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Uncertain what to do…review on Amazon…
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Nope... Just sit back & watch. Ok, you could report it. But, Amazon won't do anything since it's not against their rules.Sorry for the bad news / good news?????
Carl wrote: "I received a glowing review on Amazon from a prolific reviewer, (probably as high in the rankings on Amazon as I’ll find who had time to squeeze me in,) but I’m sorta thinking it requires a spoiler..."
Carl, in that case I would say the pluses from the review out weigh the chance that someone might not buy the book because of a great review.
I hate spoilers and won't even watch a movie or read a book if I already know the ending. To me, it's all about the suspense and guessing. But not everyone is like that. And some people can't stand suspense. I know a person who starts every book by reading the last chapter first so she doesn't have to deal with the anxiety she gets from not knowing how something is going to turn out.
I think you'll be fine and you should look away from that gift-horse.
I'd be happy if I had bad reviews sometimes - at least then something might draw a reader's attention. A good intentioned review that revealed too much is far better than none.
Jill wrote: "Sorry for the bad news / good news?????"I was hoping there would be a button you could click that put a warning above the review that said "Spoiler Alert."
Or better yet, like a classified doc that was made public with the black marker covering what someone decided you didn't need to know. Maybe I should make a suggestion. The black marker thing might generate book sales. lol
Ronald wrote: "I would say the pluses from the review out weigh the chance that someone might not buy the book"Agreed. This wasn't a complaint, rather a quest to glean info from those in the know. Which I am not.
Edward wrote: "I hate spoilers and won't even watch a movie or read a book if I already know the ending."Edward, the spoiler didn't involve spilling the end, she just threw one little jewel out their calling it back-story, which it is not.
It is a Main Character discovery which I wish stayed that way for all to enjoy who decide to read.
Ah. Good to hear.If it was me, I would see if I could contact the author of the review, thank her very much, then ask if she could please add the words "Spoiler Alert" at the start of the review - and maybe explain the part you're talking about, etc.
I'm sure she'd be willing to since she liked the book so much. The only thing is - finding a way to contact her.
I keep forgetting to add: There is nothing you can do, no control and no button.But the reviewer has a button that says, "Edit review".
:-)
I agree...I would very enthusiastically thank her then request a SPOILER ALERT text be added. Someone would have to have some serious personal insecurity issues to take that negatively lol.
A.K. wrote: "very enthusiastically thank her"Yes, and ask out of all the books she's read if this made it into the top 5%.
I know how you feel - but if it's any consolation, if I'm reading a review and come across spoilers I stop reading. You could always reply to the review asking the poster if they would mind editing some of the more spoilery bits? Hopefully she has her settings adjusted to alert her if anyone replies to her post/the review!
Carl,I had a similar experience. My book got a 4-star review posted to Amazon, which should have been great news. Unfortunately, the review was full of spoilers. It basically revealed every plot twist. It was flattering that the reader was so excited about the story that she wanted to share. But I didn't want the experience to be spoiled for every other reader. I am happy to say I finally got matters resolved. After contacting Amazon and asking if they could delete the review or if not post a "spoiler alert" warning, I was told that neither option was a go. So finally I contacted the reviewer directly and thanked her for an overall favorable review (4 of 5 stars). However, I was concerned about the amount of the story revealed in her review. Fortunately, she was very helpful and resubmitted it without all the spoilers. A happy ending!
Elaine wrote: "You could always reply to the review asking the poster if they would mind editing some of the more spoilery bits?"Not a bad idea, which I tried to do this morning when she was on Gather. However, she posted a responses giving a hint for the Sequel, which was even more of a spoiler. I emailed her, but she hasn't responded as of yet.
Jeffrey wrote: "Carl,I had a similar experience."
Glad I'm not the only one, which means you totally understand. But so far, she's so enthused I haven't been able to rein her in yet.
Interesting combination of problem and blessing. I think Jeffrey posed as perfect solution as we're likely to find. That, plus somehow bring in more terrific reviews--after a certain number, I doubt that many readers read more than a couple. I think they go more by total number and percentage of 5 to 4 to lower. What do you the rest of you think?
