A few years ago, some savvy book marketers discovered ways to manipulate Amazon rankings, thus raising the profile of whatever books they help financial interest in. One of those ways was writing phony book reviews.
It caught on with authors as well, who started a trend of reviewing each other?s books without ever reading them. Invariably, these books were given possibly undeserved high ratings, saturating the market with five-star books.
It worked the other way as well, with disgruntled authors giving poor reviews to any book they saw fit.
Amazon is cracking down on this practice. Now, few authors are allowed to leave book reviews, legitimate or not. This means I can?t review books either, which is too bad because I, like many other authors, read quite a bit.
But I never approved of this practice of manipulating rankings. I believe that good reviews should be earned through hard work and raw talent, not shifty marketing practices. And I?m proud to say that all my reviews are legitimate.
So I have mixed feelings about the new Amazon policy. Although it limits my freedom to leave reviews, it also helps me trust new reviews by others a little more.
If you?re a writer, write. And if you?re a reader, keep reading. We need you!
By: Richard S. Todd
Born in Toronto, Canada, Author Richard S. Todd is the author of the critically-praised novel Raincloud (ISBN: 978-0595464586) and ?Clive?, a short story appearing in the Brainstorms anthology as well as in NoD Magazine. His second novel, The Orphans of the Creek, will be released in Fall 2012.
Would your Writers Group benefit from a lively, entertaining, and informative presentation on Self-Publishing? Contact Richard S. Todd and join writers in GTA communities such as Markham, Richmond Hill, Bradford, Barrie, and King City who have been a part of his Self-Publishing Speaking Series. Click here for information and testimonials.
As a Copywriting and Marketing Professional with over 10 years experience in the consumer and business-to-business direct mail, email, and digital marketing fields, contact Richard S. Todd for all your professional copywriting needs!
Visit Author Richard S. Todd online at www.richard-todd.com or email richard@richard-todd.com.
Source: http://www.thesparkleagency.com/amazon-reviews-its-review-policy/
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