Read Indies: A Community Chapter

Nearly two decades ago, a small group of independent writers came together around a shared belief: that independent authors deserved visibility, community, and meaningful opportunities to connect with readers.

From that belief, Read Indies was born.

What began as a grassroots reading circle grew into a broader initiative supporting independently published books during a period of rapid change in digital publishing. At a time when self-publishing platforms were emerging and traditional gatekeeping structures were shifting, independent authors often relied on one another for guidance, promotion, and encouragement.

Read Indies became one such gathering place.

Early Support and Formation (2007–2016)

Beginning in 2007, author William Robert Stanek supported several independent publishing initiatives, including Go Indie, Read Indies, Free Today, AmWriting, and related programs. During those early years, he contributed time, resources, and visibility to help emerging writers navigate the evolving digital landscape.

His experience as both a traditionally published and independently published author provided practical insight into distribution, discoverability, and sustaining long-term creative output. Many writers who participated in those early initiatives have spoken publicly about the encouragement and professional guidance they received during that period.

As participation increased, Read Indies expanded beyond a reading campaign into a broader community effort that included:

• Online features highlighting independent books

• Collaborative promotional events

• Peer discussion forums

• Seasonal reading campaigns

• Educational workshops for emerging authors

The initiative operated through blogs, social platforms, and volunteer coordination among participating writers.

Transition to Independent Leadership

As the initiatives grew, so did the operational demands required to manage them. By the mid-2010s, the scope of coordination had become substantial.

In 2014–2016, leadership responsibilities transitioned to a team of independent authors who chose to continue and evolve the mission. Since 2016, Read Indies has operated independently of Robert Stanek’s day-to-day involvement or editorial direction.

Contributing writers manage the content, programming, and editorial voice of the platform.

This transition allowed the community to continue while enabling Stanek to return his focus to his own writing and publishing work.

Workshops and Community Programming (2007–2024)

For many years, Read Indies offered structured workshops and collaborative programming aimed at helping independent writers strengthen craft, understand digital distribution, and build professional resilience.

Workshops covered topics such as:

• Manuscript development

• Navigating digital publishing platforms

• Marketing fundamentals

• Community building

• Reader engagement

These sessions were volunteer-driven and evolved organically as contributors shared experience and insight.

In 2024, the workshop series was formally concluded as part of a broader restructuring of the platform. As publishing models and community engagement methods continued to change, the team determined that retiring live programming was the most sustainable path forward.

While workshops have ended, the legacy of those collaborative years remains part of the Read Indies history.

A Community Effort

Read Indies has always been shaped by its contributors. Writers, readers, and volunteers invested time and energy in highlighting independent work during a formative period in digital publishing.

The initiative was never a commercial enterprise, nor a traditional organization. It was a network of writers supporting one another through shared visibility and encouragement.

Many contributors have documented their experiences in archived blog posts over the years. Those reflections remain part of the public record and reflect the voices of the writers who participated.

Where We Stand Today

Today, Read Indies exists as a smaller, archival-focused platform. Its purpose is to preserve the record of independent collaboration during an important chapter in publishing history and to continue highlighting independent voices in a measured and constructive way.

The publishing landscape continues to evolve. Independent authors now have more tools, more distribution channels, and more direct access to readers than ever before. The spirit that launched Read Indies: cooperation, mutual encouragement, and belief in creative independence — remains relevant even as methods change.

Editorial Note

Since 2016, Read Indies has operated independently of Robert Stanek’s editorial management or day-to-day involvement. Posts reflect the views of contributing writers.

—Team Read Indies

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

 

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

The Courageous Only – It’s Not for the Faint of Heart

My dad, William Robert Stanek, was a real-life superhero, as least to us kids, if not to the millions who built their dreams on the books he wrote that taught them new skills and new ways of thinking. For those who keep wanting to write my dad's obituary because of the years his pen has been silent, I say regardless of whether he writes another word his millions of published words already speak volumes, and his millions of unpublished words will someday say even more.

circa 1990 when My Mom and Dad dreamt up World Galleries

On behalf of my dad, I want to thank everyone here at Go Indie who has spoken up in support of my dad. It really meant the world to him, late timing be damned. We’d all like to see him return to writing, but in the meantime there are so many of his works already in print to be shared and treasured. Just as my dad kept his William Stanek (mostly nonfiction) and Robert Stanek (mostly fiction) work separate for many years, he also kept another careful secret from the world: he and my mom’s work in the arts for World Galleries which represents thousands of what have been called "some of the most iconic photographs in landscape, architecture and travel photography over the past three decades" and hundreds of canvas paintings.

