Hey Barb, The only time I read a review on Amazon etc... Is if I am looking to find out what a book is about... And if I find that a person has given a Negative review I click the "No" U know where they ask u if this review has been Helpful or not... I'm not sure what this does but I hope it does some good for the Author... As I think everyone should be "Given a Fair Go"...

Hi Barbara -

Great topic! I've been swayed by a lot of great reviews, but I don't let a negative one stop me from buying a book. For one thing, I'm turned off by the reviews that sound like a personal attack. I know of some really good books that I didn't particularly care for that other readers loved.

I read everything under the sun so I may pick up something that's not my favorite genre to try it out then find out it wasn't for me, but that's no reason to diss it. I've read books I loved that another person didn't because they had very strong views about a topic or just didn't care for the style of writing, but that doesn't make it a bad book. That's why we have chocolate and vanilla - not everyone likes the same thing.

One reason I continue to come back here to your blog as often as I can is that you have a diverse group of bright readers with a positive attitude. There's too much negative in the world so I gravitate to fair minded people who enjoy reading.

Kudos on giving us a place to congregate.

Dianna

Great topic as always, Barbara! Like you, I love to read reviews AFTER I've read the book - I look for validation of my own opinion! I do read my own reviews, and really appreciate 1) no spoilers or 2) a specific of what they liked (or, drat, didn't) about the book - rather than something vague. I also don't understand why someone who didn't finish a book would even review it!

God bless her for supporting the industry, but I think HK's reviews have lost their punch because there are just so darn many of them.

Readers, if you love a book, do an author a favor and drop a good review on amazon! I don't ever review books I didn't like, but I love to gush if I've discovered a gem.

xoxo
Rocki

Hey Barbara! We think alike :) I don't read the reviews until after I've read the book. I do read the teasers, the back cover blurbs, the excerpts on sites -- but when it comes to an opinion on what I'll like, I'd like to form that on my own :)

Great topic, as always! ~ Kelley

As writers, we know that not everyone is going to love our books (darn the luck!). But reviews that turn into personal attacks, instead of criticism about the book, are especially hard to handle. I've had friends become unable to write for weeks after suffering a particularly shredding nasty and personal review. And what Rocki said is so true - often readers don't think to leave positive Amazon reviews when they love a book, but they're awfully nice to see. Thanks for the great topic!
hugs,
Alyssa

I never read reviews. Without knowing who the reviewer is, what the creds are, and without any oversight at all, I don't see them as trustworthy. But then I don't trust Wikipedia either...

Barbara,

Yes, click NO helps! So keep clicking!! Also if you see a particularly bad review that is over the line, click REPORT THIS.





This is a hot button for me and you hit on a very ugly problem that does Amazon no service. Nowhere else do you see this problem to such an extent that is on Amazon.com. I am a top review there, as I am on the other versions, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca and Amazon.de. And this bothers me as a seven-year reviewer and an author. Any attempts to get Amazon to clean up their act is met with total resistance.



You get fifteen-year-olds telling you how to write a book. People with hatchets - fans of an authors that consider another author competition. Frustrated writers that have been rejected by a publisher hitting all their writers to get even. Or just topic resentment. Anyone can post anything, including slander or personal attacks, such as when Anne Rice killed off her vampire series. People actually accused her of not writing her books, but that her dead husband had penned them. Amazon did NOTHING. Rice even came to post trying to stop, and it only was gasoline upon the fire. Stalker reviewers slam every book an author writes. Some with more than one "fake name". Worse, the author has no recourse. If the poster crosses the posting rules, and the review is taken down, they go ballistic and will spam all your reviews with no votes, draw in friends to attack. There are people obsessed with being top reviewers that spam no votes on "their Amazon Enemy". I have seen reviews posted and it's clear they haven't read the book. Worse, it's not enough for them to disagree with the books, they rant that others who do like the books are liars and "paid shills". You either agree with their negative reviews or you're stupid or paid.



Sigh. The whole set up is open to everyone who has a problem with something to vent and Amazon plays ostrich to cyber stalking and cyber bullying, and in the case of the top reviewer it became a cyber lynch mob. I am not defending if a person can read 45 books a week or not. No matter, take it to Amazon management, do not attack people in public.



This all so has nothing to do with reviewing. They are not posting reviews; they are posting their opinions. Big difference, though they don't seem to understand that.



I have several reviewers that I used to check out. Detra Fitch, Amy Wolff Sorter, Marilyn Rondeau, Debbie Wiley, Merrimon Crawford, Beverly Meiner, Tami King, just to name a few. They give you straight, opinions.

All the negative hatchet jobs speak more about the person posting than the book -- and to me just clutters the process of selecting a book.

Yes, Barb - another great topic! For me, reviews don't bother me at all as far as serving as spoilers or setting the tone for how I feel about a book. I will read reviews before, during and after a book. It really doesn't matter, to me, what others say about it. I can make up my own mind. (I'm also one who doesn't believe in spoilers - but I don't read suspense/mystery either, lol) I have noticed that some of the reviews at amazon have crossed some sort of line. It does appear that some people are attacking the writer and not the story. And like Deborah said, there is a difference in a review and an opinion. And these really nasty reviews are nothing but opinions from people who really shouldn't be allowed to post publicly some of the things that are posted. If I were to read a book that I didn't like, then I would simply not like it and be careful when it came to reading that author again...I would never go to amazon or anywhere and shred it to pieces like some others do. But that's just me. But as bad as some of the reviews are, as nasty as the reviewers can be, I would still read a book if I thought it was my type of book. Their opinions mean nothing to me! Well, maybe sometimes I do want to scream to them, "HOW did you NOT like this book?!?" LOL

You seem to have hit a nerve, Barbara! I always read HK's reviews, because they're brief and fair. If it's lukewarm, you know she didn't care for it. I page down to Amazon's reviews often, just to see how passionate people are about the book.

