Full text of letter from authors condemning fake book reviews by Ellory and other
Forty nine leading British writer have written to The Daily Telegraph in London condemning the proliferation of false book reviews. This follows revelations that several authors, the most recent being award-winning crime writer RJ Ellory, have posted flattering reviews of their own work while criticisng the work of other authors. The group, including bestselling writers Ian Rankin, Lee Child, Karin Slaughter, Val McDermid and Helen FitzGerald, say widespread use of “fake identities” was causing untold damage to the publishing world. They urge the reading public to "take possession" of the online review process with free and honest reviews that will drown out "phoney voices". The online review capacity of sites such as Amazon has suffered a credibility issue in the past with the widespread practise of authors and publishers purchasing positive reviews. One example was American Todd Rutherford's now defunct gettingbookreviews.com where he offered 50 po