Amazon Kindle discussion
Enough with the spam
Alexandra wrote: "I think the trouble with reviews is that sometimes they do look really dodgy. I saw a new book on Amazon the other day, the author spammed the Zon forums saying this is my new book, blag blah... an..."I didn't even know you could spam forums reposting reviews. Lord help us all.
Oh no it wasnt a review it was "Read my book... insert book title" type. It was on posts of people asking for advice and help about publishing their book, on and on the main Zon forums, not even the meet our author...I think the author just copied and pasted the link to his book a million times and replied to every post with it.
Alexandra wrote: "I think the trouble with reviews is that sometimes they do look really dodgy. I saw a new book on Amazon the other day, the author spammed the Zon forums saying this is my new book, blag blah... an..."Not entirely on-topic, but your comment about people complaining about sex in erotica (well, duh) reminds me of a recent shitstorm where an author had a minor meltdown on Twitter about someone reviewing the third in her BDSM erotica trilogy and basically saying she didn't like it for the same reasons she hadn't liked the others. Granted, the author probably shouldn't have spoken publicly about it, but her point was valid - why would someone who hated the first two books in a trilogy go to the trouble of reading the third one and then post a negative review about it? Wouldn't you just...not read it?
Alexandra wrote: "Oh no it wasnt a review it was "Read my book... insert book title" type. It was on posts of people asking for advice and help about publishing their book, on and on the main Zon forums, not even t..."That's awful. GoodReads should employ hounds to hunt the author down and do away with him :-)
I think I know what you are referring to Mhairi - my interpretation of that was that there was some stuff in the third book that make her a bit iffy (view spoiler)
Gerard wrote: "On the other hand, I wish I had a 'destruct' button for every time a review starts something like, 'I really like YA/Paranormal Romance/Teenage Vampire/Fantasy but 'Heart of Darkness' by this guy Conrad isn't what I expected - two stars."but if Heart of Darkness has been heralded as a YA/Paranormal Romance/Teenage Vampire/Fantasy and someone had picked it up thinking that was what they were going to get and they were disappointed because it didn't deliver - isn't that a valid review? I see that quite often with new authors trying to compare their books to established authors - i.e. if you like James Rollins, you will like Joe Schmoe...but if Joe Schmoe fails to live up to the hype, then be damned sure I am going to give it a low review
Dee wrote: "Gerard wrote: "On the other hand, I wish I had a 'destruct' button for every time a review starts something like, 'I really like YA/Paranormal Romance/Teenage Vampire/Fantasy but 'Heart of Darkness..."IMHO all reviews are valid because we all have the right to like what we like. And if an author promises a book as great as a bestseller by a name author, the reader has every right to feel disappointed if the book doesn't live up to the hype.
Lol yes. I rarely review on Zon and even here I don't review everything. Sometimes I don't get time, sometimes I simply can't think of how to justify why I like it."Cus it's gud" doesn't seem very helpful.
I do sometimes read out of my usual genre and if I do review I say "This is not what I usually read" then say if I liked it or not.
Alexandra wrote: "Lol yes. I rarely review on Zon and even here I don't review everything. Sometimes I don't get time, sometimes I simply can't think of how to justify why I like it."Cus it's gud" doesn't seem very..."
FWIW I enjoy the "Cus it's gud" reviews from average readers. The point of great storytelling? Provide a rich emotional experience. A reader doesn't need an advanced degree in literature to reveal how much she enjoyed a novel. Her excitement can create the sort of word-of-mouth praise that launches an unknown but praiseworthy work into the stratosphere. Which is a very good thing :-)
Christine,You said, "I'll review books with my honest opinion, but I don't want to feel like I'm being judged for the quality of my review - it can be simply my opinion, can't it?"
That's fine, but don't you think people who set themselves up as reviewers have a responsibility, to all of us, to write good quality reviews? That is, reviews that are well-informed, well written and presenting the pros and cons of a book: not just something like, 'This isn't my type of book and I don't like it!'
And if you take it upon yourself to give your opinion on somebody else's work, why shouldn't they be free to express their opinion on the quality of your reviews? Why should it be a one-way street, where a poorly read 'reviewer' can cut somebody's work to pieces without having to account for their 'opinions'? Where does trolling finish and reviewing start?
