Kindle users give 1 star rating to book with delayed ebook release

[anurag]

From http://www.techflash.com/seattle/201...l_edition.html

...

Case in point: the much buzzed about new book "Game Change," which spills secrets about the 2008 presidential election. The book has been deluged with one-star, negative reviews from people who are protesting publisher HarperCollins' decision to delay the Kindle version to Feb. 23. Those one-star reviews have contributed to a ho-hum average customer review rating of a 2.5 stars (out of 5). Customer reviews are an important factor for book sales on Amazon, and it will be interesting to see if the Kindle protests spread.

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[Sweetpea]

I like that action! It's the only visible way we have of showing our displeasure at publishers.

[basschick]

the problem is that by doing that, the protesters are also harming the author.

[Hogan]

Originally Posted by basschick

the problem is that by doing that, the protesters are also harming the author.

That's true but at the same time you gotta be cruel to be kind. The author is the one who is in a much better position than you or I to voice their displeasure at how difficult the publishers are making it for the consumers.

Right now there is no more effective way for us to be heard. Emailing or writing to the publishers is a waste of time. I'm speaking especially as a non-US consumer where the problem is much worse.

Still, I'm hopeful that these restrictions will be sorted out over the course of this year but it wont happen without pressure.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by basschick

the problem is that by doing that, the protesters are also harming the author.

I agree, and I hope the author(s) will also notice and talk to their publishers and object to this practice.

[Sparrow]

I think it's a shame that people are doing that, because I think customer reviews can be very useful when the system operates properly.

It's a disservice to fellow readers imho.

[Alisa]

I wish all authors had online tip jars so I could detach my support for them from my support for their publishers.

[luag]

Originally Posted by Alisa

I wish all authors had online tip jars so I could detach my support for them from my support for their publishers.

I agree. I often wish for an easier way to support my favourite author/musicians/etc directly.

In regards to music, some people would tell me to just buy their merchandise/come to the concerts. But I'm just not the kind of guy who collects merchandises / going to live concerts.

[zerospinboson]

haha. I wonder if Amazon invented this useless tag to make people doubt reviews by those who didn't buy at amazon:

What's an "Amazon Verified Purchase" review?

When a product review is marked "Amazon Verified Purchase," it means that the customer who wrote the review purchased the item at Amazon.com. Customers can add this label to their review only if we can verify the item being reviewed was purchased at Amazon.com. Customers reading an Amazon Verified Purchase review can use this information to help them decide which reviews are most helpful in their purchasing decisions.

If a review is not marked Amazon Verified Purchase, it doesn't mean that the reviewer has no experience with the product – it just means we couldn't verify that it had been purchased at Amazon. They may have purchased the item elsewhere or had some other interaction with it. If we could somehow validate their experience with the product, we certainly would. The Amazon Verified Review label offers one more way to help gauge the quality and relevance of a product review.

How can I make my review an "Amazon Verified Purchase"?

When you write a new review, you will be given the opportunity to mark your review as an Amazon Verified Purchase. If the checkbox doesn't appear, we were unable to verify you purchased the item at Amazon.

If you wrote a review for an item you purchased at Amazon previously and would like to mark it as an Amazon Verified Purchase, simply edit your existing review and the Amazon Verified Purchase checkbox should appear. After checking the box and saving your review, your review will immediately be marked as an Amazon Verified Purchase. You can also opt to mark all of your past reviews for products purchased at Amazon as Amazon Verified Purchase reviews using the corresponding checkbox during review editing or creation.

[elvenic]

Originally Posted by basschick

the problem is that by doing that, the protesters are also harming the author.

Good. Maybe next time the author will go to the different publisher.

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by elvenic

Good. Maybe next time the author will go to the different publisher.

Agree 100%

The customer seems to be at the bottom of the list, and anyway to let the consumers voice be heard is good. Change will not come unless people DO something. Whining about prices, DRM, delays, formats does nothing. Companies understand only one thing, sales.

I actually wanted this book. But no way will I buy it now. I will not wait a few months to read it, so the publisher will make more money. They will simply loose the money they would have got from me. And yes, the author will as well. It's business, and we are all grownups. They have a right to do as they are doing, and the people/customers have a right to respond.

As I said in another post. Borrow the book, check it out from a library, buy it in a used book store, or get a pirated copy. All four of those options take the money away from them.

[vaughnmr]

I agree! If the publishers are going to screw with me, I'll pay them back in kind. They are NOT going to get MY money.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

Agree 100%

The customer seems to be at the bottom of the list, and anyway to let the consumers voice be heard is good. Change will not come unless people DO something. Whining about prices, DRM, delays, formats does nothing. Companies understand only one thing, sales.

I actually wanted this book. But no way will I buy it now. I will not wait a few months to read it, so the publisher will make more money. They will simply loose the money they would have got from me. And yes, the author will as well. It's business, and we are all grownups. They have a right to do as they are doing, and the people/customers have a right to respond.

As I said in another post. Borrow the book, check it out from a library, buy it in a used book store, or get a pirated copy. All four of those options take the money away from them.

Originally Posted by vaughnmr

I agree! If the publishers are going to screw with me, I'll pay them back in kind. They are NOT going to get MY money.

Originally Posted by elvenic

Good. Maybe next time the author will go to the different publisher.

These publishers really are shooting themselves in the feet (just like the music and movie industry did, and are still doing to some extent). More and more people I see on here and elsewhere are willing to purchase ebooks, but the publishers just aren't letting them. There's an ill wind brewing and it may just knock down the straw house the publishers built for themselves.

[Rob G.]

I gave up giving Amazon reviews more than a cursory glance ages ago. I can see where someone might have a cynical reaction to the "Verified Amazon Purchase" tag, but at least it lets you know the writer actually owns said product. Too many reviews on Amazon are shills.

And as for this, I think people are hoping to do like the PC gaming people did with Spore and some other games where they loaded the Amazon reviews negatively in protest of the DRM scheme being used. It did cause EA and others to rethink their DRM, so there you go.

[calvin-c]

Originally Posted by Rob G.

I gave up giving Amazon reviews more than a cursory glance ages ago. I can see where someone might have a cynical reaction to the "Verified Amazon Purchase" tag, but at least it lets you know the writer actually owns said product. Too many reviews on Amazon are shills.

This seems to be true of every store that gives 'customers' a chance to review the products they sell. Fortunately virtually all shills are so inept that it's easy for me (and presumably others who watch for them) to identify their reviews, and ignore them.

There's probably a few-just as spammers have learned to 'tone down' their advertising to get their spam past filters, etc. some of the shills have probably learned to write what appears to be an unbiased review. But so far it looks like they're a very small minority (of shills, that is).