Authors reviewing their own works?

[GraceKrispy]

Is anyone else weirded out when authors review their own books? I've run across a few instances of this lately. One some sites, it looks like authors can give stars to their own work (and several have), and on another site I saw a glowing review from an author (if the name was to be believed, middle initial and all) about his own work. It really did look like his writing, as the errors I saw in the book were also present in the review

Is it just me, or does reviewing your own book seem, well, just wrong?

[MrPLD]

The only time we had to do that was when we wanted to attach a video to our page on Amazon and couldn't for the life of us find out how to do it other than to run a review. It was pretty annoying even for us.

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

Is it just me, or does reviewing your own book seem, well, just wrong?

Not "wrong" so much as the act of a rank amateur that should never be given a penny of my money or a second of my time.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

on another site I saw a glowing review from an author (if the name was to be believed, middle initial and all) about his own work. It really did look like his writing, as the errors I saw in the book were also present in the review

Did he like the book?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

Is it just me, or does reviewing your own book seem, well, just wrong?

Reviews are supposed to be from independent sources, not connected to the authors, so as to provide a fair and balanced critique of a work. (Not that it always is that, as we know... but it's supposed to be.) Simply put, the author can't do that... so their review is worthless.

Mind you, if they're using it like a back cover blurb, those are always biased towards the book. I suppose some people might be thinking of it that way, after all, not all sites give you many options about how you can put your book page together, and some might think of it as fair game.

[Ravensknight]

I wouldn't buy a book if the author had given it a "review". An additional blurb would be welcome, not a "review" though...

[meromana]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

Is it just me, or does reviewing your own book seem, well, just wrong?

It seems ridiculous. How can you give an unbiased evaluation of your own work? I'm not saying you can't honestly sees faults or shortcomings in your own work, but it's your work--by definition, you're not unbiased. And what would you say about your work? If you say you don't like it, for heaven's sake, who will? If you say you do like it and are proud of it (as hopefully, you should be), what do your words to that effect mean to anyone else?

It's just silly!

--Maria

[SeaBookGuy]

It's tacky

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by meromana

It seems ridiculous. How can you give an unbiased evaluation of your own work?

There is a science fiction short story I read years back (can't remember the title or author) where a guy has written what is widely accepted as the greatest novel ever written-- there is constant praise from all corners for the book, but he is the one person who can never read the book for the first time-- so he goes somewhere (and this is the SF part) and has the part of his memory covering the time he was writing the novel erased so that he can read his own book. The last line of the story being something like "this better be worth it."

[lene1949]

Originally Posted by MrPLD

The only time we had to do that was when we wanted to attach a video to our page on Amazon and couldn't for the life of us find out how to do it other than to run a review. It was pretty annoying even for us.

At least you gave it 5 stars...

[MrPLD]

Originally Posted by lene1949

At least you gave it 5 stars...

Gnarr... well, if any one can advise as to how to add the video without the review I'd gladly retract it from that. I've seen other authors do the videos without needing it

Would be nice to give a non-starred response too.

Anyone care to help so I can remove this blight from the page?

Paul

[neilmarr]

Very, very bad form. I also don't like the idea of authors soliciting positive reviews from biased friends and family (which I know happens all the time). This latter ploy is harder to spot, but just as deplorable. Reviews should always be impartial and independent, otherwise they carry zero weight and even offer misleading advice under false pretences to lure innocent buyers. Neil

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Very, very bad form. I also don't like the idea of authors soliciting positive reviews from biased friends and family (which I know happens all the time). This latter ploy is harder to spot, but just as deplorable. Reviews should always be impartial and independent, otherwise they carry zero weight and even offer misleading advice under false pretences to lure innocent buyers. Neil

I just looked at a book that had 4 five-star reviews. When I see things like that, I always check the reviewer's track record. These four individuals (or were they?) had one review each.... all for this book, all within 2 days of one another. That feels suspicious to me. There was one reviewer I recently looked up who had 3 reviews to her name...all talking about the (same) author as if she had never seen such fantastic books in her life! "XXX has done it again! What a fantastic book, blah blah" (no specifics, not sure the book was even read).

But back to the original topic; I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking authors reviewing and posting their own work is over the top.

[neilmarr]

Exactly, Grace. Independent reader review should find a Goldilocks Zone where it is as respected and trusted as critical review in the mainstreeam (perhaps, deservingly, even more so).

Those authors who solicit circle-review might do themselves a temporary self-service, but they devalue the whole concept of impartial critique so that, ultimately, everyone from author to reader to reviewer loses.

Informal reviews will become meaningless if this abuse continutes so that the author is left without significant appraisal and the browsing reader without a reliable guide. Why do the major stores have no watchdogs in place? Neil

[MrPLD]

Well, I worked out how to purge the review (not that it was... but you know what I mean), now I have to work out still how to embed the video like other books.