First, before we get to the topic at hand, my client Jennifer Hubbard is hosting an awesome blog event around the Internet: lots of participating blogs are making per-comment donations to local libraries and all you have to do is stop by and leave a comment. The master list of participants is on Jennifer’s blog – it’s a great way to generate money for a great cause!
Meanwhile, you may have heard that Michael Lewis, author of The Blind Side and Moneyball, just published a new book on the financial crisis called The Big Short. The book has received good reviews, but a funny thing started happening on Amazon: lots and lots of 1 star reviews, leading to an overall ranking of 2 and 1/2 stars. Why? People leaving 1 star reviews solely because there is no Kindle edition available.
The actions of these consumers prompted TechCrunch to write a rather direct article on the controversy: Amazon: You Need to Change Your Idiotic Customer Reviews Policy Right Now. But TechCrunch, tell us how you really feel!
Noting that these one star non-reviews mainly just hurt the author, who by the way doesn’t have control over the publisher’s publication plans, Paul Carr’s suggestion is that reviews should be limited to people who have actually bought the book from Amazon – this way people with an outside agenda can’t drag down a book’s rating without even having read it, whether their beef be political or gender-related or Kindle-centric.
What do you think of this controversy? Are the Amazon reviewers just flexing consumer muscle or are they out of line? Do companies have an obligation to address libelous/spurious/treasonous/blank-ous reviews?
Many people, even if they’ve actually purchased a product or service, write reviews based on how they feel about the overall experience. I was recently looking at reviews for hotels. Someone gave a hotel only one star because it didn’t have a bar and they had to drive some distance to get a drink. Most people gave that same hotel an excellent rating. On the other hand, some people gave hotels in which other customers were bitten by bed bugs very good ratings! If a business like Amazon gives everyone the right to review books, it’s really up to the buyer to read why the book received the number of stars it did. Most books published by the big publishing houses have professional reviews posted above the customer reviews, and those are the ones I read before purchasing a book. If publishers want to sell their books through online mega stores like Amazon, they have to expect that their products will be reviewed by consumers in the same way that consumers review soap: "I’m only giving this product one star because it doesn’t come in lavender which is my favorite scent."
I’ve seen poor reviews of classic children’s picture books on Amazon because the customers felt there were political messages within those books. Immediately publishing all books on Kindle won’t solve the problem of mixed consumer ratings. It will give Amazon more money, however, and more power as a major decision-maker about how future books will be priced and marketed to consumers. And consumers like to have a say in everything, especially on the Internet. I doubt there’s much incentive for Amazon to refuse reviews for books that weren't actually purchased on Amazon. After all, consumers are staging a protest in favor of publishers immediately releasing all books on Kindle! It’s like free advertising for the Kindle. And, as blogs pick up this discussion, it’s even more free advertising for the Kindle! I’m not sure Amazon will want to change that. Why would they? Publishers, however, might be thinking twice about Amazon’s increasing control over the marketing of all books.
Yeah, this is crazy talk. People are smart enough to read between the lines of reviews and pull out what’s most important to them. Sometimes a bad review will reinforce my buying decision, as when the reviewer homes in on something that wouldn’t be a concern to me.
Great publicity though!
Part of the problem is that Amazon is used to sell a variety of products, from a variety of vendors. For example, I recently bought a litter box for my cat from Amazon via petco (sorry for the slightly gross example, but I think it'll illustrate what I'm saying clearly). There were plenty of litter box reviews that were about the physical shape of the litter boxes or their various features–whether they had a cover or not, for example. Leaving negative or positive reviews regarding these sorts of things are actually helpful to other buyers: I was looking for a litter box that had a cover so my stupid cat wouldn't pee straight over it. Reviews on litter boxes talk about these things in either a positive or negative way and so are helpful to me.
