A writer friend of mine received this message on Facebook today, from another writer. I'll call my friend Buttercup, and the sender of the message Hyacinth.
Buttercup has never had any contact with Hyacinth, not even so much as a 'hello'. Yet Hyacinth saw fit to send her this message:
I have
a HUGE but important favor to ask PLEASE!!! If you haven't already: Could you
PLEASE do a 5 Star review of ***name of book**** and maybe corral a few others?
During this year I'm going to seek an agent to help me land the elusive book
deal. I'm really trying to bump up the current 4.6 Amazon stars to 4.8! Thus
I'm shamelessly networking for 5* reviews with a minium of 20 words from
you and anyone else who has an Amazon account.
I suspect it's one she's sending to everyone on her Facebook friends list, because of the 'if you haven't already' stipulation. I have the following to say about it:
1. She doesn't offer Buttercup a copy of the book to read; it appears that reading the book before assessing it is not deemed necessary by Hyacinth. She just wants a five star review - not only from a total stranger, but from Buttercup's friends, too. What sort of nutcase is this??? At least offer a copy of your poxy book, luv! At least pretend you want them to read it!
2. Asking people to give you 5* reviews without having read your book (asking them to give you 5* even if you want them to read it first is bad enough!) is not 'networking', it's asking people to abuse the reviewing system and mislead the reading public. If you've had a request like this, please express this to Hyacinth!
3. Most bona fide agents care little for Amazon reviews, as they know how open to abuse the system can be - and people like Hyacinth are responsible for giving them this impression. Agents care about whether your manuscript is up to scratch, not how many pals you've got.
4. Hyacinth, I've looked at your book and you have several one star reviews. If you have to ask people to write fake ones in order to get the rating you want, perhaps it's time to revise your book.....
Great post, as always Terry. I was aware that the review system was open to abuse but this has to take it to a whole new level. I'm completely shocked. It's so corrupt to try and mislead readers into buying books with false reviews and, as you say, does little to enhance the reputation of independently published writers.
ReplyDeleteYes, it shocked me, too - and she obviously thinks that this is acceptable and normal practice!!!
ReplyDeleteI am frequently DMd by people (usually American) offering to send me a copy of their ebook for me to review. Luckily I don't have a Kindle (as you know) The 2 times I accepted a book and reviewed in ( and no, the writers go the review I thought the book deserved) I noted that neither read or reviewed Diamonds & Dust. So this, apart frombeing WRONG in so many ways, is not a quid pro quo arrangement.
ReplyDeleteYes, I get that a lot too - I just say no politely, or not so politely depending on my mood, but this is another thing altogether - she's not offering the book, she only wants the review!!! It's the way the message is written, too, as if she thinks it's a perfectly reasonable request - unbelievable!
DeleteHi Terry. Great post as usual. BTW I've not been approached by Hyacinth to provide a review; should I feel insulted that she doesn't consider my reviews of value :-)
ReplyDeleteha ha, E! Moi aussi!!!! :^D
DeleteOh Dear oh Dear oh Dear...words simply fail me!
ReplyDeleteDo feel free to pass around, Rosie - or perhaps not, you'll probably get the RRIB onto you!!!!! (**quakes in terror**)
DeleteMadness. Dare I say this is yet another example as to why checking out the book you fancy reading on a book bloggers website's will give you a fairer idea of what the book is like? The five star system is so unrealiable due to some people not being honest and sincere. What a shame and frustrating to those whose reviews are true and hard earned!
ReplyDeleteMostly, I think it's okay. As soon as a book starts to sell to people other than close friends and the odd insincere review swapping writer, it gets the reviews it deserves. But people like this want to make it as meaningless as possible, it seems! If a book isn't selling and only has those few 5* within a month or two of publication, that speaks for itself too. I agree about book bloggers being wonderful, though, of course!!! And I do think there ought to be a bigger star range (7 would be just right), but that's another subject, of course!
DeleteI think a 7* system would just go the same way in the end, tbh. Maybe there needs to be a different system altogether? A book bloggers chart for Indie books only valid for free reviews given by authentic book bloggers who run sites not anyone else who just happens to review the odd book on their website? Hmm...
