Amazon’s review rules are enforced by robocops.
by Anne R. Allen
One of the things we can do when we’re hunkered down at home during the pandemic is read books. And after we finish something, it’s helpful to other readers and authors if we write a review. (Good karma, too. 🙂 )
But that review doesn’t have to be posted on Amazon. You can review on Bookbub, Goodreads, Kobo, B&N, and other retail sites. Amazon doesn’t have to be the only game in town. In fact, they don’t want to be.
Every year, Amazon makes their review system more restrictive. This isn’t because they “hate indies” (although they do give small presses and self-publishers less love than they did when they needed to fill Kindles back in 2010.) They keep imposing more and more restrictive rules because so many vendors–not just authors–keep relentlessly gaming the Amazon review system.
Something needed to be done. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t hire actual people to do this “something.” They use algorithms. Digital robocops.
And robots are stupid. They crush the innocent as well as the guilty and have no mercy. They are Cybermen. So if you’re caught, consequences are dire.
Do Not Try To Game the “Mighty Zon”
I’m amazed at the number of authors who still ask me to trade reviews. They’re usually complete strangers who approach me on social media without knowing about this blog, so they don’t know how often I preach against going against Amazon’s rules.
Some traders have formed review-trading clubs that game the system by avoiding tit-for-tat reviewing. Instead they spread the reviewing through a group. But it’s still trading if you’re expected to give a good review.
I also saw an author asking for pre-launch reviews who promised a signed paperback if the author liked the review.
All these people seem to think this is “how things are done.”
Maybe a new crop of indies who don’t remember the last Amazon purges are exchanging misinformation as well as suspect reviews.
They are also playing with some scary explosives.
Amazon has always banned review trading, along with buying customer reviews. And the penalties are fierce. Two years ago nearly a million Amazon users lost reviews and many lost their review rights forever.
Some authors and vendors lost all Amazon privileges, including simple buying. A number had Amazon gift cards that became worthless. Even if they’d done nothing wrong. Amazon’s Cybermen often toss out the baby with the bathwater and it’s very hard for the “babies” to get reinstated.
I wrote about each new purge on this blog. I wrote a post about Amazon’s 2015 Review purges and another on review changes in 2016, and one on the heartbreaking reviewer purge of 2018. Many of the purged were innocent, honest book bloggers who had put years of work into their reviewing. Work that evaporated without warning.
Once you’ve been kicked off Amazon there’s little recourse, even if you’ve never broken a rule. So don’t give them a chance to suspect anything.
Amazon’s Review Rules Get Fierce
A couple of years ago, Amazon’s review rules changed and now you must have spent at least $50 at each Amazon store during the last 12 months to be able to review or even post an answer to a question about something you have purchased.
This change was meant to stop scammers from posting 1000s of bogus reviews and comments from third world review farms. But even that didn’t do much to stop the paid review rackets.
So this year Amazon’s review rules have tightened again and punishment has become even more drastic. The Zon won’t simply ban you from reviewing or selling on Amazon.
They will withhold royalties and may even pursue legal penalties.
That’s right. They are now threatening criminal charges against authors who break their rules.
So learn the rules. I have quoted the most important bits below, and there’s a link to the Amazon page where you can read them in their entirety.
Note: “Misconduct…can lead to legal action and civil and criminal penalties.”
By “misconduct” or “review manipulation” they mean paying for reviews, trading them, or offering prizes or gift cards in exchange for a positive review.
Amazon’s Review Rules for “Customer Reviews”
Here’s the new “Anti-Manipulation Policy” quoted directly from the Amazon “Help and Customer Service” page.
”If we determine that you have attempted to manipulate reviews or violated our guidelines in any other manner, we may immediately suspend or terminate your Amazon privileges, remove reviews, and delist related products.
In addition, if we determine that an Amazon account has been used to engage in review manipulation, remittances and payments may be withheld or forfeited.
Misconduct may also violate state and federal laws, including the Federal Trade Commission Act, and can lead to legal action and civil and criminal penalties.
We pursue lawsuits for reviews manipulation against dishonest sellers and manufacturers who attempt to purchase fraudulent reviews and the parties who provide and post those reviews. These lawsuits have produced monetary judgments exceeding the annual revenue for such sellers and data allowing us to take additional enforcement actions against others.
