The ever delightful avid reader, Keishon, has had some tres interesting posts up lately. I am sure you already do but if you don’t… go check her out! I started to respond to her post on the Amazon Vine Program and in my normal fashion wrote a rambly book.
So I decided to bring it on home…
This will make lil to no sense – less than I normally do – if you haven’t read her post:
Amazon Vine Program and Customer Reviews
So go read it. Go on…. I will wait. or not 🙂
my ramble:
So you are only wanting to read the reviews after you decide to buy or not? Or after you read? I didn’t know you avoided blogs and review sites.
I don’t know much about the vine program but have to say I don’t like it cuz it is an amazon thing and they have shown what they want out of reviews and honestly or reader concern isn’t it.
But I don’t think it has anything to do with this book. Having not seen the reviews I am guessing they are all happy, happy, joy, joy from your tone… but I ‘think’ (will do more follow up tomorrow) the push is from the publisher. I know personally I have gotten 2 copies. I know another blogger who just emailed cuz she lusted after it and gushed got a copy. I know a few others who have gotten copies that aren’t on the ‘SM ARC LIST’.
My bitch would be with the people reviewing if they are lying to get more books, become ‘popular amazon reviewers’ or just looking for validation. Publishers have a job to get their titles out there. Hell even Amazon is a company and has a right to promote. Having the programs doesn’t seem wrong – taking advantage of them for their gain… isn’t wrong in my eyes. Knowing dishonest things are going on (like amazon’s deleting of ‘bad’ reviews) and allowing it, closing your eyes or going nah nah nah I can’t hear you – makes you a bad bad company.
So what is the answer?
- Don’t review there? Well it seems that allows the fangrrls and cheats to win.
- Don’t buy from them? Amazon sells a hellalot of books, they loss money and or go out of biz (something I don’t see happening) who gets fucked – the reader.
- Don’t buy from the publisher? I just can’t see them doing something that is ‘wrong’ by trying to promote the book.
None of those sound like good answers. So what do we do? Personally I have always paid no attention to Amazon reviews. I have told myself repeatedly we, as in TGTBTU, would start to post our reviews on Amazon as well because I like the idea of mixing in some honest opinions. NOT to say every review, not even every five star review is a lie. I do believe people honestly believe a LARGE majority of what they write in their reviews there.
And then there are the Harriet’s…. and uh… haven’t wrapped my arms around THAT one yet.
So any thoughts from you guys? Anyone give a flip? You got a fix? rant? or whatevs…
Note as of right now Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain has 57 reviews.
14 are 5 stars
24 are 4 stars
12 are 3 stars
4 are 2 stars
3 have 1 star
It releases on Sept 2, 2008 from St. Martin’s Minotaur in Hardcover.
Product Description (as shown on amazon)
With Heartsick, Chelsea Cain took the crime world by storm, introducing two of the most compelling characters in decades: serial killer Gretchen Lowell and her obsessed pursuer Portland Detective Archie Sheridan. The book spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished, and now Chelsea Cain picks up the tale again.
When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland’s Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer’s first victim, and Archie’s first case. This body can’t be one of Gretchen’s—she’s in prison—but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman’s identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can’t focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.
Archie hadn’t seen her in two months; he’d moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he’s relieved. He knows he’s the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.
Chelsea Cain has topped her own bestselling debut thriller with this unputdownable, unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat read.
WTF: 57 reviews?
Like I said to someone else privately and publicly: I just don’t like seeing the reviews there. Simple. As. That. When I go to purchase a book, I don’t care to see the ratings, what the other customer have said, thought, thunk, whatever, on pre-ordered items. I barely read the editorials with the exception of Publisher’s Weekly. Some of us just like to have a blank slate to start with and not have other people’s opinion’s color our view or perception because not everybody is careful with the spoilers.
I know my arguement makes little to no sense. I know that publisher’s must get the word out on their books. How is this program valid? With the bad publicity on the reviewing side of things? Why did Sweetheart have to have so many advance readers? Did they read the book? Does that mean the book sucketh or what if the publisher had that many books to give away. Sheesh.
Good thing that Amazon’s Influential Voices are limited in their choice of products. I’d hate to see them show up on everything I order, which wouldn’t amount to much. Their review system has zero value to me in light of the fact that there are so many bad apples who corrupt and spoil the program for it’s intended purposes. That’s why I said, in my little rant, that my ire was not aimed at the readers who give their honest reviews on books. Anyway, I’m done.
you know I also think… think… I saw a biggish number like 25 or 30? on LibraryThing with their reader program. Wonder how many Vine got? And how many are cross posting…
Plus she was at some thing Wendy went to in LA…. uh crap what is it called… omg it is like HUGE UGH! See the seizure so keel braincells
they do it ever year… BEA? hell Wendy!!! where did you get your signed copy of Sweetheart from? And can you tell us about how many where there? That even is huge (I think)
So I bet if you add in the LT, Vine, whatever I am blanking on and just the STM ARC List the prolly did around 100 ARCs of this book. Just the number could account for it…
Of course I am a huge spoilerwhore and reviews mean nothing to me other than summary info unless it is a person I ‘connect’ with on a reader level. So that is prolly why it doesn’t bother me on that level but I can see how it would bother you or anyone hating spoilers.
I already commented on Keishon’s blog, but here it goes:
Sweetheart was everywhere at BEA. I mean, e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. Chelsea Cain did two signings that I’m aware of and there was a small mountain of ARCs at the St. Martin’s booth. Seriously. They had tons. That’s where I picked up my copy – and I’ve since gotten in two more ARCs at work (my library, she is big, so we get some ARCs).
So I don’t think we can solely “blame” all of the advanced reviews on the Vine program. Even with the reported “lower number” of attendees at this year’s BEA, there were still a TON of people there. And if my library got two ARCs, I’m wondering how many ARCs various bookstores, review journals and other libraries got? Seriously.
I have read this book already (loved it!), but purposely did a completely useless gushing, vague post over on my blog because it felt “wrong” to do a full review so far out of the pub. date (I read the book in June!). That’s my particular foible. That being said, I don’t have a problem with advanced reviews in general because I’d be shooting myself in the foot. My job would be nigh on to impossible to do without advanced reviews in journals like PW, Library Journal, Kirkus and Booklist.
But I understand Keishon’s frustration because I never, ever, ever read reviews for books that I’m highly anticipating or planning on reading in the near future. I also like to have a blank slate…..
I ignore quite a few Amazon reviews. I ignore most Joyfully Reviewed and most Kwips and Kritiques reviews. I also ignore EVERYTHING Harriet Klausner writes. If a reviewer gives five stars to every product he/she reviews, OR if all that reviewer’s books come from one publisher, I ignore. If that reviewer doesn’t offer any opinions but instead gives five stars and a regurgitated book blurb, I ignore. If the reviewer profile is actually that of an organization and not an individual, I usually ignore (Joyfully Reviewed).
I don’t pay attention to whether they’re Top 100, Real Name, Vine Voice, or anything like that. That’s all secondary to me.
I *do* like Jem’s reviews, and also Rhianna Walker’s. They’re both major reviewers, but they’re also very honest and obviously human beings. Not just paid robots that work for Amazon and its pet publishers.