Use Twitter. Use Facebook, he writes. Write important blogs. Develop a tribe of loyal followers. But nary a peep in that gold mine of information about hiring an online company to get people to buy copies of your .99 cent novels and then write favorable reviews on amazon - thus raising that all-important Amazon ranking.
No. He is quiet about this, which would lead any thinking person to believe that this is something he doesn’t want anyone to know. This might be his dirty little secret, but it's not his alone. According to the Aug. 25 New York Times article which started it all, a now defunct little corner of the internet (gettingbookreviews.com) commissioned 4,351 book reviews for various unnamed authors who have risen to eBook Amazon fame.
Here’s the Huffington Post response. This one pulls no punches and calls this Publishing’s Drug Problem. I am sure many an Olympic athlete has asked, How can I possibly compete when opposing teams aren't playing fair?
They aren't the only ones. How can an author, facing the thousands of eBooks released daily, hope to get her book noticed?
This gets me thinking about frying pans. Yes, frying pans. Right now I’m in the market for some new ones. In free moments I’ve been wandering around the internet and reading customer reviews on the merit of this or that pan. But can I even trust them?
Now we know how Locke did it.
Now we know how Locke did it.
Everywhere you look these days it seems people are abandoning integrity for the quick buck. I suppose it's naive to think publishing would be any different. I believe it's imperative for today's Christian to behave honourably in the midst of this. Our message may not reach as large an audience, but it will scream the truth to those with ears to hear.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Jayne.
DeleteThe one consolation is, readers may be fooled by the reviews and buy one book, but they're hardly likely to buy more from the same author if the quality's not there. And then the negative reviews will start to surface.
ReplyDeleteStill, it's unprofessional at best and unethical at worst.
Frying pans... I bought a set of Lagostinas at Costco a few years ago, better price than a single one at other stores, and I'm still loving them. The only money that changed hands was mine leaving me :)
You are right Janet. It's the work itself which will sell more books.
DeleteGood points, Linda. And it does make you wonder about the frying pans, too. LOL But, I have to wonder, even after John Locke got his books out that way, (I haven't read them), doesn't his quality of workmanship have to be there to keep his sales going? Did you enjoy his books?
ReplyDeleteYes - the ultimate test is the work. If readers love his work, then it will succeed, but if after all of this, readers don't like his work, then it will flop. That IS the ultimate test.
DeletePS.. Wonderful blog post!!
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, I'm kind of not surprised that Locke did this. He approaches everything from an analytical business POV. He makes no bones about cunningly framing a blog post, for instance, to extract the maximum from it. And I think he did request "honest" reviews. But he paid to have them BUY the book, too, not just review it. So all those purchases combined with a high number of reviews spiked his ranking. This is definitely juicing and definitely had something to do with his meteoric rise. The fact that he didn't include this as a key strategy does suggest he was conscious of what a moral grey area it is. I suspect some will see it as marketing genius and try to figure out how to emulate it ... without getting caught, of course!
ReplyDeleteGood points, Norah - because he was so upfront about twittering and blogging, this was obviously something he was ashamed of.
DeleteThis doesn't surprise me at all. I don't pay much attention to Amazon reviews. If I do read any, it's the 3 stars because I figure they're the most honest and come from a real reader.
ReplyDeleteBut the less than upfront tactics the original article exposes paints the whole industry in a bad light. And as Huffington Post points out - how does an author who approaches the industry with integrity, hope to stand out against her "juicing" competitors?
I think the Huff Po's comparison to athletic doping is spot on. I had to laugh at your post - I, too, don't read my amazon reviews.
ReplyDeleteDo companies who post reviews (Amazon, Goodreads, etc) have any responsibility to ensure the reviews they post are written by individuals who read the books reviewed? I think so and posted about it on my site. They make money off all the books, fake or real reviews, and yet make no attempt to confirm that the reviewer actually read the book!
ReplyDeletePeace, Seeley
I think Amazon tries to ensure that reviews are legit, but it's fighting an uphill battle. I'm sure they're scrambling now !
ReplyDelete