Ah, that's why we have so many books and movies and art in this world to choose from -- because we don't all have the same taste and what appeals to me doesn't necessarily appeal to someone else. I have all the respect in the world for a reviewer who can professionally , insightfully point out that a book perhaps missed the mark because characters weren't fully developed or plot devices were so contrived. I have less than no use for "reviewers," and I use that term loosely in conjunction with these people, who a) cross the line by giving away plot points or specific twists in the story the author has worked so hard to create, b) come across as so frothing at the mouth it does feel quite like a personal attack, c)obviously see the "review" as a forum for their scathing wit and scintillating insight, d)All of the above.

And no, I don't read reviews until after I've made up my own mind.

I'm much more likely to read Amazon.com reviews after I've read a book than before. When I'm picking a book to read, the only factor that really matters is my own enjoyment--not whether someone else thinks the book is good. And I've finally learned to stop reading Amazon reviews of my own books. If I read some of the nasty ones, I'd have trouble writing for days, and I can't afford that when I'm on deadline! I'm very glad I adopted this policy before my last book came out, because I knew in advance it was going to inspire some strong opinions, and I was right. At least I now have a way to buffer myself--but I do worry that others will read those reviews and shy away.

I take the Amazon reviews with a grain of salt. Some are useless. Others are informative if they give me a clue what the reader is looking for in a book and whether they found it. If a number of readers slam the author for writing an unbelievable character, I pay attention. What didn't work for them? I watch how series play out, what readers desire from each subsequent book. In truth, I use Amazon more as a judge of reader expectations than I do any particular book.

As to Ms. Klausner: If she can indeed review an average of 45 books per week, let's do some math. There are 168 hours in a week. If the average book she reads is 300 pages (most are longer) then she is reading 13,500 pages over the course of 168 hours (not allowing for sleep, eating, mucking out the cat box, etc). That's 80 pages an hour or 1.34 pages per minute.

Hummm... me thinks a whole lotta skimming is goin' on.

Very interesting topic, Barbara.



I think the whole reality-show mentality of late has encouraged even more negativity that may even be showing up in reviews. I personally see this as a bad thing, and yet I’m aware that just about every thing in life is made up of the reward system. And I’m also aware the reward system works in most cases. If a child does well in school, he gets good grades. If he doesn’t, he gets bad grades. If a child scores well in sports, he gets to play more and will probably score a trophy. So how do we reward excellence without mediocre being painfully noticed? I know some people, especially where children are involved, believe that the reward system should not be in place. And yet others argue that rewards are part of life’s lessons.



As a freelance writer as well as a novelist, I’ve written some restaurant reviews. I found them very hard to do, because if I really didn’t like the restaurant . . . well do you know hard it is to find a nice way to say, “The food sucks and is overpriced and my fork was dirty?” Let’s just say, I turned down a lot of jobs to do restaurant reviews because I had such a hard time going against my grandmother’s teachings: “If you can’t say nothing nice, don’t say nothing at all.”



But in all honesty, I think a lot of what is going on today isn’t just the reward system in play. It’s about the belief that negativity sells. And to some degree and as sad as it is, they must be right because look at the popularity of the shows and websites that play that card.

Christie Craig

Harriet Klausner actually plagiarised her review of my book from several sources, even so far as to repeating the wrong facts of a another reviewer (the ACTUAL reviewer printed a correction). I know how she does 45 reviews a week: she just copies others' real reviews. It's appalling that this practice is allowed to continue, let alone be rewarded.

I don't read reviews. I know what I like. I take recommendations about other authors from fellow BBSers to try out. I read the blurbs on the book. If the book happens to contain a review from an author I like to read, I'll check it out. I go the reviews from time to time for entertainment, but it is after I've read the book myself.

I never did understand the concept of big-shot reviewers. People who get paid to give their opinions of books, movies, restaurants. They become "important" for their opinions. Trouble is EVERYone has opinions. No one has ever written me a check for saying I liked or disliked a movie. Why is that guy's opinion more important than mine? Then I factor in the fact that it is just ENTERTAINMENT. It's just a movie, or a book or a plate of food. You either enjoy it or you don't, why should someone become famous and draw a huge salary to say what they think of it? I don't get it. I never did. But that's just me. :) And Amazon reviews are like all things internet: Consider the source.

Great topic, Barbara! Like you, I go read the reviews AFTER I've read the book. Sometimes I just want to see if people feel like I did about the book. I would never, ever post a negative review. I have to admit that I often don't think about posting a positive review either, but some of the comments here make me realize that if I like a book, I should say so.

I used to be a reviewer. Actually I was more of a "blurber." We weren't allowed to do negative reviews. If you hated a book, you could pass it to another reviewer who just might like it. I don't understand how folks can post on Amazon under multiple nicknames because you have to have bought a book from Amazon in order to post a review. Maybe they don't mind making multiple purchases under multiple names? Anyway I remember a scandal on Amazon a while back when the software screwed up and revealed the real names of reviewers instead of nicknames and it was revealed that a lot of glowing reviews were actually written by the authors themselves. Oops! I write occasional reviews on Amazon for books I've really enjoyed. As for HK -- she claims she's a speed reader.

Wow, after a week of not being able to get in, I actually arrived back on a great topic day! Unfortunately, my first response just seems to have disappeared into the ether, so I'll try again. I'm going to try to put in html formatting. If it doesn't work, I apologize in advance for a run-on paragraph.

I have nothing against reviewers, but, with the exception of PW, which comes to my door every week, I quit reading reviews years ago unless a reviewer sends them to me. (Which are usually good ones, which are the kind I like to read, LOL) It's too easy to forget that they're merely one person's opinion.

As for HK, although I like her bunches as a person, she hardly ever gets anyone's books right, which was why I was amazed to discover she's reviewing for PW, which I always believed had far higher standards than Amazon.