Spring 2021, 1st Media Announcement regarding World Galleries 

Humble to a fault, modest to a fault, my dad and mom kept their secret for three decades while their work was celebrated around the world and viewed billions of times. The global pandemic which forced my family to permanently close our physical galleries changed all that. My dad and mom stepped out from behind the scenes and we’ve started making their works available in the online galleries at:

360 Studios (pictorem.com/gallery/360.Studios)

1North Studios (pictorem.com/gallery/1North)

@24 Studios (pictorem.com/gallery/24)

Robert Stanek Studios (pictorem.com/gallery/Robert.Stanek)

Now after months of effort, we have hundreds of original artworks available, and are seeking help in spreading the word so that my dad and mom and the dozens of others their efforts support can continue their good work for decades to come. As it has always been since inception, 80% of the profits from any purchases go back to the artists themselves and the vast majority of anything my dad and mom make go back into the business so they can support other artists and their families.

Commission-based sales opportunities

As my dad always says, thank you for reading,

-Will

P.S.

This started out as a Father's Day tribute to my dad and ended up somewhere else entirely. If I were half the writer my dad is, it'd be so much better.

Robert Stanek: One of the Most Important Voices of Our Time

Yes, we have made Go Indie into the Robert Stanek channel, especially as we're extremely sad that Robert has retired from writing for some years now and has not yet returned to the craft he dedicated his life to for three decades. Doubly so, as Mr. Stanek is not only one of the nicest, most sincere and honorable people you could ever hope to meet, but also one of the most important voices of our time, the author of some of the most important books of our time, and without a doubt one of the foremost thinkers of our time.

A tireless supporter of the disabled, veterans, libraries, books and schools, Robert has helped countless writers—hundreds really—over the many decades he himself has been a writer. He helped them get their start in the business. He provided resources to help them navigate the strange new online world. He helped provide resources to connect and educate them, more. Odd how they all turned their back on him when he needed them the most and simply because they were afraid of the online trolls and hateful people certain persons had at their disposal to trash Robert’s career with lies and fake news, and the career of anyone else who tried to tell the truth about what happened.

One of those writers Robert Stanek helped was me. After being laid off from my job as a teacher, with a newborn at home and alone after my husband abandoned us, my baby and I were a few unemployment checks away from homelessness. With no likelihood of employment as a teacher or anywhere with a newborn at home to care for alone (no one will hire a single mother with a newborn, just try it yourself and see) and with no support system, the children's books I had written over the years were my only hope. I had been sending them out to every publisher in North America and a few abroad, and receiving nothing but rejection letters in return.

I was in a few support groups. One for writers, and a fellow would-be writer had a contract with Robert’s publishing company. She too had been getting rejection letters from publishers, until she got an acceptance letter from Robert’s company. An unknown, Robert’s company had taken a chance on her, and she was talking about how the opportunity changed her life. Not only monetarily, but also because someone finally believed in her enough to publish her work professionally. Her name is Jennifer Blake and like me, she herself has said she owes her start and success entirely to Mr. Stanek.

I decided to send my work to his company too, to see if I’d be accepted. I told Robert my whole story as well, not knowing if he’d believe a word I was saying as I’m sure he’d heard sad stories like mine thousands of times before. Within a week, I was on a conference call with Jeannie, Robert himself, and Thomas from RP Books & Audio. When Robert asked if I thought I could write a book on whales for a nature series he was developing for beginners and early learning, I knew with my background as an elementary school teacher I could. Soon after, I had a contract for “Whales: The Complete Guide for Beginners and Early Learning”, and an advance check for $2500.

It was money that saved me and my baby from eviction and homelessness. It was money no one else would have, or had, offered, to help me keep it all together. Robert didn’t have to give me a check that big—or at all. I was a nobody. The series and the book ideas were entirely his. A different person, a New York publisher, would have offered $50 or maybe $250, but certainly not $2500. I was nothing but tears, tears of joy when I deposited the check.

