Absolutewrite.com Reviews
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12 Reviews for Absolutewrite.com
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The site, as someone said, can help you find great people and I'm pretty sure it has over the years. But a site that's run like Absolutewrite cannot continue to get great people if they have terrible people who own the site as well as mod it.
For a site that's for writers, one would think they'd go out of their way to understand what people are saying before they say they are stupid on the forum. Mods should never attack people on the forums....NEVER. Any forum that allows that is a bully place. A place where mods can push around people and expect them to fear them. It is not ok to run a website like that. That breeds cliques and makes other posters feel like there's special treatment. Absolute Write is just like that. They allow bullies to mod. They also allow cliques to control who gets into trouble.
The site, as many have said around the internet, use to be really, really good. Now it's just $#@! because of the controlling attitude of those in charge. The idea (if I could rate them differently) would get a 3 because it is a great thing to do with start up writers, but it's not a great place for your attitude if you do more than look for critique partners. They won't let you think for yourself.
If you go to this website just look for a critique partner or help with your writing. Avoid giving your opinion. If you give it and the majority don't agree...not only will they get to insult you, you will be attacked by a mod and made out to be the bad guy. .
For a site that's for writers, one would think they'd go out of their way to understand what people are saying before they say they are stupid on the forum. Mods should never attack people on the forums....NEVER. Any forum that allows that is a bully place. A place where mods can push around people and expect them to fear them. It is not ok to run a website like that. That breeds cliques and makes other posters feel like there's special treatment. Absolute Write is just like that. They allow bullies to mod. They also allow cliques to control who gets into trouble.
The site, as many have said around the internet, use to be really, really good. Now it's just $#@! because of the controlling attitude of those in charge. The idea (if I could rate them differently) would get a <3 because it is a great thing to do with start up writers, but it's not a great place for your attitude if you do more than look for critique partners. They won't let you think for yourself.
If you go to this website just look for a critique partner or help with your writing. Avoid giving your opinion. If you give it and the majority don't agree...not only will they get to insult you, you will be attacked by a mod and made out to be the bad guy.
I'm not a huge fan of the forums--though the "ask an agent" site is pretty handy!--but I love that they have a forum you can use to find beta reading partners. I met some really wonderful beta readers there who I trade critique with. They are some of the sweetest people I've met in the writing industry. Honest, informative, helpful--but STILL nice.... that's a hard combo to pull off. I recommended the site to a friend of mine, and he met a great critique partner there also, who I then met through him.
Site, however, is overrun with ugly behaviors from those in charge.
Otherwise stay clear of the forums. The moderators are on a power trip and to be honest I see nothing that would warrant any right to be. They delete threads and people every other second that don't agree with them while they bash writers and publishers and pretty much anyone they damn well please. The site is a great idea with some good people, but it's run by a bunch of jackasses.
Why do you say you're "not a huge fan of the forums?" Have you noticed the moderator/owner bullying too?
Yes demi, the mods on absolute write are almost as bad as the ones on critique circle. But the cc mods hide it much much much better. You won't know until they personally wrong you (and then it will be intensely psychotically horrible!) But on absolutewrite they aren't AS bad, but are more obvious/public about it. Now I just run a private board for genuine writers who are devoted to craft. Some are published or close-to. We do a writing workshop for free--a new workshop each week. So farn no drama at all!
http://thewriteagenda.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/american-book-publishing-%E2%80%9Cpolice-investigation%E2%80%9D-victoria-strauss-fairy-tale/
This comment is being made by one of the AW Beware Board sock puppets.
I'm sorry, I thought this was Victoria Strauss seizing on the opportunity to promote her awful books!!! Just the opposite.
Oh, look! It's C. Lee Nunn from American Book Publishing, calling herself "Melissa S."! Hi, Cheryl! How's the scam business? Tell me, is "John S." you too?