We suspend and ban the accounts of others who engage in review abuse or otherwise violate our guidelines.
We will continue to remove reviews that violate our policies and pursue the sellers and manufacturers who create the demand for fraudulent reviews and the individuals and organizations who supply fraudulent reviews through all available means.”
They also encourage anyone who suspects that review manipulation is taking place or that guidelines are being violated in any other manner to notify them. They say they investigate thoroughly and will take any “appropriate actions.”
Don’t Listen to Hysterical Hype
New indie authors whip each other into frenzies by telling urban legends about reviews. I recently had a new author demand that I write him a review because he only had 20 reviews and his book had been out “a whole week.”
Oh, poor baby.
Some of my books only have 20 reviews and they sell steadily. They once had more, but a lot of the most prolific, serious book bloggers have had their reviews pulled in these “baby with the bathwater” review purges.
The myth that Amazon will only rank your book after you get X number of reviews is just that: a myth.
A book with more reviews may get more traffic and therefore more sales, but the number of reviews is not a factor in your Amazon ranking. There are algorithms that choose which books make the “also bought” lists, but paid ads have pushed out the also-boughts in the last year and nobody knows exactly what the algorithms will favor at any given moment.
One of my books made the top ten list in humor on Amazon with 10 reviews.
Amazon reviews do matter to Bookbub and other bargain newsletters, but they’re not the only factor. These days Bookbub will pay more attention to a handful of Bookbub reviews than 100s of Amazon reviews. Bookbub reviews are much more in-depth and often written by celebrity authors.
Be Careful Using Your Mailing List to Get Amazon Reviews
Unfortunately, a lot of authors tend to treat their mailing list as their bestest buddies who will do anything for them. So they send wheedling emails begging for positive reviews, and/or upvotes on existing good reviews. They also often offer free review copies to the list in exchange for positive reviews. Or offer gifts to reviewers.
Bad idea. Amazon considers even a token gift to be “paying for a review.”
And here’s the thing: a lot of people on your list are only there because you bribed them with a book they probably haven’t read yet. They collect free books.
So assuming that they are devoted minions who are going to drop everything to do your bidding is not a great way to approach them.
If they feel manipulated or guilt-tripped, they have been urged to report you to the Zon. Which will have dire consequences.
Also, the wording of the review can trigger Amazon purges. Any review that says “I received a free copy in exchange for a review” can be removed. Say “I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author.”
Using the words “In exchange” indicates that the book is payment for a review.
More Readers; More Reviews
I want to tell new writers to stop worrying about the reviews and go out and plan ways to make steady sales. Then the reviews will come in. A new book will sell with a handful of reviews (as long as they’re not all one-stars.) So give out as many ARCs as you can. Run giveaways to celebrate your launch, guest blog for bloggers in your genre, and get the books in the hands of as many readers as possible. But don’t try to manipulate or guilt-trip the readers.
Do query book review bloggers. (But make sure you’re professional about it. Here’s how to query a book blogger.)
The best way to get good reviews is to sell good books. (Although remember the greatest books in the world get one-stars from trolls and people who just don’t get the point. Sandra Beckwith has a great post at The Indie Reader this week on “Embracing One-Star Reviews.”)
A little request for a review at the end of the book is a nice incentive. Readers in the glow of a satisfying ending to a good book are much more likely to review than people who read it months ago.
But paid, traded, and coerced reviews hurt us all. Authors who get their reviews the old fashioned way–by waiting for readers who liked their books to review them–are hurt by people who get reviews by gaming the system.
Remember: Amazon is Not the Only Review Venue in Town
Yes, it’s increasingly difficult to leave reviews on Amazon. But Amazon reviews are not the only ones that matter anymore. As I said above, you’re much more likely to get a spot in Bookbub’s bargain newsletter if you have 20 great reviews on Bookbub than 200 on Amazon.