As, I'd imagine, a negative review from someone who is upset that a book doesn't have a kindle edition is helpful to other kindle owners. Reviews are meant to be helpful, and to reflect a consumer's needs and desires and how well a product fits with those needs and desires. This goes for books, too. Some people here are saying that books were attacked because reviewers didn't like some feature of the books–a plot twist, or if the book featured ghosts. That's a completely valid reaction to a book, and it utterly and completely makes sense to review in line with that. Does it suck for the writer that they won't get sales based on the arbitrary tastes of consumers? Well, sort of. But at least the consumers will be well-informed about what they're getting into.
I agree with everyone here who has said that they find 5-star reviews the least helpful. I usually look right at the one- and two-star reviews of products before I buy them: I find they give a much more accurate portrait of a product, be it book or litterbox.
The Big Short is the bestseller in nonfiction and a few other categories on amazon, so obviously this hasn't hurt sales much at amazon.
I've ignored book reviews at amazon because you have to weed through the people with axes to grind and people trying pump up the reviews for their own book. If someone looks up a specific book at amazon, they must have had a reason. They were already inclined enough to research the book. I'd doubt that just seeing a book got only three stars without actually reading the reviews is not the norm.
Frankly, I like the Kindlites response. The publishers are acting like idiots when it comes to e-books. What other business refuses to give their customers what they want?
Food for thought: IF an author had identical offers from two publishers, and the only difference was that one publisher would sell the e-book at the same time as the hardcover, which publisher would more authors choose?
bill-
If companies really gave consumers everything they wanted wouldn't everything be free?
Seriously? Over a stupid Kindle? This just shows our society's sense of entitlement it feels it deserves.
Maybe there should be several different rating questions that need to be answered, with the overall rating calculated from that. I know it isn't a perfect system, but it might help… maybe.
that's a great idea i.e., requiring or encouraging some connection between having bought the book and posting a rating. the idea that people can attack a book just because is terrible. but, how would this be "enforced"? I buy and read books from a variety of sources, rarely amazon, but that doesn't invalidate my commenting on a book. Maybe the star element could be purchase specific – a book bought on Amazon would entitle a person to vote – but otherwise, the vote would have to be written?
I think the reviewers need an outlet to direct their anger about the lack of kindle releases, and right now, the only outlet they have is through reviews. If the reviewers can knocked down hardcover sales and get media attention, then what they're doing is working. And it's about time that publishers start listening to their customers.
Check out the reviews of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring on Blueray. Folks are mad that the extended version isn't being released. So this behavior extends beyond books.
Honestly, I don't blame the reviewers. Publishers have jacked up the prices on Kindle books and delayed them. What consumer do you know that wants to be treated this way during a recession?
Please people don't be haters because the company is not doing your bidding. Remember what mom said? If you don't have anything nice to say…. leave five stars anyway. 😉
Out of line. The fact there is no Kindle version illustrates the opposite of what a 'one star review' tells the consumer: they like the book and want to read it on Kindle.
I just left the ^^^ comment and read a few of the threads opening comments. I'm surprised to read people don't give weight to Amazon comments – even though i'm not an Amazon customer or regularly, I will use those comments as part of my purchasing decision. The minimizing of the comments that's put forth, makes me question the larger "value" of direct contact with the consumer ie., blogs, etc. Which, for me makes sense, since I'll investigate an author's website but nothing they say is going to make me want to buy.
I recently read a book that claimed authors can have reviews removed on Amazon if it isn't demonstrating that the reviewer hadn't read the novel. I think giving something a 1 star review that doesn't deserve it is absolutely shameful.
Additionally, it's been mentioned that people don't take those reviews into account, but c'mon…a lot of people do otherwise they wouldn't exist. And if you're telling me you wouldn't look askance at a book with a 2 1/2 star rating in favor perhaps of one with a 4 1/2 star rating you're either a compulsive reader or a compulsive liar.
I think that the reviewers are out of line. It is a shame that an author would suffer from something as silly as this.