Like I said, there are many good reviewers on Goodreads and elsewhere that provide an excellent, and largely unheralded, service to the reading community. These reviewers assist other readers to select books that may suit their particular taste, or encourage them to widen their reading scope.
Unfortunately, there are also many poor reviewers who don't have anything much of value to say, and who may be better off if they read more and opinionated less.
If these sort of reviewers want to be honest, maybe they should start with a disclaimer - something like, 'I don't usually read books like this, and I don't know what I'm talking about, but here's my opinion anyway, for what it is worth.'
The really unfortunate thing is that rating systems don't discriminate between 'good' and 'bad' reviewers.
Amazon has 'Top 500' reviewers, and that at least identifies people who have established a track record of writing reviews, but their Amazon stars are worth the same as the spamming friend or the barely literate who like to give their opinions.
One thing I can say with certainty is that it is a good deal easier to write a review than it is a book, but a review writing is itself an art.
In summary, I'd be happy if Goodreads had less spamming authors and more good quality reviewers, and that's my opinion, for what it is worth.
Christine wrote: "Gerard wrote: "Not quite on the spamming angle, but does anybody ever feel that many reviews on Goodreads and elsewhere are of such dubious quality that they may as well be classified as spam?And ..."
Christine
It's good that you seek reviews from 'proper reviewers to ensure an objective opinion' - these are obviously of a better quality, and more credible, than the 'spamming' reviews I started to talk about in the first place.
Also, I got your comment mixed up with Chrissie's earlier, so apologies for that.
Gerard wrote: "Christine,You said, "I'll review books with my honest opinion, but I don't want to feel like I'm being judged for the quality of my review - it can be simply my opinion, can't it?"
That's fine, ..."
Gerard, someone else on this thread made the comment you attributed to me.
With regard to reviews, who can say what is a "good" or a "bad" review? You could argue the more well read reader provides the most praiseworthy review. Yet books are meant to be enjoyed by many, not a chosen few bibliophiles. "Experts" often get it wrong. The blockbuster Jaws had a difficult time reaching publication. The first Harry Potter book arrived in a print run of 1,000 copies because the UK publisher didn't believe a "children's book" would have legs. A Confederacy of Dunces endured many rejections then went on to win the Pulitzer.
As an author, I suspect much of the angst regarding the review process arises from the focus we now place on ANY review. Bookstores are disappearing. Many wonderful mid-list novels no longer gain traction through hand-selling by the dedicated souls who worked in those bookstores and would offer recommendations to their clientele. And many writers now publish independently long before they're produced well crafted and flawlessly edited works, leading many to bemoan the host of poor reviews sure to follow.
Btw, I agree: less spam and more quality reviews on GoodReads! I'll simply reserve the right to consider any review to have quality, given that the reader was kind enough to post his thoughts.
Gerard wrote: "Christine wrote: "Gerard wrote: "Not quite on the spamming angle, but does anybody ever feel that many reviews on Goodreads and elsewhere are of such dubious quality that they may as well be classi..."No worries, Gerard! Btw, I'm amazed at how many independently published novelists don't query The Midwest Book Review, an organization open to both traditional and indie books. And many book blogs are happy to review if queried properly.
Well said.Christine wrote: "Gerard wrote: "Christine wrote: "Gerard wrote: "Not quite on the spamming angle, but does anybody ever feel that many reviews on Goodreads and elsewhere are of such dubious quality that they may as..."
Christine wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "I think the trouble with reviews is that sometimes they do look really dodgy. I saw a new book on Amazon the other day, the author spammed the Zon forums saying this is my new boo..."
One of the facebook groups I belong to only allows author promo on specific days, and some not at all except in specific threads (like here), the also did a name and shame so if Author B promoted his book twice a day every day on every forum it would come up. They don't seem to have done it for a while:P)
Hi There, I enjoyed reading the discussion of quality of reviews and I agree they are often disappointing in their lack of substance. But GR is available to all, and if that's what a reader could manage as a "review", then so be it. We writers can set an example, try to get at the heart of what we liked about a book, tell it in a cogent way, make it accessible but help another reader find the book on a level he/she might not have done without that review.
I keep a list of my favorite TOUGH reviewers and ponder what it is about their work that inspires me. Trust. Credibility. Those are easily lost, hard won, and worth building toward in our own work.