As an example, after I agreed to write Bayou Bad Boys a few years ago, one of the writers got ill and had to drop out. Unfortunately, the story description she'd sent in to Brava got on the back of the ARC under the replacement author's name. (Fortunately it was changed before the actual book was published!) But HK reviewed all three novellas described. Even one that didn't exist. Because it had never been written!! The good thing was that she said she'd liked all three stories, but still. . .

I don't read reviews on Amazon.com these days because they tend to stick in my mind and I end up noticing things and getting annoyed when originally I won't have even picked up on stuff other people do. About 10 years ago, you saw real reviews on Amazon.com. All that has changed.

Frankly, I think that almost three-quarters of reviews are not genuine reviewers who even understand what a reviewer is supposed to do. I agree a lot with Deborah Macgillivray and find her post to be quite insightful too. Stalker reviewers sound so scary! And yet they are real because just the other day a friend shared an Amazon link with me and I saw some serious author bashing going on and the prime "gal" sounded like she was having a ball leading her pack of vicious haters. One book they don't like out of a whole backlist by a popular author and what do you know. They just will NOT buy another book of hers again. Gimme a break, peeps.

In my opinion most reviewers don't take the time to understand how much of effort goes into writing a book. And sometimes readers expect the author to put their whole soul into the book because they think its owed to them. I find it so annoying as a reader when another reader says they wish they could get their money back. Do you do that after you try a new dish at a restaurant and dislike it?

I don't have a problem with bad reviews and I have spoken to friends about how I didn't enjoy a book often enough. But it should be criticism for the BOOK and not the authors personal life. Tell me why you didn't like the storyline. The characters. The writing style even. But don't tell me that the author doesn't know how to put two sentences together and how pathetic she is and how you're disappointed and disgusted. It just tells me how immature you can be as a reviewer.

Some readers are seriously losing the plot these days when it comes to reviewing. And its not a small bunch of them too. As for Harriet Klausner. 45 books a week is just a joke. I don't take her reviews seriously anymore. I don't believe its possible to read that many books and comprehend them. I don't believe she enjoys or even savors books that are really good either. She gives me the impression that she might have been on a mission to be the biggest reviewer and maybe she's gotten her wish, but she's lost her credibility. The things some people have discovered about her are shocking. I remember reading stuff about her years ago and COULD NOT believe Publishers are STILL sending her books. Amazing really.

Hot topic, Barb! Mostly its a hot topic for me because it gives readers a bad image. People like this tend to push authors into a "shell" sometimes and its the sincere ones that suffer because the author has grown hard towards the negative emails and hate mail they get. So the rest of us who just want to hear back from our favorite authors, or even just have our questions answered, don't get the chance sometimes. :o(

I write movie blurbs and I often wonder if reviewers (and I mean professional newspaper and magazine critics) have watched the same film that I did, let alone the John Q. Public reviews. If I'm on the fence about buying a book (particularly as they get more expensive), I will check out some reviews--more to see if they will give me a better understanding of the plot than whether they thought the book had weak characters or florid writing. (I do love reading sample chapters to give me an idea of the author's writing style.) Unfortunately there are too many loonies in the online ether who feel the need to write vindictive tripe rather than thoughtful comments (whether negative or positive). But it's appalling that sites wave it off with an 'everyone's entitled to their opinion' mentality.

Your joy is reading is contagious which makes your reviews of books things I look forward to. I’m one of those odd people who reads the reviews and asks friends to tell me the end of the novel before I crack open the first page. I like to know, but in the end, I’m the one who gets to make the final decision—good read or not.

With movies costing more than $11 (at least where I am) and book prices edging ever upward, I do rely on reviews to tell me what's worth shelling out the dough.

At Amazon, I look at the stars - not the actual reviews. If something has a number of reviews (say, more than 10) and they're all consistently 4 1/2 to 5 stars, I think that's meaningful. In Entertainment Weekly, I always skip straight to the letter grade. That way if I can know whether they think it's good without having any of the plot divulged.

But I think you have to really pay attention to the source. In EW, for example, I know there are certain kinds of movies that Lisa Schwartzbaum just doesn't seem to like. So her opinion on those doesn't mean much to me. On the other hand, any book the Ja(y)nes over at DearAuthor gives an A is automatically going on my to-buy list, whether I think I'll like it or not. Cultivating a relationship with a reviewer is a lot like cultivating one with an author or a friend who likes to make recommendations. You have to test them out to see who you can trust, who tends to have the same tastes.

Definitely a timely post--for me, anyway! Just yesterday I actually wrote to a member of my newsletter who had also written a really mean review on one of my books at Amazon, with the comment, she would never ever read another book by me again. And then she joins my newsletter and every month enters the contest to win a free book! When I finally couldn't stand it anymore (I know, I should be more adult) I wrote and asked her why she wanted to win a book after publicly trashing me--and I was criticized for not being able to take constructive criticism! I could never write a mean review of anyone's book, though I love to write positive ones. There's a really cool website at www.writersarereaders.com where authors review one another's books, and it's really fun--we only review stories we love, so it's all positive and I definitely enjoy reading them. Plus, it's fun to see what other authors are reading.

As far as reading the reviews at Amazon--I no longer read my own or anyone else's. Some of them are just too nasty and mean-spirited and I tend to take the comments on my books way too personally...especially when it's obvious they're written by an author. There is enough negative stuff in this world--why ask for more?

Oh Barb, I can't tell you how many authors who I have chatted with have been affected by this lately.

I agree with your readers...Know your reviewer. Make sure they have the credibility to review.


Most times they don't, and if they do, they would be professionals about it, and never make them personnal.

All you can do is your best and stay true to yourself, and the people that count will love you for it.

GREAT post, Barb, and I agree with everything Roxanne said.