As far as having to purchase the book from Amazon, I don't think it should be a requirement to be able to leave a review. What if the book is a gift, or a review copy, or the reviewer is a regular Amazon customer? Too bad this could be taken away by this silly situation. Just when I thought maybe I might live in a world of real live grown up adults…
I love the customer reviews on amazon and base many of my purchases on them. Before buying a book, I read at least one positive and one negative review. The negative review helps me weed out books that contain tropes I hate (for example, borderline abusive heroes in romance novels). I'm not terribly swayed by the overall rating, especially in fiction, but when browsing subjects in nonfiction, I'm more likely to click on a book with a high rating than one with a low rating or no rating at all.
I frequently find reviews on amazon that are about the buying experience, e.g., "Book arrived on time and in good condition." Why doesn't amazon weed those reviews out? They obviously don't belong there. And neither do the ones complaining about the lack of a Kindle edition.
Do Kindles come with a sense of entitlement included, or what?
Okay, I can see both sides to this, honestly. But I have to come down on the side of, unfair to the writer, does not offer helpful feedback for a potential reader to evaluate.
Word Verification: storized
Anon 12:17 – I definitely use Amazon reviews. I can think for yourself.
Worstwriterever and Marilyn, I like what you said.
Publishing companies need to be careful here. They risk making a negative brand for themselves if they repeatedly ignore consumer requests. People who own Kindles really like books. I wouldn't alienate them.
Someone hit a nerve! (i.e. great post, Nathan!)
For the folks who are of the opinion that reviews are worthless, I'd agree on a personal level, but wholeheartedly disagree on a general marketing level.
Personally, I wouldn't let my wife (the person I trust the most) tell me what to read, much less some faceless internet soapbox grandstander.
However, when it comes to the new electronic age of publishing we need only look at the model established by iTunes. As digital distribution gains even more traction in publishing, authors are going to find their livelihoods increasingly tied to user reviews, content match systems (think the Genius feature on iTunes), and the various other means that people will use to sift through the mountain of content that ePublishing is enabling.
I don’t allow individual reviews to make the final decision when it comes to purchasing content, but it very often dictates what I view in the first place. How many times have you gone to purchase something online (DVD player, TV, music, books, etc.) and sorted based upon user reviews or ‘what’s hot’?
As for the question at hand, it seems that Amazon could easily allow people to filter reviews based upon if the reviewers purchased the item or not. Problem solved … next problem: HEALTHCARE REFORM!
Amazon doesnt owe squat to anyone who hasnt purchased the book through them. Why are random people being allowed to review??
If you want a review, go to a book review site. However if you want to purchase the book, go to Amazon, who is a STORE. Then be offered a chance for feedback.
That is way out of line, especially if it hurting a professional reputation and damaging sales of someone who has no control over the issue. Amazon may find theirselves eventually sued for liable and defamation.
I don't think limiting it to people who've bought through Amazon helps—I see one and two star reviews from people who bought through Amazon (from third party sellers), complaining about the shipping time or the condition. (This isn't eBay, people.)
I'd hate to lose the ability to review on Amazon just because I don't often buy a book/other product there. It's been a while since I reviewed something Amazon, but aren't you supposed to check a box saying you own it?
Way out of line. In no other industry would this sort of crap fly. Try demanding that Microsoft sell Mac versions of their software.
Maybe people who read paperbacks should start posting one star reviews for the hardback versions of the book. Would anyone stand for that? I doubt it.
Tangential to the main topic, the reviewers are wasting their time.
The publisher, W. W. Norton, e-publishes only from their textbook catalog. Furthermore, they note that "our titles are not formatted for handheld use. We do not recommend that you purchase the downloadable ebook if you intend to make significant use of it on a handheld device."
The chances of that book coming out in Kindle format—or any other e-book format—in anything like the near future seem vanishingly small, no matter how big a tantrum the Kindle-owners throw.
The only time I read reviews is when I go to post a review. I only post reviews on books I recommend. If I can't rate a book 4 stars or higher – I don't do a review. It's often fascinating to see why others post negative reviews for books I like.
I seldom buy my books through Amazon.
Posting a 1 star review on a book not read is extremely childish – especially if it is for format.
