Blackmail, Threats, Coercion & Demands, Will I Bow? Not On Your Life

I received this email the other day from another writer in regard to a review and rating of my honest opinion on his book. I purchased and read the book, proceeded to rate it with a very generous 3.5 rating on Goodreads and the writer took offense.


"To: Gina Kincade
From: Bruce C. Cohen
Re: Goodreads Rating 3/8/12 for Sex Tales From West County: Billy's Tale

You've had your hour per Jacques Brel. This letter is to request that you remove the rating for Sex Tales From West County: Billy's Tale from your Goodreads bookshelf and ratings. http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3832106-gina?page=2&shelf=read&sort=date_added

If the rating is not removed by noon c.s.t. on Monday, March 19, 2012, I will assume that you would like me to rate and comment on all of NNP's products.

I highly recommend that you and your staff refrain from commenting on my works."


True to his threats in the above email he and his wife have begun a nasty bashing session over on the Goodreads walls that I find very distasteful and not very professsional. Going so far as to change their original rating of a book (of an NNP author) from a 5 to a 1. And this is not a personal attack on the author?? It certainly appears that way to me.

Ken Charles, aka Bruce C. Cohen, is an author with my ePublishing business NNP you see. A very disgruntled one who has threatened, coerced, demanded and attemtped to blackmail NNP into returning the rights to the books we have contracted with him. Why? Assumingly over the cover he disliked. Or perhaps because we turned down his application for our advertised Editor Required position. Or perhaps once the work was properly edited he'd decided our usefulness had come to an end. Who knows why in truth. Petty? Oh yes, very much so.

Bruce C. Cohen has repeatedly attempted to negatively impact NNP's reputation by posting multiple, negative and nonfactual posts, of a legal nature regarding his contract, on his Facebook profile page. In addition he's posted similar comments all over several groups on Facebook in an purposeful attempt to discredit our services because we refused to fall prey to his tactics! One group in particular actually requested that he not "air his dirty laundry" in on their pages.
The proof is in the pudding as they say and emails to NNP admin, our cover designers and marketing personnel will show the malicious nature of Mr. Cohen's posts and his very obvious intentions. The email above is simply the tip of the proverbial iceberg!

Although the disgusting nature with which these actions have been carried out by Mr. Cohen, do bother me (they are totally paralleled to the threats in his emails in fact), what has prompted my blog post today is the manner in which Mr. Cohen and his wife have now begun directly attacking an NNP author. This is just...just... Well I don't even have the words for how sickening this is! I've mostly kept quiet about this until now so as not to fuel the problem and spurn Mr. Cohen on further by acknowledging his juvenile behavior but I am simply astonished at the lengths this man is willing to go to at this point!

What kind of person takes a personal vendetta that should has been left behind closed doors, or better yet - in a court of law to decide, and bashes not only a business but also its writers? What morals are lacking in these attacks? I ask you, could you, would you EVER do such a evil thing to another writer??? Not without some damn severe cause I wouldn't!

A Letter to the Healthy World from the Land of Chronic Pain and Fatigue

If you were born with healthy genes, you may know me but you don't understand me. I was not as lucky as you. I inherited the predisposition to chronic pain, fatigue and forgetfulness. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FMS) after months, years or even decades of mysterious physical and emotional problems. Because you didn't know how sick I was, you called me lazy, a malingerer, hypochondriac or simply ridiculous. If you have the time to read on, I would like to help you understand how different I am from you.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FIBROMYALGIA

1. FMS is not the newest fad disease. In fact, it isn't a disease at all, and it isn't even new. In 1815, a surgeon at the University of Edenburgh, William Balfour, described fibromyalgia. Over the years, it has been known as chronic rheumatism, myalgia and fibrositis. Unlike diseases, syndromes do not have a known cause, but they do have a specific set of signs and symptoms which, unfortunately for the patient, take place together. Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are also syndromes.

2. The many physical and emotional problems associated with FMS are not psychological in origin. This is not an "all in your head" disorder. In 1987, the American Medical Association recognized FMS as a true physical illness and major cause of disability.

3. Syndromes strike life-long athletes as viciously as they do couch potatoes. They can be disabling and depressing, interfering with even the simplest activities of daily life.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ME

1. My pain - My pain is not your pain. It is not caused by inflammation. Taking your arthritis medication will not help me. I can not work my pain out or shake it off. It is not even a pain that stays put. Today it is in my shoulder, but tomorrow it may be in my foot or gone. My pain is believed to be caused by improper signals sent to the brain, possibly due to sleep disorders. It is not well understood, but it is real.

2. My fatigue - I am not merely tired. I am often in a severe state of exhaustion. I may want to participate in physical activities, but I can't. Please do not take this personally. If you saw me shopping in the mall yesterday, but I can't help you with yard work today, it isn't because I don't want to. I am, most likely, paying the price for stressing my muscles beyond their capability.

