Book Review System Is Running Amok
I’m hearing from other authors that reviews of their books are being posted on Goodreads even before the book has been made available for reading, even before the book is finished. This is just another example of how book reviews have become overrated. In the case of this writer, the posted review was a one-star review, which devastated and infuriated the author at the same time. Why should anybody be allowed to write and post a review of a book they could not possibly have read?
Writers, in fact, are so desperate for good reviews that they will pay for them. Kirkus charges over $400 for reviews for self-published books. Publishers Weekly charges $149 for a self-published book, but doesn’t even guarantee writing a review, either good or bad.
It’s a sad reflection of our Internet-dominated times that book reviews are becoming more important than the actual book. It’s getting to the point where some writers feel suicidal when a series of bad reviews appear with their books. Whether rightly or wrongly, they feel a raft of one- and two-star reviews can sink their books in terms of sales.
The fact of the matter is, reviews are overrated. Does the reading public really care what these reviewers say? Shouldn’t we credit the reading public with more intelligence than that. Can’t they make up their own minds about what they want to read without having to read a hundred book reviews posted on Amazon?
The fact of the matter is, some reviews are hatchet jobs, and, yes, some are politically motivated. And there’s no law against that.
Not that I’m against posting reviews. I’m not. Everyone has a right to his opinion and a right to voice it. I just think reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. If a reader is going to buy a book simply on account of its reviews, he ought to read a variety of reviews, both good and bad, before making his choice. That said, I would not buy a book simply on the basis of its reviews. I would like to read samples from it, as well, before I made my choice.