Goodreads is still a good place to leave a review. Just don’t get caught up in any dramas. Most GR groups seem to harbor a troll or two. And you WILL get bad reviews there. There’s a troll named “Annette” who has been giving one-star reviews to dozens of books every day for the last 4 years or so. I’m sure she’s never read any. It’s likely authors pay her to one-star their rivals. But that’s Goodreads. It’s the wild west, and there’s no sheriff in town. But good people still leave reviews there.
And what if you really thought outside the box and left a review at GooglePlay, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, AppleBooks or Scribd? (Scribd is giving us all free reads for the month. See below) Be brave! Throw off the yoke of the Mighty Zon and boldly go where no reviewer has gone before! You might start a whole new movement.
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) March 22, 2020.
What about you, scriveners? Do you worry about reviews? Have you heard the myth that Amazon won’t rank your book unless you have a certain number of reviews? Have you been asked to trade reviews? Did you lose reviews in an Amazon purge?
BOOK OF THE WEEK
SHERWOOD, LTD: Camilla Mystery #2
This is my book that lost the most book blogger reviews in the purge, so I’d much appreciate an honest review!
SALE Only $3.99 at all the Amazons
Suddenly-homeless American manners expert Camilla Randall becomes a 21st century Maid Marian—living rough near the real Sherwood Forest with a band of outlaw English erotica publishers—led by a charming, self-styled Robin Hood who unfortunately may intend to kill her.
When Camilla is invited to publish a book of her columns with UK publisher Peter Sherwood, she lands in a gritty criminal world—far from the Merrie Olde England she envisions. The staff are ex-cons and the erotica is kinky. Hungry and penniless, she camps in a Wendy House built from pallets of porn while battling an epic flood, a mendacious American Renfaire wench, and the mysterious killer who may be Peter himself.
Here’s a great write-up of Sherwood, Ltd from Debra Eve at the Later Bloomer
Available in ebook from:
All Amazons GooglePlay Scribd Kobo Nook Smashwords
Available in paper from:
Excellent information, Anne.
One thing Amazon has added that I think is destructive is the ability to rate a book without posting a review. This allows people to leave one-star reviews without saying why. Writers can’t improve if they don’t know what dissatisfies readers. I noticed this on a humor anthology recently. Bad practice.
Aargh. Correction: “This allows people to leave one-star *ratings* without saying why.”
Kathy–I agree 100%. Goodreads has always done this and the policy has caused terrible harm there. So why Amazon adopted it for their site is beyond comprehension. What good does it do customers to have trolls leave bogus ratings. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the worst trolls actually work for Amazon.
” Unfortunately, I think a lot of the worst trolls actually work for Amazon.” I don’t really understand this. Why would Amazon employees do this?
Ned–I’m not a psychologist, so I can’t tell you all the motivations behind trollish behavior. But generally when people feel angry and powerless is when they’ll commit random acts of unkindness. Back in the days of the Amazon forums (fora, if you’re a Latin nerd) , many Amazon employees hung out there and ranted against authors. There was a huge amount of game-playing when it came to top reviewer status and many Amazon employees were involved. That’s why the honchos closed the forums and got rid of the competition for top reviewer status. You still find anti-author sentiment coming from Amazon employees when you ask for help. Authors are not customers. We are vendors, and they don’t like us.
Fabulous post Anne, and who’da thunk you’d be a Robocop fan! (The original is gory but still one of the all-time greats). This is important advice for authors new and veteran, as usual, thanks.
I can’t shake the feeling- hardly an expert- that people full-stop just don’t review like they used to. The restrictions are certainly part of it, but that teeth-pulling feeling we have as authors seems to be getting stronger. Maybe a decade ago a book review was something you, the reviewer, could point to with pride because it increased YOUR visibility. Now you slap a rant out on any number of social media much more easily.
But most of all, I believe that readers flinch from the act of reviewing, on any platform because it’s so perilously close to writing and they don’t think they can handle the imagined needs. We’ve all read great books, we’ve also seen fabulous, insightful reviews. Nobody feels comfortable with just “This was a fun ride, and I really liked ___”.
Will–You’ve got some good insights here. I also think there’s the fear left over from childhood of writing a “book report.” I’ve asked people about writing reviews and they say they’re not good at book reports. They don’t have a clue that the review is not supposed to be a recap of the plot to prove you’ve read the book. It’s just an expression of feelings about the book.