But then, Amazon has done a few whacky and childish things lately too, also to the detriment of the authors and readers. Hmm, maybe they should rethink their business objectives.
Unfortunately, that solution may limit the silly 1-star reviews, but it doesn't eliminate them.
I'm an Amazon junkie and I love reading comments (especially before I make a purchase), and I've noticed that many people will give a 1-star review if there was a problem with the shipping or packaging.
There reviews will say something like:
"I hate Amazon. They promised me this book within 2 days, and it's been 10 days now. Where's my book Amazon? Where is it?"
I guess some people don't realize that the feedback section relates directly to the quality of the product. Maybe Amazon should have a place where people can review their satisfaction of the ordering process as a whole.
Marilyn Peake makes some good points. I've seen one-star reviews on Amazon because the book took too long to arrive or didn't arrive.
Maybe Amazon should have a separate page for other complaints, such as the Kindle issue.
And maybe they need to explain what a book reiview is and isn't.
I had a look at the Amazon reviews for this book and although it had a lot of 'nuisance' votes, I doubt those votes will hurt sales.
Because I can't read all the reviews of any given book, often numbering in the hundreds, I usually take a sampling from the 5-star rating, the 3-star and the 1-star. It's obvious the 1-star voters hadn't read the book and if I was deciding whether or not to read this book, I'd ignore them.
Of much more interest is the fact that so many people want to read their books on an ereader. It would seem the future is here and we'd better get on board or be left behind.
Meh. Once one person does it, others copy the complaint. There are always people who jump on to give bad reviews for whatever reason they can come up with. These kinds of created issues churn out swarms, just like the kind of pile up that happens when an author makes a crazy response to a review.
If it was happening to a bunch of authors, then it might be something to worry about, but with just one being singled out it's more a stunt than anything else.
From the point of view of reviewing a book, they're out of line. From the point of view of reviewing a product, they're spot on–their preferred format is not available. It's like giving a restuarant a poor review for not having vegetarian options–their food might be delish, so props to the chef, but their selection is subpar–boo to the management.
So the question is, are Amazon.com reviews meant as reviews of the book or as reviews of the product as delivered by Amazon?
Is it fair to the author? Probably not. Do I actually take Amazon reviews into consideration when buying? Not usually, as they tend to be "I Read this ergo it's super-awesome-wonderfulness." IE, way skewed toward 5-star reviews.
I have to echo the comment about a separate customer support/service review section. Almost all of the one star reviews that aren't by someone who hated the product are people complaining about getting damaged goods, or never getting goods at all, or thinking they ordered something completely different (DVD as opposed to book).
Obviously, that customer support section is going to need neon arrows pointing to it with links all over…
I've never allowed reviews of any kind to sway my purchasing decisions of anything. Book, hardware, software, movie, clothing, breakfast cereal, deodorant, toothpaste, etc.
I don't buy into advertising either. I either want a product, based on price-value point, functionality, purpose, and outcome or I don't.
There's this groupthink called astroturfing going on at Amazon too, secondhand vanity reviews posted by fans, acquaintances, relatives intended to persuade consumers, that turns my stomach.
News and book media reviews by journalism reviewers generally aren't all that enticing either. They're nearly as vacuous as astroturfing.
More often than not, I'm inclined to think those sorts of reviewers are as caught up in the groupthink pageant as astroturfers. They don't get the it of some novels any more than the groupthink.
Wow. I felt compelled to go see the one star reviews just because the book was not available in electronic format. I have to say, there are some militant people when it comes to getting their books "in 30 seconds" and not having to buy from a "brick and mortar store".
It's sad to see that our society has become so impatient that we get so up in arms when we can't have something immediately. Sometimes I long for the pre-digital age.
I hope they don't make it 'amazon only' reviews. While I buy a lot of my books from them, I read reviews just for books I get at the library too. I think a little pop up reminding the author of what a review should be might be helpful, but limiting who can review the book is short sighted, to me. If I go to Amazon to read a review, the chances increase I'll buy from them. The problem is the reviewers not understanding their responsibilities.
