Review: Enlightening
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 14, 2013
After reading this book, I'm almost afraid to leave a review! I'm kidding, but the author does give some very enlightening information about the 'reviewing culture' on Amazon that I had never thought about before, and which certainly could come back to bite one if not heeded. There is a lot of advice on 'what not to do', giving the over all tone of the book a rather negative slant. Examples: don't ask your friends and family to post a bunch of five star reviews; never pay for a review; avoid the appearance of review rings (I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine...) etc. This makes perfect sense, and goes along with what any respectable author or reviewer believes anyway. However, there is some alarming information about 'trolls' (people who give bad reviews out of spite)and much caution about getting involved in the forums. Overall, it was informative, but for those hoping for a 'magic formula' this is not it. In the end I feel less inclined to seek reviews after reading this book, which is actually okay with me. It's better to let readers leave honest reviews of their own accord, anyway. As the author points out, a few less than perfect reviews actually add credibility.