Oh, look! It's Macallister Stone from Absolute Write, or one of her shills, calling herself Audrey D. Hi Macallister! How's the hide and smear business for Google ad revenue? Are you still pretending to run an honest critique board that doesn't use anonymous and dishonest frauds to attack people just for the fun of it?
btw, to anyone who is watching, one of the Absolute Write tricks is to pretend any and all critics are scammers out to get them, and they play this game while wallowing in hundreds of Google text ads, 20-30% of which scam writers and play bait and switch tactics. Talk about gross hypocrites!!! AW is the biggest scammer out there!
I'm sorry, Melissa. Maybe you aren't Cheryl. If you were, I'd expect to see a pathetic obsession with Victoria Strauss instead of a pathetic obsession with Macallister Stone. But Jack W. is definitely C. Lee Nunn of American Book Publishing plugging her little hate-site.
Hate filled? Sure you're not talking about Absolute Write? Hate and arrogance beget hate and arrogance, Macallister. If you wish an accurate description of the word pathetic, seek it on Absolute Write, find it in the disguised faces of the loser mob you support and encourage on a continuous basis. Victoria Strauss is a phony, just like you are. The pity is that too many still believe you frauds are honestly trying to help writers, but anyone with sense who follows your forums and clicks through your google scam ads will see the truth, eventually. So many of them are simply butt polishing you and the others in the false hope you'll help them get published. Yet another fantasy, eh "Audrey D." Macallister Stone?
How many weeks did your friend have to be writing on the boards before being accepted on the Beta Buddy thread?
After what I witnessed on the forums the last few days: I changed my rating. I'm speechless and actually physically ill at the actions of these so-called moderators. More pathetic is the people who kiss their asses so desperate are they to be accepted. Really just disgusting behavior all around. Maybe it was always this way or maybe it's gotten worse since I last visited. Shame.
Rebecca I saw. I deeply regret having recommended this site. I've changed my rating as well. I'm sorry.
I found this site. Interesting info about McAllister Stone.
http://forumsreview.blogspot.ca/
It can be a great place for a total newbie, at times, and it was once wonderful, but the current administration of Macallister Stone and her gang has made it mental.
It would be good except for the weird aggressiveness of the moderators. They are quick to get nasty, issuing high-handed, arrogant orders. Insulting, virtual screaming at, and cussing out (yes!) posters. This is often for very little reason, just because they disagree with one of the owner or moderator's opinions on the forum!
Private messages sent to the owner and other disagreements with the owner may be publicly posted and everyone invited to trash them. They play favorites ridiculously, and also get way too overinvolved, shutting down threads etc. for nothing. All this mess, while constantly telling everyone else that the number one rule is "Respect Your Fellow Writer!"
If not for the ickiness of an abusive environment, it would be an excellent site for writers.
That's really too bad that the moderators have done such a poor job. Do you write? I used to have dreams of writing but sadly I don't have time anymore...
Demi - you should check out this other user's reviews...she writes about writing forums too: http://www.sitejabber.com/users/lenam
She didn't agree with you on this site, but there might be others that you'd have in common with her...
Yes, Critique Circle is a really good site. Much more professionally run.
Oh critique circle is TERRIBLE. I was robbed of my money by them. They were very cruel to some longstanding PRO writers. They tried to hide their tracks, but I took screen shots as evidence of what those mods were really like. They banned me for showing evidence publicly. Oh well. Perhaps they shouldn't say things they need to hide! And the crit there is amatuers critting amatuers. When I got my pro editor, she found a lot I had to undo--things done based on the majoreity opinion of those at critique circle. My writing has improved since leaving that site, and am currently under consideration with top publishers. Would never have happened if I'd stayed at CC.
Lena, trading crits with other writers is the usual way it's done in the industry, not paying for them, whether you are a newbie or multi-published. You still need those fresh eyes on your work and you also need to develop your craft from critting the work of others, that critical eye then improves your own work. Paying for crits is looked down on. Usually the people I've known who have paid for critiques are either new writers or people who are not primarily writers but just want to get that one book done.
Also, neither of those sites, critique circle, AW, etc., charge for membership.
Sorry you had a bad experience.