I try to leave reviews when I remember to. I will say that I take great joy in clicking NO when someone leaves a sucky review that I disagree with.

Great topic, as the number of comments shows!

I review professionally (not for Amazon,but for a number of reputable papers) and it always amazes me how many people don't get it. Nobody really cares if you like or dislike a book, or if you could have done it better! What I've always tried to do is give the reader a sense of the book, so that the reader can decide. Then, yes, I'll describe and make judgment calls on technical aspects - from the writing on down, but I owe it to readers to explain and give examples, so they can decide if they agree with me. Did someone else do something very similar? I want readers to know that, too. Then, ultimately, the readers can make up their OWN minds!
- Clea


www.cleasimon.com

Great post! I review books (under another name) for several sites - none of them Amazon. I read very prolificly and even at the height of reading could only read about 5 books a week. Also, if I can't say anything constructive about a book at all I contact the author and let her know and give her the choice whether I post the review or not. I try to find something good about every book. I know how hard they are to write. Although, sometimes there just isn't anything redeeming. Those books are hard.

I write very few reviews. The book has to knock me over before I'll take the time to compose what I hope is a well-written opinion of the story and the execution thereof. I don't do spoilers, though I don't mind them.

If I dislike a book, I'll tell my friends, but I won't post my views on Amazon. It's a quirk of mine.

For some really brutal reviews, see many of the full-manuscript reviews just put up under PW's own mantle on the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest semifinalists (www.amazon.com/abna). Some are fair & even constructive, but many are savage, some little more than plot summaries. Among the categories, sci-fi/fantasy seems to have been slugged particularly hard w/negative blasts. Read some of the discussion threads to see how much pain & angst these critical maulings have caused among the aspiring novelists. This is on Amazon, but by PW reviewers &/or people given the task by PW.

I have done the occasional review of a book on Amazon--but only if I feel extraordinarily passionate about it. Which is more related to my attention span than any reviewer commitment. I think a lot of the reviews are just re-written hashing of the cover material. I don't want to know what the story's about, I'll figure that out. I want to know if it's handled well (or poorly) and if it touched the reader in some way. That's what I write about. And... have you tried Sweet Tooth on pogo.com? It's like bejeweled, only with candy!

Dear Barbara! This is an issue that so needs addressing. Whether a reviewer personally likes or dislikes a book or a movie, if they are taking on the responsibility of informing others about a creative work then they have the moral obligation to be objective about the subject, giving an opinion on the positives found and a constructive critique on any overwhelming negatives. No review should every be destructive or so full of the own reviewers personal taste that they loom larger that the creative work that is supposed to be the subject matter.
Amazon needs to change their reviewing format. Positive reviews first then descending to the negative. That way there would be less author bashing on the site in my opinion.
Love your blog Barb you never fail to find the heart of a matter.

Hi Michael, thanks for taking the time to post. I went to the site and was browsing through it, but I'm not sure I saw what you did. Could you email the link to the specific page or book you're talking about or if you prefer, just post it here (without the ht tp letters).

I totally agree with you that there is no place for "critical maulings" in reviews. We've talked about several sci-fi/fantasy books here and they are well received.


barbaravey@yahoo.com

I read the professional reviewers, like the reviews from LJ, PW, Kirkus, etc. I tend not to read the personal reviews unless I know the writer or the topic header is well written or interesting. Having done some book reviewing, I know how hard it can be to put together a carefully crafted & balanced review and what a wonderful skill it is.

To answer your question, I do read reviews, because very often I need to find out if this book will be worth my time or worth a try. Just too many books out there & reviews can really help guide your choices.

The only time I really read the reviews on Amazon is when I'm looking for a "how to" or some other type of book that I NEED info from. I want to see if others found the answers. But I like reading review journals to learn about books that I might not otherwise know of. Even a "bad" review, can sell the book for me, though.

If someone writes a mean-spirited review, I immediately write him/her off as someone whose opinion can be trusted. And I do push the "No" button in answer to the question, "Was this review helpful?"

Forty-five books a week?! I guess there's nothing to keep an OCD type from being a reasonable reviewer.

On the subject of the ABNA contest entries, it is also important to note that none of them have been through the extensive editing process provided by the traditional publishing companies prior to publication. Yet, most PW reviewers reviewed them as if they had been.

I review for several reviews sites, Paranormal Romance Reviews, Sensual Romance Reviews, The Best Reviews and used to review for Rambles, a Celtic E-magazine. Everyone would put Amazon down as not "real" reviewing. I said if everyone decamped you would only have "this books sucks reviews". There are some very positive reviewers that will post on Amazon, but I echo Jennifer: Amazon has to change the format. If they did as she suggested, stuff the slams at the bottom, if they stopped giving them a showcase, they would lose interest. Since this is basically an Amazon problem (you don't see this happening at Barnes and Nobles), it's the spotlight of Amazon's ranking. They could also remove the ranking numbers. That would stop the crawl to reach the top.



But it will take a massive movement to get Amazon to see they have created Frankenstein's monster and need to change for the better of all.

When Barbara asked if I’d like to do some “blurbs” for her, my first reaction was that I’m not qualified… except as a reader. I was really hesitant to do it, but she convinced me that, for her purposes, all I had to do is tell a little about the story and whether I liked it or not (her blog, her rules!). That’s really quite tough for me, because I don’t want to give spoilers and or give up the best part of a plot. All that’s left is what I think…. Who cares what I think? But suggestions have to come from somewhere, and I’m delighted that I have this opportunity to share the books I love.

I won’t trash anyone. I can’t imagine the amount of work an author has put into a manuscript; I certainly don’t have the drive to work that hard. But I can understand the heart and soul and probably tears that have gone into the writing. Who am I to criticize that? I have come across books that I can’t write about because I can’t make a recommendation for them, usually because they could use better editing. I certainly can’t criticize subject matter or presentation; just because it doesn’t appeal to me doesn’t make it less than good for someone else. I’m also reluctant to use ratings – stars or whatever, except for my own personal use. I’ve only recently come to understand how it might be important to authors in a much bigger picture, so I’ve got to give more thought to that.

