How to Damage Your Reputation Using the DMCA - A Lesson From Mark Manson
Manson Seems to Give a F*** About Being Petty
Several months ago I read a book which I really enjoyed and I posted a glowing review of it.
Like many people who read something which they think is great I wanted to share it.
I had a competition to give a copy away.
Several people even contacted me afterwards to say how they bought the book on the basis of my review.
The book was called "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F_ck" by Mark Manson.
You can read my review here.
I have done a number of reviews for books I liked and I always email a copy to the authors to let them know. The response has always been positive.
-Until now that is.
No Good Deed....
It seems that Mark Manson or someone representing him is trying to have the review taken down under DMCA.
See this link here on github - many thanks to @ausbitbank for letting me know.
This is ridiculous as not only is a book review one of the most obvious cases of fair use it is also terrible PR - particularly given the basic premise of Manson's book.
I could understand someone being aggrieved with a very negative review - everyone has feelings, although even in that case they would have no grounds for a DMCA takedown.
The problem with the DMCA is that things are often taken down or blocked anyway because companies don't have time to look into things in depth and are afraid of lawsuits.
My review is on the blockchain so can't be removed but it's visibility can be altered and it could be blocked on the Steemit website.
Giving F_cks in All The Wrong Places
The whole episode is really sad.
I suppose the most disappointing thing is that it basically killed the respect I had developed for Mark Manson and his book.
Manson clearly does give a "f***" and in a very petty way. He also has a lot to learn about PR.
Needless to say I now see him as a phony and will not be reading his future books or recommending any of his work.
So if that was your intention, Mark, - mission accomplished.
Thank You For Reading
Had to google DMCA...now i get it :)
Surprised you haven't encountered it before - I'm most familiar with it from gaming where people get their Youtube game reviews struck down.
I play Quake Champions and Quake live but had never hear that before. Thank you for clearing it out for me and great article. Thank you for sharing. Following to learn more.
I am so sorry for your embarrassment. I know very well the politics of reviews from my two novels - one that was published by a small house, now defunct, and the other an e-book. Both were posted on Amazon and subject to the vagaries of the review process.
A Familiar Rain did well and received many glowing reviews - one, in particular, a professional review posted in The Educated Imagination, a journal of McLuhan and Northrop Frye. But nevertheless, I had certain enemies - spammer authors who incessantly hawked their wares on Twitter and Amazon and tried to torpedo me by encouraging friends or lackeys to post fake reviews. GRRR!!!
But then, I self-published on Amazon Kindle and was torpedoed again, but this time by well-meaning fans - people who were barely literate who decided to adopt the persona of professional reviewer and totally skew the work. Equally exasperating! But I did not then, nor ever will, attempt to censor this feedback. An author has to rely on a discerning readership - otherwise, what's the point?
Now, in your case, it seems you were unjustly maligned. It's happened to me here on steemit where I gave a fair and honest response to an author's work and was met with a bristling response. Apparently, everything should be in superlatives or best not said at all. As in your case, I actually praised the author's work and recommended him to several other steemians to follow.
I am really grieved that a professional author, or his associates would react in this way. As a matter of fact, I am one of those people who read one of the books you recently reviewed and am still deriving great benefit from it. I think I wrote you and told you that. So, please don't allow this one bad experience to stop you from posting your excellent reviews. You are professional in your approach, unfortunately, as sometimes happens, other are not.
Thanks so much for your well thought out response my friend. I won't let it put me off.
I'm glad. I do enjoy your reviews
Thank you:)
I hope Mark Manson reads this, and then fires his staff, or at least yells at his publisher's staff.
You are clearly not in violation of any copyright. And so, they, at minimum, are just wasting your time. I guess they couldn't be bothered to waste any of theirs looking into the actual case.
Word of mouth advertising is the strongest form. Clearly Mark Manson, or someone who represents him is a complete Jackass. And for putting You threw the ringer, in my book he
or they, are a complete and utter looser with lifetime tenure.
Now if Mr. Manson wants to come after me for my review of him,
Lol:)
Spot on mate. Sadly this seems to happen a lot with DMCA requests though.
Either Mason or someone on his team is a complete douchebag. I certainly don't need him to teach me to not give a fuck. I already know how to do that quite well on my own. :)
As an author myself, I often give away free copies of my books to encourage reviews, especially when the book is new. That is a common pre-release or shortly post-release technique in publishing. And, any review is generally considered a good review, whether it's good or bad, because both generate publicity, get people's eyes on the book, and increase the likelihood of sales.
Anyone who wouldn't want you reviewing your book is obviously a person who doesn't understand book marketing.
Thank you exactly. I know quite a few authors myself and none of them see reviews as a negative. It is all publicity. Further most of them understand that a review is a textbook example of fair use and cannot be shut down. Sadly the way DMCA is implemented online does not take account of that.
I am sorry I haven't read your review earlier. Your article made me curious to buy the book but I am not sure if it is available for buying in Romania.
I think it would be available if you check.
I wouldn't look for scapegoats in his staff or other people. this is what it is. and I resonate with your thoughts, moreover because I am an author myself. critical reviews, good and bad, are important and hater reviews are easily identifiable and much different from a critical one.
I also read that book and I agree with some arguments presented by Manson; on the other hand, a lot of what's written is ludacris, nothing new but a form of revisited/rewritten concepts from very popular past books - case in point: read Carnegie's popular How to Stop Worrying and Start Living...and I dont see Manson paying any tribute...
I second endorse Dale Carnegie's books.
I also recommend Napoleon Hill's books (Think and Grow Rich)
They are basically the well spring of almost everything that came after.
But hey, all works are derivative. We are all a collection of what we read and our experiences.
Thanks. That is interesting. I am not aware of the Carnegie book, I will need to check it out.
weird, a true classic. many of the popular modern books are regurgitations of classics. and yes, I am deliberately biased here, especially because things like this that happened to you.
I can not believe you would get in trouble for just doing an honest review of a book. Plagerizing a book...yes I can see a person getting into deep trouble for that. But reviewing a book???
Unbelievable!
Clearly Mr. Mark needs to give a few very SERIOUS FUCKS about winning readers and influencing people.
That is all. :-)
Well said.
I hope the people behind that similarly named world famous book do not come after you now too LOL
(:
Let's hope not! But I really don't think Dale Carnegie would mind a little poetic and artistic license being used here. I'm just going to think positive about the whole matter. A lot of power there too according to Norman Vincent Peel. :-)
I couldn't have said that any better!
Exactly!
That's BS, thats a well thought out review. That being said I doubt this is Mark's work personally probably the publicist or whoever.
Thanks. Yes that is possible but he should be more careful with who he hires to represent him in that case.
I'm wondering what was going through his (or his representative's?) mind. Other authors give free books to bloggers in exchange for good reviews which is like a free/low cost advertisement. And here you were giving him that free ad and he does that. He must hate freebies. Or he's not a fan of fans. Either way, that makes me not want to buy his book even when the title piqued my interest.
Lol yes exactly - makes no sense.