Dear Readers, We are aware of the false information and fake negative reviews that have been circulating about Mr. Stanek and his books, especially on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com. We want to assure our customers and the general public that we've identified the sources of this misinformation and malicious targeting, and have taken appropriate steps to correct and prosecute as permitted by law, both within the U.S. and the U.K.
It's easy for large competitors to crush something small and use their
platforms to cause incredible, lasting harm. Not only can larger competitors
spread lies about a smaller competitor faster than the smaller competitor can
keep up with, it's nearly impossible for a smaller competitor to get out from
under the targeting without help and in this respect, we need you, dear
readers. Your support and continued readership is essential.
As for Amazon.com and Goodreads.com involvement, the U.S. Department of
Justice has identified Amazon staff accepting bribes, writing fake negative
reviews and targeting products like Robert's for take downs in its indictments
of September 2020.
Specifically, the US DOJ prosecuted four cases 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
* Using their inside access to Amazon's network to remove favorable reviews
and commentary
* Posting spurious comments to intimidate victims and drive away customers
All four cases were successful and proved by the Department of Justice in
2022. The following contains complete details, links and the press release from
the US Attorney’s Office Western District of Washington state, dated Sept 18,
2020:
https://robertstanek.blogspot.com/2020/09/doj-ids-corrupt-amazon-employees.html.
Mr. Stanek has been a professionally published, bestselling author since
1995 when his first book was published by Macmillan and his books have since
been published and or distributed by nearly every major publisher in the United
States. He does, of course, write as William Stanek and Robert Stanek. His
books have been praised and featured in Publisher's Weekly, including a cover
story on popular fantasy series, Library Journal, Children's Bookshelf,
Foreword Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Parenting Magazine, The Journal of
Electronic Defense, Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine for YA Librarians,
Popular Children's Fiction Selections for Librarians, and more.
We have been in business since 1994, nearly 30 years, and have always
strived to provide excellent products and services to our customers. We value
their satisfaction and take any complaints or issues very seriously. We
apologize for any confusion or concern that this may have caused and appreciate
the support of our loyal customers.
We hope that you had a great experience with our products. If you are
satisfied with your purchase, we would appreciate it if you could leave a
positive review on your favorite book or library review site. Your feedback
helps us to improve and grow our business, and it also helps other potential
customers to learn about the excellent products that we provide. Thank you for
your support.
Jeannie Kim
Sr. Publisher, RP
Books & Media