Who Profited from the Two-Decade Smear Campaign Against Robert Stanek?

For over twenty years, independent author Robert Stanek has endured a relentless smear campaign marked by false accusations, misinformation, and sustained personal and professional harassment. Amid the chaos, misinformation, and targeted attacks, a critical question emerges: Who benefited most from this coordinated and malicious campaign?

Profiting from Defamation: Key Perpetrators

The main instigators behind the smear campaign against Robert Stanek, including figures such as Adam Whitehead, Patrick St-Denis, and others, leveraged the situation to establish and enhance their own careers, reputations, and influence within the speculative fiction community. Through persistent misinformation, sensational claims, and coordinated attacks, these individuals built significant followings, attracted readership to their platforms, and positioned themselves as influential figures in genre criticism and fandom.

By repeatedly targeting Stanek with unsubstantiated accusations, especially related to fraudulent reviews and alleged “sock-puppet” activities, these perpetrators manufactured controversy to drive website traffic, boost online engagement, and solidify their standing as supposed “truth-tellers” within the community. Essentially, they exploited Stanek’s misfortune and suffering as stepping stones to elevate their own professional and personal visibility.

George R.R. Martin: An Indirect Beneficiary

One of the more notable indirect beneficiaries of the attacks on Stanek was renowned fantasy author George R.R. Martin. Many early hostile reviews of Stanek’s works explicitly redirected readers to Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. Whether or not Martin was directly involved, the outcome undeniably favored him, increasing visibility and sales of his books.

Moreover, Martin publicly acknowledged and credited Adam Whitehead, a central figure involved in disseminating misinformation about Stanek, in his own book acknowledgments. This acknowledgment raises serious questions:

• How deeply was Martin aware of Whitehead’s relentless public attacks against Stanek?
• Given Martin’s direct relationship with Whitehead, how could he remain unaware of such pervasive and harmful actions?

Regardless of Martin’s level of active participation, he undeniably benefited from the narrative carefully cultivated by figures like Whitehead.

Patrick Rothfuss: Elevation Through Controversy

Similarly, fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss profited, directly or indirectly, from the attacks on Stanek. By amplifying misinformation and negative sentiment against Stanek to his significant online following, Rothfuss strengthened his own brand as a defender of publishing integrity, despite a lack of verifiable evidence supporting the claims he promoted.

Rothfuss leveraged the manufactured controversy to position himself as a moral authority in the genre community, enhancing his public persona and reinforcing his reader loyalty. This public stance, based on unsubstantiated accusations, further deepened the harm done to Stanek while solidifying Rothfuss’s own prominence and credibility.

Exploiting Independent Success

The broader impact of these attacks sent a chilling message to independent authors everywhere. By targeting Stanek, an early and visible independent publishing success story, the perpetrators effectively warned other indie authors: succeed outside traditional gatekeepers at your own risk. This culture of fear indirectly benefited established publishing houses and authors who relied on traditional routes to publication, consolidating industry power structures and deterring new competition.

Accountability and Justice

The lasting damage inflicted upon Robert Stanek’s reputation and personal well-being cannot be overstated. As the full extent of the campaign’s maliciousness and the beneficiaries behind it come to light, it’s crucial for the literary community to demand accountability and transparency.

Readers, authors, and industry insiders alike must critically assess the individuals and entities who profited from this sustained campaign of harassment. It’s essential to confront the difficult reality: careers were built, reputations enhanced, and financial and social capital gained—at the direct expense of Robert Stanek’s career and personal life.

Understanding who profited from Stanek’s pain clarifies why the campaign was so prolonged and relentless. It serves as a vital lesson on the importance of vigilance, integrity, and support for independent voices within the literary community.

Evaluating the Damages: What Has Robert Stanek Lost?

As we’ve stated, the sustained and coordinated harassment campaign against independent author Robert Stanek has spanned more than two decades, significantly damaging his professional reputation, personal wellbeing, and economic potential. Understanding the scope and scale of this harm is essential, as it raises critical questions about accountability and fairness within the publishing industry.

The Scope of Damages: Professional and Personal

The attacks against Stanek were not simply negative reviews or mild criticism; they represented systematic, long-term defamation. These persistent falsehoods severely hindered his ability to effectively market his books, secure partnerships, and build on his initial success.

Professionally, Stanek faced:

Loss of Book Sales and Revenue: Without the constant defamation, Stanek’s books likely would have experienced sustained growth and popularity, significantly boosting his earnings over decades.

Damage to Career Growth and Opportunities: Potential partnerships, film adaptations, licensing deals, and foreign translations were undoubtedly limited or prevented entirely due to the ongoing misinformation and false reputation attached to his name.

Personally, Stanek endured:

Significant Emotional Distress: Years of threats (including death threats), harassment, and attacks undeniably caused profound psychological stress and emotional harm, impacting his personal and family life.

Reputational Harm: Persistent accusations damaged not only Stanek’s professional standing but also his personal reputation, creating lasting negative perceptions in public and private spheres.

Quantifying the Economic Harm: Tens of Millions or More?

The financial damage resulting from such sustained reputational attacks is challenging to precisely quantify. However, examining comparable authors who avoided such campaigns and thrived suggests Stanek’s lost potential income is substantial, likely millions or even tens of millions of dollars. This estimate considers:

Book Sales and Royalties: Successful fantasy series often generate significant revenue from direct sales, audiobooks, merchandise, and translations.

Film and Media Adaptations: Popular fantasy franchises frequently achieve lucrative film or television deals, generating substantial income streams that Stanek was denied.

Expanded Publishing Deals and Advances: Had Stanek’s reputation remained untarnished, he might have secured larger publishing deals, international rights, and favorable contracts.

Who Benefited Financially?

Some industry figures who directly or indirectly benefited from Stanek’s defamation achieved enormous financial success, ranging from tens of millions to, in the case of major authors and franchises, even hundreds of millions or potentially billions of dollars. The stark contrast in outcomes emphasizes the scale of Stanek’s losses relative to those who profited, intentionally or indirectly, from the suppression of his career.

Ethical and Moral Obligations

Given the severe personal, professional, and financial harm Stanek has endured, questions naturally arise regarding fairness, accountability, and restitution. While assigning precise figures might invite controversy, acknowledging the injustice Stanek suffered is crucial. It underscores the urgent need for the literary community to reflect on its ethical responsibilities:

Acknowledgment and Apology: At minimum, those responsible should publicly acknowledge the harm caused and rectify misinformation.

Support and Opportunities: Efforts should be made to restore Stanek’s professional standing, offering support and platforms for his work.

Moving Forward: Ensuring Justice and Fairness

The literary community must recognize and address the lasting harm caused by sustained harassment campaigns like the one endured by Robert Stanek. Doing so not only helps provide justice for Stanek but also fosters an environment that supports fair competition, ethical practices, and independent success. Accountability and recognition of the damages Stanek faced are crucial steps towards healing and fairness in the publishing industry.

The Human Cost: The Profound Impact of Harassment on Robert Stanek and His Family

The prolonged and relentless harassment faced by independent author Robert Stanek over two decades is not merely a professional or financial issue—it carries a deeply human and profoundly personal cost. Often overlooked amid discussions of reputational harm and lost opportunities is the profound emotional toll exacted upon Stanek, his wife, and their four children. This examination aims to thoughtfully illuminate the very real, often hidden human costs behind such sustained and unjustified attacks.

The Silent Toll on the Family

The emotional and psychological impact of continuous harassment, threats, and misinformation is devastating—not just to the targeted individual but also to their loved ones. For Stanek’s family, this ordeal likely meant confronting:

Constant Stress and Anxiety: Living under persistent threats and ongoing public defamation generates chronic stress, anxiety, and fear. For a spouse and children, seeing their loved one repeatedly targeted can create lasting emotional scars.

