UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

I was just wondering. I've been talking to a couple of people and they both said that they felt that there are fewer reviews than there used to be.

OK Amazon has perhaps got rid of a lot of sock puppets etc but these were talking about 'normal' reviews. I wonder whether Amazon has managed to put people off reviewing?
I know that it's unlikely I will ever review on .com again because I'm never going to spend $50

Just wondering if anybody else has noticed a 'chilling' of the atmosphere or something

I've not reviewed on Amazon in yonks. I don't enjoy it at the best of times but more importantly, I'm not going to bother putting in the effort if there's a good chance my review will either not be accepted or will be removed because I know a lot of authors.

Having said that, I usually put down a few words on Goodreads when I finish a book. Not a full, proper review mind. I'd rather spend the time getting on with reading the next book in my pile.

Patti (baconater) wrote: "I've not reviewed on Amazon in yonks. I don't enjoy it at the best of times but more importantly, I'm not going to bother putting in the effort if there's a good chance my review will either not be accepted or will be removed because I know a lot of authors...."

that's what I meant about a chilling effect

I'm relatviely new to the being published game, but I certainly find Amazon reviews harder to get, and they often seem to vanish for arbitrary reasons.
The Goodreads review system isn't perfect, but it's a lot more transparent.

I wonder if we're going to see more books unreviewed? For example I'm not sure I'll ever get reviews on Amazon Australia or Amazon India

I keep thinking I ought to review some books, especially indie books, and put them up on GR, my blog and Amazon.

But then I think about the possibility of Amazon arsing me about because of the reviews and me knowing authors and all that stuff we've talked about before.

Then maybe, getting comeback from some other authors on GR or my blog because I - maybe - gave them less than five stars and didn't offer them the hand of my first-born in marriage.

And so on - all the negative stuff we've seen, read and talked about over the years about the hassle of reviews.

So, I put it off for a bit, while I wait and see if it gets better.

And - if anything - it gets worse, like you say.

I've not had any of the reviews I've written taken down -yet. I keep count. Just shy of a thousand now. I've had a couple removed from my books - no explanation and I don't know which. Then one came back. I know it wasn't a new one replacing one of them because the latest one was two months old. Who knows? Unless they take all my reviews down I shall continue.

Your "top 1000 reviewer" status probably protects your reviews even from Amazon!

I've had a couple of reviews not allowed - the message just said that they didn't follow the rules for reviews.
I have no idea why - the first review was for one of S Robinson's books. Reviews for earlier books are still there as far as I know, and all I said was that I had enjoyed the latest book in the series.

The second review - they asked me to review, I sent back that I couldn't give a review as I hadn't received the item and by reply I got the same reply as for S Robinson's book review.

So now I just delete the emails from Amazon requesting reviews.
And don't bother submitting any others.

Jud wrote: "Your "top 1000 reviewer" status probably protects your reviews even from Amazon!"

I think not. One top 500 reviewer had all hers removed last year. No explanation. She's started again. I wouldn't - stuff 'em!

Seriously! That's mad

My books get very few reviews. Sigh.

I do worry a little about having reviews by other Indie authors removed, especially if I have read and reviewed their books. But I also read traditionally published books occasionally. I review all the books I read (except those I give up on) but I don't read many because I'm too busy. I love reading too.

In answer to Jim's question, yes, I think there are fewer reviews given and fewer sticking. But I have no real evidence for this. Fashions change and maybe one day they will increase.

Anna Faversham wrote: "In answer to Jim's question, yes, I think there are fewer reviews given and fewer sticking. But I have no real evidence for this. Fashions change and maybe one day they will increase. ..."

I wonder if Amazon has devalued the 'currency'
We already have the situation with trip advisor where there have been threats of court proceedings and an imaginary restaurant

It looks as if they're having similar problems to Amazon
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ne...

