That would be Goodreads right now.
Having decided to check if there’s any reviews or similar on the site I could leverage I found that the author page with which someone has associated my books under my pen name has now had a selection of additional works added.
Obviously, there are a few Jack Holloways (whether actually of that name, or a nom de plume as with I) out there, many of whom I suspect are superior authors to me.
More power to their pens.
At least some of the books associated with the page with my Ice Age in Scarlet series however don’t really have that authentic ‘Good Jack’ feel. In fact, they feel to me much more like someone has generated a heap of AI slop books, (usual genres ‘self help’ ‘picture book’ and ‘potential copyright infringing material disguised behind fanfic disclaimers and a surprising variety of divergent formatting’) and then associated them with the page with which my works have had the misfortune of being associated.
Infuriating. I don’t want that page. I never wanted that page. I definitely don’t want to have my series cast in a false light by being associated with that (apparent) garbage. I have very little time for LLMs and given their cannibalistic tendencies overuse of them will result in a slop-wasteland in about thirteen generations.
I mean if they had just associated me with one of the other GOOD Jack Holloway’s works I suppose I would have been a heap happier than I am right now.
Not happy. Happier.
Who knows. Maybe “Hảrry P0ttẻr Fanfic” is an absolute banger. Bit suspicious it could be a little on the derivative side though… Or some of the other books are by a better Jack Holloway who probably deserves their own page for their myriad fans to track down some fine children’s fiction and guides to investing.
Let’s see if they listen to my ‘I’m an amateur, but not that amateur author. Get my work off that page’ message or if I’m sent through the standard quality of tech support that’s developed since no one has to take responsibility for their own websites and everyone huddles behind a series of legislative decisions that have fallen so far behind the times they may as well be written in Law French for the good they do.
Maybe a ject un brickbat situation.
Updates once I have any. If I have any. Eternal optimism is a prerequisite for writing anything of late.
Toodle Pip.
Update – well optimism pays off! Goodreads admin have been in touch and pushed my books on to a new page, which I’m in the process of claiming. A few glitches in the process – the original page still reads ‘Jack Holloway (Author of Master in his Tomb) but is now all AI and non-me books, and my limited followers have been left on that page, but pleasantly surprised by Goodreads’ responsiveness on the issue.
Back to the grindstone.