As an example, I have been so disappointed when a Kindle version of a book I like does not include the maps, figures, or plates that the hard copy does. That can be a crucial part of the book. Until the ebook format more consistently allows for illustrations, some books are only partially available in the ebook medium.
Anyone else been noticing that?
The lyrical reviews are as empty as political promises, which is a shame if a small percentage are genuine. I tend to read the 2 and 3 star ones if I can't decide whether to try a book or not.
Good Ralph. I'm sick of coming across 5 separate threads relating to the same author book.Very annoying and note to authors, it guarantees I never read your books. Stop shoving it down peoples throats.
Brandon wrote: "As an author, I might be opening myself up for a bashing here, but I want to officially apologize for all the spamming you get. It's truly not representative of the independent authors I know. As..."
Brandon, you sound decent for a indie writer :P lol...
It's a shame because a lot of these spamming authors would actually do so much better with readers if they kept promotion to what was necessary and not excessive...
Hi everyone and I welcome you to read my new book I just had published. Hehe. Nono. Just joking. I too frown upon authors shamelessly promoting their works. Wether or not it may be brilliant is irrelevant because at that point I wouldn't want to find out. If I really like a genre on goodreads I will no doubt come across their supposed great work by my own research and other readers suggestions
I'm a reader not a writer lol except in my private journal.... Not to be shared lol. I'm new be, just got r be a kindle
I've just joined this group and so am coming to this discussion late ... I am almost afraid to post on Goodreads because I am an author. The thing is ... I am also a reader, an avid one! But the very last thing I ever want to do is to spam or annoy people. I agree fully with the premise that those who are busy spamming are not putting their time into writing for a reason. Those of us who are busy writing, are putting our heart and soul into it, and actually tend to be on the unsocial side as a result. That is why my appearances and posts on Goodreads can often be sporadic ... it all depends on whether I am writing or reading! :)
A.L. wrote: "I think most writers are keen readers."If they're not ... they're probably not that good a writer! (Do I have to duck for cover yet?) :)
L.H. wrote: "Self-promotion without annoying people is very difficult. After six months of working on relationships, I've found that -- unfortunately -- the willingness to be inconsiderately visible seems to he..."You are so very wise. I love checking out new authors, but I have also found that the relentless self-promoters usually have the most disappointing books.
L.H. wrote: "Traveller wrote: "LH wrote: "I'd say so far the best indie writers I've run into are the worst promoters and vice-versa. There's a reason they have all that time for spammy behavior...."
Oh, abso..."
Great idea. I always recommend books I've enjoyed....to everyone! With so many free or inexpensive downloads available, I rely heavily on friend recommendations and GR reviews as a way to narrow down my options.
I just posted information about my book in 'Books by members' and someone just posted:David wrote: "I need a review http://www.amazon.com[link removed]"
I just wonder what David expects? That I will look up his book and review it? I could just go to Amazon and put something like, 'This author spams thread on GR requesting reviews, so here's a one-star reminder that spamming people is not the way to get people to buy your book', but I guess that's not what David wants...
Can you get James Patterson to stop spamming us all via tv commercials? I have not read a single one of his books and will not read one, as long as he keeps threatening me with them. If the book is good, an author does not need to pimp it out to everyone.
I think ALL of the social networking areas of life have been ruined by people shouting "me, me, me!" and spamming threads to death. So much so, it has ruined it for those authors who do want to take part in a community in a personal non-business kind of way. I have authored books, but not novels and I don't sell them or benefit from sales, nevertheless I have come up against frostiness when I want to take part in a discussion a million miles away from my book "work" where non authors have been suspicious my interest in a community is not genuine. It never used to be like this 10 yrs ago. Mind you, it took a while before the Big Wheels of Industry and Marketing even recognised social networking as anything other than a bunch of Net Nerds. I think I liked it better then. Now being constantly used or marketed to makes me feel a bit lonely and mistrustful too. Just like "the real world is"...
Erssie wrote: "I think ALL of the social networking areas of life have been ruined by people shouting "me, me, me!" and spamming threads to death. So much so, it has ruined it for those authors who do want to ta..."Amen. Though I've been on hiatus with family obligations, I'm an author as well. I never want to spam people about my work. I know how annoying it is when I'm getting spammed, so I certainly don't want to inflict that same thing on others. It truly does feel like people are shouting "me, me, me" everywhere on social media.
