The answer to that question, it appears, depends on what side of the aisle you fall — author or reader.
So I was following an author for a spell, keeping an eye on the release of their first novel. Within a week they were pushing 20 reviews. All five-star. And all, notoriously, brief. This hinted at the possibility that these reviews were actually paid for, part of the marketing strategy to boost early sales of the book. I surmised this because
- The bulk of the reviews were one paragraph and very generic. A punchy caption followed by stuff like, “This book was a page-turner!” “Couldn’t put it down!” and “Can’t wait for the next!” With minimal specifics about the actual story.
- The reviewers had very few, if any, others reviews. The idea being, they didn’t do book reviews very often. This was a short-term gig.
After concluding that the author was paying for reviews, it turned me off. I never purchased the book as a result.
Was I being unreasonable?
There is significant debate among indie authors about the possible benefits and/or ethics behind purchasing reviews. On the “pro” side are those who argue that indie authors are already at a disadvantage against trade-pubbed authors who have trade pubbed books reviewed by trade media via ad dollars. Besides, many businesses, not just authors but restaurants, travel agencies, etc., already purchase positive reviews as a matter of course. On the “con” side are those who argue that impartial reviews are ethically sound, that authors should not stoop to the level of crass business, and that a good book should be able to sell itself apart from artificial hype.
In an increasingly competitive market, I can understand why an author would pay for bulk reviews. No. This isn’t something I’m planning on doing any time soon. Nevertheless, from my vantage point, “fake” reviews don’t seem to hurt many book’s sales… unless it’s to fellow authors like myself.
I could be wrong, but basic readers — as opposed to writers who are paying attention to books in their genre, publishing practices, and market specifics — don’t seem to pay too much attention to other reviews. At least, they don’t seem to be asking, “Is this review fake?” If the average reader is looking at reviews at all, it is generically – “How many five-star reviews does this book have?” Meaning that paid-for reviews could be the perfect advertising tool. Why should the author wait for a glowing, detailed, five-star review to arrive — IF it arrives at all — when she can pay for a dozen splashy five-star snippets on release day?
Either way, I never bought the aforementioned book. Apparently, that hasn’t hurt its sales. Or stopped the brief, generic, five-star reviews from rolling in. Which brings me back to my initial question: Do paid-for reviews hurt authors? Unless you’re one of those nit-picky, attempting-to-be-ethical, non-businessy, novelists like me, the answer seems to be “no.”
The issue to me appears to be integrity – are you so eager for rapturous reviews that you’ll pay someone (or someones) to mimic actual satisfied readers to make a quick buck? And do you care if your good name is associated with that practice or do you care more about making money?
Precisely.
As a Christian who believes in the comprehensive and invincible sovereignty of God, I wouldn’t write a book in the first place that I couldn’t believe was His. And if His, then exactly the people He had me write it for will read it. Success for me would be measured in my obedience both in the act of writing and the faithful content. I would use every upright means of advertisement and none other.
There is nothing inherently ungodly about desiring sales, readership AND praise for good work. It is however the very definition of self exaltation and unbelief to employ designed deception, that is to say, lying, in order to accomplish what you clearly don’t have confidence in the Holy Spirit to do for you. And actually for Himself as you are supposed to be His ambassador in the earth.
Dishonest promotion is but a symptom of the poor spiritual health of the person doing it.
I agree Mike. (and looky there. With Johnne too) Let the pagans lie and cheat. We’re supposed to be different. I really believe what I told Jill awhile back. God may have one single person to read something I write and I may not even find out in this life. (Though I’m not a fiction guy)
As a reader, I’ll often look at review to help me decide whether to buy a book. But for me, it’s not just about how many 5-star reviews there are. I’m actually usually pleased to find several 1- and 2-star reviews – especially if they contain valid criticisms. They usually prove to be more honest than a full wall of 5-star reviews. I will also look for a strong 3- or 4-star review from someone who enjoyed the book but had issues with it. A single well-thought-out review telling me the book is imperfect carries more weight than a dozen gushing reviews that don’t actually say anything.