And Amazon’s discouragement of reviews has certainly decreased the number. I often get enthusiastic tweets and emails from readers who love my books, but say they’re afraid of Amazon so they don’t review.
Just a quick comment about troll reviews, Anne. I got a 1-Star zinger some time ago that was obviously a troll-turd. It made no mention of the book content, its title or anything to indicate the guy from under the bridge actually opened it. It went something like, “Worst book I ever read… could not get through the first chapter… blah, blah”. I sent Amazon several notes to their help page about getting it removed because of how it affected the overall star rating. Never heard a thing back and it’s still there. Ce la vie.
Garry–Amazon will not remove a review unless it contains obscenities or a direct personal threat. One-star reviews that say “I wud never read this garbage. The author shud kill himself becauss he is ugly an stoopid and his mom dresses him funny.” No problem for the Zon. They won’t remove it unless it’s part of a “swarm” of one stars, and you’re a celebrity.
Anne—Thanks for the update. IMO one of the main reasons people don’t leave reviews is that writing is h.a.r.d. As any writer can tell you!
Ruth–I think you’re right. Non-writers are challenged by the idea of writing something that the public is going to read. As I said to Will, I think their childhood anxiety about writing “book reports” kicks in.
After your post on BookBub, I’ve been leaving reviews there as well as Goodreads.
I know an author who can’t leave reviews on Amazon due to one of those purges. They’ll really do it!
Alex–Sorry I skipped you this morning. The WordPress elves won’t let me comment on the post. I have to go “backstage” and comment in the spamblocking section. And sometimes I don’t see a comment. So annoying.
But yes, Amazon really truly does those purges and they got rid of a huge number of good, honest, book blogging reviewers who were Amazon affiliates (and many who weren’t.:-( ) That’s why I’m loving BookBub. So glad you’re posting there!
This is why I review the books I’ve loved reading on my blog. I don’t want to have to jump through someone else’s hoops. My goal is to promote reading.
Leanne–Not everybody has a blog, but if you do have one, a review there is great. Especially if you share it a lot on social media. But if you post it on a retail site as well, it gets more readers, so if you’re on Bookbub, or buy from B&N or whatever, you get more exposure there.
After reading Anne’s article, I’m wondering whether I should just stick with posting reviews on my blog.
Liz–Posting reviews on your blog is great. That’s because blog reviews tend to be longer and more in-depth. But cutting and pasting that review on a few other sites like B&N or Kobo would be easy and reach more readers.
Would you recommend in this instance skipping The Zon altogether?
Liz–No, I’m not recommending skipping Amazon if you’re one of the lucky ones who’s allowed to review. Authors still make most of our sales there, so a review on the Zon has a big impact.
OK, thank you. So far, I haven’t run afoul of the Zon’s algorithms. Maybe because I don’t post frequently or use a lot of superlatives?
Liz–My secret seems to be that I hardly ever leave a 5-star. I only leave 4 stars, which is still good, but doesn’t flag the robocops. Not posting very often helps, too.
Good to know.
Timely, informative and comforting information. As a new author, I had become somewhat obsessed with Amazon reviews…believed that I had to hit certain targets numbers or I was failing, even strong armed a few close friends to say something good about my book (they’re not friends any more). After reading this, I am going to relax a bit and let the book speak for itself…for better or for worse. Thank you for being the voice of reason.
Kenneth–New authors are bombarded with misinformation about reviews, so I understand your anxiety. But most of that stuff is bogus. And yeah, not a good idea to manipulate friends into reviewing for a lot of reasons. Reviews from friends and family are forbidden, so if the Zon finds out you’re friends–there goes the review. And you could end up in deep doo-doo.
This is extraordinarily helpful. I didn’t know THIS much about Amazon’s actions regarding reviews and now I know! Thank you so much.
Patricia–I see so much misinformation going around social media. I figured I should let people know the Zon is getting really serious about this.
Hey Anne,
Thanks once more. I particularly appreciate that you’re spreading the word that Amazon’s not the only game in town. I love the idea of people reading your blog, & broadening their vision of the world. Just because Amazon comes up first on every search for anything, ever, doesn’t mean nobody else exists. Brava, & keep up the good work.