Well to put in a good word for Goodreads, I never even thought about posting online reviews of books I read until I was introduced to Goodreads. Really enjoy sharing ratings and sometimes reviews. Helps to find really quality material, and there is a lot of subpar material out there now..
Brandon wrote: "As an author, I might be opening myself up for a bashing here, but I want to officially apologize for all the spamming you get. It's truly not representative of the independent authors I know. As..."
How beautifully written and appropriate. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Thank you for your (well written) post. :)
Grace wrote: "Well to put in a good word for Goodreads, I never even thought about posting online reviews of books I read until I was introduced to Goodreads. Really enjoy sharing ratings and sometimes reviews. ..."
Yes, it's a shame it's so hard to find the good stuff amidst all the subpar junk.
Yes, it's a shame it's so hard to find the good stuff amidst all the subpar junk.
Is is OK to share my service in the following discussion?https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
It helps people find discount Kindle books.
Thank you.
I am new in this group and I noticed this subject is so important these days. It is happening not only here but on every social media, email, etc. Everyone is trying to "sell" something, screaming exactly that: "buy, subscribe, like me, me now, hear me, support me". I, myself, am not totally free from it either. I was just a reader once, an obsessive one ;) passing the border of the country without noticing as I was walking and reading a book held in my hand. You could imagine how that ended ... in the military office.
Anyway, I didn't even post reviews that time! No need. I understand though that now, we like to keep track and share our experience.
Now, I am also an author, and I fell 3 years ago into that pressure: post, ask, request and it became my nature and I was spamming. By that, I mean not just giving a post here or there. I was literally "working hard" till I landed in the hospital. (I was studying several books on marketing, applying all day long all selling questions, manipulating methods of sells, ;) and more ;) to ANYONE.) Sure I "put my foot into doors", getting reviews, interviews, articles, sells and so on, but ... was that hussle worth it?
I am sharing with you all this because I think it is important to understand both sides of this before the best ways can emerge: readers having safe zone where they can share experience and authors who find new ways of promoting their books, especially indie authors are alone in this. (Here is another problem with self-published books. A lot of them lack so much. The text is not edited, not formatted, repetition is killing sometimes a good story, so on. I went through "hell" here with agents complaining, editors, my own translations and that was a really good learning experience but extremely hard. I will never master it as I am not a native speaker, yet I am progressing and I have people to check on me. A lot of indie authors dont' have that and Reedsy has crazy prices for editing a book. I shouldn't mention there are so many types of editing!) So, the readers can be turned off by a book with so many problems. I know that I was - thinking than American author cannot write worse than me. Well, I learned otherwise.
So, dear Readers, shall an author even approach a reader? If yes, how?
And dear Authors, how can me make sure we are not spamming in our polite - so we think so - request for a review?
This subject has even more shades (definitely not 50 shades of G. ;) )
Some authors are great in supporting other authors and also read other books for a review and some authors prefer to criticize others (those usually have no reviews at all and barely wrote one book, - alright I sound judgemental now too, a bit ;) - and Readers are far nicer (at least in my experience). But! Some of them told me they had BAD experiences with authors! I am so sorry about that.
I would like to promote kindness and respect to us all and definitely not violate any rules.
As an author, I am burned out already and that is nothing new, as I am full-time artist, some thinking that this business will be slightly easier than dance, acting, performing arts, singing, painting ;) was an illusion that broke down. Good for me ;) However, since it is not, I help those who value it.
To all Members,
Have a great, inspiring time!
Most forums on Goodreads have a thread/section/space for authors to promote their works or talk about their work. And any mention outside those areas is subject to removal. I would suggest going that route. Those sections/threads are often quite lively
Good post. I'm an author, published three times by commercial houses in NYC, and then on my own four more times. GR was a good idea, but I'm hardly on it due to two groups. One, writers, a lot of newbie writers. It seems like more than half the members of GR are writers. So I don't want to contribute to the noise, so I hardly post. The other group that I thinks ruins GR are the review crank gangs. Reviewing on GR is a blood sport for some folks. The reviews can be really nasty. I cannot read some of the reviews of my own book without getting angry, so I just tend to leave it alone. I have seen 'reviewers' try to get up mobs of others to go after a writer's book. If I read a really awful book, I won't review it. What's the point of trashing something. If I think it's decent, I'll leave at least three stars. But too many reviewers on GR seem to get off on what I call the one-star drive by review. Anyway, glad you found your way. Best!