As a reader, I pay more attention to the 1 star-reviews and 3-star reviews than the 5-star ones. It was the 1-star reviews for James Rollins and Rebecca Canterell’s Order of the Sanguines series that peaked my interest in the books and I ended up loving all of them
I just released a Christian speculative fiction book and I’ve been agonizing over this very issue myself. I have long held a view similar to Greg’s. All along I’ve been trusting God to use my book as he wills. At the same time, I would think God would expect me to step out of my comfort zone and make some sort of effort at sharing my work and it appears that reviews are an important part of the marketing “game.”
I have never paid for a review, but I have given away free review copies. When readers tell me they enjoyed the book, I ask them to leave a review. Few have. The whole marketing process makes me feel a little dirty and maybe even a bit desperate. Many advertising opportunities require a minimum number of reviews and an above average rating. I’ve read that an average of 1500 books are published PER DAY. What would God require of me? Patience or action? If it’s action, where do I draw the line? I’m still uncertain. The only thing I know for sure (in a “playing field” that’s far from level) is that my ethics are more important than sales to me any day … but then I chose to write speculative fiction because it’s what I enjoy, not because I ever thought sales would be high!
(On a side note: I will add that I’ve received short, generic reviews I haven’t paid for. I’m not sure it would be fair to make an assumption based on that alone. If you’re interested in the book you mentioned, maybe you should go ahead and read it. Then leave your own honest review! Now that I understand how important reviews are to writers, I will make a greater effort at leaving them.)
Every review for every novel I’ve written has been absolutely real: the good, the bad, the bizarre, and the downright nasty.
I dunno. I hate to never say “never,” but the idea of paying a shill to artificially praise my work makes me feel oogie inside. *G*
Personally, I never buy a book from a new-to-me author if it’s got straight five-star reviews, because those scream “fake”, for the reasons Mike says Sometimes they are reviews from family members, which is pretty obvious when they share the same unusual surname (I’m sure friends-and-family reviews are genuine, but they are also biased). Sometimes they are fake accounts set up by the author, and sometimes they are paid for reviews (it can be hard to tell the difference, but it’s a big clue when the reviewer has a link to their ffiver account on their profile page).
I suspect part of the reason for the rise of fake reviews is that advertising services like BookBub require authors to have a certain number of reviews (at a certain rating) before accepting their advertisements.
I’d like to think Christians were above such subterfuge, and I’m sure most are. But I’ve found some aren’t, and that disappoints me.
Great post. Highly recommended!
Can’t wait for his next one!
I’m not sure that paying for a review necessarily means it will be dishonest (I’m sure there are almost as many unpaid ones that aren’t), but I do know for sure that with the current emphasis on reviews, a paid reviewer would be the only party coming out ahead. It is unfortunate that so many advertisers place a value on it, when they are so easily faked. The root of the problem seems to lie there, since it’s a unreliable measure of a book’s true value anyway. (It’s not like the advertisers have really held anything to a higher standard by requiring the reviews and ratings averages.)
Fake reviews will always be out there. Even honest reviews are subjective. What bothers me most is how much weight is placed on book reviews. Yes, when I buy a pricey product, I read all the lowest reviews and weigh the risk — but on a book review? If I’m in doubt, I can download a few sample chapters at no cost. What more do I, as a reader, need to evaluate a purchase beforehand??
Can you tell this subject has been on my mind lately? 😉
I, too, have never paid for a review and have gotten a lot of generic, brief reviews. I think a lot of readers don’t really know what to say. Not being writers themselves, they sometimes use cliches without concern.
If I understand correctly, the number of stars you have is connected to how high your book ranks in Amazon’s search engine, so it does play an important role. But if the reviews do not match up to actual reader’s experience, they will eventually be submerged by the one stars of real readers. Better to write a book that deserves the praise and wait for people to give it.