3. My forgetfulness - Those of us who suffer from it call it fibrofog. I may not remember your name, but I do remember you. I may not remember what I promised to do for you, even though you told me just seconds ago. My problem has nothing to do with my age but may be related to sleep deprivation. I do not have a selective memory. On some days, I just don't have any short-term memory at all.

4. My clumsiness - If I step on your toes or run into you five times in a crowd, I am not purposely targeting you. I do not have the muscle control for that. If you are behind me on the stairs, please be patient. These days, I take life and stairwells one step at a time.

5. My sensitivities - I just can't stand it! "It" could be any number of things: bright sunlight, loud or high-pitched noises, odors. FMS has been called the "aggravating everything disorder." So don't make me open the drapes or listen to your child scream. I really can't stand it.

6. My intolerance - I can't stand heat, either. Or humidity. If I am a man, I sweat...profusely. If I am a lady, I perspire. Both are equally embarrassing, so please don't feel compelled to point this shortcoming out to me. I know. And don't be surprised if I shake uncontrollably when it's cold. I don't tolerate cold, either. My internal thermostat is broken, and nobody knows how to fix it.

7. My depression - Yes, there are days when I would rather stay in bed or in the house or die. I have lost count of how many of Dr. Kevorkian's patients suffered from FMS as well as other related illnesses. Severe, unrelenting pain can cause depression. Your sincere concern and understanding can pull me back from the brink. Your snide remarks can tip me over the edge.

8. My stress - My body does not handle stress well. If I have to give up my job, work part time, or handle my responsibilities from home, I'm not lazy. Everyday stresses make my symptoms worse and can incapacitate me completely.

9. My weight - I may be fat or I may be skinny. Either way, it is not by choice. My body is not your body. My appestat is broken, and nobody can tell me how to fix it.

10. My need for therapy - If I get a massage every week, don't envy me. My massage is not your massage. Consider how a massage would feel if that charley horse you had in your leg last week was all over your body. Massaging it out was very painful, but it had to be done. My body is knot-filled. If I can stand the pain, regular massage can help, at least temporarily.

11. My good days - If you see me smiling and functioning normally, don't assume I am well. I suffer from a chronic pain and fatigue illness with no cure. I can have my good days or weeks or even months. In fact, the good days are what keep me going.

12. My uniqueness - Even those who suffer from FMS are not alike. That means I may not have all of the problems mentioned above. I do have pain above and below the waist and on both sides of my body which has lasted for a very long time. I may have migraines or hip pain or shoulder pain or knee pain, but I do not have exactly the same pain as anyone else.

I hope that this helps you understand me, but if you still doubt my pain, your local bookstore, library and the internet have many good books and articles on fibromyalgia.

Author's note: This letter is based on communications with people throughout the world, males and females, who suffer from fibromyalgia. It does not represent any one of the over 10,000,000 people with FMS, but it can help the healthy person understand how devastating this illness can be. Please do not take these people and their pain lightly. You wouldn't want to spend even a day in their shoes...or their bodies.

I Am The Publisher. I Pay You. I Am Therefore, Your Boss. You Don't Get To Call The Shots.

There is something some people clearly just do not seem to understand so please, allow me to be very blunt and we shall see if perhaps they can see through the amount of arrogance and stupidity they currently suffer from for just a moment. I'm not holding my breath though.

I am the Publisher.  You are a writer.  You submitted your work to MY company to edit & make all nice and apply a pretty cover to for which, in exchange, you are credited as the author of the work and shall be paid.

However, I am still the Publisher,  which means I have invested time & money into your work so, in exchange, I have a right to sell your work.

I am the Publisher, I give your work to distributors to sell, they make copies & versions of that work, which they advertise for you in their applicable formats to provide to readers who wish to buy your work.

Readers pay for your work, they want to choose the version or format of the work that suits their ereading device so they can actually READ what they paid for.  These formats & versions are provided to the readers by the distributor through their conversion methods, via the Publisher.  

Readers have the right to get what they pay for.  

Distributors have the right to get paid for distributing, converting & advertising your work.

Publishers have the right to get paid for investing in your work and making your work acceptable & attractive to the readers.

I am the Publisher. I pay you. You work for ME & MY company.
Therefore, in effect, I am your boss when it comes to the work (s) you have submitted to me and I have accepted and made all glittery.

Don't for one damn minute believe that YOU can tell ME how to run MY business.  

Don't think that you can threaten, manipulate, coerce, slander, or attempt in any other way to force me and MY company to allow you to try to change the way things work in MY business to suit your deranged sense of entitlement.

Don't think for even a second that you can manipulate the contract to suit your desires and illogical, invalid claims AFTER the work has been published. 

Don't assume that you can only now, 8 months or so after signing said contract, THINK you may see a problem with that contract and decide that you have found a way to force my hand and provide you with free editing services by claiming non-compliance for a logical manner of production.  Don't think that you can claim you were unaware of how ePublishing works. 