CBRetriever wrote: "Most forums on Goodreads have a thread/section/space for authors to promote their works or talk about their work. And any mention outside those areas is subject to removal. I would suggest going th..."Of course, that is obvious or ... it should be ;)
Paul wrote: "Good post. I'm an author, published three times by commercial houses in NYC, and then on my own four more times. GR was a good idea, but I'm hardly on it due to two groups. One, writers, a lot of n..."Thank you Paul for sharing your experience and seriously ... instead of criticizing ... these people should GET LIFE. But well ... from a spiritual point of you, gossiping and criticizing is like lifting yourself up by putting down others. So it helps like an addiction - temporarily. ;)
I am not sure I found my way ;) but I am sure I don't want to follow insanity, even if most of us is pressured to do so. But well ... that is rather a challenge as most of things in our system are imposed on us as normal. And these are far from normal!
Anyway, good day!
Ralph Gallagher wrote: "The spam has gotten over the top again. I've sent out numerous warnings. This is the last one. If you post outside of the designated areas promoting your stuff - whether it's a book, your website, ..."Thanks for the Warning Ralph. I am new here and I thought that was a normal thing. But I will stick to the rules and stay in the Authors Corner and the Sales N Cheap books sections.
Hola Guys,I am Muthu Krishnan from India. Scidime is my 1st attempt as an author.
Scidime is definitely a sci-fi mystery ebook series which travels around various paths by the future scientist-cum CEO John Christopher in search of some unsolved questions of earth.
Please do support me.
Do find the book from the following link
*Read | Review | Share*
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0876R7B3D/...
Muthu wrote: "Hola Guys,I am Muthu Krishnan from India. Scidime is my 1st attempt as an author.
Scidime is definitely a sci-fi mystery ebook series which travels around various paths by the future scientist-..."
Adding your post spamming your book to a post telling people to stop spamming will tell people that your reading comprehension is pretty poor and thus you book is likely to be equally poor.
@CBRetrieveri am not at all spamming anything, ok! i am promoting my book. my reading comprehension is quite good and if you haven't read my book go on before judging it. i started writing and this is my 1st attempt. Most importantly i haven't send anything which is out off the box, right! only related to books. again don't judge a book by its cover!!
Muthu wrote: "@CBRetrieveri am not at all spamming anything, ok! i am promoting my book. my reading comprehension is quite good and if you haven't read my book go on before judging it. i started writing and th..."
Yes, you are, as the very first post in this thread states
The spam has gotten over the top again. I've sent out numerous warnings. This is the last one. If you post outside of the designated areas promoting your stuff - whether it's a book, your website, or your newest invenotin - you WILL be banned.
Authors are permitted to create ONE topic in the Author's Corner section that promotes themselves as authors. This is where you can interact with readers, let them know about new releases, etc.
Authors may also list their books in the applicable "Sales an Cheap Books" threads. (IE Free, 99cents, 2.99 or less, etc.)
Authors are not allowed to promo their books outside of these areas unless a reader is specifically asking for the type of book you write or you're speaking with a reviewer in the Reviewer's Corner.
This group is not here for authors to promote themselves. This group is primarily geared toward readers. Any author who joins this group just to spam their books will be removed. I've already removed two authors who joined less than a week ago and had already made half a dozen spam posts and nothing else.
To specifically promote your book in a thread that says not to promote does indicate a lack of reading comprehension
Would it be possible to make a section outside of Author's corner that's literally only for when Authors make their books free on Kindle? I think this would benefit authors (like me) who are just starting out and don't have any book sales yet as we try to get reviews. And also it would be great for readers (I'm a reader too) who are on a budget and are looking for free books. 📚I propose if this section is created, it should ONLY let you post the title of your book and how long it will be free for so it doesn't get bogged down with spam. (If it's a kindle countdown deal it'll have a date the free promo ends.) And only free books, nothing paid.
Just an idea 🙃
Oh, I didn't see the Sales section! I'll check that out, so disregard my other idea.
And ..."
By definition, art is interpretive. Anyone can and should feel free to pick up a book, read then review. One of the beauties of GoodReads? You can find people who enjoy the types of books you usually enjoy and discover new works by reading their reviews. Isn't that what it's all about?