I’ve stopped reading reviews altogether now that I want a clean perspective for my own thoughts (not that I’ve read them much before). I’ve never read a review on Amazon (and want to now less than ever). And I’ll never be able to compete; I don’t know that I can get through more than four books a week.

Respectfully,
Joyce

I feel so sorry for those in the Amazon contest who have been served a PW non-review of their book. By that, I mean that the plot was either summarized as a review or, worse still, that the review got critical details incorrect, misleading the reading audience and the judges. There are many posts on the Amazon novel contest that address this issue, and many wonder if there is recourse. Some claim that PW spoke of sword fighting in their novel when none was present, some clam that the reviewer claimed the novel was about discovering boys when it was in fact lesbian fiction, one author noted that the PW reviewer got the setting wrong, mentioning Alaska, when in fact it was South Carolina. Genders were reported incorrectly, timelines slashed…Won’t you or someone at PW head over to the Amazon blog and see the chaos caused by, not a bad review, but an inaccurate one? There is one area of the Amazon blog titled “factual errors in the PW reviews-do we try to get them fixed” that is worth a look by PW. These authors are not merely suffering from sour grapes, but from legitimate complaints.

I hope this doesn't show up twice. I tried to comment and it doesn't seem to have taken.

Great topic! I don't pay attention to Amazon reviews. I've been stung too often by reviews. It's all subjective. i'd rather read the book cover and, if it's available, an excerpt. Or the first page. :)

On a related subject, I'm guessing we probably read the same newspaper. The movie reviewer is the WORST! If he likes a movie, I usually know I won't. And vice-versa.

Great blog, Barb.

I don't read or write reviews. I like to make opinions for myself! Shame on reviewers who go too far. It is a shame that they don't have anything else to do with their time

Hi! I'm one of the guilty-by-association Amazon reviewers, and I also run the review site Rambles.NET, which is NOT a free-for-all. (Reviews are edited and posted in an organized fashion; people can't just log in and write anything they want.) But I fully agree that the Amazon approach is faulty, in part because it relies on an automated system that posts whatever anyone writes. Unfortunately, Amazon is unwilling or unable to devote a portion of its staff to editing reviews and maintaining some consistent degree of quality.

As for people who claim to read, comprehend and intelligently review dozens of books per week ... well, we all know that's impossible. Reviewing is a craft, not a factory process.

I don't bother with amazon reviews. If a book is listed, and I can, I'll post a review for an author, but I don't read them. Most are useless attacks, negative spoilers and show nothing of the quality of the book itself. I only deal with review sites I know and trust. Amazon is too lenient on what they allow.

As a newspaper reporter in the post-Watergate years when ethics was a byword, reviewing was a craft you earned the right to practice. I took it very seriously indeed when I did it. I finally quit at point when I was most lauded, because of an instance when I saw that I didn't know everything and I might make a wrong call on the way to becoming truly expert, even though I was at that point better qualified than those who kept at it.

I'd moved from reviewing community theater to the professional level, where I saw that people's art form and livelihoods were at the mercy of my late night computer keys. I encountered a young actor I could have take off at the knees if I was thoughtless. I didn't, because I thought he was either very wrong, or brilliant, but felt I had dodged the issue. He later won an Obie, a Tony, and an Emmy. I also heard much later that after I'd seen him, he got discouraged and gave up acting for a long time. I'm very glad I was wise enough to weigh my opinion instead of shooting my mouth off.

So I find what's happened with reviews on Amazon (and some other web sites) deplorable, especially after authors were silenced there several years ago.

Remember that initially there used to be an "I am the author" place to post on every book site? That was taken away for every writer because a "reader" posed as an author once. So the authors were silenced, and that isn't fair or objective. Even then, authors had been instructed not to respond directly to criticism! So we were semi-gagged at the outset.

Everyone knows that people act on negatives more than positives. I have always urged aspiring writers who don't know what to write about yet to look at what they DON'T like in books to discover what they feel passionate about. (I never advised them to go forth and trash those authors. It's interesting that most creative personalities don't feel the need to tell other people they're inadequate.)

So it was a given that the envious, the self-appointed, the spoilers are having a field day now when "everyone's a critic" with a vengeance. And you can see that a book site with a number of high ratings will suddenly get what I call the "one-star wonders": people who post just to bring the ratings down. And you're struck by the meanness of tone in reviews and even toward so-called "favorite" authors if they are judged to have gone off that reader's track.

I would now advise any author who's worked in a field where it was possible to build a good professional reputation to use a pseudonym on fiction or nonfiction books so you can disassociate from the often maddeningly inaccurate and mean-spirited reviews that will certainly show up. We feel helpless at protecting our reputations.

And, of course, as the livelihood and survival of writers is now so fragile, every title now goes out into the equivalent of the Roman arena.

I wonder how these nastily negative reviewers would feel if we writers posted "job performance reviews" on them. Most are not as publicly known as bylined authors, though, and the effect wouldn't be the same in their professions, whatever the area.

I’ve thought of creating a website with authors could talk back and dissect the errors in the really mean reviews. Might be a useful place to defend one’s self without entering the unwinnable fray on Amazon.

There is a hidden "comment" option at the end of every Amazon review. Recently, one reviewer had so misrepresented one of books I felt I had to answer, knowing how pointless that is. Yup, the reader came back, loving the attention, clinging stubbornly to the warped interpretation, wanting to criticize even more.

Of course, one can simply not read the reviews. You'll miss some great comments from insightful, respectful, and thoughtful readers, but you'll also miss the "poison pen" letters.