Disruption of Daily Life: A climate of constant attacks and public controversy inevitably disrupts family routines, sense of normalcy, and peace within the household.

Isolation and Social Strain: Families in such situations often experience increased isolation, as misinformation and false narratives spread through communities, social networks, and online platforms. This isolation can profoundly impact children’s social development and family cohesion.

Long-Term Emotional and Psychological Damage

The impact of two decades of sustained stress, false accusations, and public harassment cannot be overstated. Such prolonged emotional turmoil often results in:

Emotional Exhaustion and Burnout: The continual emotional burden can lead to exhaustion, depression, and reduced quality of life for the entire family.

Damage to Mental Health: Prolonged exposure to threats and attacks can lead to severe anxiety, trauma responses, and other mental health challenges, affecting each family member differently but significantly.

Strained Family Relationships: The continuous external pressures often strain relationships, as families grapple with navigating the fallout, defending their loved one, and coping with ongoing uncertainty and stress.

The Heartbreaking Question: For What Purpose?

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the ongoing harassment campaign against Stanek is its sheer senselessness. Twenty years of relentless attacks and emotional upheaval—for what? A small number of disputed reviews from decades ago?

The absurdity of sustaining such attacks over minor and debunked accusations is overshadowed only by the cruelty inherent in continuing to inflict such personal harm upon an innocent family. No literary dispute or competitive disagreement justifies inflicting lasting psychological trauma and emotional pain on an author, their spouse, and their children.

A Call for Compassion and Reflection

Recognizing the deeply personal and human impact on Robert Stanek and his family is crucial. As a community—authors, readers, and industry professionals alike—we must reflect carefully on the ethical and moral implications of prolonged online harassment campaigns. It is imperative to:

• Foster empathy, compassion, and understanding in our interactions online and offline.
• Hold accountable those who perpetuate harm, misinformation, and harassment.
• Support individuals and families targeted by unjustified attacks, helping them heal and reclaim their peace.

Acknowledging and addressing the human costs borne by Robert Stanek’s family serves as a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to uphold kindness, integrity, and fairness within literary communities.

Silence and Complicity: A Call to the Creative Community

The two-decade-long harassment campaign against independent author Robert Stanek raises other important and uncomfortable questions: not only about those directly involved in perpetuating attacks, but also about the silence and complicity from other writers, authors, and creatives within the community, both traditionally published and independent.

Many professionals, authors, and creatives, both prominent and aspiring, witnessed the unjustified and relentless targeting of Robert Stanek. Rather than speaking up or standing in solidarity, many chose silence. Others actively participated in or passively encouraged the attacks to gain credibility, notoriety, or favor within their communities. This collective silence and inaction indirectly contributed to the prolonged suffering endured by Stanek and his family.

Some authors and industry figures leveraged the chaos surrounding Stanek's harassment for personal benefit—using the situation to align themselves with prominent voices or distancing themselves from controversy to protect their own reputations. In doing so, they prioritized self-interest over integrity, inadvertently reinforcing the culture of harassment, misinformation, and unfair treatment.

The Cost of Looking the Other Way

Choosing silence or complicity might have seemed like the safer or easier choice, but it came at a profound ethical cost. Each instance of silence or passive acceptance normalized toxic behaviors and emboldened those intent on causing harm. This, in turn, set a harmful precedent that jeopardizes not just Stanek, but all independent voices striving for success outside traditional industry channels.

It is essential for every member of the literary and creative community to recognize their potential role in either perpetuating or challenging harassment and misinformation:

Examine Personal Responsibility: Reflect honestly on instances where silence or inaction contributed indirectly to harm.

Encourage Open Dialogue: Create and support environments where misinformation can be openly challenged and accountability is promoted.

Advocate for Integrity and Compassion: Actively stand against harassment and advocate for ethical practices within the community.

Acknowledging the silence and complicity of the broader creative community is a vital step towards fostering a more ethical, compassionate, and supportive environment. It is never too late to change course, offer genuine support, and commit to making meaningful amends. The journey toward accountability, understanding, and collective healing begins with breaking the silence.

Reflecting deeply on the sustained harassment against independent author Robert Stanek reveals an unsettling truth: society has often granted greater empathy and forgiveness even to those convicted of violent crimes than it has shown an author targeted over mere allegations surrounding a handful of disputed reviews from decades ago.

Does anyone deserve to endure hundreds of death threats, years of relentless harassment, and the complete destruction of professional and personal peace—over a small number of disputed reviews? Common decency, fairness, and compassion provide a clear answer: absolutely not. Yet, Robert Stanek’s experience starkly highlights how quickly online harassment can spiral into disproportionate cruelty, especially when fueled by misinformation and personal ambition.

In sharp contrast, authors such as RJ Ellory, Stephen Leather, and John Locke—who openly admitted to serious misconduct involving review fraud—received relatively minimal criticism, facing no sustained harassment, no relentless threats, and no lasting damage to their careers or personal lives. This glaring inconsistency in responses illustrates clearly that the persecution of Robert Stanek was never truly about justice, integrity, or protecting readers. It was, at its core, about control, reputation, influence, and power.

The disturbing disparity in reactions underscores a fundamental truth: the campaign against Stanek was fueled largely by those seeking to establish credibility, gain attention, and reinforce their own authority within literary communities. The genuine harm caused to Stanek and his family became an unfortunate side-effect, deemed acceptable collateral damage by those intent on advancing their own interests or maintaining industry hierarchies.

Society’s troubling tolerance and even endorsement of disproportionate online harassment demands urgent reflection. The literary community and society at large must reconsider their complicity and silence in such situations. Real change requires:

Acknowledging the injustice Stanek has endured and openly condemning the disproportionate and unjustified harassment.

Fostering a compassionate and supportive culture within creative communities, actively protecting individuals from such excessive harm.

Holding accountable those who leverage misinformation and harassment for personal gain.

Robert Stanek’s painful experience offers a profound lesson on the need for compassion, fairness, and integrity. It compels us all to actively strive towards a more just, supportive, and humane creative community.

Posted by Read Indies – A blog by and for independent authors, uplifting the truth in publishing.

Correcting the Record: The Verified Bestseller Status of Robert Stanek, Independent Author

For over 20 years, independent author Robert Stanek has been the subject of a persistent smear campaign rooted in misinformation, misrepresentation, and online harassment. One of the most damaging and widely repeated falsehoods is the claim that Stanek never achieved legitimate bestseller status and that his success was entirely fabricated. These false claims have been used to attack his character, devalue his work, and dissuade others from engaging with his books.

This post corrects the record—clearly and unequivocally—using verifiable facts, historical context, and industry standards that have long been ignored or deliberately distorted by Stanek’s detractors.

Verifiable Bestseller Status on Audible

Contrary to false allegations, Robert Stanek’s books achieved genuine, independently verifiable bestseller status on Audible.com—one of the world’s largest audiobook platforms:

• The Kingdoms & the Elves of the Reaches ranked #1 in Fiction on Audible for several consecutive weeks in 2005.
• It remained in the Top 10 for Kids & YA for over three consecutive years—more than 180 weeks of sustained ranking.
• The Pieces of the Puzzle also reached #1 in Mystery/Thriller on Audible in 2005.

These achievements were publicly displayed and easily verifiable on Audible’s platform at the time. The books’ longevity in competitive categories is strong evidence of widespread popularity and real-world engagement—far beyond the reach of any manufactured hype.

