The Reviews of Books on Amazon
I have been with Amazon for a relatively very long time – since a few weeks after it started, I think, but I can’t help thinking the the people at the top – the ones running the firm (that might not include Jeff Bezos, the guy who set it up) are buffoons. Why? Well, let’s start with the question of reviews of books on Amazon.
They tried to fix the problem of sham reviews of books on Amazon, but all they ended up doing was punishing small authors by hunting through their friends’ lists to see whether somebody on one of those lists had written a favourable review and then deleting it. This does not stop more affluent or well-known authors from having fake reviews of books on Amazon posted, because they have access to a larger group of reviewers.
Please don’t get me wrong, fake reviews are not good – they are often called ‘sock puppet’ reviews. However, many readers become pen-pal friends of their favourite writers these days, and what is wrong with that for Heaven’s Sake?
Having said that, Amazon is quite happy to let Trolls leave ten-word shyte reviews without ever having proved that they have read the book (by having purchased it – called ‘a verified purchase review’).
No, they’re fine!
But why are they? I don’t understand…
The current Reviews of Books on Amazon policy stinks because it favours famous authors with representation in the form of an agent or and publisher, so it should be changed, but that is unlikely… just look at how Amazon rewards their top Kindle Unlimited authors with tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses leaving most people with an income under $20.
Another problem with reviews concern series. ONE woman didn’t like ONE book in a 24-part series but her review is attached to all of those books!
Is that mind-blowingly bonkers or what!
The other issue that they fall down on is taxation. Amazon is the only on-line company that I know of that makes the vendor, writer, in my case, work out the tax and add it to the cost of the item, book, for each country the item is sold in!
This is Stone-age lunacy!
I do all my own work myself, and am expected to work out the various taxes for fifteen countries for each of my 140 books?!
Aren’t repetitive mundane tasks what computers are supposed to be good at?
Put it this way: Amazon is by far the biggest on-line retailer of books, but it is the only retailer who forces its authors (and every other vendor) to do this.
I think that the CEO of Amazon should pack it in and grow sweetcorn. Let them head-hunt someone who really knows about taxation and fairness.
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All the best.
Owen
Podcast: Reviews of Books on Amazon
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