I ran across an interesting post over at The Passive Voice that generated a lot more heated debate than I expected. It concerned reader reviews of books and whether or not a writer should ask his or her audience to provide them.
Let me say something up front - I don't believe in going out and telling your friends and family(commonly referred to as F&F) to go to Amazon and flood them with how awesome your book is. First of all, that's cheating. Second of all, it becomes very transparent once people look at the reviewers and find that they haven't reviewed but a single book. In my opinion, that's a quick ticket to losing all credibility with the potential market base.
I am also opposed to driving a reader towards a specific rating. You don't give them the work and say, "By the way, please go tell everyone how great I am. I would like you to post a five star review on Amazon."
On the other hand, I see nothing wrong with asking people to rate your work. I view this as analogous to a business asking a customer to fill out a comment card. That business is taking a risk by doing this, because the customer could come back with an enormous "YOU SUCK!" However, you're banking that more folks who like you will chime in and outweigh the shitty reviews.
There seemed to be an almost visceral reaction from several writers when I said these things. To be fair, it wasn't all folks - the split is about 50/50. But man oh man, the ones opposed acted like you were trying to get them involved in cracking dogs over the head with a hammer.
The general tone was one of trying to stay above the fray. A lot of writers said things along the lines of, "Your work should speak for itself. If your readers like your work, they'll recommend it to a friend or write a review on their own. Flat out asking them to do it is unseemly." The ones who saw it the other way said it was just another marketing ploy, akin to promotion, and that people were more likely to believe reviews than if you just shouted from the rooftops how great you were. The general consensus among these folks was that, as long as you're not spamming people every hour, this is perfectly legitimate.
As someone fairly new to all this, I can't yet get a full sense on it. From my vantage point, there doesn't seem to be a hard and fast rule on this, so I can't really say if it's appropriate or not. I lean towards there being nothing wrong with asking for a reader to write a review, so long as you don't steer them to a specific kind of review. Let's face it - some people are more into reviews than others, and their voices will be heard more often, and some people will do it but need to be spurred there.
What do you think? I'd be real interested to get some feedback on this.
I am also opposed to driving a reader towards a specific rating. You don't give them the work and say, "By the way, please go tell everyone how great I am. I would like you to post a five star review on Amazon."
There seemed to be an almost visceral reaction from several writers when I said these things. To be fair, it wasn't all folks - the split is about 50/50. But man oh man, the ones opposed acted like you were trying to get them involved in cracking dogs over the head with a hammer.
The general tone was one of trying to stay above the fray. A lot of writers said things along the lines of, "Your work should speak for itself. If your readers like your work, they'll recommend it to a friend or write a review on their own. Flat out asking them to do it is unseemly." The ones who saw it the other way said it was just another marketing ploy, akin to promotion, and that people were more likely to believe reviews than if you just shouted from the rooftops how great you were. The general consensus among these folks was that, as long as you're not spamming people every hour, this is perfectly legitimate.
What do you think? I'd be real interested to get some feedback on this.
Hi RD, good question. I remember that, before Amanda Hocking signed with St. Martin's, she often asked her fans to review her books. She stressed that she wasn't just asking folks who liked her work to write reviews. Personally, I never had a problem with it. Good post!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I really was amazed at how some folks reacted on The Passive Voice, but I think it's a good discussion to have.
DeleteGreat piece Russ. I have no problem with authors asking folks to reviews for their books. You are your own best advertiser. I also believe that you pay forward.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I think asking your readers keeps them involved, but the key part of your statement is in the implication that it's also incumbent on the writer to reciprocate. Those who ask and then act too haughty to interact with those readers deserve every bit of scorn they receive.
DeleteWhy not? If and when I have a book out, I plan on inviting readers to review my book. And I probably would approach bloggers I knew do reviews to take a look at it. I wouldn't ask them to give a positive review, but I have no problem asking for reviews. How else do you think a book gets known?
ReplyDeleteI agree. There's a saying that there's no such thing as bad publicity. Our fellow bloggers are one of our better resources. Besides, aren't we all in this together?
DeleteI think those trying to be all haughty on this are a bit too idealistic. I'd love it if I found 10,000 fans who are so rabidly enthusiastic that they rush to their computers to write a review, but that's not the real world. I see little wrong with asking, so long as it's not steered.
I agree with you. It is fine to ask someone to read and review your book. Just don't put ideas in their head or push them in a certain direction. Be neutral and just ask for a review. Some reviews will be negative and some will be great. That's what the literary world is all about.
ReplyDeleteReviews help readers decide on a book to buy and read. Not just the rating is important, but what the review says about the contents of the book can help a reader decide if it's what they had in mind to read.
Reviews are priceless and many indie authors and authors with few or no reviews need more reviews to help out readers with their buying decisions. Personally, I don't think enough people are reviewing books.
I think that goes to the general theory that most people, if they like a new car, just go out and drive it. They don't spend too much time talking about it. However, we need feedback as much as any business, not just to toot our horn, but to know how to improve as well.
DeleteStill, I'd be lying if I didn't add that I'd love it for every review to say I was the best thing since the invention of the refrigerator. :-D
I agree that flooding Amazon with reviews for no other reason than that a writer is friend or family is questionable practice. However, I recently was asked by a writer friend to review her work on Amazon; she knew I admired her memoir, and I was glad to post a positive review because I truly believe the work is remarkable and deserves a wider audience than it already has. Also, because at a certain number of reviews Amazon starts to publicize the work (this I learned from my friend) I was happy to help her hit the magic 50 number. In my review I noted that I knew the writer...full disclosure and all that...but knowing Karen did not affect what I wrote in my review.
ReplyDeleteMaking full disclosure that you know the writer is the ethical thing to do and says a lot about your character. I'm not saying that people reading reviews will dismiss an F&F review, but it gives them better context to evaluate it.
DeleteIt also sounds like your friend asked you to write a review and didn't say, "Post a five star review for me, pretty please." She took a chance that you liked her work and asked you to comment. Even if she was fairly certain you'd be positive, she didn't direct it and made a good faith attempt to get the customers involved. I see nothing wrong with that.