PR: What Not to Do: Being Ungrateful
- Posted by Johanna on March 17, 2006 at 11:37 am
- Category: LinkBlogging
or, How Not to Say Thank You When a Major Comic News Site Lets You Write Your Own Puff Piece
Someone I’ve never heard of got upset that he wasn’t pampered enough by the Pulse, and so he decided to attack Jen Contino at comicon.com. He doesn’t understand the message board format, attacks those who don’t sympathize with him, criticizes Jen for not keeping track of his werewolf series (of which he seems to have published two issues in three years) during a time she was dealing with the lingering death of her grandmother, and obviously doesn’t understand what a bad reputation he’s creating for himself.
My favorite part was his response to me, which ignored the content of what I said in favor of calling me “girly” as if it was an insult. Let this be an object lesson for self-publishers in what NOT to do.
March 17, 2006 at 12:34 PM
What are the chances that two self-publishers of werewolf comics get all huffy and crazy about online coverage? Before clicking that, I was all ready to go “no, no–you know him–he started that forum rampage against you when you reviewed his comic a while back,” but it’s not that guy.
That means there are two of them.
I weep.
March 17, 2006 at 12:34 PM
So…when’s your review of Autumn Moon going to be up? :)
March 17, 2006 at 1:03 PM
Ed, haha, yes, it did bring back memories of that episode. You think there’s something about the idea of drawing men turning into slavering wolves once a month that attracts the crazies?
Kurt, I doubt the guy would be interested in having coverage here.
According to the book’s webpage, his comic was originally supposed to be a movie script, but doing a comic was cheaper than doing a film. Now he seems to have given up print in favor of “pay-per-view animated comics” for future chapters of his saga. He seems like someone who’s more dedicated to chasing trends than doing a good comic story.
March 17, 2006 at 1:23 PM
That guy’s almost too easy to make fun of. I can’t imagine how his book isn’t gaining more momentum when it takes three years for the second issue to come out. . .
I might get in trouble for this, but — are there any books that Paul Dale Roberts DOESN’T review glowingly, and with an extra side order of exclamation points?
Kurt – Johanna will post a review of the book as soon as its author writes one.
March 17, 2006 at 1:25 PM
Well, at least he’s not the other guy there–I forget his name, but the one who can barely write in English. That site–not exactly the best place to find good reviews.
March 17, 2006 at 1:52 PM
Shiva H. Vishnu, that was embarassing. Contino’s got to keep a lot of balls in the air w/that site; and the fact there was a death in the family certainly is reason to cut her some slack.
March 17, 2006 at 3:59 PM
Dang, Ed beat me to what I was going to say! Darn trying to go out while I’m on vacation!:)
March 18, 2006 at 12:36 PM
He is ruining his reputation by acting so immaturely!
The Pulse most definitely does not serve only big publishers. I know this. Jen interviewed me when I self-published my first book a few years back.
It was a gruesome read but a nice reminder of how we should avoid flying off the handle online at all costs.
March 19, 2006 at 12:02 AM
Ugh. His use of “Honey” is more slimely than his “girly” which made no sense as a noun rather than an adjective any way. What a chauvinist! Looks like he has something in common with another, more established, independent publisher/author.
March 19, 2006 at 8:43 AM
Holy Toledo, THAT was like driving slowly past an accident on the highway…while it was in slow-mo progress!
Amazing to see so well-documented a meltdown; he was just blasting anything that got near him. Note to self, Keith; cut back prescription on “immature asshole pills”…
Defintiely makes the case for “Think twice, post once”.
March 19, 2006 at 8:44 AM
Or making sure you type the word “definitely” correctly…
Sheesh, I AM my own worst enemy.