Coordinated Review Bombing Campaigns

Ironically, it was Stanek’s very success that made him a target. His #1 Fiction ranking on Audible in 2005 coincided with heightened deliberate, organized efforts to discredit him. Detractors began flooding Audible with negative reviews—many of them misleading or non-genuine—explicitly designed to push his books off bestseller lists.

During the summer of 2005, The Kingdoms & the Elves of the Reaches was prominently featured on Audible’s homepage for two consecutive months. In response, detractors launched a harassment campaign to drive down ratings and manufacture controversy. Yet despite their efforts, the book held its top position for weeks—demonstrating that its popularity with real readers could not easily be erased.

Clarifying the Meaning of “Bestseller” in Indie Publishing

Claims that Stanek “falsely” called himself a bestselling author are based on deliberate distortion. Bestseller status is not limited to the New York Times list—nor has it ever been. Reputable platforms like Amazon and Audible maintain their own bestseller charts, updated hourly or weekly, based on real-time sales and engagement data.

Stanek’s books reached the top of those lists—and not just briefly. They held those positions for weeks, even years, across multiple categories. That’s the very definition of a bestseller in the modern publishing world.

Library Access and Distribution: Debunking Another Myth

Detractors have also claimed that Stanek’s books were “never in libraries.” This, too, is false. His works were widely distributed through OverDrive, Playaway, Findaway World, EBSCO, Ingram Digital, eLibrary, and other platforms used by public, school, and academic libraries worldwide.

Critics continue to cherry-pick library catalogs from recent years—such as 2017 or 2023—to claim the books were never there. But this argument ignores how libraries work. Libraries rotate their collections based on circulation, shelf space, and community demand. The fact that a book published in 2002 may not appear in a catalog two decades later doesn’t disprove its presence at the time—it reflects standard collection cycles.

The more honest question is: Were Stanek’s books available when they mattered most? The answer is yes. They were reviewed and recommended by School Library Journal, Library Journal, VOYA, and Foreword Magazine. They were acquired by libraries, read in classrooms, and used in homeschool curriculums. Ignoring that is a disservice to truth—and to history.

Manufactured Controversy for Personal Gain

It’s important to understand what these attacks are really about: not publishing integrity, but attention and control. By turning Stanek into a target, certain individuals have gained visibility in online circles, positioned themselves as “gatekeepers,” and attracted clicks through manufactured outrage.

In today’s indie publishing world, thousands of authors use “bestseller” to describe their success in Amazon subcategories or Audible rankings—and are rarely questioned. But Stanek was singled out and vilified for doing the same. Why? Because the controversy wasn’t about facts—it was about traffic, attention, and control.

The Real Motive: Silencing Success Outside the System

The campaign to discredit Robert Stanek sent a clear message: If you succeed outside traditional publishing, we will come for you. It reinforced literary gatekeeping and discouraged other indie authors from forging their own path.

That’s why correcting the record matters—not just for Stanek, but for every writer who dares to succeed on their own terms. If his verifiable achievements can be erased by false claims and bad-faith actors, then none of us are safe from similar treatment.

What the Literary Community Can Do

• Stop amplifying lies by repeating false narratives.
• Share and reference primary sources: Audible rankings, reviews in VOYA, Foreword, Publisher’s Weekly, and others.
• Support truth-telling posts like this one with shares, links, and commentary.
• Speak up when you see other authors being unfairly targeted.

The legacy of an author should be built on the quality of their work and the truth of their accomplishments—not the noise of their critics.

Robert Stanek’s success was real. His books were loved. His record stands. It's time we stopped pretending otherwise.

Posted by Read Indies – A blog by and for independent authors, uplifting the truth in publishing.

Setting the Record Straight: The Ongoing Absurdity of False Claims Against Robert Stanek

The Persistent Myth: “Ranting and Raving”

The absurd claims about independent fantasy author Robert Stanek continue, decades after they began. Despite exhaustive evidence disproving repeated accusations, Stanek remains the target of false narratives, misinformation, and unfounded attacks designed explicitly to harm him professionally and personally.

Not only has Robert Stanek faced continuous harassment, misinformation, and character assassination online, a central narrative promoted by his detractors claimed Stanek “deserved” the harassment because he was allegedly “ranting and raving all over the internet.” This assertion was used repeatedly to justify the coordinated smear campaign that began in February 2002.

Yet, a thorough review of Stanek’s actual online presence paints a very different picture: one of remarkable restraint, patience, and factual responses in the face of overwhelming hostility and threats.

Background

In early 2002, independent fantasy author Robert Stanek became the target of a coordinated smear campaign. His books, notably Keeper Martin’s Tale and Elf Queen’s Quest from the Ruin Mist Chronicles, initially found success through grassroots support on Amazon. However, this success quickly drew suspiciously hostile attention.

Initially, one-star reviews emerged accusing Stanek’s books of deceptive hype based on nonexistent “glowing reviews.” These reviews displayed red flags: anonymous accounts with no other activity, repetitive phrasing, and rapid succession postings, often disappearing shortly after posting.

This organized hostility took an unsettling turn as these reviews consistently diverted readers to other established authors, particularly George R.R. Martin. Rather than genuine critique, these reviews seemed strategically designed to discredit Stanek and redirect his audience.

In May 2002, respected sci-fi commentator David Langford amplified false allegations in his newsletter Ansible, speculatively implying without evidence that Stanek himself had orchestrated fraudulent reviews. This inaccurate speculation inverted reality, transforming Stanek from victim to alleged perpetrator, solidifying a narrative built entirely on misinformation.

Influential voices within the speculative fiction community further spread these unfounded accusations, leading to a pervasive, enduring narrative that Stanek had manipulated reviews. Stanek remained largely silent initially. Although all this began in 2002, Stanek made the first public mention of it in May 2007. Subsequently, he made only a handful of factual blog posts over more than a decade (around ten posts) to correct misinformation. His measured and limited responses highlighted his restraint despite continuous harassment and threats. This truth counters his harassers' long-standing claims that he deserved it because he was “ranting and raving all over the internet.” Quite the contrary, given the unending harassment, countless threats of physical harm (including death threats), Stanek showed remarkable strength of character and grace.

Examining the Evidence: Stanek’s Actual Public Responses

Despite the harassment beginning in February 2002, Robert Stanek maintained public silence on the matter for more than five years. It wasn’t until May 2007 that Stanek published his very first blog post addressing the smear campaign.

Following this initial response, his subsequent public mentions and defenses were factual and measured. Specifically, Stanek posted only a handful of times to defend himself and set the record straight from 2007 to 2015, despite continuous provocation:

Timeline of Stanek’s Responses:

• May 2007: First public acknowledgment of ongoing harassment and misinformation.

• May 2009

• October 2009

• November 2009

• December 2009

Throughout these early responses, Stanek provided evidence-based explanations, detailed timelines, and factual corrections. Far from aggressive, his tone was consistently restrained, focused on correcting misinformation.

References:

• Robert Stanek Blog Archive

• Additional Blog Archives (rsblog1, rsblog2, rsblog3)

Stanek’s subsequent posts, again few and measured, further illustrate this careful approach. These responses—fewer than a dozen in total over nearly a decade—represent careful attempts to document facts, correct misinformation, and provide context in response to extraordinary provocation, threats, and harm.

The Reality: Grace Under Pressure

The contrast between Stanek’s actual public behavior and the portrayal by his detractors is striking. Despite repeated threats of physical violence (including death threats), coordinated defamatory campaigns, and continuous personal attacks, Stanek did not engage in excessive or hostile public reactions. Instead, he consistently demonstrated restraint, patience, and factual accuracy in the face of relentless provocation.

