apology which they never gave.
If you don’t know about the Judyann McCole episode, read these:
https://stopthegrbullies.com/2013/07/27/stephanie-sinclair-humiliates-reviewer/
https://stopthegrbullies.com/2013/09/24/melodys-story/
https://stopthegrbullies.com/2013/09/25/kat-kennedy-wants-out-of-the-drama/
We’ve been keeping an eye on their Buzz Worthy News posts and it seems the Scandalous Scandals/Controversy section has been completely removed. Now they are doing informative videos on youtube in which they appear to be staying very positive, providing the latest news in the book world, and avoiding scandals and drama:
Big improvement! We are VERY happy to see them growing up and maturing. Athena remarked that they cleaned it up because the videos are more “up close and personal” rather than communicating through words on a keyboard, which makes sense. It’s true that the bullies wouldn’t be bullies if they were face to face with you instead of being behind the protection of their computer screens. However, I remember watching a video of Kat years ago when she was blogging all by herself on Cuddlebuggery, long before Stephanie came along. Back then her attitude was crap. I mean it was BAD. Now, she really seems to be growing up.
So… this is another good sign! We really hope this trend continues.
Glad to see them moving forward. I watched a few of the videos and they are a bit humorous and fun. I hope they are successful with it and stay away from the author bashing drama, the 1* carpet bombs, and the fake reviews – good or bad. However on a bad note, I see that the disgruntled, keyboard pinky-smashing, ARM is still at work trolling authors on the amazon forum. I hope STGRB starts focusing on them next.
Of course they’re staying away from drama. It’s because they got bit in the ass over what they did to Judyann. Remember what Kat said? She wanted out of the drama once they realized they were wrong? The drama that THEY started! I won’t forgive them until they apologize to her and to every other author they’ve bashed on their blog.
Melissa Douthit finally speaks up! Read this amazing post. Take that crazy Rick! He’s been spreading rumors about her and you guys for days and she finally sticks up for herself. Good for her!