CS–That’s so true. Amazon is not the only show in town. If people write a review on Kobo or B&N, it might be the only review, so their deathless prose will stand out!
I haven’t been posting reviews on Barnes & Noble. I think it’s time I started!
Liz–Great idea. Barnes and Noble really needs some review love. 10 years ago, they were getting a good number, then the reviews all stopped. Why not be a bigger fish in a smaller pond?
Thank you for the recommendation. I’m on it!
Hi Anne,
It’s always something with the Zon, isn’t it?
Like your other reader, Kathy, I’ve noticed the rating without reviewing thing as well. It just suddenly started happening. And apparently, I’ve angered some troll as he/she has made sure to give each and every one of my books a 1-star rating. I suppose in a way, it’s flattering, that he/she despises me so much they’d like to ruin my day. Haha.
Reviews are nice, and we all like to see them, especially those that sing our praises – but as someoone wiser than I once said, the reviews are for the readers, not the writers. Maybe it heralds back to that quote from Michal J Fox, “It’s none of my business what other people think of me,”?
I too, have had total strangers friend me or follow me then immediately ask for reviews or to do review swaps. I always decline as I’ve never really been much for the tit for tat approach to anything.
I’ve yet to determine if they really affect book sales or not. Perhaps if you’re lucky enough to have a swarm of them in the first week of release they do – just from the curiosity factor. However, many books I’ve seen with boatloads of reviews, didn’t turn out to be very good books in my opinion, despite what the enormous number of reviews seemed to indicate.
Recently, another author gave a talk that I saw and she said emphatically, ‘don’t read your reviews.’ I was somewhat shocked to hear that but as I’ve thought about it, maybe there is some wisdom in that advice. Because really, good or bad, reviews are merely the opinion of one reader.
To be honest, today, I’d rather have a pipeline to a source for toilet paper than a dozen more reviews.
Cheers,
Annie
Annie–It’s true that reviews are for readers, not authors. Although these days a lot of reviews sound like critiques that are directed directly at the author. I don’t think those are a good idea. I think that behavior comes from the advice you hear constantly, which is “learn from your bad reviews.” I don’t agree with that. I’ve never had a one-star that was helpful to me as a writer. My last one-star said “One first page? come on!” I’m supposed to learn from that?
Thoughtful people are afraid to review, but drunk and high people have no problem, obviously.
Yeah, I hear you about the toilet paper. For me, it’s paper towels.
I try to avoid checking reviews, because I think your presenter was right. I look for numbers, rather than read them all the way through. Unless they’re 5-star. Then I might read it.
Great post, as usual, Anne. One question—a while back I’d heard bloggers could no longer post reviews on Amazon and that authors were instead posting these in their editorial section. Do you have any info on this? Hope you are staying healthy and doing the hobbit thing!
Alicia–This is true of book bloggers who are Amazon affiliates. Because they make money from Amazon book sales (not a whole heckuva lot) they are considered to be benefiting from the reviews. So quotes from the review can be used in “editorial” but not as customer reviews. That’s why a lot of the book bloggers lost their reviews in 2018.
Does this mean we should report allllll those book promo newsletters that require a minimum amount of 5-star reviews (10, 20, 50, etc.)? Those are the only reason I see to even bother about reviews anymore. It’s also frustrating when you have a new book launch, you’re trying to get reviews, but the promo places won’t look at you. I’ve decided to just not care and write more books.
Kessie–That would be interesting! I wonder what the Zon would do? You certainly can report the marketing people who tell you to give gift cards to get reviews. Bargain newsletters aren’t all that great for new launches. They’re great for selling your backlist. That will draw attention to your work, and readers may look for your latest. I still think that guest blogging for authors in your genre is one of the best ways to launch a new title. Another is Amazon ads. They don’t care how many reviews you have.
Is anyone else exhausted from all this? It seems to get harder and harder every day to reach readers. You are so right about the robotics of it, Anne. If you are an author with a bigger house, and on one of their lists, you can’t leave Amazon reviews at all, and I think it’s so unfair, as authors are readers too! Probably more than anyone else. But, as you and I said years ago, Amazon is in the business of selling kindles. They are not in the business to nurture authors.
