Just who on earth checks these people?

Perhaps it's the end of summer that brings out mean-spirited people. I tend to look forward to autumn - cooler nights, beautiful, vibrant color - all those warm, toasty things that beg for a fire in the hearth and hand crocheted blankets. Just when I'm settling in with a smile, out come the odd balls.

I belong to several author groups. Tales of pirated e-books, publishing houses that close, and the sudden onslaught of hurtful reviews are being mentioned on a variety of blogs.

Is it the economy? Is it the fall breezes or loud cicadas? I mean, just who on earth checks these people out before they cheat authors out of their royalties, decide to close up shop, or just simply spew such trash?

I thank the Lord every day that I'm with The Wild Rose Press. I have a great editor, an accessible publisher who puts out high-quality romance, and fellow authors that support each other. This house has integrity. It tends its garden and makes me proud to be with the Black Rose Line.

So let's skip back a paragraph; take a look at those above-mentioned charlatans.

Pirates! In the 21st century! They can find anyone's novel on the web and take what isn't theirs to take. Pay for your ebooks. Own it the same as you'd own a print copy. Don't share it, don't give it away, and above all, don't begrudge someone, who went through the process of writing a book and selling it, the royalties we work hard to earn.

Those fly-by-night houses! Imagine that! They close or don't pay a cent for your story. What!? There are places to check publishers out. Go there. Read. Think. Research before you hit the send button. It is your creation so protect it. You deserve a royalty statement you can read and understand every quarter. You deserve to be with a publisher who answers your questions, no matter how ditzy you think it sounds. There are honest houses out there. Find them and query them. Take the contract to a literary lawyer and learn what each sentence means. What rights are yours? What does the house own? These are simple questions. Learn to ask them.

Now to the reviewer. I'm proud of every review I've received - the good and the bad. What I don't get are those who decide to trash a book, not on just one site, but on many. And some of these people have the audacity to consider themselves experts because they learned to read! Do they all write a book and sweat through the process? The good ones with integrity have. They are literate persons who know the entire journey that you've taken. Others hook up with a multitude of web sites, use a variety of names, and post the exact same garbage in many places! Think about it. Now, the unsuspecting author has a plethora of trashy reviews from one person - who never should have critiqued the book in the first place. What a racket!!

I'm a music teacher. I have credentials that say I can critique a student's musical ability with a proven knowledge base. Liking a song does not mean that you can notate it or perform it correctly. So why should someone who has never penned a full-length novel, gone through the process of query, contract, and edits make or break an author's career? Why give them any credence at all?

To me, they are worse than the pirates and the pub houses that don't pay a cent in royalties. They break spirits with intentional bad manners. They don't get the plots, the characters, or the blood, sweat, and tears a writer pours into his or her work. They use words as poison instead of entertainment. In other words, they're jealous wannabees who don't have the courage to write their own story.

So these are the odd balls. They crop up in the creative arts as well as politics. Thank God they don't build the bridges and perform intricate surgeries on our loved ones. A little knowledge turns someone into an expert with power. And they tend to go on and on and on...

I mean, just who on earth checks out these people?