Wild Animus

by Rich Shapero | Mystery & Thrillers |
ISBN: Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingbcz-tuebingenwing of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on 4/6/2004
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
Amazon.com | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Bol.com
This book is in the wild! This Book is Currently in the Wild!
3 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingbcz-tuebingenwing from Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Tuesday, April 6, 2004
Arrived here today, in a lousy packaging that was open enough for the book to fall out, with some of the packaging glued to the bottom of the book but in otherwise perfect condition. "Advance Reading Copy" #43 to be registered here on bookcrossing.com, #3 to arrive in Germany as it seems.

Postmarked in Brussels, Belgium, while copies sent to England are postmarked here in Germany... strange, to say the least, as is the order in which they are sent out. Other copies to this house or village have not been sent, very few if any northamericans got theirs, but Indonesia already has one?

Ok, if you feel like that makes sense to you...

Notable is the BookMark that is enclosed. One big SSM coming up: A global release day in which we are to release yet another copy of this book... which we're supposed to get for free too, complete with anything we need for releasing...

Journal Entry 2 by wingbcz-tuebingenwing at Bebenhausen in Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Tuesday, April 6, 2004
Released on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 at Bebenhausen in Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany.

Went to the bcz-tuebingen @bebenhausen.de where it can be read and enjoyed (or loathed).

Journal Entry 3 by IrasCignavojo from Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Tuesday, April 6, 2004
My first impression is "missionary, not promotional". Looks to me like some Neo-Shaman/Post-Crowley/Anti-Watchtower society said to themselves:
"The Gideons did it, Scientology did it, let's do it too" and founded a publishing house for the purpose, with money-from-nowhere...

..and now give us their message in a novel, like Scientology's L.Ron Hubbard with "Battlefield Earth"

Journal Entry 4 by IrasCignavojo from Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Tuesday, April 6, 2004
At least after some research (wasn't too hard) I have second ideas.

TOO FAR Publishing:
Alegedly founded in 2000. No publication since, first book due in october of this year: Wild Animus. Website: Owned and operated by none other than: "Too Far Consulting". And who is that? Someone named: "Shapero".
My questions to TooFar

RICH SHAPERO:
So where does Rich Shapero come from, and his money?
Self praise in the staged interview: "Self-Exploration." http://www.toofar.com/janspeak/intro.asp
Answer to be found in "Business 2.0" and other sources: "Venture Capitalist"
http://www.cpvp.com/inside/rshapero.html

So maybe we dont have to worry about some sectarian post-crowley group...
At least now we know we don't have to worry about the money spent. There's more money here than the free 50k copies (plus shipping) could consume. At least this writer will never have to live on his writing...

Journal Entry 5 by IrasCignavojo from Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Friday, April 16, 2004
^^ Forum Topics | << Book Talk - Wild Animus |

Posted by IrasCignavojo (466/200) 14 hrs ago (4/15/2004 6:32:52 PM BX time)

Thanks for your input, Ron. (from a critic with a book)



> I'm profoundly disappointed
> in the few here who have chosen
> to be openly hostile and make personal
> attacks and motive accusations against
> a man, a person, who simply chose the
> BookCrossing community as an ARC (advance
> reading copy) audience for his first book.

Personal attacks? Against the person? Not from me. Against his 'philosophy'? Yes, and I should be entitled to vicious attacks against what he writes if he gives it out for review.

Doubts about the motives? Yes. I've been explicit about my doubt. He wants to be read- ok, I gave him as much. What I doubted was that this would make any sense for him in a business manner, that this would be promotional effort to earn big later.

> But taking the extra effort to insult and
> humiliate the author and the staff
> of Too Far is, well, just too much for me
> to stomach.

I didn't insult anyone at TooFar. And why should I?

I was and am doubtfull about infos found on and about the TooFar website. Is this so completely strange, considering the finds?

> We knew from the start that giving away a
> large number of free books would
> lead to a variety of reviews,

...and to some second guesses about the motives... didn't that occur to you, that someone might ask "cui bono" or just plainly "why"?

> vary wildly. Personally, I enjoyed reading
> Wild Animus. I read it before
> we ever came to an agreement with Too Far.
> Is it my favorite book ever? No.