DeleteNice idea, but that would immediately exclude all the readers who buy books via Amazon browse, review after reading, and don't read book blogs - ie, most of them. At least half my regular readers that I know about don't use Twitter and thus don't know about book blogs - I didn't know they existed before, either! I think in a few years it will settle down, and all the indie writers who rely on fake reviews will have given up, as they will realise that such things might sell them the odd book, but they don't find them regular readers. You must have bought books based on fabulous reviews, only to find them second rate - I know I have, a few times. Okay, I bought that one book, but I wouldn't buy another!
DeleteWell, I wasn't suggesting it replaces Amazon, Terry *smiles*
DeleteOoh I do hope readers read book blogs or I am spending hours doing something for no real purpose haha. I know they do as my stats tell me who follows me and they are not all authors by any means.
I hope you are right about things settling down but I think there will always be new authors coming along who want quick results, speedy success and a fast route to sales and they won't care how that is achieved. It is human nature to want to get recognition and success and some don't mind how they get it as long as they do. Most of us dislike the methods used but nothing can be done with the current system of 5* reviews unfortunately :-)
Sorry, I misunderstood you re the Amazon thing!!!! Duuuuhhhh! Not enough sleep or coffee! Yes yes yes, of course loads of people read book blogs, and I know yours is followed by loads, and quite rightly too, it's one of the best - I just meant that there are a hell of a lot of people who don't know they exist - people who have Kindles and read a lot but don't use social networking sites, for instance. Yes - you're right, alas, for all those that give up, there will be new assholes to take their place!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious. How did Buttercup respond to this, if at all?
ReplyDeleteI have trouble saying no to review swaps with other authors as it is. I did one which was a disaster because I hated the other author's book, and since then, I've been careful to avoid such situations. But I'm not very good at it. I think I've offended several Indie authors since I started marketing mine. :(
She just unfriended her, Tasha. I think you've done the right thing, incidentally, by being honest. Review swaps are often fraught with trouble because people don't like to say, um, I don't like your book. Best to steer clear and wait for the reader reviews; don't get involved. At least if a reader gives you 5* you know it's genuine, and not because they want the same back.
DeleteOh my goodness this takes the cake! I once had a stranger contact me on Goodreads and ask if I could recommend her book to all of my friends there. And I thought that was bad! People aren't fooled by 5 star reviews. If they read the first few pages and the book sucks, a stellar review will mean nothing.
ReplyDeleteReallY??? Quanie, that's awful - I can't believe the mentality of some people, can you? And yes - all fake reviews do is make people annoyed that they've been fooled, and paid money out for something that's not very good - I know, I've been caught myself!
DeleteA lot of people, when they say 'please review my book' actually mean 'please review my book favourably'. And these people consider themselves good writers.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Some writers consider it a given that a review will be good, and get most affronted when it isn't. I know a book blogger who gave one twat a fairly generous 3* (because she thought it was worse than the review actually said), and he asked her not to post it, after she'd taken the time to read his book and post the review on three sites. I think some amateurs think that book bloggers are there to provide them will more 4 & 5* ratings, not give an accurate assessment of the book. However, this is not really relevant to the subject of this blog post, as I am sure you will agree. The point is that she's asked for 5* reviews without even offering a copy of the book - she is actually asking for fake reviews.
DeleteSituations like this are what make me conflicted about the rating system. Part of me thinks it would just be better to eliminate it altogether so readers would have to rely on the written review, because the rating system can be deceptive on both ends of the scale, with insincere fives and hateful ones. But then again, as a reader, sometimes I may like a book, but don't really have anything new or earth shattering to say about it to write a review. It's just a cute book, you know? So I'll leave only a rating on GR. By the way, I've often wondered what happens to those ratings on Amazon when you don't accompany them a with a review. There's an option to rate without reviewing. Are those ratings averaged in with the total? Anyway, I'm getting off track. ;) I don't know what the solution is to all of the dishonesty that goes on, but it seems like there should be a better system. I just can't come up with one.
ReplyDeleteShelley, you know you can just write a couple of words on Amazon now? it doesn't have to be 20 anymore. I've got a 2 word one on Goodreads - just 'loved it' was all it needed to say, so perhaps you could just write that, too. I do know what you mean! I like to try and say 'you'll like this if....' about books, to give the reader some idea. Trouble is with just written reviews is that people couldn't sort out the ones they want to read, with ease. by the way, the option to rate without reviewing is there, but the rating doesn't show unless you add words. I agree - no answer!