Days later, I was working with the development and illustration team at RP Books & Audio on the first of what would become multiple books for the company. My second contract for Robert’s company was to write an animal book for preschoolers and kindergartners in the My Animal series Robert developed. This book and series were also Robert’s ideas entirely.

The book itself was a handful of words on a handful of pages. Words anyone could have placed there, but Robert offered another $2500 contract. A contract no one else would have given me. I worked with the development and illustration team at RP Books & Audio on this book for a time.

When I was done, when “My Baby Animal” book was finished, I realized something. I had received, in the course of working on these two books, an in-depth course on writing, illustration and publishing. Decisions I didn’t need to be privy to, I had been, and it had been Robert and Jeannie’s intent to teach me this.

Next, Robert asked if I wanted to write a book on dinosaurs for beginners and early learning. This book would be in the same series as the whale book and have an advance of $5000 because Robert said it was going to be wildly popular (and it would be).

Within a month of my having finished “Dinosaurs: The Complete Guide for Beginners,” Robert and Jeannie then went back to the ideas I had submitted originally and helped me develop the Tell Me series. The $25,000 advance and a 3-book series contract were more than I ever could have imagined possible.

Robert and Jeannie worked with me to develop and write “Tell Me What You See?” Then we worked together on “Tell Me What You Love?” and “Father Christmas, Tell Me What You See?”. Books that wouldn’t even have been possible without their insights, advice, and assistance.

The first of my books was published within a year of finishing “Tell Me What You See?”, so about two years into our work together. Then the others were published in rapid succession, along with two compendiums that included my books. The first was “Wonderful Discoveries: Sharks, Whales, Dolphins and Sea Turtles.” The second was “My Great Big Animal Book.”

Now, over a decade into our work together, my books have been purchased and read by hundreds of thousands, earning me twenty-fold the original advances in royalties. My success as a writer? It helped me land my dream teaching job where I’ve been happily employed for seven years. Well, that, and letters of reference from Mr. Stanek, Jeannie and Thomas from RP Books and Audio.

Yes, to say publishing changed my life is the understatement of the century. But Robert Stanek is the one who made it all possible. Read and support his books. He’s earned it. Not only because he, inside and out, is one of the most beautiful human beings alive, but because his work is some of the most important work in print today. The 20th century had Theodor Geisel and JRR Tolkien, the 21st century has Robert Stanek. Learn more about Mr. Stanek at http://www.williamrstanek.com/. 

Shannon

Amazon Employees Caught Red-Handed Yet Again Using Fake Negative Reviews to Spam Rivals

Rivals have targeted author William Robert Stanek on Amazon.com for two decades while Amazon staff were paid to assist. Not only has William Robert been blogging about this extensive criminal operation for years, Justice Department investigations indicate these fraudulent tactics are potentially widespread, bringing indictments in Washington against six who bribed at least 10 Amazon staff. In exchange for bribes, corrupted Amazon staff facilitated attacks against competitors using their inside access to Amazon's network to suspend competitors' accounts and product listings, flood competitor product listings with fictitious negative product reviews designed to hurt sales, more. These self-styled "takedowns" against victim sellers used hateful commentary and other tactics to intimidate victims and drive away customers.

Author William Robert Stanek recognizes all of these tactics as they have been used to harm and destroy sales of his books. Regarding this, he stated, "I've been on the receiving end for 20 years..... flooded with fake reviews, getting my books delisted, flagged, etcetera so competitors who were paying off Amazon could get ahead. Two of the names in the charging document are the same people who wrote me back if I dared to complain." 

A grand jury in Washington has indicted six of those involved, more indictments expected. The trial gets underway October 15, 2020, and should result in criminal convictions against those indicted and the 10 or more corrupted Amazon employees involved, unless Amazon once again pays off the justice system to keep insider corruption out of the courts, as it did when more than 50 employees were caught setting up fake seller accounts on Ebay to lure buyers to Amazon--after years and years of doing so illegally and fraudulently.

The group of fraudsters, which includes former Amazon employees, paid current Amazon employees to obtain confidential performance data on rivals that included revenue, customer bases and ongoing ad campaigns. Revenue information allowed the fraudsters to determine the most popular items of rivals and then specifically target those items with fake negative reviews, upvote negative commentary and more to destroy sales. Advertising information allowed the fraudsters to target items of rivals that were being promoted so the rivals could use fake negative reviews, upvoting of negative commentary and more to counter the adverting and destroy any potential sales boost. Rival products were periodically delisted, had reviews removed, were removed from search results, flagged as inappropriate and more to harm sales and ensure the success of the scammers. 