Fine with me. As I stated in one of my posts I (even I; -)) have friends (and friends of friends) who share his views and thus might like the book.
And I don't expect you be become a fan of Mark Barrowcliffe's "first time fathers", the last book I finished and enjoyed, or even begin to understand why I enjoy Hugh Walker's work from the 80s.

Neither do I expect you to name C.S.Lewis to be your favourite author, whose "Narnia Chronicles" convey a philosophy that is much more to my liking.

> But this
> was a chance to offer a large
> number of our members a completely free
> book, with no strings attached, while
> earning modest fulfillment fees to help
> pay for this increasingly-expensive
> operation.

At no place in any of my posts did I doubt -or question- your motives, or second-guess on your prior relationship with Rich Shapero. I understand perfectly well what made you accept that offer.

For BookCrossing.com, this really seems like a do-ut-des, you promote the book and get a gift for the BC-community, plus some extra publicity (or cash), maybe.
Please understand that, after reading the book, this might look different for the individual BookCrosser.

> significant costs involved. But in
> this case, they decided to broaden the
> feedback channel to what they viewed
> as the most dynamic, well-intentioned, non-
> commercial community of book lovers
> on the planet.

Plus everybody else and their dog, as long as they found the link to TooFar on any of the freebie-pages. Being a BC-member is not a requirement to get the free book.
And I suppose that you noticed, that the most-referrals-person you complimented in the last newsletter did this just by adding the wild-animus link to her freebie-page. None of the many referred people here, who went BookCrossers in order to get the book for free, have registered any book.

> He, like all
> authors, wants to be READ and
> wants honest feedback.

He does get that. From me too. Honest, if not friendly. And I posed some implicit questions (like does he own or operate TooFar or parts of it?) where I'd be happy to post his answers too.

My interview with him might look completely different, but might be an interesting read too, if he gave me one.

> I would ask you to imagine yourself
> in this author's shoes,

I can imagine myself in your shoes better than in his, but yes, I can relate.

> Like it or not, you're all
> ambassadors
> of BookCrossing, and by making public
> statements here,

...and not only here. On the radio, several tv-programs and in the press.
Hey Ron, I LOVE to be an ambassador of BookCrossing.

One of the reasons why I also host the International BC-MeetUp here in Tuebingen, Germany, on pentecost- together with the folks from the bcz-stuttgart.

> I would ask you choose
> your words carefully

I sure try to do that.

> the scenes had hoped that someday other
> publishers would offer books on a
> large scale to our membership, as a way to
> keep this site financially solvent
> and alive, but those hopes could already
> be futile due to the damage done.

Let's hope not. This is one small publisher, and a case that is exceptional in some ways. The idea in itself holds some merit and shouldn't be put aside.

> This is the first time in 3 years that I
> haven't been proud of my creation.

Pity. Personally I still think that the system works well, even with all the criticism and the diskussions about "no virtual bookburnings please". Everyone is still entitled to their opinion, and we still talk about the merits of the book (or lack therof).

> I'm sorry to have written this with such
> emotion, and so harshly, but it's
> what my heart feels. For those of you who
> have already stepped up in support
> of this project, and for those of you who
> will now, thank you.

Feel free to do so: -) I support this project, both BookCrossing and this attempt to further the site. I just dont support this book. :-)

Regards,
IrasCignavojo

Released on Wednesday, May 05, 2004 at Cafe Schöne Aussichten, Wilhelmstrasse in Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany.

Steht im BookCrossing-BücherRegal in den "Schönen Aussichten", wo ich es anlässlich der Planungen zur Dichter-Rallye beim 1. Internationalen BookCrossing MeetUp in Deutschland freigelassen habe.

Journal Entry 7 by MelvinSmiley from Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Thursday, January 12, 2006
Hello boys and girls,

yeasterday i caught this book at the bookshelf in the "Schöne Aussichten".

Although i have a lot on my plate, i'll try to read it while i make little pauses.

So long, Melvin Smiley

Journal Entry 8 by MelvinSmiley at Cafe Dreierlei in Meersburg, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Thursday, September 14, 2006

Released 17 yrs ago (9/14/2006 UTC) at Cafe Dreierlei in Meersburg, Baden-Württemberg Germany

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I didn't read it, so i gave it to my girlfriend. But she also didn't like the book, so we set it free to find new friendly readers.


RELEASE NOTES:
Released today at the table near the big window.

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