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't know you can just write a couple of words now. That's great! And you're right, I realize the ratings help customers sort through. I'll admit that when I'm looking through reviews, whether it be for a book or something else, I often look at the low ratings first to see if the feedback is valuable, or if it's just someone being nasty. LOL. Then I'll go back and look through the positive reviews.
ReplyDeleteShelly, that's exactly what I do! If the bad reviews say there are punc or grammar errors, or it's a bit amateur, I'm afraid that puts me off. If they just didn't like it, I look at the rest and the 'Look Inside' bit.
DeleteGood post and worth noting.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to add that I gave someone a 4* and I was being generous after reading their book and they replied, well thank you for the honest review and then deleted and blocked me.
I wish I had been a bit more honest now.
NO!!!! Really???? But 4* is a good review!!!! It means 'I liked it'. Bloody hell, what do they want, to be told their books is worthy of the Pulitzer prize??!! If I were you I'd go back and edit it to the star rating you think it deserves. Seriously, why not? I've done that before, and you've got nothing to lose. Might stop someone else buying something that's not much good, too.
DeleteI once gave a 3* to someone who'd asked me to read their novella. I thought it was worth no more than 2*, but I was generous and gave it 3* and wrote 2 non-commital sentences. I too was deleted and blocked. I actually challenged her about it. I said, look, you asked me to read and review your book, so I did. If you'd said, please read my book and give it a 5* review, I'd have said no!!!!
There is an American "author"--I use the term quite loosely!--who belongs to a group of other SPAs who routinely review each other's little books, posting five-star reviews for each one of them. A cursory glance at the "Look Inside" feature shows anyone with half a wit that none of these books are worth a three-star review on even the best of days. That American has naturally brought his books--and his circle of friends--to Amazon.com.uk. I reviewed both of them, and the lengthy rebuttals by said author and negative votes by his friends have begun, I don't care about the votes, but I do care about letting readers know about these scams. Might even mean I'll have to take up blogging!
ReplyDeleteMargaret, well said!!! I do hope you read this, if not, I shall have to see if I can find you on Twitter. Would you like to write a guest post for me, on my other blog which is all about self-publishing? It doesn't even have to be a full post, just a good account of this experience that I can incorporate into a bigger post. If you are interested in talking about this, please leave your email address here - I have to approve comments before they are posted so it is perfectly safe to do so (obviously I won't post your email address!). Many thanks for commenting.
DeleteGreat post - which I am just about to retweet - and great comments. Margaret, I do think you ought to start blogging. You've got something to say that's worth saying...and isn't said often enough.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Bridget - and if Margaret doesn't see this please tell her I'd love to hear from her! I'm best contacted on Twitter @TerryTyler4
DeleteI've just had an email from a friend who's been invited to join a secret 'street team' (that's what they call them now, then?) in which they all post great reviews for each other. It's all SHIT, and needs exposing more!!!!
Great post Terry but I find this actually really depressing to read about. It makes a mockery of the whole review system (which is challenged enough anyway) and it's unbelievable that someone thinks that this sort of request is actually alright. I don't even like the thought of swapping reviews because that's open to abuse and one party can be made to feel very uncomfortable if the others' book just isn't that good. It's infuriating that this sort of behaviour goes on!! I feel like growling in frustration!!
ReplyDeleteGeorgia, I know EXACTLY what you mean. It makes me feel like that, too. I agree re review swaps, I'd never do them; I've only heard bad things about them from people who have. It makes ones genuine good reviews be called into question, which is why I am so against other writers giving dishonest reviews; if people choose not to review a book that they cannot honestly give a 4 or 5* to, that's fair enough, but there is too much giving of 5* because people think they will get the same back. It makes the whole system mean very little, and it will only get worse unless this sort of thing is checked. I just want to post stuff like this to make people aware that there is NO POINT in touting for fake reviews as, in the long run, they won't make a book any better than it is, and the only thing that will secure a readership is producing good material - not a load of worthless accolades from people who haven't even opened the book!
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