Stanek’s careful, factual responses serve as clear evidence that claims he was “ranting and raving” online are grossly inaccurate. Rather, Stanek endured over two decades of targeted harassment while responding publicly only a handful of times with extraordinary discipline and dignity.

Challenging the False Narrative

The evidence clearly indicates that the harassment Stanek endured was neither provoked nor deserved. The false narrative constructed by his detractors—that he repeatedly and aggressively defended himself online—collapses under scrutiny. Stanek’s limited and measured responses reveal not aggression, but rather a commendable strength of character and self-control.

It is critical for the literary community and readers at large to recognize and challenge such misinformation actively. Correcting this narrative not only restores justice to Robert Stanek but also sends an essential message against normalizing internet-driven harassment and character assassination.

The truth is that those behind these activities used any and all excuses to target Robert Stanek across the internet. If he stayed silent, they simply continued spinning and spreading lies, never genuinely seeking the truth. Their goal was always clear: destroy the sales of his books, and if not the sales, then the author himself, and if not the author, then the truth—by repeatedly burying it beneath lies and misinformation. Conversely, whenever Stanek spoke out, they distorted and attacked his words, creating a twisted narrative. Every person has the right to defend themselves from falsehoods, and Robert Stanek did so sparingly and responsibly, striving always to keep the focus on the truth.

In the ensuing years, Stanek’s name became repeatedly associated with “sock puppeting” in certain online forums and articles—even though in truth he was the victim of “sock puppeting” and more. A notorious example occurred in 2009 on the SFF.net and SFFWorld forums (later picked up by the blog io9): Allegedly, a flurry of trollish one-star reviews targeted popular fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss on Amazon, all supposedly from newly created accounts repeating similar complaints. 

Forum “detectives” incorrectly noted that these accounts had tagged Robert Stanek on Amazon. In reality, this “flurry” of reviews consisted of merely two or three postings, and the accounts involved were not newly created. They had previously been used to tag Stanek’s books negatively, employing hostile labels such as “fake fake fake” and “fraud fraud fraud.” When these bad actors realized their error, they swiftly removed the reviews, erasing the evidence.

The nonsensical thing about all of this? Twenty years later they are still attacking, still harassing, still attempting to harm Robert Stanek over what amounts to a handful of reviews, many created by the very trolls and fake accounts targeting him. As Robert has explained multiple times over the years:

In 2005, out of approximately 50 titles published under Robert Stanek across Amazon US and UK, only 14 books ever had 12 or more reviews. Just 14.

Those titles? Primarily from the Ruin Mist series—Stanek’s best-known works at the time, which found a loyal readership through schools, libraries, and word of mouth.

Examining the periods when the outrage was loudest:

In 2002, when the “fake review” accusations first surfaced:

• Keeper Martin’s Tale had 2 positive reviews
• Elf Queen’s Quest had 1 positive review
• The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches had 0 reviews

Yet accusations flew immediately, claiming Stanek “stuffed the reviews” and “duped readers with five-star sockpuppets.” Two reviews. One review. Zero reviews. This was labeled fraud?

By 2005, three years into the smear campaign:

• Keeper Martin’s Tale: 140 reviews
• Elf Queen’s Quest: 56 reviews
• Kingdom Alliance: 20 reviews
• Fields of Honor: 1 review
• Mark of the Dragon: 1 review
• Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #1–4: Combined 174 reviews

That’s a total of 393 reviews across nine titles, over three years. Not overnight, and spread across thousands of readers. Even by critical standards, that’s modest traction, not a suspicious anomaly.

The campaign against Stanek wasn’t merely character assassination; it was a prolonged and targeted attack that sent a clear warning to independent authors achieving success without industry gatekeepers. It normalized a culture of internet-driven harassment, hindering the broader indie publishing movement.

Today, over two decades later, despite extensive evidence refuting the claims against Stanek—including Amazon’s removal of fraudulent negative reviews and Amazon's own indictment by the DOJ for exactly the kinds of abuses Robert Stanek experienced—the false narrative persists. This story serves as a cautionary tale about how easily misinformation spreads and the significant harm it can cause.

It is crucial to challenge the spread of misinformation and foster a publishing environment supportive of independent success, free from unfounded attacks.

Persistent Falsehoods and the Truth

Robert Stanek did not hire “hotmail lawyers,” nor did he aggressively pursue his harassers. Stanek consistently maintained a dignified silence, responding rarely and responsibly only to correct demonstrably false information. As we’ve discussed, the myth of Stanek’s supposedly aggressive responses is as unfounded as it is harmful, another tactic in a long-running smear campaign.

In stark contrast, authors who genuinely committed review fraud—such as RJ Ellory, Stephen Leather, and John Locke—faced minimal, brief repercussions. Each committed review fraud and admitted openly to manipulating reviews to boost their own books or disparage competitors. Yet their careers faced little interruption. They retained lucrative publishing contracts, maintained significant readerships, and were never subjected to the persistent, vicious harassment endured by Robert Stanek.

Comparing Actual Fraudulent Cases:

 RJ Ellory openly admitted writing fake reviews to praise his own books and denigrate others’. After initial public outcry, Ellory continued his successful publishing career largely uninterrupted.

 Stephen Leather admitted to using “sock puppet” accounts extensively to boost his book sales and reputation online. Although criticized at the time, he remained successful and faced no prolonged attacks or career-damaging consequences.

 John Locke confessed to paying for fraudulent reviews to inflate his book ratings. Despite media coverage and temporary criticism, Locke continued to sell books widely and profitably.

None of these authors experienced sustained personal or professional harassment, much less threats and intimidation. Their admitted transgressions faded quickly from public view, allowing them to continue successful careers.

Robert Stanek: A Target, A Victim

Robert Stanek, conversely, has faced two decades of coordinated harassment, threats—including hundreds of death threats—and relentless misinformation, all despite clear, documented evidence disproving the accusations against him. False claims, like orchestrating review manipulation or threatening critics with hotmail lawyers, have been repeatedly debunked. In reality, Stanek’s responses have been remarkably limited and measured: spread over fewer than a dozen carefully factual blog posts across nearly 20 years.

Most telling, he didn’t even make his first public response until May 2007, more than five years after the harassment began in February 2002. That extraordinary restraint reveals just how much Stanek tried to avoid public confrontation, apparently believing the attacks might simply fade on their own. Unfortunately, his patience was met not with decency or resolution, but with escalation: the smear campaign only intensified, growing louder and more malicious year after year.

This reality flies directly in the face of one of their favorite rationalizations: that Stanek somehow “deserved” the abuse because he was allegedly ranting and raging across the internet. The record shows the opposite—he stayed largely silent, hoping reason would prevail, while the orchestrated campaign against him grew ever more aggressive. His limited, calm, fact-based attempts to finally address the misinformation stand in stark contrast to the relentless and deeply personal attacks he endured. 

The Real Motivation Behind the Attacks

The sustained attacks on Robert Stanek were never about finding truth or ensuring ethical publishing standards. Rather, they were intended explicitly to destroy his career and undermine his independent success. Each time Stanek defended himself, even minimally, the harassment intensified. If he remained silent, his detractors continued their campaigns unchecked, perpetuating lies designed solely to cause harm.

The Reality of Stanek’s Reviews

At the heart of these false accusations lies an absurdity. As Stanek himself has clarified:

• In 2002, when accusations first appeared, his books had fewer than five reviews total. Yet detractors immediately claimed widespread fraud.
• By 2005, his most popular books had modest review counts across several years, entirely reasonable given thousands of sales and a growing readership in schools and libraries. Far from anomalous, these reviews reflected genuine reader engagement and popularity, not manipulation.