I have some of the greatest, genuinely supportive readers in the world, but I gathered them through my long-time newsletter. Those I hear from by email, and they more than redeem my faith in people who love books and don't seem to need to hate the people who write them. That's a positive benefit of modern communications, and these readers have enriched my work and life as much as they tell me my books have enriched theirs.

I read the reviews if its a new author I'm thinking about getting but I don't pay attention to the ones that whine or seem personal. I like the reviews that state if they liked it and give good valid reasons for their opinion. But ultimately I usually end up getting the book to feed my addiction as a bibliophile and the reviews have very little to do with my decision.

I don't know if a few bad reviews keep a reader from picking up a book, at least I know that isn't the case for me. After all, when the good outweighs the bad, it's hard to side with "the black sheep," as I like to call them. Of course if a book is getting nothing but bad reviews, left and right, well...that's just downright hard to ignore, too. To me, it means library time. Just in case. Bottom line, I feel that there are some reviewers that have absolutely nothing nice to say about anyone. And those are the ones that should have their reviewing rights revoked. We all have different reading tastes, and have a right to voice our opinion and our tastes, however when it becomes a vindictive obsession to post negative commentaries on a specific genre or author...it's time the reviewing police step in...

Such a great topic! I'm pretty much seconding a few of the responses. Occassionally I'll check out reviews for new authors, but just to get a feel for what it's about. If I like the premise of a book, I'll give it a try regardless of reviews. I've read crappy reviews for Linda Howard before and in my opinion she's a goddess so I take all reviews w/ a grain of salt. If the reviews are thinly veiled personal attacks, chances are most people see through them anyway. So, to try and answer your question. Would a bad review turn me off to someone? Definitely not. Reading is subjective so why would I listen to someone I don't even know.

First off, it's not true that you have to buy a book from Amazon in order to review it - I review there all the time with books that I haven't purchased there. Yes, I review. I don't do negative reviews, mainly because if I'm not enjoying the book, I don't finish it and I won't review a book that I haven't read. Reviews do help authors, as there are a lot of readers who do go by the reviews. I have a review blog where the comments are moderated - you can disagree with me, but you have to be respectful about it. Start attacking the author, their family, etc. and that comment won't see the light of day. I've seen those kinds of reviews and they are terrible. I also don't believe that HK reads all of those books. I've read her reviews on books that I've read and there is no way we read the same book. Do I pay attention to reviews? Yes, especially if they are done right - if they tell me specifically why they like the book and I can see if that's right up my alley. Great topic!

Interesting topic.

If I’m contemplating a book purchase I usually read a few top, middle, and bottom Amazon “star” reviews. Although it is obvious that some of Amazon reviews are “plants” I trust Amazon readers/reviewers a whole lot more than the New York Times list since A) I know how the NYT compiles their list (misleading) and B) I’ve read enough dogs from the NYT list to make me leery of parting with my hard earned dollars unless I’ve done an Amazon search too.

After my research, if I am not convinced the book is a keeper, but I stll want to "try it" I reserve the book from my local public library. If I like the cross section of Amazon reviews read, I buy the book.

However, after all that, if the book I bought ends up being a dog, I donate it to my local library.

I use reviews only as a guide. If a reviewer writes a horrid review and in the course of the review says...I threw the book in my give-away box after reading only 10 pages. I will compleatly ignor that review and will usually report it. How can a person review a book after reading only 20 pages. If I am reading a book and Ido not like it I just will not write a review. My mo used to say If you cannot say SOMETHING nice then DO NOT say anything at all.

I now ignore the Amazon customer reviews, having wasted too much valuable time reading them only to find most are either clumsy plot summaries or pseudo-intellectual displays of the reviewer's vocabulary.
What irked me most was the babbling of students writing reviews as a class assignment even though they had nothing to say.

Baily, is correct. You do not have to buy any item to review it on Amazon.

you create a passport with name/password. If you want to post reviews or comments to the forum, they require you buy one single item. This gives them a checking account/credit card to prove who you are.

You do not have to show your name, but can choose a nickname. A person can, if they have a bee in their bonnet, create 1-20 passports, buy a single used book for 1 cent for all of them and suddenly you have posting power. One so-called reviewer was caught posting with three in this manner to attack one book from Harlequin Spice.

If Amazon required everyone to put their real names out there, back by a credit card, you would see of LOT of this bashing stop immediately.

Harriet Klausner has a fan club (a bit small... but still! lol) and this "little band of admirers" didn't like this blog. They linked you, Barbara. I figured I'd return the favor!



The Harriet Klausner Appreciation Society



harriet-rules.blogspot.com/2008/01/barbara-vey-reading-book.html



Add the standard w w w before the link if it doesn't waork for ya.

Darn typos! Work, not waork. lol...

You know, the whole point seems to have been lost in "reviewing". Did you LIKE the book? Did you have the pleasure of going someplace special for a few hours? Have an adventure? Did you enjoy the story?

No, you get -- it wasn't perfect--who said EVERY book has to be perfect? Not that is wasn't to my taste, but it wasn't as good as her last book. So? Did you still enjoy it? It's either perfect or trash the writer and boycott them? Hun?

Perfect book? Doesn't exist. Someone is always going to not like a book for a hundred reasons that have nothing to do with the book and everything to do with the person posting. But sadly in this busy world few take the time to judge the poster. Few bother to click NO when they do see the "review" is an attack, not a review.

If I don't like a book, I just don't review it. Nothing looks more forlorn than a page at amazon with no reviews.
Likely won't buy the author again. I don't want to pull their toenails out and burn them over a fire.

I just finished reading Naughty by Nature and loved it. I always try to tell why I liked a book or why I did not. But I like to give a synopsis in my own words first. I want people to know that I read the entire book before even thinking about writing up a review. I also prefer to post my review up on Amazon BEFORE I read anyone else's. I do not want to take the chance of having my opinion swayed by something someone else wrote. So I post first and read later. (Barbara, the review will be up on HuntressReviews.com within 24 hours. Check under Print:Historical Romances for it.)

