Have you ever bought a book based on a 1* review? I have bought one today!
Have you ever bought a book based on a 1* review?
I have bought one today!
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Which book?! X
Over My Shoulder by @Patricia
Now I shall have to check it out! X
@Susan thanks Susan xxxx
@Patricia . I hope this proves that 1* do not do too much damage. I didn’t read the numerous 4* and 5* reviews. It was the 1* which said “Not for me”. After reading it I thought this is for me and a good holiday read!
Me Too ? x
I can highly recommend it 5** for me-couldnt put it down.:)
@Susan That one star review had me in tears – of frustration more than anything, simply because the lady who wrote it reads my French series of books, and it clearly isn’t about France !! Those one star reviews can do damage but I rely on sensible people reading between the lines, sorry about the pun ?x
I always read a mixture of reviews when deciding on buying a book and sometimes its the lower rated reviews that make me buy it. x
That’s a good philosophy- and one I use myself xxx
It certainly was in this case @Sarah
Me too, although if the blurb doesn’t grab me i walk away. x
Snap @Sarah! One of my favourite books of all time got some terrible reviews as well as some great ones. Different strokes for different folks and all that …xx
I agree, it’s all down to personal choice. Xxxxx
Absolutely @Patricia! xxx
I’m with Sarah and Susan, exactly the same. Good for you, Susan! Enjoy x
Well now I want to read it ??
Haha.
I take no notice of bad reviews nowadays. Because of posts from fab authors I know they’re bollocks & just trying to upset the authors by trolling. We know because of book clubs who is good.
I do leave reviews but never bad. Too much work goes into the books.
What a lovely thing to say. And if you’re an independent author like myself it is like a kick in the teeth when someone leaves a flippant remark that took seconds to write about a book that means the world to an author. X
So bloody rude & not thinking. Just no need @Patricia. Sod them coz looking at this lot u have bigger & better fans x
@Theresa thanks Theresa, I hope you become one of them ❤️
I’m nebbing at your books once I get onto lunch x
@Theresa I take it you are a northern lass. And have a neb – I hope you are intrigued and enticed. Xxxxx
I am haha x
@Theresa snap x
Live in gateshead near Newcastle. Very Geordie haha & bought over my shoulder it looks really up my street! X
@Theresa thanks so much. Send me a message when you’ve finished – but only if you like it ?only kidding. It will be nice to hear what you think xxx
@Patricia I will & I’ll be nice haha x
@Theresa ?x
@Theresa Your accent is one of my favourite UK ones 🙂
Haha confusing to some!
i rarely read reviews for buying a book
Would you mind me asking – from an author point of view, what entices you to buy a book, is it the cover or blurb and do you search by category or recommendations. That’s the problem with being independent- our books rarely reach the first page on Amazon who promote the big stars. Your input is really valuable so if you have time to reply I’d be really grateful. X
The blurb and genre – I look at coming soon on amazon and fantastic fiction and good reads and add books to my kindle from those
I must get this book now after reading everyone’s comments. I don’t bother with reviews normally just read the bit on the back if it’s an author I haven’t read before.
Thanks Hilary – It’s difficult to know how to market my books and grab attention. I’ll remember to make the blurb very interesting xxxxx
If I enjoy the book I then tend to buy all the books that that author has written, hence my crumbling bank balance ?
@Hilary well the rest of mine are quite cheap, 99p – £1.99 but they are women’s fiction set in France, not really crime related but you never know. Lovely chatting to you. Xxxxx
Thanks @Patricia I will look out for them.
One of my favourites from last year had a one star review I saw, it prattled on for ages and if I hadn’t read it before I would’ve after that
The review must’ve been written by a keyboard warrior. There’s a lot of it about !
her biggest gripe seemed to be folk giving 5 stars to indie authors and they only done it hoping for free books.
@Craig really ! Well i give ARC copies to readers and then it’s up to them. There’s no way I can influence their ratings.
@Patricia I think her reasoning was a bit daft, why would you give 5 stars to a book you didn’t like in the hope of a free book which you probably wouldn’t like either
@Craig I could write a whole post in some of the loony and funny things reviewers have said. One of the best was my book being compared to my previous novel (which they didn’t like) and the one they mentioned wasn’t actually written by me ?!!!
i think some of them that leave bad reviews are full of their own self importance and try to sound clever
@Craig they do – and cram all their ‘wisdom’ into a few lines.
I don’t take notice of reviews. If it looks interesting I’ll read it.
The blurb, sometimes the cover and sometimes but not always the reviews. As others say even the poor reviews can entice me to chose a book
That’s interesting- thanks Nicki x
I’m the same peoples ideas of what is a good or a bad read just confuse the issue! there are 2 or 3 books I have part read and (no names mentioned) have never bothered with book number 2!!
I’m the same. I just move on a find something new to read. I never write bad reviews though. I just put it down to experience.
Same here x
Yes I’ve bought lots of books based on the lower reviews.
Good for you ?that’s nice to hear. Xxxx
Discovered Paula Daly because of an epic furious rant on Goodreads … *Apparently* her books are ANTI FEMINIST, MISOGYNISTIC and LET WOMEN DOWN, lol. Needless to say Paula’s books are fabulous and tell the truth about about women’s role, especially in marriage and the home
@Lucy she sounds interesting- I like social commentary type books wrapped up in fiction. I always try to write strong female characters but those with flaws and weaknesses are just as important. This world is made up of different types of women – and the complaining woman should embrace that fact and them – not just people like herself.
