Friday

Amazon Reviews - Be Positive

Amazon Reviews are out there in their thousands, and just about anything that has been invented or created has a comment from a customer. Some are satisfied, some middle-of-the road, and others are very disgruntled.

As an author I take note of my book reviews, and have smiled over the generous comments. Those not so glowing are a lesson to be learned for me, and important enough for me to take heed of the customer. That said, I have been very fortunate and received positive messages about my novels. Some of my writing friends have been subjected to some cruel reviews, and I feel so sad that someone can be hurt so much by a stranger.

One of the things I find frustrating is the fact that Amazon tend to email and ask the customer what they think of the book, and the customer is panicked into a response. They offer up a 1 star rating, and a statement, 'I have not read this book yet.' What they think is an immediate response requirement can be a killer for the author's ranking amongst the 'Zon algorithm, and the book slides down a notch. What can you do?

As a reader, review with a positive, even in a negative review. Just to counter-balance the pain the person who has spent years, months and days of their lives creating something to sell, will feel. Critique in a positive manner so the writer can obtain some sort of feedback and act upon it accordingly.'It's crap, or 'what a load of tosh', is not a book review, it is a personal opinion.

Ignore the email asking you to rate the item until you have read the book from front to back. If you do not read a book until the end, you cannot possibly give a full review. Even a negative review of a book needs to be one that shows you have read the story. If it is obviously in poor shape and cannot be read then the writer needs to be aware, in this case, email them. Let them know you are dissatisfied and why.

Five star reviews are great, wonderful, and makes the writer happy. A range of varied stars are useful to the reader as they show a cross-range of opinions, and leaves the reader able to make up their own mind. A bucket load of abuse in the form of 1 star reviews should be a flag up to the reader that the writer is a victim of some vendetta, (yes, it can happen), and they should go ahead and purchase to make up their own mind. If the plot and cover catch the eye, then the adult reader should be able to find something they enjoy reading, and as I said, if they don't they should contact the writer privately, and say nothing in public at all, unless it is a proper book review. Rants are not reviews.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my readers for their wonderful support.

Read the latest review of: Ripper, My Love by Glynis Smy via Vine Leaves Literary Journal

2 comments:

sarahlee880 said...

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them, that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. See the link below for more info.

#forward
www.inspgift.com

Leslie Lim said...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and I am waiting for your next write ups thanks once again.

sheena
www.imarksweb.org

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