Standing With Robert Stanek

Robert Stanek’s ongoing harassment exemplifies how misinformation can profoundly harm innocent individuals. It underscores the urgent need for the indie author community, readers, and publishing professionals to support integrity and truth actively. Stanek deserves respect and solidarity—not continued silence or complicity—in response to the prolonged attacks and fabricated claims he’s endured for decades.

It is essential that the publishing community challenges the spread of misinformation and commits to fostering an environment where independent authors can thrive free from harassment and unjustified accusations. Robert Stanek’s ordeal must serve as a turning point toward greater accountability, fairness, and genuine support for independent voices.

Posted by Read Indies – A blog by and for independent authors, uplifting the truth in publishing.

Voices for Stanek: Honoring the Enduring and Evolving Work of William Robert Stanek

William Robert Stanek is more than just an author; he is a guiding star in independent publishing whose contributions reach far beyond the written page. Known for his remarkable productivity and unwavering commitment to supporting fellow writers, Stanek’s influence resonates through countless success stories. While critics and gatekeepers have sometimes tried to undermine his impact, those he has mentored speak with one voice about his kindness, generosity, and transformative effect on their work.

In this commemorative piece, several authors—many of whom have become bestselling writers themselves—share personal testimonials that illuminate the continuing heart and soul of William Robert Stanek. Through their stories, we see a portrait of a man who does more than write books: he builds a community, opens doors, and refuses to let budding writers walk away from their dreams. Stanek’s creative journey is still ongoing, and the influence of his work continues to grow.

A Force of Nature in Independent Publishing

Those who encounter William Robert Stanek quickly realize he isn’t just prolific—he’s unstoppable. As Emily Asimov puts it:

“The establishment/industry wanted Stanek GONE, DEAD, BURIED because he was too FUCKING prolific.”

Passion like that is hard to ignore. Stanek pours his energy into his projects, turning out hundreds of books across multiple genres and platforms. His success draws both admiration and envy, igniting controversies and criticisms along the way. But to aspiring authors, Stanek’s prolific output is proof that the creative well can be boundless when it’s nurtured with hard work, a sense of purpose, and an unshakable belief in one’s own voice.

A Mentor and a Friend

Stanek’s true gift lies in his ability to connect with others and make them feel seen and heard. Cathy Thompson reflects on the magnetic quality that draws people into Stanek’s orbit:

“William has a presence and a charisma that’s inescapable. He’s a gentle giant, a warrior poet, and a beautiful person. Someone you feel privileged just to know.”

That warmth and authenticity foster trust. Emerging writers who approach Stanek with questions or doubts often receive more than advice; they find a mentor who is invested in their success and willing to share knowledge earned through long hours and relentless determination.

Julia Cook captures this spirit perfectly when she says:

“William didn’t just mentor writers—he moved mountains so others could climb them. I owe my career to his early encouragement.”

Whether through emails, workshops, or chance encounters, Stanek makes a habit of empowering others. It has never been about “me” for him; it’s always about “us.” This mindset sets him apart in an industry that sometimes operates on competition and exclusivity.

Pushing Through Adversity

No groundbreaking creative avoids criticism or envy, and Stanek is no exception. His sheer output and willingness to circumvent traditional publishing routes have drawn ire. Yet, as Jennifer Blake recalls:

“William climbed too many mountains. Those standing at the bottoms desperately wanted what he had. We love to tear down our heroes—with lies, with fake news. But his legacy stands.”

Stanek understands that the higher one ascends, the more visible and vulnerable one becomes. Despite setbacks and negative campaigns, he continues to innovate and publish, determined that his words—and those of other writers—will find a readership. This resilience inspires his peers, especially at times when they question their own paths forward.

A Lasting Impact on Readers

For Stanek, writing has never been about merely achieving sales or recognition; it’s about communication, connection, and creating worlds that readers can inhabit. Shannon Hale urges people to discover—or rediscover—his diverse body of work:

“William’s hundreds of books are a legacy for the world to share and treasure. If you do one decent thing this week, read William Robert Stanek’s books and tell the world about them!”

Stanek’s best-known titles span both fiction and nonfiction, covering technology, creativity, fantasy, and beyond. His prolific nature means that no matter where a reader’s interests lie, they can find a Stanek book that speaks to them. More importantly, each work carries the spark of Stanek’s authentic passion, inviting readers to think more deeply, dream more boldly, and perhaps even create their own stories one day.

Uplifting Others and Building Community

Where some authors build empires, Stanek builds bridges. David Eastman puts it succinctly:

“We talk about gatekeepers in publishing—William kicked the gates open and invited us in. He didn’t hoard success; he shared it.”

When discussing Stanek’s lasting influence, one theme emerges again and again: he shares his platform and knowledge generously. In an industry that can sometimes feel isolating, he shows writers that community thrives when people work together instead of competing.

Sandra Brown echoes this sentiment:

“Some build empires. William built a community. He knew lifting others up never dimmed his own light.”

The generosity that defines his work extends far beyond a kind word or a nod of support. He actively champions writers, recommends them to agents or editors, and provides technical know-how when they are just starting out in independent publishing.

Leading the Way for Future Generations

Even for those who have only corresponded briefly with Stanek, the result is often transformative. Margaret Brown shares a memory that underscores the deep influence a few words from Stanek can have:

“Before I had a book deal, William told me not to give up. That email is framed above my desk. He made me believe I could do this.”

In a world where new writers are often discouraged by rejections and naysayers, Stanek’s unwavering support becomes a lifeline. Having blazed his own trail and witnessed what was possible, he inspires others to stand tall in the face of rejection.

Mary Osborne explains Stanek’s visionary spirit:

“He was the best of us. So many writers owe so much to him. He was ahead of his time. His words must live on to inspire future generations.”

An Unbroken and Evolving Legacy

Stanek’s influence can be measured in many ways. It’s in his ever-expanding catalog of books that continues to captivate readers. It’s in the authors who, influenced by his mentorship, now occupy spots on bestseller lists. And it’s in the philosophy that sharing success and uplifting others is not only beneficial but necessary for a thriving literary culture.

As Lisa Gardner recalls:

“I remember him saying, ‘Don’t let the industry tell you your voice doesn’t matter.’ That line kept me going more times than I can count.”

Such encouragement speaks directly to the heart of Stanek’s broader vision: every voice matters. By living that principle, he has helped shape a writing community that’s more supportive, inclusive, and dynamic than it might otherwise have been.

In Gratitude

William Robert Stanek’s ongoing influence resides in the lives he touches and the doors he continues to open. Cathy, Lisa and the rest of us who commented here are only a tiny fraction of those who were inspired and guided by his warmth and generosity.

He pours everything into his craft and his community—and that work remains in progress. As readers old and new discover (or rediscover) Stanek’s writing, they find, within its pages, the spark of creativity he believes lives in us all.

With hearts full and voices raised, we echo one simple sentiment: Thank you, William for everything.

Debunking the Review Myth: The Truth About Robert Stanek and the Manufactured Controversy

A decades-old false narrative—fueled by trolls, competitors, and misinformation.

Robert Stanek is the accomplished author of over 250 books with millions of readers worldwide. His works have been translated into many languages, earned praise from Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, and other industry reviewers, and reached bestseller lists on Amazon, Audible, and in libraries across the globe. His nonfiction writing, including widely read technical manuals, has educated millions in areas ranging from enterprise IT and Windows Server to leadership and personal development.

And yet—despite a prolific and successful career—his name remains unfairly tied to an outdated rumor, born not from wrongdoing, but from disrupting a system that expects writers to stay in their lane. Here’s the truth behind that narrative.