My next question is why the heck isn't it available for Kindle? 🙂
I typically use Amazon for reviews on any number of products, books included. Sometimes that leads me to buying said product from Amazon. With Amazon's rating policy shown to be corrupted I'm less inclined to trust Amazon.
That said, Amazon has a policy that allows users to take advantage of it. The users are stating their opinion and while I generally am annoyed at "reviewers" who don't own the product, Amazon lets them review it regardless so the blame lays more with the company.
Arggh . . . the frustration. Recently folks began writing "I didn't read this, but I disapprove on principle" one star reviews on the Book of the Month Club site–because it was "wrong" to write about as dark a topic as I covered in my book (a father killing his wife while his children were present.)
Lucky for me, others became so incensed at this, they wrote five star "I disapprove of this method" reviews.
The 'no-kindle' reviews are awful–perhaps those of us who like Mr. Lewis (I've loved his previous books) can put up 5-star "I expect to love this book" reviews.
My critique partner's book is coming out on April 6. In spite of this, Barnes and Noble has been collecting reviews for it since 2008–1's from some who are disappointed the book has been delayed, 5's from some who think the book will be as good as her first. That makes no sense either.
Much as I love the idea of all those reader reviews, I do think there's an issue…
I get frustrated when I'm trying to figure out the quality of a book but instead read a review (and star rating) based on the quality of the shipping…
Also, I've read reviews that have included incorrect information about a book, or referred to a wrong edition (i.e. the book has been extensively expanded yet the reviewer claims it's not worth the current price, not realizing the book is three times the size it used to be).
Amazon does allow comments to be left on reviews, but this doesn't seem like quite enough. As for a solution… I'm still thinking….
I've also seen one-star reviews that complain that the book wasn't shipped promptly, wasn't packaged well, or that the amazon re-seller who was supposed to send it didn't have it in stock. None of these review problems would be solved by only letting people review books they've purchased.
Besides, Mr. Carr's solution is a bit, to use an overused word, elitist, isn't it? I post reviews of books that I've taken out of the library or bought at thrift stores. And I've both written and been grateful to read amazon reviews of books that are long out of print and aren't available for sale on amazon at all, not even used.
The solution seems simple: delete the reviews that are about the availability of the book in various formats or the quality of the purchasing experience.
There were 6 just-published books I wanted to purchase yesterday that were not available for Kindle.
Sooo, I bought 3 of them new for THE LOWEST price I could and got the other 3 from my public library — which meant that I either got them as hardbacks for under 7 dollars through Amazon resellers, or for free.
I retaliate against Pleistocene publishers my way. Others retaliate by leaving 1-Star reviews. At least the latter group sent a clear message.
And I am hoping that to see more timely arrivals with Apple.
I have been seeing an unfortunate increase in problems with the Amazon review system. Whenever I buy anything from Amazon check out the reviews, if only as a guideline. My normal procedure is to read a selection from the 5 stars and a selection from the 1 stars. In the past I found this to give a pretty well rounded idea of what to expect.
Lately I've seen a climb in 1 stars coming from people who have had problems with shipping or customer service. These have nothing to do with the actual product but are counted against it.
Normally other reviewers will leave a comment informing the reviewer of this but let's be hoest; Who goes back and reads reviews they have done?
Given the shear size of Amazons website, having a moderator go through every review for every product is not a viable answer.
Paul Carr's article was posted on teleread.org yesterday, and the utter cluelessness of a few of the commenters makes one realize just how little some of the 'protesters' know about real life publishing.
Is there a FAQ somewhere on Authors' Reality that can be linked to whenever one of these idiotic comments come up? (It seems a more polite way than calling someone a fool up front, which is not the wisest of persuasion tactics.)
Really – "fire your publisher"???
