David Kuzminski, You Naughty Boy

Well, it’s official: David Kuzminski of Preditors & Editors is a DEFAMER. And, his pocket is going to be, what has yet to be confirmed, $250,000 lighter. The jury has found Kuzminski guilty and has awarded Victor E. Cretella that tidy sum.

First, let me make one thing very clear: I don’t know the man. Never met him. Never talked to him. But, apparently, he thinks he knows a lot about me. Yep, I’m one of those people about whom he knows nothing, so he fills in the blanks.

Do I dislike the guy? I don’t personally know him. Do I dislike what he did? Yes, I do. He has caused havoc in our industry and he has hurt my friends and colleagues. But most of all I’m not overly fond of him for exposing me as a coward. I should have worked harder to bring together those who were damaged by Kuzminski and his buddies and, as a unit, we should have sued the crap out of the lot of them. Instead, we huddled together, hoping someone would be brave enough and have pockets deep enough to go after them.

Oh, I could make excuses, like my income was cut by nearly three quarters when their campaign against my companies began; that I was afraid they would do more damage once I sued them (ex: Bauer); and that lawsuits take so damn long and cost so much money. I did meet with an attorney regarding Kuzminski and others, and I was faced with the decision to proceed with a lawsuit and lay-off an employee or weather the storm. I kept my employee.

Fact remains, I wasn’t alone with my excuses. A lot of us were just plain scared to death. We all worked so hard to build our businesses only to have them crippled, and in some cases destroyed, because some frustrated, angry, wannabee writer with a website or some egomaniac thought they could control the industry.

I did manage to speak with one of the more predominant bloggers. I asked this person why they were saying and writing what they had to know was incorrect information for new writers to follow. The following is this delightful person’s answer: “The more misinformation out there, the better my chances are of getting published.” At least on one level this blogger was honest.

Many in our industry have been victimized by people like Mr. Kuzminski: Everyone from agents, to publishers, to writer’s groups, to trade sources, and last but not least, new writers themselves. Perhaps Publishing’s Reign of Terror is at the beginning of its end. Perhaps, those who have been quietly suffering will now have the courage to speak up because Mr. Cretella has hit a blogger where it hurts the most: The pocketbook. Perhaps there is some truth to that old saying, what goes around comes around.

Freedom of speech is apparently the battle cry of bloggers. Now that’s just precious, ain’t it? Having potty mouth and saying untrue things about someone isn’t freedom of speech, now is it David? Still, I’ll bet Mr. Kuzminski will appeal and ask his faithful followers for more money for his Legal Defense Fund. Or may he will do the right thing and acknowledge his mistake. After all, with freedom of speech comes responsibility. It’s rather simple, this concept of responsibility. First: You own what you say. Second: And I quote a lot of good parents: “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing!”

That being said, here’s my something nice to David Kuzminski: “Have a nice day!”

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