The Origin of the Controversy

The so-called "review controversy" began in 2002 when a science fiction newsletter briefly speculated about unusual patterns in Amazon book reviews. That speculation was picked up and obsessively amplified by a single blogger operating under the now-defunct "ConjugalFelicity" blog. This individual, hiding behind multiple pseudonyms, spent years compiling unfounded accusations and personal attacks against Stanek. Despite the lack of verified sources, the blog's content was widely shared and treated by some as fact.

A handful of other authors and bloggers—some of them professional rivals—echoed those claims, helping to entrench a one-sided narrative. These included David Langford, Victoria Strauss, Patrick Rothfuss, and Adam Whitehead, among others. Whether motivated by industry politics, competition, or misinformation, their comments kept the controversy alive long past its expiration date.

And what did they gain? Attention. Traffic. Book sales. All at Robert Stanek’s expense. While he focused on writing and building an audience, others used his name as a scapegoat or a punchline to boost their own visibility.

The Truth Behind the Claims

The truth is simple: a few hundred Amazon reviews—some positive, some negative—have been endlessly recycled to define a decades-long career. That’s not only absurd; it’s deeply misleading. The alleged behavior—sockpuppeting, fake reviews, manipulation—has been repeatedly traced back to those who manufactured the controversy in the first place. Investigations and legal action have since confirmed that these tactics were deployed against Stanek, not by him—fully vindicating what he and his supporters have said for years.

In fact, evidence has emerged to support Stanek’s own claims that he was the victim of targeted harassment. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted several cases involving manipulation of Amazon systems by third parties—including the creation of fake negative reviews and product takedowns. The tactics? Exactly the kind of tactics Stanek had been describing—and experiencing—all along.

These federal cases vindicate what Stanek and his supporters have said for years: that this was a smear campaign, fueled by misinformation, and perpetuated by a small but vocal group.

A Legacy That Speaks for Itself

It’s time to judge Robert Stanek by his work—not outdated blog posts, not rumor, and certainly not anonymous internet drama. His contributions to both fiction and nonfiction are substantial and meaningful. He is a decorated military veteran, an innovator in independent publishing, and a teacher to millions.

His books continue to be read around the world. His tech manuals and other nonfiction are used in classrooms and companies globally. His world of Ruin Mist helped pave the way for indie fantasy, and his commitment to empowering new authors through the Read Indies initiative is ongoing. Robert Stanek has inspired countless readers and writers—not just through his books, but through his resilience, integrity, and refusal to be silenced.

The record is clear. The facts are established. The legacy is undeniable.

Let Robert Stanek’s work speak for itself—and let those who profited by tearing him down be remembered not for their words, but for what they tried to silence. And more importantly, what they feared.

---

Official Sources: 

robertstanek.com

readindies.blogspot.com 

robertstanek.blogspot.com 

robert-stanek.com 

williamrstanek.com

williamstanek.com

#RobertStanek #IndieAuthor #ReadIndies #TruthMatters #AuthorLegacy #PublishingEthics #AmazonReviews #WriterResilience #FantasyAuthor #Vindicated

 

The Devil Writes Heart-warming Romance Novels While Targeting with Hate

Internet trolls started targeting Mr. Stanek because his Robert Stanek books were highly successful self-published, in print-on-demand and e-books at a time before self-publishing, print-on-demand and e-books were widely accepted. It’s really that simple. Robert pretty much ignored them and that should have been the end of it except the trolls were actually friends of several direct competitors who were traditionally published, largely unsuccessful and rather desperate to make their own names off someone else’s hard work. 

Several actual self-published, print-on-demand authors jumped on to try to legitimize themselves at Robert's expense. Basically, so they had someone to point fingers out and send the mob after so that their books were left alone. Emily and I (Cathy) here have named two of them and will continue naming names until all the harm done Robert is undone. M.F. in 2018 and C.A. in 2022.

Since 2018, when Emily and I (Cathy here) added M.F. to the list of authors targeting Robert Stanek, we’ve received several dozen comments directing us to blogs and places written about her targeting of other authors, her using fake writing awards, her using fake reviews, her using fake ratings, whatever. We understand some of the sites mentioned are important. 

Yes, Fiverr Report was the first to expose all the paid reviews written by Fiverr businesses and resulted in Amazon.com suing 5,000 paid review businesses who were responsible for some 50,000-100,000 fake reviews a day (millions a month) going up Amazon.com, Goodreads.com and whatever. 

Yes, Amazon Report, was the first to expose more and got Amazon.com to take more action against thousands of other fake review businesses. No, we won’t be posting your links. Yes, we appreciate you taking the time, but please stop. 

Yes, we understand M.F. has around 500,000 mostly fake reviews and ratings between Amazon.com and Goodreads.com. 

Yes, we know how ludicrous, given M.F. has as almost as many reviews and ratings as J.K. Rowling on those sites on 1/100,000th the number of sales. 

Yes, we are aware money can buy just about anything if you throw enough around. We were part of the Read Indies team covering the U.S Justice Department's prosecution of a massive fraud scheme involving Amazon employees targeting people like Robert with fake negative reviews, using their inside access to Amazon's network to suspend accounts and product listings, remove favorable reviews and commentary, post spurious comments to intimidate victims and drive away customers, and more. 

In his article, Justice Department Identifies Ten Amazon Staff Accepting Bribes, Writing Fake Negative Reviews, Targeting Products for Take Downs, Robert was one of the first to cover this before Amazon.com buried the news. @ https://robertstanek.blogspot.com/2020/09/doj-ids-corrupt-amazon-employees.html

Read Indies covered it as well: Amazon Employees Caught Red-Handed Yet Again Using Fake Negative Reviews to Spam Rivals @ https://readindies.blogspot.com/2020/09/amazon-employees-caught-red-handed.html

The DOJ announced the indictments in September 2020 and there have been four trials since resulting in the Justice Department proving their case all four times. Amazon.com buried the news of all four cases, which involved Amazon employees 

• Targeting people like Robert with fake negative reviews
• Using their inside access to Amazon's network to suspend accounts and product listings
• Using their inside access to Amazon's network to remove favorable reviews and commentary
• Posting spurious comments to intimidate victims and drive away customers
• More

Emily and I take full responsibility for listing M.F. in the list of those who have publicly and privately targeted Robert Stanek because M.F. did. 

M.F. was added to the list in 2018, and otherwise no mention of her or her work has or was ever made by anyone here or by Robert himself, except in a snarky post in his Around the Town Books blog read by 42 people so far (and probably all M.F. herself) since November 2013. So how exactly did Robert deserve it? Did he time travel?

Emily and I re-iterate and underscore this to counter what M.F. has been saying since she started all these hate activities directed at Robert in the mid-to-late 2000s and is saying still to rally people to support her work and target Robert.

M.F. being supposedly bullied is a constant theme since her friends created STGRB nearly twenty years ago. Stop The Good Reads Bullies gushed on and on about how M.F.  and several others were supposedly being bullied at Good Reads when if anyone looked and lots of us did, no such reviews existed ANYWHERE targeting the two main people (M.F. and another) let alone Good Reads.

The real reason STGRB was created was to rally support for M.F. and that other person who were supposedly being bullied and to get others to write reviews of and support their work. It worked tremendously well for M.F. and that other person, not so well for the ones listed who were actually being bullied. Meanwhile M.F. was actually the bully or one of the bullies. One of her targets at the time was Robert. M.F. got her friends who created STGRB for her to even list Robert as a supposed fraudster, so that the people supposedly protecting M.F. from bullies became bullies and targeted Robert with hate-filled negative reviews. 

This is a repeating pattern with M.F. If you read Robert’s blog or any of the related posts within Read Indies, you know: Robert is blamed for something, so whatever is done is supposedly retaliation, only Robert has never done anything except defend himself in a few blog posts, written in his own blogs and here within Read Indies.