I wonder what will come next in the 'post review' world :-)

I too have stopped reviewing things on Amazon. After I gave a long plastic shoe horn (99p as I recall) 5 stars, they insisted I had to write some narrative as well, and then they didn't publish my single full stop. Perhaps if I was being paid to write advertising copy I'd wax lyrical, but I wasn't just saving my time, I was sparing potential purchasers as well. Just how much time should anyone sensibly expend reading about an item costing 99p whose form and function are perfectly summed up in the product name?

Jim wrote: ""I wonder what will come next in the 'post review' world

I think the clue to what is going on is provided by the uselessness and inflexibility of Amazon's product search.

With eBay you can enter very specific search criteria and generate an accurate list of relevant products sorted in ascending order of price, with 200 items on a page, so you can skip through it easily.

In contrast, Amazon's product search always returns loads of irrelevant dross, and it's difficult to wade through it quickly.

However, the small number of 'Amazon Recommends' items are relevant.

Those are the ones that Amazon want you to buy.

Amazon no longer care about reviews, since they only serve to inform your purchasing decisions, and Amazon's strategic objective is for you to outsource control of all your purchasing decisions to them, thus making reviews irrelevant.

This is ringing some bells, David. Much mulling over to be done.

I don't normally do Amazon reviews, but I did review the coffee syrups I bought this year. I do review on here occasionally though, if the book doesn't have many, or its one of our authors.

On a related note, how long do you all normally find it takes people to review your books once they have them?
I sent out a load of review copies several weeks ago to people who'd requested them and I've yet to see any results - I'm sure it went rather quicker with my last book!

Like Patti at the top of the thread, and for the same reasons, I very rarely review anything on Amazon. On Goodreads I mostly just rate, although I do sometimes write a few words.

To answer Benjamin's question: I never saw a high review return on review copies - maybe 1 in 10 (although that compares much better than regular sales, which are closer to 1 in 300 for sales and 1 in 1000 for giveaways)

As for reading a new book, it depends how interested I am in it. I'll always finish the book I'm reading first. Then everything goes onto the TBR list. Authors & series I'm already invested in will go near the top; others will go to the end. There are books still on that list I got back in 2012 . . .

I seem to recall that M.T. analysed some statistics from her readers and concluded that the average Kindle-Users' backlog was about 8 months, so I expect that waiting for reviews from review copies must be akin to sitting over a dry well when constipated, farting, then waiting for the splash.

Charming imagery, David. ;)

Well, doesn't that paint a pretty picture

Anna Faversham wrote: "This is ringing some bells, David. Much mulling over to be done."

yes I thought that as well

I shall press on regardless. I review, therefore I am.

As long as you find it rewarding, you should.

I don't get many reviews on my books, all things considered, but I've only ever noticed one vanish. And that was written by an ex-girlfriend, so... maybe she just deleted it herself?

I've written 155 reviews or something, and none of those have been deleted to the best of my knowledge - though I took a few down myself as a bizarre quality control thing. I'm currently just over 6,000th in the rankings and dream of getting that Top 1,000 status :)

David wrote: "I too have stopped reviewing things on Amazon. After I gave a long plastic shoe horn (99p as I recall) 5 stars, they insisted I had to write some narrative as well, and then they didn't publish my ..."

I've just been asked to review our purchase of 5 rivets for a garden fork. It'll take me a while to think up something deep and meaningful. Am sure it'll make riveting reading... (sorry)

I was asked to review a gift card! Really! Well, it worked fine. It... erm... gifted.

They don't bother asking me anymore.

I changed my settings so they don't send me emails any more.

Where else is your unvarnished and honest opinion unflinchingly sought? Where else can you easily save the world by telling them exactly why this particular brand of tape to hold throw rugs onto carpeted floors is perfect (unless your carpeting is a long orange shag; then all bets are off).

Review away. I actually do, when impressed by a product (rarely, but then I'm an odd duck).

I would review more often on Amazon but the minimum wordcount is offputting, I'd much prefer to leave a simple plain star rating rather than forcing out a detailed opinion when I know Amazon regularly deletes them anyway.