Paula’s books have a lot of social commentary about the mother/wife role so you should like them. As for complaining women, seems to me feminism is a thing of the past online – more FAUXminism!!
@Lucy couldn’t agree more. X
I just had to hunt that 1* review down. First of all it is very unfair to rate a book that you only read 100 pages and secondly that person is rating the subject matter not the actual book, again unfair. Now I am delighted to have found another new author to me and have just bought the book. ?
Mary that is exactly how I saw it.
What upset me was the lady is on my mailing list for my French series of books and even though OMS is a completely different genre I emailed everyone to let them know of its release AND made the point that it might not be for them. So why she bought it then felt the need to comment in the way she did is beyond me. I was also slightly hurt by her insensitivity with regards to the subject. X
@Patricia I totally agree with you. I have read some dark books but I know what I am getting into after reading the blurb. She was pre warned by you do yes you have every right to be hurt. However there are many fabulous reviews and I look forward to starting it ?
@Mary thanks Mary. I’ll look forward to hearing from you. Have a lovely day x
I think my laptop went a little crazy there and posted my comment repeatedly, sorry about that.
Yup and bought after a nasty troll review xxx
I read a mix of good and bad reviews when I’m deciding whether to buy a book or not. In your case @Patricia the 1* review that you have, is for me, totally unjustified. Having read the blurb I don’t understand how they couldn’t have picked up on what the subject matter was going to be and where that kind of story could go. It’s one thing to say that you enjoy crime and psychological thrillers but your book obviously is on the darker side of the genre. Oh and while I was there I downloaded it!! It would have been rude not to ?
You are a star. I mentioned on another thread that the lady did have prior warning so I’ve no idea what she was thinking. Thank you for buying the book. Please let me know how you get on. X
No need for thanks at all @Patricia, it sounds like just my cup of tea. Not sure when I’ll get to it (my review pile is teetering!) but I’ll definitely let you know when I get to it 😉
@Neats thank you Neats. And it’s lovely to meet you here and have a chat x
You too @Patricia ?
If there was one review and it was a 1 ?, it wouldn’t bother me however if it attracted 1000 1 ? and nothing better, I may have to download a sample just to check it was ok.
The only review thay I ever read is the blurb on the back cover. If that arouses my interest and if the opening paragraph reads easily, I may buy the book. My problem with reviews is that they are subjective. I know the kind of book that I want to read and I don’t need a total stranger telling me that it is good or bad. A review may come from a friend or relative of the author which means that the opinion is biased. I tend to accept a recommendation on face value only.
By the way, to answer your question, I bought,’The Black Country’ by Alex Grecian on somebody’s recommendation and I couldn’t make up my mind whether to dispose of it in the dustbin or to simply burn it. It was so bad that I couldn’t find it in me to give it to a charity shop.
Where did it get 1 star? Not on Amazon in the US nor on Goodreads.
Amazon uk Linda. It was the only 1* review, several 4* and 5*. I was curious about it.. Read it and bought the book!
I don’t pay too much attention to the Star ratings. I have read some books that have glowing reviews from the majority of readers and I have to wonder if they read the same book as I read. I have also read plenty of books that I thought were stellar reads that a lot of people did not have a good thing to say about. It’s all a matter of taste but I do like my books to be intelligent. I have never read a Patricia Dixon book but I will look into this one. So many books, so little time.
I might try them if they are free on kindle
I had to give a wry smile when a reviewer of one of my books pointed out that there were ‘too many typoes’ and mis-spelled the word ‘annoy’. (He gave me 4 stars though)
Which brings to mind a question I frequently ask myself; Are there no longer proof readers hired on as staff at publishing companies, or does no one read ARP’s any longer?
I am not asking because you might have mis-spelled *annoy*, I would not know that, just questioning in general. I did read a book recently where they referred to one of the characters by the wrong name for an entire chapter. ?
I self publish using Kindle Diect Publishing. Everything is left to the author. I read my books a dozen times with intervals of a month to six weeks between each reading. It is still possible to miss something even then. I write for personal enjoyment, not profit. If I wrote for profit, I’d be a poor man. I cannot afford to hire a proof-reader. I get personal pleasure from seeing my work in print and would like more people to read them but I cannot afford the advertising.
@Ron I get that with self publishing. I used to write a newsletter for an organization I belong to, no matter how many times I re-read it before hitting the Send button, as soon as I would read the actual published newsletter I would find at least one glaring typo. It is not easy to proof your own work because you mind overrides your eyes. Your mind sees what it is supposed to be not what is actually there.
Although I work in retail, I write my books in my own time. I will be seventy next birthday and see my writing as a way of easing my way into retirement. Thank you for your question. It is always good to connect with somebody who has a similar interest.
Have to say, it’s so lovely to hear that the odd one-star review isn’t really taken notice of. As an author, that cheers me. As a reader, I may skim read a mixture of reviews before reading, but what ultimately makes up my mind is the blurb – if it sounds like my kind of thing, I’ll buy it no matter what.