Do a search on the board owner, Macallister Stone, you'll see that she robbbed a bunch of her own teachers who taught online classes for her!
SPOT ON.
And they will also delete comments of anyone who disagrees with them, in order to make it LOOK like everyone agrees with them. They must hate sitejabber. They can't delete the comments they don't like from here.
I was a member there on and off for quite some time. Met some great critique partners there, but sadly, the moderators and their minions have a way of running people off the boards. They are abusive to the members and will ban/suspend anyone who defends against the abuse. I've watched it happen to too many good people. If you prove one of their lies wrongs, they will delete your post and ban you. They are using their power to hide the truth. What is worse is that they then start rumors and/or misrepresent new authors and publishing houses.
This is where my most recent receive comes into play. After seeing how they treated others, I long since left, but as I started a new publishing house, a thread was started there, and so I revisited to answer some questions. The moderator (VeinGlory) approached the situation that was very clearly to everyone witnessing attack. Anyone who posted to say that and defend our publishing house had their post immediately deleted; anyone who agreed with VeinGlory had their posts remain. This created a false sense of what the community as a whole thought of our publishing house. If anyone doubts this, contact me and I can send you references for our publishing house, and you will see clearly that there are no posts from them on absolutewrite. There is a deceitful reason for this.
They said that my editing experience, having assisted several authors previously into print deals with publishers in goodstanding, was not enough to prove we know what we are doing.
They said that our first book being a 5-star, bestseller, did not count.
They called the author of that bestselling novel an "aspiring author" and that, to them, was further evidence we don't know what we are doing (can anyone explain the logic on that one?)
They said that ranking in the top 1% on editing skills tests also did not count.
My experience in business, having helped my husband set up and run a successful business, does not count if I don't offer proof. I offered the only proof I can (proof of income and assets) and they ignored that and moved onto the next thing to attack us for.
Several times throughout the conversation, and politely requested they just let us do our thing. Withhold judgment until they had more to go on. Let others decide for themselves. But they would not let it go. On and on they went. They denied they were attacking us and every time someone said otherwise, they deleted that person's post and banned their account. They claimed THAT person was attacking THEM ... but that they were not attacking me. The reality is, they are attacking us, and this is not the first time they have done this. And they feel they are allowed to do this but no one else is allowed to say contrary. The "gang mentality" there is frightening.
The reality is, as veinglory showed in the thread with one of her comments, that a small pub once shut down without paying her the money they owed. I am so sorry that happened to her. But our business works on available funds and not credit, which means we don't spend money we don't have, and any money that comes in for a book will go directly to the author (we don't have creditors to repay!)
Veinglory says we won't be around in 2 years. I asked her to check back with us in 2 years, then, but apparently it's actually her MISSION to spend the next two years making that happen. We will not be deterred, but I did want to bring this to light in a place where Veinglory is nor a moderator who can delete the evidence.
If you are an author looking for background information on a publisher that is based on fact and is NOT biased, try preds and eds instead. They investigate and go based on fact, not whim.
To add, the OWNER of this site made the following comment: "If someone wants to cry butthurt because we closed the thread <shrug>
Here is the proof until the owner deletes it (my guess is he won't have that foresight)
https://twitter.com/#!/AbsoluteWrite/status/184652056265633792
First, I didn't say a WORD about the thread being closed. I think that does me a favor, especially considering where it ended.
SECOND: Does this site OWNER not know all the meaning of the term butthurt? It's a term that is sometimes used to refer to the victim of anal rape in a derogatory way toward the person who was raped. Like raping someone and then making fun of them for it. This is a term that a GANG MEMBER would use. While he may have just meant it in the way that an immature teenage boy might us it, as a site owner, he should have the foresight not to use a phrase that could potentially hurt victims of rape. He might have an issue with me but that is no reason to use a phrase that is insensitive toward a bunch of people he may or may not even know.