Melodie–I didn’t know that authors in bigger houses are forbidden to leave Amazon reviews! Actually, that may be a wise plan. Authors should write Bookbub and editorial reviews only. We need to try to loosen the Zon’s grip on our industry.
And yes, it’s exhausting!
My policy (which I sometimes violate!) is to not read reviews. My job is to write the best book I can and the readers job is to decide if she likes it. Since there are plenty of bestselling books I don’t really care for, it’s not fair for me to hold a grudge!
Two stories about bad reviews: a best-selling author I’m acquainted with said she was moaning to her husband about bad reviews on one of her books, and he told her “Go look at Stephen King’s book reviews.” Hah! Turns out, old Stephen as some stinkers like the rest of us.
And #2 story: judging a contest, I encountered a book that was really something: great story-telling and characters, and less than stellar writing, and horrible editing, so many grammar errors and malapropisms that I almost had head injuries from being thrown out of the story so often. I checked on Amazon and the book had five 5-star reviews, and no others. Clearly family and friends being kind. That experience gave me a healthy respect for those one star “too much sex” and “I couldn’t get into this story” reviews.
Alina–Ignoring reviews is great advice if you can do it. But it’s like not touching your face. The more you try not to, the more you do it. 🙂
I have often linked to Stephen King, JK Rowling, & F. Scott Fitzgerald’s one stars. They are hilarious. And plentiful. This is why I don’t always go along with the “learn from your bad reviews” idea.
A one star that says “I couldn’t get into the story” is understandable and could mean you have a flabby opener. Unfortunately there are too many that say “This author should kill himself” or “I hate chick lit” (for a chick lit novel.) Not useful to anybody. But every writer gets them. Lots of angry, drunk people out there. We have to ignore them.
Up until abut 5-6 months ago, if you got a book via NetGalley, you could put the review you had there up directly onto Amazon. That option is now gone permanently. (I just bought my husband a Kindle from their UK site, so I can put my reviews on the UK site for the next year.) You can still put those reviews on B&N but know that they have a word count limit.
Davida–I didn’t know that! NetGalley reviews can’t be posted on Amazon anymore? That’s a biggie. I also didn’t know B & N had a word count limit. Thanks for the info!
Excellent information. Powell’s Books here in Portland would be another good place to leave reviews, and hardly anyone does on that site, which is a shame.
DD–Yes. Powells. Great choice for leaving a review! I think it’s like people getting up to dance. The more people on the dance floor, the more people want to dance. But if nobody’s dancing, everybody’s afraid to be the first one.
I use a shifting group of ARC readers. I will change my instructions from your helpful blog. Thanks!
David–You’re lucky to have an ARC team! Yeah. Make sure they know the rules. Especially that simple thing of not saying “in exchange.”
I need to catch up on my reviews *hangs head* but I do leave them on BookBub. Also, copy them to GoodReads even though it is a bit of a swamp. Laughed out loud at this: “It’s the wild west, and there’s no sheriff in town.” So true.
This is the first time I’m saying this “out loud” but I do not leave reviews on Amazon anymore. They took my reviews down. I purchase there quite often and had (over) the required amount spent. I have NEVER given or received a book/gift/money/ARC or anything from anyone and have never traded reviews or even given a review to a fellow blogger after they reviewed one of my books. Ever. Never ever. And yet…
This. Is. Personal. 😉 Thanks for posting this, Anne. And all the other posts regarding using alternatives to the jungle. I’m happy someone like you is using her power for good.
Sarah–Thanks for reviewing on Bookbub! That’s the place to be. And a Goodreads review helps the author. I don’t know if it helps readers, because so many people know GR reviews aren’t reliable. I’m sorry you’re one of the people whose reviews were removed. So many honest, excellent reviewers were purged in the last Amazon crackdown. Nobody knows why. Some were Amazon affiliates. That’s now considered a conflict of interest. But others are a mystery. You could have used the word “exchange” in a review. Even if it didn’t say “in exchange for a review” it might trigger removal. Or maybe some troll complained about something you said on Twitter. There’s no way to know when it’s all done by robots and robots are stupid.
