Monday 17 September 2012

Amazon reviews - how much can you trust them?

A few weeks ago, I posted a review of a book for the Amazon Vine programme. It was critical, because I didn't like the book, and thought the writing was poor. But I was polite, and did say I hoped that others might enjoy it. 36 out of 45 people voted my review as "helpful".

Yesterday, someone posted a rather unpleasant riposte, saying that they had enjoyed the book, my review was unfair, and that "reviews were there to help authors". The comment was blunt to the point of rudeness, and inaccurate (reviews are written to help readers, not writers). But I posted a polite reply, pointing out that as a Vine reviewer, I was bound to say what I thought, but that I was glad that particular reader had enjoyed the book, and mine was only one person's opinion.

Today, my review has suddenly disappeared, having been on Amazon for some weeks. This poses two questions:

1. How much say do authors (or their supporters) have in the removal of adverse reviews of their books? And (provided the reviews are not offensive), should they have any say at all?

2. Are Amazon reviews worth as much as they are thought to be worth, given that they are open to abuse? At least one large, well-known publishing house has, to my certain knowledge, employed one of its editors to write good reviews of its books, under a pseudnoym.

I take time and trouble to write what I hope are fair reviews, based on my opinion of the books I read. I try to respect their authors, knowing only too well how hard it is to write a novel at all, but it would be almost impossible to feel positive about all the books I am sent.

Am I wasting my time?

26 comments:

  1. I hope you keep writing your reviews. You can't please everyone. You have written what you believe your honest review of a book. Be at peace with it.

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    1. Kay, the problem is being at peace with a system that is open to abuse!

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  2. It's certainly wrong of Amazon to have removed your review. There are plenty of less than good reviews for all sorts of products on Amazon, and they are left standing, so why they removed yours I can only guess - probably upon request of that person who felt they have to accuse you of being unfair (which you clearly are not!).
    My Mum is a Vine reviewer, too, and she always writes honest reviews, which are not always (entirely) positive, but to my knowledge none of her reviews have yet been attacked as unfair or removed.
    I hope what happened to you there was just an exception.
    Authors should not have any say in the removal of reviews, as long as terms and conditions which everyone who has an Amazon account signs for are not violated. Having editors write reviews under pseudonyms is, in my book, dishonest and should be stopped if found out.

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    1. I have written worse reviews than this one, Meike, and no one has objected. I think a friend of the author, or even the author herself, is possibly behind this.

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  3. I often use Amazon book reviews to see if I might like a particular book..maybe not such a good idea then?

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  4. That's a ridiculous situation, Frances - I suspect that rebuttal of your review might have been from the author and perhaps she's had yours taken down by complaining. This is supposition as I don't know exactly how they work! You might find Goodreads a better place for honest reviews.

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    1. Thanks, Rosemary. I'll carry on for the time being, and hope this was a one-off!

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  5. I didn't know they could remove reviews. Perhaps it is a temporary thing while they look into it and it will return. I hope so! x

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    1. Teresa, I can see they have to have some kind of quality control otherwise some reviews might be abusive. But I don't understand what was wrong with mine!

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  6. I thought the whole I idea of the reviews of the books is what the reader thinks of them. When I wrote about Sophie Hannah's book 'A Kind of Cruel'I wrote it to let her know that it wasn't one of her best books. I loved and enjoyed all her others and I told her so at the Essex Book Festival. I even explained that I understood that all her books couldn't be the same otherwise it would become boring, but her book was unreadable and comfusing. I wasn't the only one to say so when I read the reviews written by her fans. If you read her reviews and mine is still there I'm glad to say because of reading your posting I checked, though at the time I was writing them under the name of Jarmara.
    I think good reviews should show why some like and dislike a book. Just saying its brilliant without saying why it brilliant is just as bad as say its awful without explaining why it didn't work for you. I hope Sophie Hannah found my review helpful so I can enjoy her next book

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  7. Reviews are there to help readers not authors. That's for sure. If I took the time to plod through a book I wasn't enjoying and then wrote a review to help other readers avoid the same and then it was taken down, I'd be very upset. As a Vine reviewer, is there someone at Amazon with whom you can register your displeasure? First there was the ruckus about paid reviews and now this. Honestly, I usually base my selections on recommendations from reading family and friends.

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    1. Yvonne, I have contacted Amazon, and received an unhelpful reply. I think their grounds are that I am some kin of interested party. Apparently they mistrust reviews from, among others, authors, and from my reviewer profile they have probably found out that I'm one of those! I took issue with the use of English, because it matters to me when I'm reading. Ah well...

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  8. You shouldn't be wasting your time - but if a polite and honest review can be removed because it's not considered postive enough then maybe you are.

    If anyone posted an honest and factually correct but negative review of one of my books then I wouldn't ask for it to be removed.

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    1. Patsy, I think this all because I, too, write books ( see reply above). But someone was trying to defend the book by removing my review, and this is merely an excuse trotted out by Amazon.

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  9. People who can't take fair criticism shouldn't call themselves writers.

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  10. I just read an article in the New York Times about authors purchasing positive reviews. It gave me a lot to think about.

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    1. I think there's probably a lot of this kind of thing going on. Sad, really, as reviews can be so helpful if fair, well-written and unbiased.

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  11. Hello Frances,

    It took me three decades to get published so now I LOVE any review, good or bad, because it means my work is finally out there and I think I'm lucky to get them!

    Anna May x

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  12. Hi, Anna May. I take your point, but isn't it still better if the review is an honest one, whether you agree with it or not?

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  13. To me honesty and integrity are paramount. I take book reviews into account but then make my own judgement if I feel that it's the sort of book I would read. For that reason I find independent comments by people I know helpful when they explain what sort of book it is (as compared with how good or bad it might be). On the subject of Amazon reviews in general it is often obvious that people reviewing, for example camera equipment, adversely just have no concept of how to use the equipment with the result that one might anticipate.

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