Reb wrote: "I think they go more by total number and percentage of 5 to 4 to lower"I'll agree most visiting your Amazon page wouldn't bother reading more than a few reviews. To me, that means the Author should have control over which reviews are at the top for buyers. That would make perfect "cents" for Amazon too.
It's a shame when a reviewer gives so much away. The latest review of my book goes some way toward that and on first reading I wished it had less so, but re-reading it does give one or two things away about how things turn out but also leaves the reader wondering - I hope. It's a good review and I have replied to the reviewer to that effect. It's at:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
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Patrick C Notchtree
http://www.thecloudsstillhang.com
http://www.facebook.com/pcnotchtree
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Patrick wrote: "The latest review of my book goes some way toward that"I guess it's all in a days work.
Carl, I think you rightly have taken a lemon and turned it into lemonade.
Carl wrote: "Reb wrote: "I think they go more by total number and percentage of 5 to 4 to lower"I'll agree most visiting your Amazon page wouldn't bother reading more than a few reviews. To me, that means th..."
Yes, and it would make sense if Ford, Chevrolet and Chrysler could cherry pick the reviews of their vehicles. Or perhaps we should let McDonald's decide on what scientific data about their meals are released...
When you read a review you should expect some spoily stuff. Unless the book is very new, everyone knows how it comes out, anyway.When I'm interested in a book, I look at the overall score, then I look to see what the people who gave it a really bad review had to say. Mainly out of curiosity, because if there are 100 reviews with an average of 4 stars, and a person gave it one star, I'm curious. Otherwise, for a person who thought it was pretty good, what else do I need to know? Their analysis of the story does not interest me. And a review that summarizes the plot is useless.
So, I wouldn't worry about it. That's why I never read reviews of my book. (well, one of the reasons)
Michael E. Henderson
Nick wrote: "Yes, and it would make sense if Ford, Chevrolet and Chrysler could cherry pick the reviews of their vehicles."There are two sides to every coin. And of course I agree with you, Nick. But spoilers for a book are quite different than spoilers on a car. Pun intended.
Ronald wrote: "Carl, I think you rightly have taken a lemon and turned it into lemonade."Cheers!
Michael wrote: "That's why I never read reviews of my book."But this is my first baby, ugly or not, I still loves it.
We all love our babies, but that does not mean anyone else has to love them back...
Nick wrote: "that does not mean anyone else has to love them back..."LOL, so very true.
Nicky! I missed your sarcasm for so long!
So, do you read your reviews on Amazon or not read your reviews, this is so complicated. First book learning.
Diann wrote: "First book learning."Me too. And because it's first, I can't do anything but. It's like the first kid with pictures galore filling every album. Years later, you wonder why there's none of the fourth and fifth. (oh, that's right, there wasn't a fourth or fifth) lol But you get the picture.
Hannah wrote: "Nicky! I missed your sarcasm for so long!"Hasn't been long, but I'm already missing it too.
Two shows a day folks, three on Sunday...
Nick wrote: "Two shows a day folks, three on Sunday..."Brutal schedule... And no time off for good behavior.
Edward wrote: "Ah. Good to hear.If it was me, I would see if I could contact the author of the review, thank her very much, then ask if she could please add the words "Spoiler Alert" at the start of the review ..."
Great advice. (:
Read your reviews. You can learn from them. Just don't get too excited at good ones, and don't get depressed over bad ones. Glean useful information and discard the stuff that you don't want or need. Readers are our focus groups. To an extent. Sometimes a complaint just makes me more sure that the book is what I was aiming for. Other times, I try to keep the complaint in mind as I write another book.
She was so wowed, she wanted to retell the story.
The review went up on her blog and on Gather, where she did a tremendous job of posting a professional looking review with pictures and excerpts.
Does the Author have any control whatsoever over the reviews posted on Amazon?
A Stone's Throw Away by Carl Lee