UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion
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Review Rant
I haven't come across this, but wouldn't be best pleased if my books recieved a negative review because of a technical issue. Having said that, I'm sure most readers have the intelligence to ignore such a thing :~)
David wrote: "I haven't come across this, but wouldn't be best pleased if my books recieved a negative review because of a technical issue. Having said that, I'm sure most readers have the intelligence to ignore..."I hope you're right David. Reviewers can write what they like but this one does seem harsh. Unfortunately for the author, he can not have his say. I hope other readers see this and give the book a go, rating it on it's merits. That way, the negative review will hopefully be 'cancelled out'.
I think Lily was refering to this one:"Never received this item, purchased it for my new Kindle Paperwhite but it has not been sent through, haven't been able to take this matter up with you due to illness."
That nasty little one star will always be lurking tho, no matter how many dazzling stars you receive. I think reviews unrelated to the book however should be forced down, i left my own 2 cents for the reviewer. Silly person!
David wrote: "I think Lily was refering to this one:"Never received this item, purchased it for my new Kindle Paperwhite but it has not been sent through, haven't been able to take this matter up with you due ..."
Yes, I commented before reading the review (from Lily's post). I think harsh was a severe understatement ! Ha ha
I believe an author can get a review removed if it doesn't relate to the book. Not 100% sure about that though.
Ah, the good old moronic 1-star reviews. I've had plenty and many of them made me laugh.This particular gem for my collection of three short stories, whereby even the blurb states that it is three different stories:
This book was very weird. Did not seem to have any point at all. Was about 3 different characters and none of them had any relation to the other! It was almost like 3 short stories!
Oddly enough, someone else gave me a two-star review for the same reason here on GR.
Michael wrote: "Ah, the good old moronic 1-star reviews. I've had plenty and many of them made me laugh.This particular gem for my collection of three short stories, whereby even the blurb states that it is thr..."
Thats hilarious! Some people i just wanna *shakes an imaginary person*... you have to wonder what kind of morons are out there.
Jacquelynn, again, utterly brilliant. That lady needed a gold star, she seemed to have such high hopes :)
I received a 2* comment the other day for my book 'Get Clean: Addiction, bad decisions and terrible friends' - She said 'The only feeling the reader has for the protagonists is utter digust and distain. Dont waste your time'The book is about cocaine addicts, and is clearly advertised as such - I have to ask myself what she was expecting when buying it!
I had worse ones for a book that I unpublished several months ago. Barnes and Noble seems to be the worst for this.Stuff like:
- This book looks crappy and don't wanna waste my time.
- Why are some saying it's bad and others good?
- I don't like the cover and I don't wanna waste my money (if it wasn't free)
In each case it was people leaving one-star ratings for something that they hadn't even read. It's as if they viewed the ratings part like Facebook posts.
Ha ha.... I think we've all had something along those lines. My books are aimed at teens/young adults and I've had reviewers mark them down because they're aimed at teens/young adults and not the reader's age group ... ??? That's a good point though, Jacquelynn. If we marked it as not helpful, it may disappear ? Gonna try that. :-)
Michael wrote: "Ah, the good old moronic 1-star reviews. I've had plenty and many of them made me laugh.This particular gem for my collection of three short stories, whereby even the blurb states that it is thr..."
Some people should go back to reading 'Biff and Chip'.
When it comes down to reviews that arent book related, im happy to mark as many down as it takes... infact i went on a minature trawl on amazon today looking for some more lol.
What about the one David Wailing got for Friend Request:0 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars I accidentally bought this, 11 Mar 2013
By Jim Bentley - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: Friend Request (Auto series) (Kindle Edition)
Can I have my money back, I've never read it and it's on my kindle and it's not really my thing.
Joo The Grand Inquisitor wrote: "What about the one David Wailing got for Friend Request:0 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars I accidentally bought this, 11 Mar 2013
By Jim Bentley - See all my re..."
I read that one!
This happens all the time on DVD reviews (poor sound quality etc.) but this is the first time I've heard it happening to a book review.
This happens at the other end of the scale too, at least on Barnes and Noble. My latest book has got two 5-star reviews for it:How old are you.
Followed by this one, posted the very next day:
14
As far as I'm aware, I haven't actually sold any copies of that particular book on Barnes and Noble.
Just discovered another 1-star special for a short story of mine on Barnes and Noble:
I was reading the discription and was like "gee i hate it when that happens""dammit i accidentily killed me neighbor again" whoopseg
The comments on the snarky review in the OP were quite good:)Really why would you complain about a book if it didn't arrive.
I had books arrive damaged recently. I simply contacted Amazon and they send me a new one, one was out of print but they offered me a credit note. Wasn't the author's fault Royal Mail dropped the box in the snow.
They may go away but they do look bad:( Not fair on the author and not fair on other potential readers to have to look through that dross.
