If you have visited Keishon aka avid reader’s blog in, oh say the last few days, you may have heard of a lil book called:
and her love for the novel. /sarcasm
Now we are:
A: Talking of a book I haven’t read
B: Talking of an author I have never heard of nor read
C: It is someone from Amazon that said the author requested the review removed
D: It is possible the author never saw the review.
But yikes, is it just me, or is it beyond tacky if an author askes to have a negative review removed from Amazon?
Being something of a potty mouth, free thinker, to each their own type of person – Keishon’s review doesn’t read to me as offensive. I could see someone whining about the gross comment in this sentence:
This story may not be my cuppa but it might be other reader’s (gross).
But hell I have read worse on amazon, is that because the author just didn’t remove it? Or can anybody request to have a review removed? Even if I didn’t know keishon, if I like the book, that gross comment isn’t going to keep me from sleeping at nights. Of course knowing keishon, and the fact she is sending me the book, if I do end up liking it she will just tell me I am gross ;). So hey either way score…
To me, amazon – which has been greatly getting on my nerve lately but that is a different post – reviews are public opinion and are not for the author to approve. And really I read some of the reviews just to get a handle on the book or to look for spoilers ;). In fact keishon’s deep love for this book made me look at it twice and think about buying it.
If the reviews are all happy happy, joy joy, I discount them out of hand. Fair? Prolly not. But for every book one person lovesese to death someone else hates – and isn’t that ok? When I review a book, I am thinking about what “I” thought of the book. I will say if it is going to AAR I think about my language vs if it goes on my blog I can curse a bluestreak. But other than that… a review is about what the reader thinks not the author. I would hope the author loves the book!
Or am I wrong? If I were to go to amazon and post a review on say…. Lover Eternal by JR Ward. (Which I could cuz I have read it. And a secret between you and me (and angiew) – it rocks, I would tell you more but nope) And after figuring out how to post a review on amazon all I say is JR Ward is a big fat ho don’t buy this book.
I could so see Ward sending an email to amazon telling them to get that off. That isn’t reviewing the book but the author. (btw ward is as kewl as her books, which means she isn’t a big fat ho. Well not that I know of at least 😉 )
But other than some type of attack on the author, or someone repeatedly posting a bad review from the same IP, is it ok to request to remove a review? As authors, if there are any of you guys out there, have you requested to have something removed? What made you do it? Did you think after the fact it was a good idea?
As a reader, a bad review can and does often peak my interest in a book. Is that just me? Or course I am still hoping the author didn’t ask to have it removed. Or maybe this is common practice and since I have never posted a review on Amazon I have never noticed it. Who knows… I have my own reviews to go finish.
