Keith Ward's Blog - Posts Tagged "amazon-com"
Best-Selling Your Soul
As I dig deeper into the world of ebook self-publishing, I'm amazed at some of the stuff I find. Like tonight, I ran across a story about an ebook author named John Locke. He's the first guy to sell 1 million ebooks through Amazon. And it turns out that, to quote Buddy the Elf, he's sitting on a Throne of Lies. What he's done, however, is no joke. It goes to ethics, and what we’re willing to do to be successful.
As this New York Times article points out, an industry has sprouted that offers positive reviews of Amazon ebooks, for a price. It's hard to imagine people would do that, but I guess I really shouldn't be surprised. If I'm John Locke, though, I’d have trouble sleeping at night (although I'm pretty sure he doesn't). Wouldn't you feel pretty slimy if you'd duped customers by pretending your book was well-reviewed (and, therefore, actually *good*), when you'd simply paid folks to say good things about it? It's hard to imagine an author doing something that shows more contempt for his potential audience than that.
I'm a new author, working hard to promote my first book. But I've actually asked people who know me personally to not review my book on Amazon. Why? Well, for one thing, it's unethical. I'd rather die poor, with my morality, than rich, with none. Locke and I will both be dead, you know? He can't spend his loot anymore. And an honest life is one worth living.
Second: I want completely honest reviews of my work so that someone who's thinking about buying it doesn't make a bad choice and waste their money. They may not like Young Adult books, or books in which technology plays a central role, or maybe my writing stinks. If we're truly concerned about our Fellow Man, as most of us say we want to be, then we don't want them wasting their money, any more than we want our money wasted on a book that's not for us. It's commonly known as the Golden Rule.
So, I'd recommend avoiding John Locke's books (more information on the issue can be found from this publisher and this HuffPoster, among others. Google "John Locke paying for reviews" for more on this issue.
So, if you don't know me and have read "Internet Kill Switch," I'd love a review — one so honest that folks think it was written by George Washington or Abe Lincoln. Let others know what you loved and hated, and why. Help other folks out; it's more important than helping me out. None of us have enough time to read all the books we want, after all.
And if you're a new (or old) writer, please promote your stuff the right way. To paraphrase someone a lot smarter than me: It's not worth gaining the whole world — or even selling 1 million books on Amazon — and losing your soul.
As this New York Times article points out, an industry has sprouted that offers positive reviews of Amazon ebooks, for a price. It's hard to imagine people would do that, but I guess I really shouldn't be surprised. If I'm John Locke, though, I’d have trouble sleeping at night (although I'm pretty sure he doesn't). Wouldn't you feel pretty slimy if you'd duped customers by pretending your book was well-reviewed (and, therefore, actually *good*), when you'd simply paid folks to say good things about it? It's hard to imagine an author doing something that shows more contempt for his potential audience than that.
I'm a new author, working hard to promote my first book. But I've actually asked people who know me personally to not review my book on Amazon. Why? Well, for one thing, it's unethical. I'd rather die poor, with my morality, than rich, with none. Locke and I will both be dead, you know? He can't spend his loot anymore. And an honest life is one worth living.
Second: I want completely honest reviews of my work so that someone who's thinking about buying it doesn't make a bad choice and waste their money. They may not like Young Adult books, or books in which technology plays a central role, or maybe my writing stinks. If we're truly concerned about our Fellow Man, as most of us say we want to be, then we don't want them wasting their money, any more than we want our money wasted on a book that's not for us. It's commonly known as the Golden Rule.
So, I'd recommend avoiding John Locke's books (more information on the issue can be found from this publisher and this HuffPoster, among others. Google "John Locke paying for reviews" for more on this issue.
So, if you don't know me and have read "Internet Kill Switch," I'd love a review — one so honest that folks think it was written by George Washington or Abe Lincoln. Let others know what you loved and hated, and why. Help other folks out; it's more important than helping me out. None of us have enough time to read all the books we want, after all.
And if you're a new (or old) writer, please promote your stuff the right way. To paraphrase someone a lot smarter than me: It's not worth gaining the whole world — or even selling 1 million books on Amazon — and losing your soul.
