"Amazon feedback comments for authors"

Gary Compton

Gary Compton

I miss you, wor kid.
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I noticed on Amazon that alot of the supposed good books - "Top ten best sellers" and others have been slated by their readers. Is it the case of the proffessional moaner making an effort to comment whilst the more laid back happy reader does not bother to record their thoughts as he/she is too busy getting on with their life.

Are their comments valid I wonder and does the publisher/agent look at them and pass on the criticism to their clients?

Also does the bad feedback affect sales of the books?

I know John has said publishing is subjective but what do you think?
 
Personally, I think everyone's a critic :)

Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code, His Dark Materials, Iain M Banks... You'll find they all have 1 star reviews by at least one person. That's just the nature of the world - You can't make everyone happy, and should never aim to do so; just as many as you can... :)
 
I did read a reply by Anne Rice to a negative review on Amazon, it didn't put her in a good light as she basically told the guy if he didn't like the book then he couldn't be intelligent enough to understand what she was saying. Some people just don't like some books it's as easy as that.
 
i think people like to complain :) i mean, im far more likely to write a review slating a book, than praising one, just cos when i REALLY hate something, i want to talk about it. and very rarely do i really LOVE something enough to rave about it.
 
Often I read the reviews and will tend to make an assumption based on the average comments and score. However I know its not an exact art or reliable system, its amazing how many say that they have either not read/played/seen/used something and yet give it a score based on -- well something. Added to that many give something 4 or 5 stars because they went to amazon to buy that book rather than they just happened to find it (though I will admit to having "Found" authors through amazon).
 
that's actually a general customer service thing, so you're not alone. 80% of people will complain to their friends about service/other stuff they don't like; only 1 in 10 will actually recommend good service etc.
guess its why you have to work so hard to make a good name for yourself as an author.
 
As Scarfy says, you can't make everyone happy. And ocasionally, someone with an axe to grind will use amazon to post a negative review.

I remember a big scientific thriller I published very successfully some years ago. Sold, as they say, like hot cakes. It received a dreadful review from one of the national daily newspapers in the UK, from someone known in the SF field to some degree, who didn't get it and was very obviously trying to persuade their readers not to buy it.

But it sold, and sold, and sold. Then a series of reviews appeared on amazon in exactly the same words as the newspaper review, from 'anonymous readers', basically saying 'Aren't you idiots listening to what I say? Don't buy this awful book.' We had no doubt that they all came from the same reviewer, who was piqued that the stupid public were not taking notice of his damning review and continued to buy this book - after all, it was only a damn good story, told with verve and flair. Who would want to read that?

It's good to see positive reviews on amazon, particularly from one of their main reviewers, but all authors know they'll get bad reviews there too. Life's too short to worry about it, for all involved.

In the words of the song: People are strange.
 
Unbelievable ...

It's amazing how people can get so upset about somebody else's success. He must have had one massive ego to assume that the general public would take his every word as gospel ...
 
He does.

And to reply to Gary's original post - no, negative amazon comments are usually not of any use to the author, or anyone else. And they don't directly affect sales.
 
If I was a newly published author and my first few reviews on Amazon were less than flattering I am sure that would have an effect on my confidence. How does an agent counter that?...I know it must be part of your job John.

Just interested in your thoughts as usual
 
garycompton said:
If I was a newly published author and my first few reviews on Amazon were less than flattering I am sure that would have an effect on my confidence. How does an agent counter that?...I know it must be part of your job John.

Just interested in your thoughts as usual
Click to expand...

If a publisher loves your work enough to take it on, that's what matters. A few bad reviews don't matter one way or another - and authors shouldn't let a few good reviews affect them too much, either. As Kipling said, treat triumph and disaster both the same (not that a couple of bad reviews are disastrous, but you get my point!)...it's about common sense and being level-headed. Not everyone is going to love any book. What matters is that the book sells. If I measure a great review in the Times and 10,000 sales against a bad review and 15,000 sales, I will always take the latter. Authors can't afford to be fragile flowers.

Word-of-mouth sells books, people saying to their friends 'Hey, I really liked that, you should read it.'
 
Yes I know you need to be thick skinned but underneath that tough outward veneer it has to have an effect:) on confidence which will probably get nullified by the agent and his ability to boost his man's confidence.
 
No - if you're going to be affected by bad reviews, you shouldn't write for publication, because everyone gets them!
 
Same is true of some actors and other creative people. The main thing is to believe in your talent - not psychopathically, but if an agent and a publisher (both of whom are professional people, not charity workers) think you have something, then you do have something. You just can't expect everyone to like what you do, because that is never the case.

Look, if your book doesn't sell and every review is bad, then there is a problem! But if it sells well and you get both good and bad reviews, you're doing as well as you can reasonably expect. As in life, if you expect everyone to like you, and what you do, you'll be disappointed.
 
When I was a kitchen fitter what drove me to deliver a good job was the fear of the customer saying 'I am not happy with that.' when I got those sort of comments I hated it and it spurred me on to improve. So I suppose yes you have to be thick skinned but there is nothing wrong in turning negative comments into a positive experience. That's just me though - everyone is different!
 
Except that you have to remember, Gary, that the reactions of readers can be more subjective than those of other customers. Those parts of a book that one group of readers condemn may be the very parts that other readers fall in love with. So, yes, you can use negative reviews to spur you on to better things, but you have to be careful that they aren't spurring you on to remove everything that makes your writing special.
 
Too right. As a publisher or as an agent, you deal with writers as individuals.
 
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