Concerns about self-publishing, paid reviews, and sales rank tricks

[G.G.]

Henry wrote: "I can't even begin to tell you how many threads I see daily where authors swap Facebook "likes", "

Ok, as much as I agree with most of everything you said, I have to stop you here. Swapping likes on Facebook is only a mean to reach more people. Nothing more. Tell me what's wrong with that? It's not worse than paying publicity to be shown on a bus or on in a magazine. The only difference is that it's free. It doesn't mislead the potential readers, unless you think that because someone sees a publicity they are stupid enough to fall for it and run to the store? I don't think so.

It's simple. For example, when people post on pages I liked, their messages have a chance to be seen on my home page. The same goes for people who liked my page and my own messages. In the end, it just show potential readers it's there to take and read if they want to. Now if someone shares a post, then it's on their own accord. They choose to endorse a book or whatever they share, and it has nothing to do with swapping 'likes'.

[G.G.]

Ok, seen with your point of view, I understand. Thanks for the eye opening.

By the way, I didn't mean to take your sentence out of context. I just didn't want to copy a whole paragraph from a post that was already too long for some people to even consider reading it. :(

[Joel]

Henry,
When I published my first book 5 or 6 years ago, I went with one paid review and one paid-unless-we-choose-to-review-it-for-free one (they did). Neither review is on Amazon anymore - I guess they don't like them, either. The text of the reviews was accurate (they obviously read the entire book!), and they got those reviews onto sites I would never have thought of. For someone completely clueless about self-publishing, this was not a bad thing.
As for ratings, they're so staggeringly subjective anyway. I had one person give my most recent book one star, while giving 5 stars to a box of candles; one gave the book 3 stars while raving about how good it was.
I review self-published books solicited from Goodreads members, and haven't yet seen one that had no business being published. Many should have probably been snagged by major houses. I haven't felt compelled (so far) to rate anything below 4 stars; but again, this is entirely subjective. I can't blame any self-published author for trying to get as many reviews posted as possible - they make a real difference.
I'm not as certain the social media sites do, though. I've yet to hear anyone say that lots of 'likes' sold more books. But for authors without a major publishing company's resources it may feel like they're doing something, at least; and like a shark, it's important to keep moving.
(Your post is still longer than this one!)

[T.C.]

Perhaps it is related, among some of them at least, to people not wanting to wait around and go through the tiresome process of building up a genuine following of real people. Of course, there are serious difficulties of making people aware of what you are doing and persuading them to try it out, but I don't think that such dishonest methods should ever be considered a viable short-cut. It's a cheat, and should be seen for what it is, regardless of the fact that it might make things easier for some in the short term.

There are some things that don't worry me, though, because they aren't really trying to mislead other people, but just a means to spread publicity - FB 'likes' and twitter follows and retweets, for example. I don't think anyone really takes such things seriously as an indication of 'quality', and they are purely a way of trying to reach more people and make them aware of the product. As long as the posts are factually correct, obviously (which I personally doubt some of the dubious 'bestseller' claims are!), they are no different from any other kind of advertising (apart from being free, of course, which is why self-publishers use them so much - the down side is that they are often just talking to each other in a circle, so the apparent spread of the message can by something of an illusion!).

Reviews are a different matter, though. False reviews, or paid reviews, or swapped reviews, really are an attempt to mislead people into thinking that a book is offering something that it quite possibly isn't isn't. I'm only a the start of this whole thing myself, and I know that genuine reviews don't just flow freely from out of the ether, but that's really the point of them. Reviews, especially good ones, shouldn't really be too easy to get, and should be something that build up over time as more people hear about a book, read it, and decide to say what they think (positive or negative).

Now there is nothing wrong with author's reviewing other authors as readers, of course, or authors (in places like this, perhaps) asking others generally, not individually,(whether they are authors or not) to consider reading and reviewing their book if they like the look of it. Any review should be an honest review from a genuine reader, though (whether or not that reader is also an author), and not in return for a direct mutual review, or for money, or for anything else.

Knowing how hard genuine reviews are to come by, I'm sure many SP authors are perfectly willing to take the time to honestly review what they read without expecting anything in return, and to look at the work of SPAs when they are looking for something to read, and that's not a bad thing. Perhaps SPAs are more likely to read and review other SPAs by nature, and that's fine. There should be no 'deals' involved, though, and no 'understandings' or 'mutual back-scratching' - that is not only trying to mislead people, but in the longer term it's not doing any of us any favours as reviews get considered with more and more suspicion, and favourable reviews become increasingly assumed to be nothing more than deeply unreliable and potentially false marketing ploys.

Speaking personally, when I've finished my current read I'll be looking for something else to read, and I'll probably give some SP book that I like the look of a go. When I've read it, I'll review it, because I know that SPAs need reviews and like to know what people think. That's it, though - no deals, no mutual reviews, no expectations, no favours, no back-scratching - I don't expect the other author to look at my work in return. I'm always happy to have my own work reviewed, of course, and grateful to anyone who takes the time to post a review, but I'll not be returning any 'favours' to anyone who does review it, and I hope they don't expect that kind of thing. That's not how it works.

[Michael]

Henry,
Your “rant” resonated with me, as I have encountered identical frustrations in getting my work before the public. For years, publishers and agents sent me rejections by way of the dreaded form letter. Some offered reasonable explanations for why they passed on my writing and others were completely uninformative. Alternatives to that tedious and unrewarding process did not exist. The opportunity to self-publish e-books, with relative ease and without budget-breaking expenditure, was a godsend.

You read all the literature on how to succeed in this brave new world and then reality sets in. You are invisible. No one knows who you are, and unless you are a wizard at marketing or have an influential champion in your corner, chances are frighteningly high that you will remain invisible. You are placing your book among a million others. Who is going to notice the light of a dim new star against the gleam and glitter of a sky full of established ones?

Some readers of self-published authors claim reviews are irrelevant to them. I would guess the majority see it differently and rely on reviews to help make informed choices. So, how do you get reviews if your marketing skills are abysmal (as mine are), or you write popular fiction in a vast, ill-defined genre full of ill-fitting (for me) sub-genres? The temptation for those out to make a quick buck by manipulating the system must be quite high. No doubt, many offer sub-standard products. I’m sure even solid writers are tempted, but the thought of buying reviews is abhorrent to me. It indicates an unwillingness to trust that your work is good enough to attract readers without enhancement, without resorting to chicanery. If you publicly acknowledge paying for the review, or it is widely known the review comes from a paid source, then that is a different story. At least there is no deceit. Still, I wouldn’t do it, but that is a personal choice.

My books have no reviews, by the way. I’m not pleased with that, but it is what it is, and I can only hope that it is not simply because I might be a lousy writer (lol).