Gaming the System

Another day, another new feature at Amazon, another way writers are trying to poke and prod at the system to get it to do what they want, like pinball players whacking the sides of their machines with the flat of their hands. Jim C. Hines writes:

I've started getting messages about the new "Like" button at Amazon. I'm paraphrasing here:

Please, please, please go to Amazon and like my books and I'll like all of yours and we'll get bigger like numbers and that will (somehow) sell books and soon we'll rule the universe! [....]

I don't know why it bugs me, because most of the time, this scrounging for clicks and tags and likes and whatever makes very little difference. I think part of it is a principle thing: I hate seeing authors going down what feels like a rather slimy path. Partly it just feels sad.

Whether you agree with his gut reaction to these kind of practices or not, he makes a really excellent point toward the end of the post:

Whatever I might think of Amazon's practices, they're smarter than just about anyone at selling and marketing books. Thinking you're going to beat their system and make it work to you is about as likely as heading to Vegas with a system to beat the house. Good luck with that.

– Jim C. Hines » Gaming the System