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Kevis 'The Berserker' Hendrickson
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« Reply #100 on: February 06, 2012, 03:38:37 PM » |
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Share your tips on how you're planning to get 5-star reviews!
Great idea! I'm going to write a book about a young boy who goes to a boarding school for wizards and another book about a teenage girl who falls in love with a sparkling vampire. Oh, that's been done already? There goes my five star books... |
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BrianKittrell
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« Reply #101 on: February 06, 2012, 09:53:22 PM » |
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Gang, I gotta say...
Paying that much attention to SOMEBODY ELSE'S REVIEWS is a bit disturbing. I read my own. I've been both lucky and flattered. When somebody says something negative, I try to see if they have valid points. And then I shut that browser/tab down.
What benefit does anyone get giving this much time and energy to reviews for SOMEBODY ELSE'S work?
Stop! It's not healthy!
In Robert Stanek's case, you just can't help yourself. It's too ridiculous. |
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D a l y a
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« Reply #102 on: February 06, 2012, 11:14:27 PM » |
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Great idea! I'm going to write a book about a young boy who goes to a boarding school for wizards and another book about a teenage girl who falls in love with a sparkling vampire. Oh, that's been done already? There goes my five star books...
I know this comment is satirical, but I've noticed a number of hit YA books that actually do follow the Twilight formula. A few reviewers will point out the similarities, point by point, but the vast majority of fans simply enjoy the books. Hey, if you love Twilight, you'll love another book that is similar to Twilight. Most readers do value originality and realism, but they'd MUCH rather get entertainment and emotion. Shoot. Why am I not writing a plain-girl-meets-magical-powerful-rich-pervy-obsessed-cute-boy trilogy? |
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David 'Half-Orc' Dalglish
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« Reply #103 on: February 07, 2012, 07:10:40 AM » |
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In Robert Stanek's case, you just can't help yourself. It's too ridiculous.
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Bards and Sages (Julie)
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« Reply #104 on: February 07, 2012, 07:32:11 AM » |
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What benefit does anyone get giving this much time and energy to reviews for SOMEBODY ELSE'S work?
I'm a book buyer. I read reviews for information. If I come across reviews that are fake, I feel disrespected and defrauded by the author. I take the seller/buyer pact seriously. You want my money. I want your product. I have an obligation to pay you in legal currency. You have an obligation not to try to defraud me. If I tried to buy your book with counterfeit money, you would be upset. As a consumer, when an author thinks I am such a moron and has so little respect for me that he fakes book reviews, I am upset and insulted. And as a publisher, this behavior also impacts MY BOTTOM LINE. If people begin to think all five star reviews are frauds, it dilutes the value of a five star review and makes it worthless. There was a time a couple of years ago where one or two good reviews could drive a lot of sales. As this nonsense spreads, the marketing power of good reviews diminishes. People stop trusting the reviews. They feel cheated and betrayed. This is bad for business. |
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daveconifer
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« Reply #106 on: February 07, 2012, 07:42:04 AM » |
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I read my own. I've been both lucky and flattered. When somebody says something negative, I try to see if they have valid points. And then I shut that browser/tab down.
That's way more than I do. If I accidentally notice there's a new review, I look between my fingers in an attempt to get a star-count to discern if it's good or bad. Then I make sure never to read it, either way. I'm too thin-skinned to survive the bad ones, and too cynical to appreciate the good ones. I'm not even jokin' ya... |
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Zelah Meyer
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« Reply #107 on: February 07, 2012, 07:47:56 AM » |
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Kevis 'The Berserker' Hendrickson
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« Reply #108 on: February 07, 2012, 07:58:49 AM » |
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I had a look at those reviews a few months back and do admit there are some rather amusing reviews for the fresh whole rabbit. But I think Snooki wins this one.  |
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« Last Edit: February 07, 2012, 08:16:44 AM by Kevis 'The Berserker' Hendrickson »
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j meyers
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« Reply #109 on: February 07, 2012, 08:21:08 AM » |
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My first novel was released a just over a week ago, and I have 12 reviews on Amazon--all 5 star--and 16 reviews on Goodreads--three 4 stars, thirteen 5 stars. The most recent of any of those reviews posted was from my sister-in-law, who just read the book. She's the only reviewer who knows me.
Otherwise they are all from strangers. I have so many reviews already--and good ones--because I offered a free copy of the ebook, pre-release, to anyone who would post an honest review. (Yes, I asked specifically for an honest review, and asked that they post even if they didn't like it.) Of course everyone who saw my post about the offer or who is on my mailing list was there because they read my free short story that intros my book, so they already liked my premise and writing style and were likely to feel the same about the novel.
So all 5 stars (and more than 5 reviews) doesn't necessarily mean they're not legit.
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Jon Olson
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« Reply #111 on: February 07, 2012, 09:22:29 AM » |
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On my twitter, I keep seeing one or two authors who promote their books saying "[X] Five Star Reviews! [Title]" or whatever.
Then, when I click their links, that is ALL they have.
So then, these people are either REALLY phenominal authors, or else they have a large extended family willing to give them 5-star reviews.
At least, that's my thought process.
What are your thoughts?
I don't know. Five, even 10 reviews is not very many -- and even if they're all five stars, it's too small a sample to say the author is phenomenal, or they're all from family. Give me thirty and I'd say that. |
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« Last Edit: February 07, 2012, 09:24:06 AM by Jon Olson »
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StephenEngland
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« Reply #112 on: February 07, 2012, 12:04:37 PM » |
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Currently watching an argument going on between an author and someone with the audacity to leave a 1-star on their book(a well-deserved 1-star, I might add). It's a little pathetic.
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With Iran and Israel on the brink of war, one man must make an impossible choice. To save the world, he must kill his friend. . .  Read Pandora's Grave, Amazon's #1 Top-Rated Spy Thriller! |
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Rin
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« Reply #113 on: February 07, 2012, 12:28:12 PM » |
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Currently watching an argument going on between an author and someone with the audacity to leave a 1-star on their book(a well-deserved 1-star, I might add). It's a little pathetic.
Oh, link please? I love crazy little author-vs-reviewer arguments. |
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Bards and Sages (Julie)
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« Reply #115 on: February 07, 2012, 12:41:43 PM » |
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Oh, link please? I love crazy little author-vs-reviewer arguments. That would be a violation of the KB "What happens on Amazon stays on Amazon" policy... |
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D a l y a
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« Reply #117 on: February 08, 2012, 11:15:07 AM » |
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Last night, I had a peek at what was new on my Kindle and read the first few pages of a freebie download. (Nobody who comments on here.) It was beyond terrible. I looked at the Amazon reviews and concluded the 5-stars must be fakes. Even if someone loved the book, surely they would have taken a point off for all the terrible errors?
Well, I checked it on Goodreads this morning. Thousands of reviews, many of them critical, but overall a decent average. Despite everything the author had done wrong, the author must have done the important things right!
We all know that taste varies, but sometimes it is SO HARD to comprehend that a book so poorly written could get so many fans. It had a really lovely cover, though, so draw your own conclusions.
(No, I didn't rate it or comment. I only rate books I finish.)
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