Leaving feedback on Amazon...

Sadly, none of my friends and family tend to like sci-fi or fantasy, so trying to get them to even read my stuff wouldn't be all that successful. Which leaves me searching for more (hopefully) positive reviews there. It kind of leaves me wondering what most people who buy my book think, good or bad.

I do use the ratings myself on occasion, though I mostly also check out the 1-star ratings to see if there's something horribly wrong with the product or book, and to see if there's a pattern in those particular comments.
 
I usually read a couple of the reviews, and sometimes write one of my own. I agree with all the comments about reviews that don't review the book. However, I usually find the notes from the publisher to be much more influential in my buying a book. A favorite author the reviews don't influence me overly, but (perhaps unfortunately) if it is someone I've never read it does make more difference that it should. (And while I'm confessing, Cover Art plays a role too. I'm really frustrated by cover art that is not or barely influenced by the content of the book.)
 
Never trust a 5 star review - nothing is that perfect. :)

I want to know the flaws, the problems, the criticisms - then I know what I have to deal with - whatever the product being sold.
 
I've seen multiple option reviews on a site selling washing machines etc. So you rate by ease of understanding the program buttons, washing efficiency, noise and other things and it adds up to an overall review.

I'd like to see more flexibility like that on Amazon (and other sites like Good Reads for example).

One that would be important to me would be a button which says "seemed well written but wasn't really my sort of book so gave up on it" - because how do you rate that on a 1 to 5 star system? :)
 
That is a good idea.

One of my bugbears is that people often don't see the difference between something not being to their taste and that thing actually being bad.
 
Mr Tagomi said:
One of my bugbears is that people often don't see the difference between something not being to their taste and that thing actually being bad.
Click to expand...

Very true, Mr Tagomi. In our library reading circle I often hear that people don't like a book "because some of the characters weren't very nice". :confused:
 
I have started to leave reviews on Amazon - probably a bit like my comments on the 75 word challenge*

But I only did it because I realised I was reviewing the books on Goodreads, linking it to Facebook and my website and suddenly thought why not add it to Amazon, it's not as if I'm writing any more.

*only longer
 
Mr Tagomi said:
That is a good idea.

One of my bugbears is that people often don't see the difference between something not being to their taste and that thing actually being bad.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more, so many people think that because they don't like something, it's terrible. Which isn't true.

Of course with self-publishing there is the likely chance that much of it is terrible, but when it comes to books released through actual publishers, somebody must have thought the book was great, otherwise it would never have seen the light of day.

There are many people who hate The Wheel of Time with a vengeance, yet it's a hugely successful series. It's just not the books for them.
 
We had an actual example of what Gary is talking about here, as a Chrons member - Kenneth Eng. (He didn't last long).

His trade-mark on Amazon was to leave comments about other people's work comparing it favourably, or otherwise, with his own stuff.

He was exposed in his own introductions thread:

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/35168-new-member-published-author.html

And discussed at length when someone else ran across him:

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/535128-how-to-write-a-book-badly.html#post1576086

Follow some of the links for a hilarious example of how to be a plonker. :D
 
Depends on your source/reviewer. Those flybys that post negative jabs are just that, comments intended to make your blood boil or bring attention to the comment poster. Personally, I think you should blank out all 5 and 1-star reviews and catch the middle ground. I've had a few friends adorn me with fives and it kind of bothers me. OTOH, I got a 2-star that just threw me for a loop in its vindictiveness and out-right misquotes, wild theories, sexist charges and cut-throat accusations.

Take 'em with a huge bag of salt, and not personally.

chris
 
To date, I've only placed one review of a book on Amazon; I gave the book 5 stars because I believed that it deserved them (and said why this was). My view of the book's merits was the reason I bothered to post on Amazon in the first place.

I doubt I'll ever be placing 1- or 2-star reviews on Amazon. Life's too short to waste my time on writing about books I don't like. (To be fair, there's a thread here on the Chrons about which books people found to be really bad; I posted something there, but that's something different: something for this community.)
 
Hi,

I'm not surprised it was taken down. It was pure bile by an angry ex. But there's still a lesson there - don't let your ex find out that you wrote a book!

So here's the actual review in all its inane glory.

"Rick,

I finally had time to read your book.I have never heard of so many lies come out of one persons mouth and put into words. I was very shocked with this book. You did not change names. You stretched and changed stories to make you look good and the police department. You have proven that you have always had the cop mentality. All lies to make you look good and to fit thesituation sotheciviliansarealwayswrong. You are no better than the criminals. How about all the other stories that was so crooked that all of you should have been in jail. I have those memories, I have those stories, I have my words of the situations. You have inspiredme to bea published author.Thebookhasbeen started. Name of the book is "Wife behind the Badge". Inspired by the book Peek-A-B00, It's the police By Rick Holder. No matter your little clause. All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental. You are a piece of work and that is not good. I will be purchasing more books and these will besent to the families and police departments. I think they all would enjoy reading your story. When finished I will send them my book as well.

You have twisted so much around. Your wife being dead. LIE!You being shot on duty. Lie! Other stories all lies!!! I saved your *ss when we were car jacked. I went through your whole recovery from the beginning to the end. Your whole lifeisa lie.No mention of your son, first wife, mother, brother and all the other women you were with while you were married and on duty as a police officer. Am I descrentalNO! Just p*ssed off that you lied so much. You have gone mentally crazy. What ever fantasy land your in. You should stay there. I will also be sending this book to my family. They are already surprised at what I have read to them on the phone. Not happy.

You are the main reason why people call the police "pigs". You are a "pig". You give the police departments a bad name.

Good luck with your life. It will allbea lie anyway.

You wondered why we got divorced!! Think about it. Our marriage was a lie. You drove me out and away with all your fantasies,cheating, lies,etc. Detailsto follow. No thatI havethisoffmy chest. I can moveon in therealworld.

May God be with you,

Heidi (your still living x-wife.) Bcc: sent as well of this email"


Don't laugh too loud.

Cheers, Greg.
 
Hi,

Fascinating, but I don't think it'll help us so much. Most of our reviews as far as I know, are from individuals acting alone or maybe with a couple of friends. They haven't really organised themselves (crossing fingers mentally) into groups to go out and really destroy books or writers. That may be coming though.

Cheers,Greg.
 
That's a pretty spiteful letter. You have to wonder if it really is genuine though, because honestly, this is the internet and anyone can make up anything they want and we have no way to prove the truth.

It sounds more like trolling to me, just the way it is written screams troll.
 
Hi,

Sometimes people describe their ex's as trolls! My thought, not knowing either of these people, is that it's genuine. A stranger wouldn't come out with that personal stuff. But I could be wrong.

My real question though, is to wonder why they got divorced. I mean it seems to me that they were the perfect couple!!!

Cheers, Greg.
 
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