I only wish I had more time to read. *sigh* So many books and so little time. ;-)

I've run into one case where I wish I had read the Amazon reviews first before reading the book: "Skinny Bitch." The cover blurbs made it sound like a motivational diet book, but it was really an animal rights manifesto. This was a case where the negative reviews were helpful, as the cover blurbs were misleading.

I've written negative reviews on Amazon. Why? Because the contents of the book were badly researched or badly written or disappointing. In all 3 cases I thought it fair to give my opinion and, possibly, save someone else from spending the money. There seems to be some kind of agreement here that one shouldn't do it in order not to upset the author. Tough. If it's a crap book - it's a crap book. And the author bears the responsibility.

The point is that anyone else can write a positive review to counter my negative one if they disagree. But I've often found that my comments echo, or are echoed by, other reviewers. I find the suggestion that there are people who spend time just writing negative reviews laughable. The majority of reviews seem quite sensible and, if I don't agree, I can always post and say so.

Is there a line being crossed?

If the review is clearly an attack against an author's person, yeah, I think that's crossing a line.

If it's something that slams the book without explaining much why and then goes on to say... but YOU MUST READ THIS BY SO&SO, that to me is overly transparent and it won't get me to check out whoever's book. I don't base my opinions on reviews unless I know the reviewer's reading tastes.

That's what an honest review, good or bad, boils down to. Reading tastes.

Got no comment on Klausner...it's been done repeatedly. :-)

What an interesting topic,

As a reader I almost always read the reviews before buying a book. It's usually pretty obvious if a reviewer has some kind of agenda. And I really don't pay much attention to personal attacks.

As a reviewer, I review for Kasey's View. I personally think that it's despicable and unprofessional to use a book review in order to launch a personal attack on someone. A book reviewer needs to be fair and objective.
If I have a problem with a book that I'm reviewing them I contact the author about it.
There is no sense in putting it out there for the whole world to see in order to humiliate the author.

I don't buy books based on reviews. I do, however, frequently check reviews to see if others liked or disliked a book as much as I did. Sometimes I wonder if I read the same book as the reviewers.

When I look at a review it is to get an idea of what the book is about. I think I can make up my own mind about a book. I do not think it is necessary for the reviewer to be so nasty when expressing their dislike of a book. I do not look at the reviews on Amazon.

I sometimes read Amazon reviews before I buy a book. This is particularly true when I'm looking for a nonfiction research book and want to know if it's too technical or too simple. I HATE the personal attack reviews.

I've gotten some really great reviews and some that were hateful. I felt as though I was being attacked rather than my book. Makes a person want to look over their shoulders when they leave the house!

At first I was devastated, then I realized that some of the reviews were from the same person each time. I looked at their other reviews and most of them were just as hateful. Then I remembered something my grandmother always said: What goes around, comes around. Mean people lead mean lives. I love my life and that I'm getting to do what I enjoy. Mean reviewers, mean websites--well, I just feel sorry for them now. Oh, and I hope they rot in hell. Hey, I can only take sounthern hospitality so far!

Barbara, You've really got people buzzing on this! As writer, I live and die for reviews, but ultimately word-of-mouth from friends is what sells me on which books to buy. As a reviewer, I only review books that I like. I don't put anymore energy into those I wasn't crazy about. I used to do a radio program "Two Books And A Beach" where I reviewed beach books and beaches. I had to stop doing it because it was so time-consuming to read the books and prepare reviews! 48 A week? I don't think so. I hope the powers-that-be at Amazon wake up and smell the cow manure.

I love it that you don't do full reviews here. I especially like the WW ladies because they just give a short summary of the book and how they felt. Nothing to personally attack the author. It should all be about the book.

I realize that snarky appears to be "in" right now, but it's not for me. That's why I find this blog so refreshing.

As a fan, reader, seller, and reviewer, I respect all of you authors. I do not know 10 years ago, when I was going through Breast Cancer treatment, what I would have done during treatments and long doctor visits, without a good romance to read --- a wonderful book (and I am an Anne Rice Fan and think it is horrible what happened to her as well) to read and take me to another place and help be de-stress and relax. The talent all of you have to write stories that are so wonderful -- you make me cry! I love romance and reading and wish nothing but the best for all of you! And DeborahAnne...and of course my dear friend Merri Crawford...thank you for the encouragement and friendship you have given me. All of you, keep up the great work. I need to read and read and review and review (although I have about six 4 ft. stacks of books to get through)! Happy Valentine's Day to all the romantics! Beverly :)

Customer reviews on Amazon or any website can be a great thing for books, and very useful for the prospective buyer. However, on Amazon or any open-access review site, I always read a review carefully. Is the review detailed? The reviewer well-spoken with halfway decent vocabulary and spelling. Do they make salient points? If the review is more about the author than the book, or focused intensely on a single, possibly controversial, point about the book, I usually discard the review from consideration or at the very least, take it with a large grain of salt. But overall, I've learned a lot from reviews and they can give me a good idea of whether or not to make the investment and sometimes, ideas for other books or authors I might find enjoyable as well.

Great question!
Elaine Lowe

I was a reviewer and charter member of RIO ( a reviewers organization) for 7 years writing for sites and paper review sites. where our members were NOT to post slash and trash reviews on their websites. But they were encouraged to post reviews that were "don't buy" and are often viewed as negative reviews. Some readers and authors need to develop a thick skin for criticism of their babies.