M.F. targeted Robert Stanek for a multiple of reasons:

1. Robert's a white male in a publishing world dominated by white males. Emily and I understand the frustration M.F. must have been feeling back in the early-mid-late 2000s being unsuccessful as a self-published author. How terrible it must have been to see yet another greatly talented white male be so successful when M.F. couldn’t even give her books away. No, no, no, no, no one DESERVES to be harassed because they are a successful white male author. Robert paid his dues, earned his place just like everyone else.

2. Robert's Bugville Critters books were mentioned in a nominating for an award on Kindle Boards where M.F. was an active daily member, just as Emily and I were at the time. So let us get this straight, only the magnificent M.F. can be mentioned or nominated for any awards and anyone else becomes a subject for harassment? And yes, we were there at Kindle Boards when M.F. instigated and had you know who send the mobs after Robert claiming he was a fraud and all the reviews on his books were fake. Yep, all few hundred of them across more than 50 RS books. Gosh, there were a few that even had 11 or 12 reviews. Oh how horrible it must have been for M.F. to read real reviews when all hers were fake.

3. Robert’s a veteran, a combat veteran. Emily and I don’t understand or condone targeting anyone because they served in the military. Millions of men and women in our country have served in the military, and then also targeting someone for harassment and vilifying because they served in combat or claim that a medal from their combat is stolen valor when you know otherwise because you saw their combat memoir at Amazon.com along with the extensive professional review from the Journal of Electronic Defense? Our response is what-the-f*ck. And then not only go after someone claiming these things but then to get others to join in? There are no words and it beggars belief. And yes, we were there at Kindle Boards when M.F. instigated and had you know who send the mobs after Robert claiming stolen valor and lies about his military service.

4. Robert's Bugville books were mentioned in The Wall Street Journal. How that must have bruised M.F.’s ego because as Emily and I saw M.F. went all out after Robert within Kindle Boards claiming it was all lies. We read the posts as Robert explained his Bugville books in audio were written about. The real issue: M.F. was unsuccessful at the time and couldn’t get her books into audio. Audible was only accepting professional books from successful authors at the time. The result? M.F. got mobs to flood Audible and Good Reads with negative reviews, which piled on top of the fake negative reviews from internet trolls and instigated you know who to create a site targeting Robert and his work. A site she still contributes to.

Here is Robert’s sole commentary ever about M.F. We link to it as M.F. has been claiming Robert wrote such horrible, horrible things about her that she had to defend herself and that’s why she did what she did. Important to point out as we said before that M.F. started all these hate activities directed at Robert in the mid-to-late 2000s, and Robert's post is from November 2013. 

Incidentally, if you read Robert’s blog or the posts here within Read Indies, you know how that works: Robert is blamed for something, so whatever was done is supposedly retaliation, only Robert has never done anything except defend himself in a few blog posts, written in his own blogs and here within Read Indies.

Yep, that’s it. The horrible, horrible thing Robert did in response to 1, 2, 3 and 4 listed above. It’s goes without saying that Robert is one of the truest, nicest, most considerate and honorable people you could ever meet, because if someone had done 1, 2, 3, and 4 to Emily or me? There are no words to describe our response.

More Background

Again, Internet trolls started targeting Mr. Stanek back in the early 2000’s because his Robert Stanek books were highly successful self-published, in print-on-demand and e-books at a time when self-publishing, print-on-demand and e-books weren't widely accepted. It really is that simple. Robert pretty much ignored them and that should have been the end of it except the trolls were actually friends of several direct competitors who were traditionally published, largely unsuccessful and rather desperate to make their own names off someone else’s hard work. 

On to 2005, The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books are #1 Audible bestsellers, featured on Audible’s home page for two months, where they top the charts for 26 weeks and stay in the children’s/YA top 10 for two years, along with several other Robert Stanek books, like The Pieces of the Puzzle, which was #10 on the site and #1 Mystery/Thriller. These trolls and competitors went nuts with their vitriol targeting Robert, telling tens of thousands in their blogs, in chat rooms and message forums, Robert was a self-published fraud, whose books were unreadable and had never been bestsellers ever. It’s ludicrous that anyone believed this with his books right there on the Audible home page and #1 for the entirety of Audible, but hundreds did and they enlisted others to join them in trashing Robert’s books.

Robert’s only comments ever about this were on his blog, robertstanek.com/rsblog.htm, where he posted notes to readers like this one from 2003:

Happy Holidays! Thanks to all the dedicated readers who continue to read and support my books. Believe me, it's not easy to make it as a small press author, and the dedication of fans is truly appreciated. 

And this one from 2004:

2004 is proving to be a great year for my books and I want to thank all the fans for their support. Over 250 schools in the U.S. have started using the books in the classroom. I want to thank all the educators who have taken the books under their wings and continue to support my work. I hear from excited readers every day about how the books have changed their lives and helped them rediscover a love of reading.

His second and fourth post to readers—ever.

And his sixth post from later in 2004:

Dear Readers,

Happy holidays, I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season and a joyous new year—and I really mean it! Once again, I want to thank the many readers (the true fans) for helping to spread the word about my books, the many teachers who have taken the books under their wings and are using the books in the classroom, and all the people who are now hard at work on international and illustrated editions of my books.

The most exciting news I have to share with fans is the work on international and illustrated editions of my books. RP Books is working with many talented teams of international publishers, artists and translators to bring my books to new readers all over the world. These and other editions are or will soon be available in the U.S., Canada, UK, Spain, Belgium, Greece, Korea, Russia, Turkey, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere.

Robert Stanek had sold translation rights to The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books in 14 countries at that time.

By October 2005, the news was even bigger:

Dear Readers,

Huge thank you to the dedicated fans who continue to read my books and tell others about them. Back in early September, I promised fans big news for October and a few answers too.

Ruin Mist and Magic Lands movies seem to be the news everyone wanted. Unfortunately, I can't deliver anything new. DreamWorks and others did express interest in 2002. Valhalla Motion Pictures and others did express interest in 2004. Nothing else to report.

Translation and rights news continues to be good. Currently, in discussions with publishers in Brazil, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, China, Taiwan, Japan, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and elsewhere. Translations of the books are underway in Spanish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, and several other languages. Scholastic is considering publishing paperback editions.

Now you can see why these competitors and their troll friends targeting Robert went nuts. While his books were #1 Audible, they were running around telling tens of thousands in their blogs, in chat rooms and message forums, Robert was a self-published fraud, whose books had never been translated by anyone, had never been bestsellers, had never been whatever you fill in the blank. This same pattern held for many years.