It was a long road and has never been figured out. I’ve never used that term because I’ve always purchased (to make sure I was a “verified” reviewer) and have never asked for or accepted a book in exchange or as a gift. I don’t review anyone I “know” and have told everyone who knows me IRL not to review so… ??? It’s possibly Twitter but, honestly, how else would I find out about some of these books. It’s a maddening unknown why this happened. And they were jerks about it through the whole process. Anyway, thanks for the posts. And, yes, BookBub is the place to be. I’ll preach that! 🙂 Stay safe and healthy.
Love your sense of humor, Anne! But in all seriousness, thank you for this excellent update. In the years I used to write reviews, I didn’t think twice in posting them everywhere possible to help fellow authors. Since then a lot of things have changed, but I still see people on Facebook groups tied to the old practices.
Thanks so much for this very informative post – really interesting and helpful information!
Wow that was a really great post! I’m a new author and have prepared myself for the long game (hopefully not too long).
I’ve never understood why people buy reviews. Personally I’d prefer to see real feedback from actual readers.
Still this was a really informative and helpful post.
Thank you ????
Kat–Thanks! People buy reviews because lots of advertisers want a certain number of reviews before they’ll take on a book. Also the more reviews, the more popular the book seems–to some people. There are also a lot of myths out there about how the number of reviews affects your sales rank. (It doesn’t)
But don’t treat reviews as “feedback.” Reviews are for potential readers, not authors. Good ones are gratifying of course, but many authors don’t read their reviews at all. It cuts down on the urge to respond and say things like, “Did you even read this book, moron?” Which are not a good idea. 🙂
I made all my fiction books free on Smashwords until 20 April in response to the lock-downs. It was only when I saw the numbers going out that it occurred to me I could get some reviews as a result. I’d rather read an honest review over a ‘coerced’ one any day. Since I have no way of knowing who might download these books, there is no incentive to do anything but an honest review.
Jaq–In today’s post I recommend making books free in this time when people are stuck and home, often with very little money. How great you’ve done it already! And yes, I didn’t mention Smashwords, but that’s another great place to leave reviews. Some of of the best reviews I every got were on Smashwords. And they’re so much more gratifying when they come from total strangers.
Anne, thank you for your informative and helpful post. Certainly food for thought here. I post reviews on my blog, Goodreads and the mighty Zon. Your comment to Liz about leaving four star reviews and flying under the radar caught me. We are having to edit our actions to avoid the bots…I am pondering coming off the Zon altogether. Thanks for your information on all this. Xx
Jane–Some people are disappointed when I give 4 stars, and I don’t want to broadcast it everywhere, but I think a four star review is a lot safer. Alas, 70 % or more of book sales are on Amazon, so it’s hard to avoid them.
Amazon’s Review Rules Have Become Even Stricter in 2020) This was all so interesting to read about, So many good answers to some of the questions that I had.
June–I’m so glad I was able to answer some of your questions. You get a lot of bad advice from indie authors who don’t know what can happen if you mess with the Mighty Zon. 🙂
This “crackdown,” which I would phrase more properly as “arbitrary nazi-like review banning” has also caused a plethora of perfectly well meaning customers from not only posting helpful reviews, but from asking important personal questions about products that assist in making better informed purchases. I was banned and never given a reason. Even after appeal by email all I got for months was the same cookie-cutter responses over and over, and NEVER an actual explanation of WHY. I never got anything except, “read our community guidelines.” Well, I HAVE, and I didn’t violate anything I’ve read. What a joke!
Chris–This post is three years old. I think Amazon has got even worse since then. Everything is done by robots, and people are being banned from Amazon for life for using images in their cover art the robots say is “freely available on the Web” that weren’t free when they bought the images. It’s getting out of hand. And no human seems to be in charge. On the other hand, I got a toxic ad hominem attack review from a stalker that was taken down within hours, so sometimes the system works. Maybe like the clock that’s right twice a day. 🙂 Sorry you’ve been put through this.
You can’t argue with a robot. Just ask Dr. Smith. Thanks for the empathy, which is totally lacking at Amazon.
Chris–No empathy from robots, either. Danger, Will Robinson! 🙂