Whoever you are, I think you're a chickenshit coward
I'm referring, of course, to the "big name" author who sent around an email soliciting "beta readers" who would only post 5-star reviews, and only post them when it will do the most benefit to the author's sales.
And while I admire the (questionable) loyalty of your fans who have exposed your stinky plan without revealing just who you are, I have to think that eventually one of them is going to get pissed off enough and out you. Then the rest of them will be sitting there festooned with the shreds of your reputation.
It's obvious that they know what you're doing is wrong, or they wouldn't have posted copies of your solicitation. It's obvious that they hold you in high regard or they'd have outed you immediately.
What may not be so obvious is that you probably don't give a shit.
You can only hope they all take this secret to their graves, because once you're identified, I don't think there's any redemption for you.
You've tainted all of us, readers, reviewers, writers alike. You may very well have destroyed the last tiny bit of trust readers had in reviewers. I wrote elsewhere that your reputation will probably sink lower than squid shit, and that may be too high.