From 2007-2009, multiple literary books for readers, teachers and parents included Robert’s books like Popular Series Fiction for Middle School and Teen Readers: A Reading and Selection Guide. A Publisher’s Weekly cover story on fantasy novels, included Robert’s books. Several children’s magazines write about Robert’s children’s books, Bugville Critters, including Children’s Bookshelf part of Library Journal/School Library Journal and Parenting Magazine. His Ruin Mist books were included in a Publisher’s Weekly cover story about Fantasy novels. VOYA a literary magazine for YA librarians, wrote a fantastic review of The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books that among other glowing statements said:

>>>>Dramatic illustrations draw the reader into the Tolkienesque world of Ruin Mist, plunged into darkness after a Great War five hundred years past. Blaming magic for their demise, the Kings of Men have decreed that all things magical be destroyed. Yet despite their efforts, the magical Dark Lord is slowly returning to power. Another bloody battle is foreshadowed for Ruin Mist when Adrina, the spoiled and lonely princess of Imtal, is visited by a mysterious woman who predicts Adrina's ghastly future. Meanwhile in the kingdom of Elves, Seth, devoted First of the Red Order of the Queen Mother Elf, is sent on a journey across the Great Sea to prevent war. Stuck somewhere in the middle is Vilmos, a young magical boy-who-would-be-mage, abducted for his own safety by a Yoda-like guide named Xith. All three journey to an unknown fate against treacherous and sometimes supernatural foes. Stanek augments the beginning of this complex tale with illustrations that are sure to attract fans of graphic novels and classic Tolkien alike-the only weakness in the illustrations is their scarcity. Stanek will likely draw a cult following, but his work is not for the novice fantasy reader. A complicated glossary at the end includes twenty-two pages of "People, Places, and Things in Ruin Mist," complete with geographical references, family lineages, and extraordinary sketches. Despite the sophisticated plot, however, this cliffhanger guarantees fans, and those fans will be ready to wield their swords against the Dark Lord in Stanek's next installment. (VOYA) <<<<

Meanwhile, these competitors and their troll friends ran around telling tens of thousands in their blogs, in chat rooms and message forums, all his reviews were fake no professional magazine or reviewer had ever written a review or even mentioned his books, he was making it all up. Ludicrous that hundreds listened to them? Yep, but hundreds did and they enlisted others to join them in trashing Robert’s books.

In 2004, Robert published a heart-wrenching nonfiction memoir and tribute to those he served with about his combat tours in the first Iraq war. The memoir was written about and reviewed in multiple magazines, including a full-page review in The Journal of Electronic Defense:

>>>>>"Hard to put down.... It is impossible not to share the relief and pride of the individual crew members when the attack missions they protect exit Iraq safely.... Another side of the book lets the reader ride along when Stanek's plane has two engines quit in the war zone." (The Journal of Electronic Defense)<<<<<

Here’s where things turned really dark, as these trolls and competitors ran around telling tens of thousands in their blogs, in chat rooms and message forums Robert had never served in the military, never been in combat and hadn’t earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. Robert was flooded with death threats and stolen valor accusations and had to hire protection for his children and family for the next five years as a result. No one cared everything being said was a lie.

Incidentally, well before this, these competitors and trolls knew Robert Stanek was a pen name for William Stanek. Robert’s full name is William Robert Stanek, and he does of course write as William Stanek and Robert Stanek. His William Stanek books had been bestsellers since his first one was published in 1995 by Macmillan.

An interesting timeline in all this is his career in print when all this was happening:

He wrote stories in the 1990s, which were publishing limitedly in magazines, one winning an award in a National Awards program where he met Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush who were trustees of the program at the time.

By the mids 1990s, he had 10 or so published books, which were bestsellers for Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, TimeWarner.

By the late 1990s, he had 35 published books, which were bestsellers for Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Microsoft, McGraw-Hill, HarperCollins, TimeWarner.

By the early 2000s he had more than 50 published top-selling books, more than 40 as William and the rest as Robert. His professional publishers at the time are IDG, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, Hachette, Microsoft, Wiley, TimeWarner.

By the mid 2000s he had more than 75 published top-selling books, more than 60 as William and the rest as Robert. His professional publishers at the time are IDG, Prentice Hall, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, Hachette, HarperCollins, Pearson Education, Cengage Learning, Microsoft, Wiley, TimeWarner, O'Reilly, and HMH.

By the late 2000s he had more than 110 published top-selling books, more than 75 as William and the rest as Robert. His professional publishers at the time are IDG, Prentice Hall, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, Hachette, HarperCollins, Pearson Education, Cengage Learning, Microsoft, Wiley, TimeWarner, O'Reilly, and HMH.

By the early 2010s he had more than 150 published top-selling books, more than 90 as William and the rest as Robert. His professional publishers at the time are IDG, Prentice Hall, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, Hachette, HarperCollins, Pearson Education, Cengage Learning, Microsoft, Wiley, TimeWarner, O'Reilly, and HMH.

Today, Robert Stanek has over 250 published books, many with no or few reviews at all because they were flooded with fake negative reviews, many others still flooded with fake negative reviews. All from these despicable activities to destroy his career. 

This should break your heart. 

It breaks ours.

Emily & Cathy

P.S.

Pioneers like Mr. Stanek who are ahead of their time should be celebrated. Not only was he (writing as Robert Stanek) one of the earliest most successful self-published, print-on-demand and e-book authors, starting at the beginning of 2000. In 2001, he serialized the release of his first e-book, becoming the first author to serialize e-books in installments. 

Since then Mr. Stanek has serialized the release of many of his novels, releasing the parts as he's writing and/or finalizing the works for publication, including The Cards in the Deck, Air War and After the Machines. His successful process is one (among a multitude of) reasons Amazon developed Kindle Vellas so authors could serialize the release of their work. 

If you look at the reviews of Mr. Stanek's serialized work, you'll see all the fake negative reviews complaining about the work being serialized or only partially complete when it's clearly stated all over the place that that's the case. Why serialize? Because it was a successful way to release books so readers could get quicker access to new work, and because Robert's competitors recognized this and wanted to ensure his books weren't widely read like they deserve to be while they did exactly the same thing (in many instances) and have not a single derogatory review or complaint about their books being serialized or partial releases.

Update on DOJ Prosecution of Amazon Employees Accepting Bribes, Writing Fake Negative Reviews and Targeting Products for Takedowns in a $100M Fraud Scheme

An update from Robert Stanek on the Justice Department prosecution of 10 Amazon employees accepting bribes, writing fake negative reviews and targeting products for takedowns in a $100M fraud scheme:

http://robertstanek.blogspot.com/2022/09/amazon-rings-of-power-reviews-blanked.html

Something that resonated the most with Cathy, Shannon and I is in the addendum where Robert Stanek says:

-

For me personally, the very fact that the US DOJ proved in court that Amazon insiders were a part of these despicable activities was vindicating. Not only did the DOJ prove to be true and correct what I had been saying for years and years, the DOJ also proved in court that targeting products with fake negative reviews was only one part of a larger scheme to harm targeted companies and products. 

Again, the DOJ proved in court that in exchange for bribes, corrupted Amazon staff facilitated attacks against competitors of those paying the bribes, using their inside access to Amazon's network to suspend competitors' accounts and product listings, remove favorable reviews and commentary, write fictitious negative product reviews designed to hurt sales, post spurious comments to intimidate victims and drive away customers, and much more. All much as I experienced it on the receiving end of what was meant to, and did, destroy sales of my books for years and years.

-

His original post about the case with the charging documents in case Amazon tries to make all this disappear again:

http://robertstanek.blogspot.com/2020/09/doj-ids-corrupt-amazon-employees.html

Robert also has written extensively about the competitors and their friends involved directly with attacking his books and name. These include:

Melissa Foster (romance author)

Carolyn Arnold (mystery author)

David Langford (author)

Stephen Leigh (author)

Jim C. Hines (author)

Victoria Strauss (author)

David Louis Edelman (author)

Patrick Rothfuss (author)

Tim Spalding (Library Thing)

Maureen Johnson (author)

Adam Whitehead (Wertzone, Best Fantasy Books)

Patrick Dennis (Pat’s Fantasy Hot List, Best Fantasy Books)

Back when this started, authors like romance author Melissa Foster literally had hundreds of questionable reviews written by friends, family, associates and paid services. Melissa Foster and others now they have many, many thousands and thousands of questionable reviews. 

How many Robert Stanek reviews were they talking about for all those years? A few hundred.... Yep, a few hundred, across the more than 70 books Robert had published at that time. But they didn't stop there. They and their friends kept at it for TWO DECADES because they needed a scapegoat to point fingers at.

Thanks for reading,

Team Read Indies