Are you staring at the screen with your mouth open and pulling a face too?
Apparently, amazon have been going around taking off reviews if they think an author knows the author in which they are reviewing.
How is this fair?
Well it's not obviously, it's a load of rubbish! Just because an author knows another author, doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to review their books. The majority of authors that know each other is massive! You say hello to a fellow author and you're instantly friends.
I don't think amazon should be taking of reviews just for this reason, an author is more likely to put up a review that isn't biased than anyone else in my opinion.
Amazon don't think that obviously. Someone has actually had thirty reviews taken from amazon because they 'suspected' that another author had written them.
Amazon clearly are trying to stop others from buying from their site...
Good post Natalie. I haven't seen any direct evidence of this new policy myself as of yet. But nothing they do surprises me. As for the validity of reviews, they are always fair game for healthy debate. Personally, I value the opinion of other authors highly and think they are in most cases highly qualified to critique work - in most cases more qualified than the average reader because writers are almost without exception above average readers.
ReplyDeleteHi, Ed, thanks for commenting :) I've been reading posts on yahoo groups for around a week now, and have even seen other authors post the same thing about it.
DeleteI think an author's review is much better than anyone elses, save for a reviewer, because authors speak the truth etc.
It would be a shame if this is true. Even if I read another author's book, I won't necessarily give it a wonderful rating unless I feel that way. As authors, hopefully we understand a little of what makes a good book. We should be able to share this with everyone, and promote the books we enjoyed as readers too!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I thought. An author is more likely to write an honest review more than anyone.
DeleteThanks for your comment :)
Wow, that's pitiful so that says an author can't be a reader, which in essence says you can't be there customer. Amazon is shooting itself in the foot.
ReplyDeleteAmazon are going to lose a LOT of their customers if they keep up what they're doing. It's stupid for them to think that author's are biased when it comes to reviews.
Delete