They don't have a minimum word count now. Haven't for a while.

Amazon probably prefers high star reviews only - increases sales doncha think?

After I had some issues with Kath's reviews disappearing following the publication of the forum book (anyone remember that?), I stopped reviewing all books on Amazon. When I can be bothered, I review other things, if they're worth it.

Certainly, there are far fewer reviews coming to the later books than the earlier ones, but that's possibly because they're not a as good (or bad).

I think that reviewing was a fad for many people and now the novelty is wearing off, not least because the websites keep asking for them.

Yes I've noticed that now my books no longer have reviews on the Indian or Australian Amazon
To the best of my knowledge they were never reviewed there, but Amazon used to drift them across from .co.uk or .com, now they've stopped that

I've decided to have a go at reviewing books.

But the reviews will mainly be on my website, with most probably reposted on GR, but probably not all of them on Amazon - depending on how it goes and if they get arsey.

Usually by the time I get to Amazon I know what book I'm looking for because I've seen reviews or recommendations elsewhere (here, or one of Kath's reviews, for example).

This last week I noticed that one of my reviews disappeared - I haven't a clue which one.

I've looked at a friend's early books and the number of reviews versus the number for the later books. Considerably fewer for the later ones. The number of sales are fewer too apparently, though probably not in proportion.

My book with the lowest rating in reviews sells more than any of the others. Hmm...

Interesting stuff in this thread!

David wrote: "Usually by the time I get to Amazon I know what book I'm looking for because I've seen reviews or recommendations elsewhere (here, or one of Kath's reviews, for example). ..."

That's me as well. Amazon reviews play virtually no part in my life as a reader. By the time I get to the Amazon page I already know whether I'm going to buy the book or not, thanks to stuff I've seen elsewhere
As a writer I like reviews, but not just because they sit on the Amazon page. (See above) I like reviews because I can use them to point to the Amazon page.

I do read reviews, looking especially for the longer ones and the more literate ones - and then read carefully what they say. I have a couple of things I know happen in the world but which I don't feel I need to read about in my limited time; if they are graphically presented, you lose me as a reader.

He shouldn't be spamming this thread, Anna.

Ooh! I didn't notice... he's disappeared now, perhaps I should do too. I'll take myself away.

Thanks, Kath.

I continue to drift slowly up the reviewing greasy pole. But in recent weeks I've had a few unsolicited messages pop up via my author page asking me to review the most random stuff: car seats and pillows. I've turned them all down, and continue to review mostly books, and preferably indie ones.

The reviews I've received over the years have greatly enhanced my credibility as a writer, and I'm determined to pay it forward, even if the odd one might get deleted by Amazon (I don't think this has ever happened).

You could say "I was sitting in my wonderful new car seat, reclining against this soft fluffy pillow, reading the lastest epic novel from...."

That's tempting!

As soon as I got into the top 10,000 reviewers I assumed people would turn up and try and twist my arm into reviewing their stuff at some point. I'm just surprised it

a) took so long, and
b) is such drab tedious stuff.

So it deserves a drab tedious review. Full of applicable EU regulations with all subsections quoted in full.

Gingerlily - All kinds of everything! wrote: "So it deserves a drab tedious review. Full of applicable EU regulations with all subsections quoted in full."

Isn't there a maximum length for a review?

Good point. Maybe only quote a subsection of the subsections.

Gingerlily - All kinds of everything! wrote: "So it deserves a drab tedious review. Full of applicable EU regulations with all subsections quoted in full."

Are we allowed to still quote EU regs in the UK?

Darren wrote: " ...
Are we allowed to still quote EU regs in the UK?"

We are still in the EU until next March, and if there's any sort of deal we will be fully subject to all EU regulations, and paying the EU £39 billion, without any longer having any say in those regulations, for 21 months after that.

That's "Strong and stable" for you.