I hope you are around for years to come. That website is a terrible website for writers and I cannot stand those mods. You do not allow your mods to do as they want if there are rules to be followed. They set the tone and if they can't abide by the rules, then they shouldn't be mods. It's that simple. That's what happens when you have mods who can't get pass their own edits to someone that can help them publish their work. They become embittered.
The Tweet was still there. I replied to several of his dumb comments. Someone needs to create a far better website than Absolute Write for writers.
Thanks, JJammer! After this whole ordeal, they sent someone to put a one star rating on my book. I quickly figured out who it was (they did nothing to hide it). Coincidence? I think not. Thankfully those who read the review saw right through it.
Unprofessional site, full with snobbish unprofessionals, giving false advices to aspiring writers.
You do have to be careful with this site, and I agree the personalities can be volatile. But there are some very sweet epople too who can be extremely supportive and helpful. I've posted work here for years and have occasionally received some unfair crits, but I think the place largely polices itself. I've gone for extended perioids where I did not post anything but I've been welcomed back.
All writers should definitely stay away from this site. There are several moderators on this site who will start a fight with you and then kick you out for responding back. In addition, the advice that one receives on the forums is pedestrian and the kind of advice that any beginning writer would give...are you kidding me with this?
Got banned for making the mistake of posting an ad for a writing buddy without being "part of the community." Wrote back privately with the suggestion that it would help to have clearer guidelines, and that it would be better to refer people look for betas/writing buddies to matchmaker sites (the Writer's Digest site and experience project dot com look promising) rather than get all bent out of shape because we don't particularly want to be part of the "community." (Trust me: Absoute Write is only for people who can devote at least ten hours a week to message boarding as a hobby.) Got a couple of strange responses back, including verbal abuse. Still not sure exactly what she's mad, but I can now say with pride that I'm one of the "Banned from Absolute Write" alumni.
They are an abusive bunch (though they deny this...while abusing people...and then the other abusers back them up saying it's not abuse. Talk about a circus!) I am not surprised they are just as abusive in private. Fear not, Kell, they are just abusive in public as well.
Yikes. I never even ended up posting. I'm one to lurk before joining in, and after watching the mods tear apart people for NO reason, then egging on others to bash those people, then carrying on long after they chased the person from the site...yeah I think I will pass on joining in. I've never seen anything so vile. There is a definite "clique" there. The site is great for them, but it looks like it's near impossible to become part of their "in club". Whether I could get in with them or not, I don't think I'd want to because I won't stand behind such poor behavior. This has to be the worst writing community I've ever encountered.
Just an OK site. As everyone said before, the moderators can be very heavy handed, unfair and borderline abusive. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Read some of these disparaging reviews, so figured I should talk about my own experience. I've disagreed with the mods plenty of times, and even when the conversation became heated, I remained respectful and so did they.
I see they get a lot of flack for being hyperactive about who they allow on the boards. I honestly appreciate it. I've seen people who are extremely confrontational go there just to banter back and forth instead of have a discussion. I've seen people be disrespectful to other posters (including racism, homophobia and sexism) and insist it's just their "opinion." I've seen trolls send abuses messages to people because they're used to being allowed to do that on other forums.
Mac and company run a tight ship, but it creates an environment where anyone willing to contribute in a meaningful way can really learn and grow as a writer. The people there are knowledgeable? And don't listen to anyone who says they're all "wannabe writers" that is flat out untrue. There are plenty of writers who have gotten six and seven figure deals with big houses who post on AW. So I don't seem like I'm making it up, you can search "Melissa Marr" under users, she posted just a few weeks ago. She's just one of many, but there is a board that posts books by AW authors.
I went in with a very rough draft of a (then horrible) novel and managed to go from clueless newbie to learning how to critique, learning how to write a query, finishing my manuscript, getting beta readers, editing, querying and securing an agent--all in about seven months times. I'm eternally grateful to AW, it's a great resource. If you're serious about writing AND publishing, you should try it out.
Any disagreement you have with the mods or anyone else there will be entirely inconsequential if you are there to hone your craft. If you go for drama and arguments, you'll get banned, and rightfully so. The truth is that most aspiring writers will never be published, for various reasons. Weeding out the people who clearly aren't serious about putting in the tremendous amount of work required to be published makes the board more worthwhile.
