LET’S TALK SOCKPUPPETS and TROLLS. DO YOUR REVIEWS REALLY MATTER TO YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS?

Absolutely!  A recent string of suspicious reviews started popping up on Amazon for my bestseller, and it prompted me to follow up with a few author friends regarding the gorilla marketing tactic known as “sockpuppeting” or “trolling.”  (That’s when an author hires a company or charges fans to post FAKE reviews with PHONY accounts to take out the competition or boost their own ratings.)

What? Is that real?  It sure is. Go ahead and Google “socketpuppet review scandal.”

Hearing the authors’ horror stories of being targeted with sudden and suspicious waves of bad reviews (after their books were already established and doing really well) reminded me of how susceptible honest authors are to the unscrupulous people out there. Etailers are often unwilling/unable to act because these companies/individuals are good at hiding, making it’s difficult to distinguish between authentic reviews (which are simply a fact of life—yes, yes, we hate them, but that’s life) or fake ones. 

ANYWAY, I found this posting on the Amazon Community chat board and found it REALLY helpful in terms of how to SPOT the SOCKPUPPETS.  I IMMEDIATELY recognized one Indie author who is doing this right now, attacking others/bolstering their ranking. Yeah, it makes me mad, but oh well. The love of their audience is a mirage, and money isn’t everything. (No, I won’t say who because I am a strong believer in karma.) BUT, I want to highlight THREE things:

1. Don’t waste your time engaging with the trolls/sockpuppets; it generally adds fuel to the fire.

2.  ALWAYS take reviews with a grain of salt. (Yes, the good and the bad.) 

 

3. DO ALWAYS SUPPORT your favorite AUTHORS and write a review if you love their work!  SIMPLE! (And you get good karma points.)

Let’s be clear, I’m talking about books here. This is not the kind of stuff worth getting outraged over or losing sleep for. There are far greater atrocities being committed in this world.  But if you find yourself loving a book and can afford the time to post a review to support your favorite author, then know that your time and effort DOES MATTER!  It sure the hell does to me!  

HONEST READING,

Mimi