Don't think that by sending me over 15 harassing emails and multiple inbox messages on Facebook, containing termination notices, new contracts, rights reversions or any other crap claiming that MY company committed fraud, copyright infringement, intent to deceive or duplicity in any other form when YOU didn't read the contract or didn't care to be concerned for its contents when you signed it let's you off the hook & I will simply hand you back your work. 
You didn't inquire, ask questions or bring any concerns to the table prior to signing it and being advised by us to read it throughly, have it reviewed by competent legal council and let us know if you had any questions or concerns. This is NOT a factor at this point and your right to complain ended to moment you signed it.

Don't think you can threaten to contact MY company distributors, social media sites and online piracy to claim MY company illegally infringed upon your intellectual property & copyright in a blatant attempt to smear MY business name. You signed an agreement.

Don't think that threats to me, every member of my staff, complaints or arguments & insults to my cover designers or claims that my editor is incompetent or modified your work AFTER you worked one on one with her & approved the edits (which by the way are the intellectual property of MY company) will give you the means to take back that work and send it off to another publisher.

Don't even believe that you can simply begin to DICTATE to me what I, the Publisher, your boss, the current legal owner to the exclusive publication rights and commercial exploitation of the work for the length stated in the contract must do or not do, say or not say, disclose or not disclose to whomever I choose in the medium of business dealings about you, your insufferable holier than thou and immoral methods.

You're a fool if you think you can demand I allow you to enter MY private groups on any social media site after you've been removed from them for not following the rules of the groups & treating other members with respect or following the simple request to actually participate in a positive, supportive manner and for your rude and nasty attitude.

You're a fool if you think you can beat me into submission with your high & mighty bullshit and demand I post or do not post ANYTHING I choose to MY blog(s) so long as your right to privacy is protected in the WRiTTEN content of said blog posts.

I am the Publisher, you are the writer, I pay you according to the agreement you signed for the work or choose to remove it from circulation for violating the rules of my distributors or IF I feel the work will not bring in the desired proceeds. 

Do NOT attempt to tell me where & why I am wrong. If I've made a mistake, a reasonable mistake, a logical mistake that has no bearing on any of the above sales & payments, expectations of production & commercial exploitation and would not affect you in any negative capacity then please, save your overbearing, nasty attitude for the next pub you try to rip off.

If I turned down your application for a position within MY business because you could not fulfill the required criteria, and your references came back less then savory, this does NOT give you the right to decide to then become angry, belligerent and argumentative about every aspect of the production & publication of a work contracted prior to the decline of your services simply as a "pay back" because you didn't get what you want.  This does not entitle you to get your work edited for free.  This does not entitle you to a damned thing. Temper tantrums are quite childish.

And finally, do not attempt to tell me that I must behave, speak & converse with you outside of said signed author agreement in any way deemed by  YOU as unprofessional or expect to to bow to you & respond to your games on YOUR decided timelines. 

Simply put, I don't bloody well have to! I will run MY business MY way and YOU will not be the one who tells me I can't. Of course, you don't have to like it, but you do have to deal with it.

MY publishing company did not seek you out, you submitted your work(s) to MY publishing company remember.  The big mistake I made (which of course I didn't realize at the time due to a lack of a background check) was to accept your work(s)  

Now, I shall simply have to follow the reasonable course of professional action and sell it.  OR you can choose to pay the "buy out" fee for the work(s) if you want the work(s) back earlier then the contract conclusion date.  

The "buy out" fee is a representation of the costs associated with the work done on your book & the investment into it.  

People deserve to be paid for the job they've done. It is a reasonable and legal acceptable requirement.

We did not dictate to you how to write your book (your job), do not dictate to us how to do our job.

Review: 31 Flavors by Cari Silverwood & Leia Shaw

Overall Perspective: Highly Recommended. Therepudic in its own way to be honest.

Warning: There may be some triggers for those who have an unsavory history containing sexual abuse.


A gripping erotic romance.

I found 31 Flavors to be a very difficult book to put down and one I couldn't wait to pick up again as soon as I could.

The writing style of the two authors is incredible. Their ability to seamlessly weave the story together left no idea at all that it was co-authored. The plot and pace of the read was perfect.

The conflict of Sid's past and how it affected her marriage almost mirrors my life in most respects. I felt like I was reading about a friend, one I knew so very well, as their relationship went through peaks & valleys throughout the book.

I throughly enjoyed the analogy of the title and the reference to each person having their own preferences & way of things in BDSM. This is so true in my opinion, no two people ever fit the same mold, want/need the same things, whether they are in a lifestyle or a vanilla relationship.

Personally, I think 31 Flavors was an excellent read and one I'll be very likely to enjoy again in the future.

31 Flavors by Cari Silverwood & Leia Shaw

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