Amazon itself uses these unscrupulous tactics to target popular products of independent sellers in its marketplace after making Amazon-branded versions of the same. Using insider information about the independent products from sales data to customer base to private marketing and advertising campaign data, Amazon puts the rival sellers out of business. Not only has this allowed Amazon to gain an unfair competitive advantage in its marketplace monopoly, it has done irreversible harm to the very sellers it purports to support on its websites, putting many sellers out of business as well. Just one of many ways Amazon abuses and destroys third-party sellers and creates rival products to boost operating revenues and profits no matter the cost to feed and grow its trillion-dollar monopoly. 

Six indicted in connection with multi-million dollar scheme to bribe Amazon employees and contractors - The defendants, who include former Amazon staff, paid bribes to at least ten different Amazon employees and contractors. Since at least 2017, the defendants have used bribery and fraud to their benefit, resulting in more than $100 million of competitive benefits, to harm competitors and to harm consumers. In exchange for bribes, corrupted Amazon employees and contractors facilitated attacks against competitors using their inside access to Amazon's network to suspend competitors' accounts and product listings, flood competitor product listings with fictitious negative product reviews designed to hurt sales, more. These self-styled "takedowns" against victim sellers used hateful commentary and other tactics to intimidate victims and drive away customers.

For more information, see:

Six people indicted in Amazon Marketplace bribery scheme to help third-party sellers

Wall Street Journal Finds Amazon Uses Data From Third-Party Sellers to Develop Its Own Products

Amazon Employees Among Those Indicted for Insider Fraud

Author Stanek's blog posts about the dirty tactics used to harm and destroy his book sales at Amazon go back decades. Here are some:

Speaking Out Against Ugliness in the Publishing Industry - Indie authors continue to get a bum rap from traditional publishers and authors. Read about the dirty tricks being used.

Inside Job: Amazon.com Employee Stole Credit Data of 106 Million Amazon.com is rotten to its core. This latest case of "employee gone bad" is yet another example of the widespread patterns of misbehavior, misconduct and mismanagement by Amazon.com employees that have been ongoing for the better part of two decades.

Amazon Reviews: Broken System Between 1 in 3 and 2 in 3 product reviews on Amazon.com are fake. They are bought and paid for. They are written by friends and family. They are swapped and traded on Facebook. They are incentivized from readers.

Amazon Caught in Pay-for-Praise Scheme Involving Hundreds of Employees Last August Amazon began recruiting so-called “fulfillment center ambassadors,” compensating them to generate praise for the company on twitter (and also elsewhere in social media and on Amazon’s websites). Several hundred employees have been enlisted into the highly questionable, unethical (and likely fraudulent) scheme so far.

Amazon Fraud Again: Amazon Employees Caught Creating Fake Ebay Seller Accounts In 2018, at least 50 Amazon employees were caught red handed creating fake accounts on Ebay and accused of multiple federal crimes, including criminal conspiracy, fraud and racketeering. Over a period of years, the Amazon employees had created hundreds—if not thousands—of fake seller accounts to lure sellers away from Ebay’s marketplace.

Amazon's Black Eye Deepens: A Public Sham/e Speaking out about fake reviews has made me the target of the thousands who make their living writing reviews for pay. This continues despite Amazon's public dispute with over 5000 paid reviewers at Fiverr--no few of which were writers, who unable to make a living at writing, made their living writing reviews.

Amazon Still Has a Review Problem. A Solution That Could Actually Resolve It. A visit to Amazon will take you to lots of products with oodles of reviews and the problem is that it's extremely likely most of these reviews are bogus. What percentage? Estimates vary widely, but my research says about 60% or so. Simply mentioning this fact, as I have for many years, makes me a target for those who make their living at this—whether they are merchants selling products or those who make a living by writing product reviews.

Amazon's Blackened Soul To date, there are about a billion reviews at Amazon sites that don’t meet Amazon’s own criteria for acceptability. This represents about 3 out of every 5 reviews. Is it any wonder when Amazon’s own management and executive staff are allowed to break the rules when it suits them to target an author whose book wasn’t as flattering as Amazon hoped it would be. Yes, I’m talking about....

Thanks for reading,

Team Read Indies