I agree with Bob. I never posted there based on what I saw while lurking. They were rude, nasty, and inciting people. They seem to be on the look out for the next roast to have. I also found a lot of inaccurate information being passed around there as though it were fact. There was blatant lying and frequent attempts of manipulation. The only people I saw enjoying themselves were those who sided with these mods during one of their tantrums. It's scary such angry people can have power and influence over those getting into the industry. There are better sites out there for those who want accurate information and are serious about honing their craft.
Well there's a reason AW is the #1 writer's board according to reader's digest. No other is as active and informative. I was only ever disrespected by trolls and they, like you, were promptly banned.
Have to agree with the majority here. The site of users is quite snobby especially to anyone looking to publish by unconventional means (i.e. self-publish or small press). Atmosphere is extremely insular and it can be difficult to start a discussion without being "immersed" in the community first. But even though the negatives outweigh the positives, there still a lot of useful information. If you're researching legit agents or publishers this forum is indispensable. It's also the most organized forum that I found to seek out beta readers. Other than that, be prepared to fend off the "establishment" posters, and if you're new, be prepared to be largely ignored.
I actually would not recommend their bewares board as I found quite a bit of inaccurate information there. It seems good at first glance but some research shows favoritism toward some publishers and agents who really aren't the best in the industry, while tearing apart some of the bigger players due to personal feuds. Look for something more fact-based to make sure you are "in the know" and querying the best literary representatives.
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Bobby K. I think so many forums get destroyed because of bad moderation. Often times the site gets big enough and then the site owner no longer does the moderation and they hire other people. This website has a very robust forum and is most impressive. The site owner did a good job of getting it going, but it sounds like at this point in time they need better mods. Did you tell the site owner? I bet they would take it seriously if people are leaving their website. I'm curious, what is the next best website like this out there?
JJammer D. We had words. No site owner I've talked to ever states a mod did wrong. They side with the mod no matter how wrong they are. I found http://www.writingforums.org/ and so far they are slightly better, but not a lot of people frequent it. I personally find that if you join a local writing group you get better advice than on a forum environment anyway.
demi t. In my opinion, it's the owner who sets the tone in the first place. When an owner abuses that power to attack other posters and otherwise go around creating ugly drama, the moderators pick up that same sick tone. It creates a dysfunctional board. Members with more going for them leave. It is a shame, and so unnecessary.
John S. It's typical at Absolutewrite. The owner, the mods and the others are a bunch of no name writers, who is trying to tell many times to professionals how to write, how to behave, how to act, how to work. Absolutewrite is one of the most unprofessional writing site that with I ever encountered.
Melissa S. If you investigate the Beware Board bullies you'll see they are comic book writers and fantasy writers. There is nothing wrong with that, but they write BAD fantasy. Also, they pretend to know everything about all genres so if anyone disagrees with their take on things they swarm you and chop your post into little parts they can insult one at a time. I've never seen worse!
Melissa S. Another thing that is very suspicious. The board runs hundreds of google ads, hundreds, and each time a visitor or member clicks on one, the board owner, Macallister Stone, makes money. In other words, she makes money if negative controversy hits google and sends hundreds of visitors to Absolute Write. It isn't in her interest to be civil or contain the bully mods because they stir things up and make for more clicks. Also, she runs loads of banner ads. Same thing, and mods and others benefit because writers see their posts with links to their terrible fantasy novels, comic books and websites. Everyone wins, everyone there benefits.
Lena M. Have you seen this? http://forums.writersweekly.com/viewtopic.php?t=8199 They've had some issues with taking money from people and not putting it towards what it was due toward. They ignore WritersWeekly. Read through all the posts. It's informative and is a good warning to authors to be careful about trusting Absolute Write, especially where their money is concerned.
Thom W. The owner is a liar who uses sock puppets to attack her enemies and a few mods, like RollingThunder, think they are all powerful.