We have all bitched about the poor quality of a majority of the reviews found on most Amazon websites. But sadly, no one is really doing something about this problem.The truth is that those reviews can truly benefit authors, provided they are positive and a little more in-depth than a couple of lines. So I'm putting my money where my mouth is and I've started working my way back through my reviews and posting them on all three Amazon sites I've done business with in the past. It's going to take me a while, but at some point basically every book review from the Hotlist will find its way on Amazon.
And I encourage you to do the same, regardless of whether you are an online reviewer or an ordinary reader. If you like a book, then take a minute to spread the word. Most writers get squat in terms of marketing and publicity from publishers, so pay it forward. . . =)
Speaking of Amazon, while copying-and-pasting some of my older reviews this afternoon I realized that there are quite a few hardcover SFF bargain books. For example, you can get Robert Jordan's Knife of Dreams, Jordan and Sanderson's The Gathering Storm, Alastair Reynolds' House of Suns, Herbert and Henderson's The Winds of Dune, and GRRM's Suicide Kings at 60% off. Jim Butcher's Small Favor is 63% off, and Terry Goodkind's The Law of Nines is 78% off. Okay, so the Yeard's book is still too expensive, but the rest are real bargains!
And there are plenty of other titles ranging from urban fantasy to hard science fiction you can get on the cheap. Just follow this link and have a look! ;-)
11 commentaires:
I've actually thought about going through amazon and posting my reviews from my blog there but I haven't done it yet because I didn't think it would really matter. I think, from how you explain it, this might be a good project for me to undertake. I agree...pay it forward.
Thanks for the reminder.
You know, that's a very good idea really...
http://rolandscodex.blogspot.com/
until Amazon changes it's terms & conditions, I'm not going to be doing this. Amazon basically reserves the right to do whatever it wants with your reviews, including rewriting them.
I've been considering it after some of the things Mark Charan Newton wrote on this topic. Right now I am afraid I'm with Neth on this issue.
3 amazaon sites ? you mean the co.uk and .com ?
btw, i have read some of these reviews on several books, and they are suspect to me.
people talking about prose, motives all kinds of proffesional shit and such.
imo, these reviews should be by ordinary people like me, to the point, not a proffesional review.
also, a question to patrick :
have you ever blasted a book in your review ? (goodkind and that other guy not included) .
Neth - I didn't know Amazon can edit reviews, but have they actually done it?
Pat (& Sarah) - the issue Neth highlights notwithstanding, I think bloggers posting their reviews on Amazon can only be a good thing. I expect there are many people who use ratings and reviews on Amazon as a guide so adding to them canm in my opinion, only help.
I also have concern regarding Amazon. I mean, wasn't Stanek able to re-rig his own reviews, to say nothing of the vast sock-puppetry perpetrated upon the unsuspecting.
In this case, a "thumbs-up" review will probably cruise through unobstructed. A negative review could end up being altered, eliminated or the catalyst for one of those online category 5 fecal maelstroms.
James - I have no idea if Amazon has actually changed any reviews, reserving the right to is too much for me. I can understand if they reserve the right to remove or delete a review - this makes total sense to me, but to change it or otherwise use it without my express permission is too much.
The discounts you are mentioning seem only available through the US Amazon. The Canadian Amazon site still has the same discounts as before. I've noticed also with DVDs. The US store sells things at huge mark downs but neither the Canadian or UK stores do the discounts.
I do this and always have done this. Amazon can technically do what they want with your reviews, but in my case they've never touched any of mine. In addition, you can delete your Amazon reviews at any time if you wish or you find Amazon's conditions onerous.
Amusingly, however, Amazon have blocked one of my negative Vine reviews, the one of the LEFT HAND OF GOD. I submitted it a dozen times before giving up trying to get it posted.
Issues with Amazon reserving the right to change my words at will aside, I really ought to make time to do this for my own back reviews. If I find that my review has been changed, I suppose I can just remove it, and the review will still exist on other sites plus my blog, so it's not like they'll be editing the only copy of what I say about a book.
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