I agree with what many have said (which makes this comment rather superfluous, but whatever). I like to read reviews about the products I am considering purchasing, and I do have a habit of reading a selection of all star-levels to give me a better idea. Generally speaking, I ignore those from people who have a personal beef against the makers of a product/authors of a book, and it really bothers me when people review something they've never even tried. This is a problem on sites like Goodreads.com, too, where people will rate a book with 1 or 5 stars and say "I haven't read this yet, but I hear it's good/bad". If you haven't read a book, how would you have enough of an opinion to write a review that may affect other potential readers' decisions?
The whole thing stinks of Tea Party mentality. Get annoyed about something, then raise an all encompassing hell storm that looses all touch with reality. After we limit reviews to people who have bought the book, maybe we can limit voting to people who have spent at least three hours thoughtfully considering opinions that are different from their own without interrupting.
If they didn't buy the book, they should not be able to review it. Plain and simple, but then again nothing is plain and simple anymore.
To rate a book low simply because it has no electronic version does horrible damage. Don't people realize this? They're hurting the author. This is no way to get what they want. If they want a Kindle version they need to contact the proper people and request it.
I go by ratings sometimes on Amazon, unless I have seen or heard better reviews or simply just want the book. If I saw a low rating, I'd skim over it and move on.
People don't think, I swear.
Maybe I missed it, but has anyone pointed out that this book is currently the #1 bestseller on Amazon? I can't imagine these reviews are hurting sales that badly. And the way I see it, many of the people who are giving one star reviews are saying they would happily give the publisher their money…if they publisher would offer the book in their preferred format.
I, personally, have never seen Amazon reviews as strictly about the quality of the book. I expect to see complaints about shipping and defects, because the review is on Amazon, the same as I would expect a straight product review for any other item on a manufacturer's website but find it perfectly valid to voice complaints about the retailer on the retailer's website.
I could see people thinking this ridiculous if people were doing it on a third party website that was strictly for book reviews, but they're doing it on the retailer's website, asking for a format that the retailer promotes. I think it's absurd to ask Amazon, who is interested in selling things and promoting its own product (the Kindle) to act as a gatekeeper. Amazon doesn't care about the author or the publisher. Amazon cares about their customers and their customers aren't the ones complaining in this case.
Nathan – Even before I was published I didn't like the fact that any fool with a keyboard could go on Amazon and spout off negatively (no matter how uneducated/uninformed/unqualified) about an author's work.
Ever since I read a review that didn't like the book because the hero had blue hair, I no longer pay attention to said amateur reviewers.
G.
If you read some of these one star reviews you will find that readers who spent money for their Kindle expect to see an eBook available for every book published. Amazon should review all single star reviews prior to them showing up on their web page. If the review does not cover the book’s content then Amazon should delete it.
If people are only basing their purchasing choices on the starred review, I feel sorry for them.
Myself, I read the comments and decide for myself whether the low ratings are based on anything of importance (much like I take feedback from people reading preliminary copies of my writing – would you accept a "this sucked" without some explanation behind it?). The same goes for high ratings…sadly, I've seen it go both ways.
Book reviews should always be about the author's work, no the device or the paper it is printed on.
That's like reviewing a book based on the cover and never reading it.
Amazon is a broken system for reviewing. I stick with Goodreads for mature and lively discussions on an author's work.
If these negative reviews hurt an author's sales, which could ultimately lead to a publisher dropping that author, then yes, they are way out of line. The Kindle readers doing this have a beef with the publisher, so they should take it to the publisher.
Amazon also makes it too easy for people with agendas to attack authors whose views or lifestyles they don't like.
I really don't know how much negative reviews affect sales, I know I don't base my purchases on them, but maybe others do.
Sadly, we just seem to live in an age when people feel free to be nasty for the pure satisfaction of being nasty.
So-called customer reviews on Amazon have a poor reputatation. If I look at them at all I want to know the author's qualifications, and I like to see a real name. A person who hides his spite behind an alias isn't worth reading.
I pay more attention to the professional reviews that are to be found with most books.
I'm sorry for the author in this particular case, but pleased that Nathan with his thousands of readers has raised the issue which Amazon will not now be able to avoid. They may not take corrective action today, but they do know the issue.