And the Reviews are in....Or are they?
This whole thing was brought to my attention by an author who is a small press author who has a very loyal group of readers and had been building that readership by the use of social media and meeting people one on one at conventions and book signings. She noticed that some of her good reviews on Amazon had vanished while some of her negative reviews, which seem to be pointed more at her than the book with several reviewers saying in the review that they never read the book were now what was seen first when you looked at her books.
You can read Amazon’s Review Guidelines here
Seems pretty innocuous right?
Some people went and did some research on this and found out that because of some individuals who were gaming the system that these seemingly reasonable rules were expanded to include someone you might “know” online which apparently they can detect with their magical algorithm that knows, apparently, every keystroke and internet site you interact with. Amazon assumes that if you are a fan of someone’s work then you will only leave a positive review and they want impartial reviewers.
Now authors have had it pounded into their brains by their publishers that they need to engage their audience. That social media is the way to more readers. That authors must help promote themselves and their ‘brand’ through the various means out on the Internet.
What does that leave an author with? Mostly negative feedback apparently. Those reviews that were written by people who have some unknown beef with author or the publisher or the subject material of the book are the ones that Amazon lets stay. With a few genuine reviews of people who just happen to find the book by accident or logarithm of other suggested books.
I would not review one of Peter’s books. It makes no sense for me to do so. But limiting my ability to review books of people that I know just because we happen to know of each other’s existence online is a little overboard.
I do understand Amazon trying to get rid of the paid reviews (yes there are review services that for a fee will give you a good review) or reviews that will get you a prize (like a raffle for a gift card among all the folks that review a book for an author) or reviews that garner you a free book if you review another book.
But if I want to review the new Myth-Adventures book, which is a lot of fun by the way, I cannot since I know the author and a number of the people who worked on the book. Nor, according to Amazon logic, am I allowed to write a review of Neil Gaiman’s latest book of essays. I could not write a review for any book published by Del Rey or a number of other publishers or a whole host of authors that I know because of things I have edited in the past.
My review voice is basically silenced but others who have a problem with my husband are allowed to spew all the negative vitriol that they want even if they say IN THE REVIEW that they haven’t read the book, they have a problem with the author.
What’s the solution? I really don't have one here. Amazon is going to do what it wants and that is allowed because the website belongs to them so their house, their rules.
I do think that they need to look a little more carefully at the algorithm that they are using to delete reviews and even more carefully at reviews that say within the review ‘this review has nothing to do with the product being sold’ or personal attacks on the author or company in question. Then I would not be as critical because they are looking at the issue from both sides.
Are people going to find ways of gaming the system? Yep. They always will try to do so. And sometimes they will succeed and other times they will seriously screw it up for the rest of us.
I am grateful for honest reviews.
You can read Amazon’s Review Guidelines here
Seems pretty innocuous right?
Some people went and did some research on this and found out that because of some individuals who were gaming the system that these seemingly reasonable rules were expanded to include someone you might “know” online which apparently they can detect with their magical algorithm that knows, apparently, every keystroke and internet site you interact with. Amazon assumes that if you are a fan of someone’s work then you will only leave a positive review and they want impartial reviewers.
Now authors have had it pounded into their brains by their publishers that they need to engage their audience. That social media is the way to more readers. That authors must help promote themselves and their ‘brand’ through the various means out on the Internet.
What does that leave an author with? Mostly negative feedback apparently. Those reviews that were written by people who have some unknown beef with author or the publisher or the subject material of the book are the ones that Amazon lets stay. With a few genuine reviews of people who just happen to find the book by accident or logarithm of other suggested books.
I would not review one of Peter’s books. It makes no sense for me to do so. But limiting my ability to review books of people that I know just because we happen to know of each other’s existence online is a little overboard.
I do understand Amazon trying to get rid of the paid reviews (yes there are review services that for a fee will give you a good review) or reviews that will get you a prize (like a raffle for a gift card among all the folks that review a book for an author) or reviews that garner you a free book if you review another book.
But if I want to review the new Myth-Adventures book, which is a lot of fun by the way, I cannot since I know the author and a number of the people who worked on the book. Nor, according to Amazon logic, am I allowed to write a review of Neil Gaiman’s latest book of essays. I could not write a review for any book published by Del Rey or a number of other publishers or a whole host of authors that I know because of things I have edited in the past.
My review voice is basically silenced but others who have a problem with my husband are allowed to spew all the negative vitriol that they want even if they say IN THE REVIEW that they haven’t read the book, they have a problem with the author.
What’s the solution? I really don't have one here. Amazon is going to do what it wants and that is allowed because the website belongs to them so their house, their rules.
I do think that they need to look a little more carefully at the algorithm that they are using to delete reviews and even more carefully at reviews that say within the review ‘this review has nothing to do with the product being sold’ or personal attacks on the author or company in question. Then I would not be as critical because they are looking at the issue from both sides.
Are people going to find ways of gaming the system? Yep. They always will try to do so. And sometimes they will succeed and other times they will seriously screw it up for the rest of us.
I am grateful for honest reviews.