I still post "comments" on Amazon of books ( under my own name Jody Allen) I have read but what bothers me is people's idea of what a negative review is, a negative review isn't one where the reader says she didn't like the book and gives constructive criticism why. Unfortunately there are a lot of romance authors who when they get a review less than 4 or 5 on the site, will call up their posse of fans to write reviews not necessarily reviewing the work but reviewing the reviewer. That is really petty and not very professional. if there are personal attacks the author can with work can have it removed from Amazon.

As a reader I look for reviews at places like Amazon that have reviews across the scale both high and low. That gives me a better idea of what the book/flaws may be, but too often there are spoilers: when I reviewed if was revealed in the first 50 pages of a 300 pg book it was fair game or first 20 in a less than 300 pgs. To often of late some reviewers are writing a synopsis and not reviews. But ultimately it is the plot, setting, sub genre and author's name that I look for. As for HK, authors like her reviews because she never gives a book less than three, even the ones where she gets everything wrong and then blames it on reading an ARC, can't use the excuse too often before you are caught. Some look for quantity and some look for quality.

I don't read reviews, teasers, or excerpts before buying a book. I buy almost exclusively on the back blurb. It's quite interesting to read reviews after I've read the book, though. It's fun to see where my opinion fits in with the scheme of life.


As for my own reviewing, I only review books I enjoy, as some of the others have said. The main reasons for this are 1) I'm primarily a reader and a writer, not a reviewer; and 2) I don't have time to review every book, so I save my reviewing for those book that I loved the most. Which is not to say I didn't enjoy other books that I didn't get around to reviewing.


As for the negative reviewers on Amazon, well, there are always people who simply don't have enough to do. Surely there's a ditch that needs digging somewhere.

You know I never pay much attention to those, especially the amazon ones because I think so many people are out there that you'll get tons of reviews if you look. If I want to read something I read it and don't worry about the review. Maybe later I would look at to see if it matched my opinion. Just out of curiosity.

I think that reviews that become personal attacks are unwarranted and certainly detrimental. However, if a reviewer has read the book and honestly did not like aspects I see no reason why they should not post their thoughts. Nor do I see any reason why these reviews should be automatically be voted "unhelpful" simply because they do not agree with all fans out there. If a novel has been poorly edited or has many glaring continuity errors for example, why not alert readers to such a flaw that would inform people who would not want to spend their money on such a book? I just don't think there is any point to only posting positive reviews because the point of a REVIEW is to critique a book.

On a side note, Harriet Klausner cannot possibly read that many books, however she never gives a negative review as far as I know. Her reviews are primarily just summaries.

Hi mister! Cool website and nice content!!! Thanks!!!

I know I'm joining this conversation very late, but I can't believe that Deborah MacGillivary has the gall to post here about the "abuses" going on at Amazon when she is the actual ringleader of a band of "clickies" herself, as they are called, that do exactly what she claims others are inappropriately doing on Amazon.

She has openly admitted on her blog site, her now shut down Yahoo group "Ladies in Waiting" and on Amazon itself that she uses her online friends, fans, and authors within her own publishing house, and multiple profiles used by her and her buddies to do exactly what she says is so wrong: attack others that disagree with her or are competition.

She ironically calls for an end to "ranking" on Amazon when she herself so viciously supports that very system and has openly admitted to that in the blogoshpere. If she's in competition with another author and or reviewer (for ranking on Amazon), she sends her band of clickies out to them on Amazon to click the "abuse" and "report this" buttons to the point where Amazon's automated system comes in and deletes their comments and/or reviews. Do this enough times to one person and that person gets banned from Amazon without any intervention by a human being. It's a flawed system that Amazon has yet to fix and is loathe to admit is a problem.

In addition, she actually bragged and posted about hiring a private investigator to find Reba Belle on Amazon all because she was annoyed with getting a three star review from her. The full story located on the blog site Dear Author (or just Google Deb MacGillivray's name and her offenses are front and center for all to see) --where they have her actual posts from her own blog site (thank God for cache images) bragging about abusing the "abuse" and "report this" buttons on Amazon to advance her ranking there, kill off competition and her critics, and they have the threatening private investigator post where she suggests that she will get back at Reba via her kids and grandkids. The "Dear Author" site has numerous other threads about MacG's behavior that is well supported. Sadly, even other authors well known for behaving badly, like Victoria Laurie, have also openly and publicly thanked Deborah MacGillivray on her "advice" on how to get back at people online, and especially on Amazon by abusing their automated system.

Needless to say that Amazon caught onto MacG's abuses eventually, but in their effort to continue their money train with MacG, an author and top reviewer there, they banned Reba Belle for spamming MacG after being threatened by her, but only knocked MacG down in the rankings from about 33 to 37 or so for cheating the system; never mind that anyone else would have been banned, disqualified from ranking (noted as "unrankable" or "0"), and have their comments completely deleted from Amazon as other cheats have been that were less influential.

The good news is that since she's stopped posting reviews on Amazon (either on her own or by direction from Amazon) she's now about to fall out of the top 50. In addition, she was instructed to stay offline by her publisher since then as it brought much unflattering attention to them. She's poked her head out a few times to test the waters and see if people have forgotten her bad conduct, but since she is totally unrepentant for her actions and continues to advise her friends on how to "beat the Amazon system" and harass people they don't like, few have forgotten or forgiven her, and rightly so.

Her self-serving, and hypocritical "advice" here clearly shows her true nature. Even the people she listed as "reliable reviewers" that others should "check out" are all her cronies (Yahoo group members, publishing friends, and authors within her own publishing company) and some have now even publicly admitted that they were harassed and threatened by her to abuse others and engage in the terrible conduct that MacG claims here herself is so terrible. This is beyond two-faced and the pale.

Until MacGillivray comes clean with her conduct, stops her current activities which are more stealthy but still public knowledge, sincerely apologies, deletes her account/reviews on Amazon after opening admitting that she cheats, and asks for forgiveness, this whole issue with her will never go away and haunt what is left of her the rest of her career.