Joo The Grand Inquisitor wrote: "What about the one David Wailing got for Friend Request:0 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars I accidentally bought this, 11 Mar 2013
By Jim Bentley - See all my re..."
NO you should be more careful. Pity we can't say what we think. I would just ask for a refund. Why leave a bad review?
Sound & picture quality are quite important when it comes to DVDs and Blu Rays - people want to know if it's a rubbish transfer, even if the movie is good (I know I do).
I think that part of the problem is that amazon email you asking for a review of certain products, those who aren't au fait with reviews just reply to the email about the service. I can't remember which book it was but I have seen a review saying that the book arrived promptly and in good condition (but nothing about the book), maybe they are confusing the request for reviews for the product with seller reviews...?
I receive those emails and it clearly says, review the PRODUCT, not the service. However, when you buy through Amazon from someone else, that's when they ask you if the product arrived on time and in good condition, because it's not amazon sending it but a third party.
Also, let's face it, it's us writers who care about the rating of our books. A grumpy individual in a bad mood doesn't give a monkey's.
Sara wrote: "I receive those emails and it clearly says, review the PRODUCT, not the service. However, when you buy through Amazon from someone else, that's when they ask you if the product arrived on time and..."
Maybe it does say that clearly, but not many people read it properly!
Maybe it does say that clearly, but not many people read it properly!
People will see what they want to, regardless of that the email actually says.
A case in point.
Checking out the reviews for today's daily deal and came across this one.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-revie...
Valid warning, but stupid star rating which has affected the books overall rating.
Checking out the reviews for today's daily deal and came across this one.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-revie...
Valid warning, but stupid star rating which has affected the books overall rating.
Karen (Kew) wrote: "A case in point.Checking out the reviews for today's daily deal and came across this one.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-revie......"
Very strange.
Its such a shame this is happening. Must be incredibly frustrating being an author in this day and age. Electronic reviews can be such a burdon... not saying they dont have a good side too tho :)
It is frustrating, but at least with a correct review (someone who has read the book and is commenting upon content only) the author can recognise their right to say whatever they like. That's not to say that it doesn't hurt sometimes, but the reader has earned the right to be critical if that's what's called for. It's reviews like the ones mentioned that infuriate.
Mine are just 100% honest. I dont go out of my way to be mean or critical, i just explain what i've experience from my point of view.
I reckon that's the best sort of review Lily.
Her reviews are honest and unconventional!Not that that's a bad thing of course...
Do you have to give a rating though on Amazon. I think you might. So with the recent example the reviewer would have had to rate it. As much as I don't think it helps, we don't know if the part about this is the first bit was added after the event. I would probably be annoyed if I bought a book thinking it was new and it was just the same.It does happen that authors mislead readers intentionally or not.
One of the first reviews that I ever wrote was to warn people that a book that I had bought turned out to be one that I already had with a different title. I put words to that effect in the subject heading, warned about it in the review, but gave a star rating based on the quality of the book. It was one of my reviews which got the most votes! I'd warned potential buyers but had not unfairly downgraded the books overall rating.
Actually in this case it looks like the book may have been retitled due to it being a TV show now. I can see why the title "Cocaine Blues" might not be suitable if she was riding on the TV show.
I think in the original example given it is a shame the customer chose to vent their anger in this manner. However, as has been stated previously, you would hope that other customers would read the review and discard it as it has nothing to do with the book.
Yes most snarky or idiotic reviews are best ignored.
I had a review for 'Claire and the haircut of Doom' where the guy had obviously bought it by mistake. In the review he clearly stated that the title had misled him in to believing it was of a different genre. He gave the story a respectable 3 stars despite the fact that it probably wasn't his thing!!! ;-PAll in all I thought it was pretty decent of him.
Yes, it was pretty decent because maybe someone else would have given you a 1 star [for their mistake]. However, you shouldn't really be reviewing (and reading, for that matter) books that are not your thing.
Karen (Kew) wrote: "Sara wrote: "I receive those emails and it clearly says, review the PRODUCT, not the service. However, when you buy through Amazon from someone else, that's when they ask you if the product arrive..."Yes, I know...
I like reading book genres out of my comfort zone, but I won't rate something down because I have decided to try something new.
I don't think there's anything you *can't* buy on amazon!Here's links for uranium and unicorn meat...
http://www.amazon.com/ThinkGeek-Canne...
http://www.amazon.com/Images-SI-Inc-U...
Not many people seem to be aware, but it's possible to buy e-books on there ;~)
Who'd want to buy an e-book???They have no smell!
Why oh why, leave a review on a book with your problem, when it has absolutly nothing to do with the book itself.
Example- review by CA Devlin: http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-revie...
She's moaning she didnt receive her 'free' copy of the book via the Amazon whispernet. This author didn't deserve a negative rating for this womans stupidity. If that were me, i'd be fuming.
Anyway, this isnt the first time i've seen this happen. Is anyone else noticing this happening more & more?