Quote:
Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks
Of course, I am but one reviewer. Not everyone reviews like I do, but it's quite possible that the data supports a price-affects-the-review.
That said, I think there are a number of liberties taken in analyzing the data...
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I tend to agree with the price affecting the review. I've noticed that in the past with myself.
It can also depend on the type of book. If I picked it up because I thought it "looked cute" or something - I'm more lenient because I wasn't really expecting much from it anyway. (I no longer buy books without skimming the first chapter anymore because there are so many poorly edited books out there - I've been burned too many times.)
I'm wondering where the ratings are coming from. If you go to any well reviewed book on goodreads, they all average between 3-4.25 stars, not 4.25 - 4.5 like the data suggests.
Books that have less reviews have higher average scores. Even generally beloved books don't break the 4.25.
-Pride and Prejudice: 4.24
-Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: 4.17
-Gone with the Wind: 4.24
The exceptions would be books in a series/omnibuses.
The lower ratings make far more sense because there's no one thing that every single person absolutely loves.
Not that goodreads has the authority on reviews - I just don't think the place people are buying the books from is necessarily the best source.
I've also noticed more recently published books (especially YA and NA) tend to have much higher ratings - and I wonder if this is because of the few scandals involving authors or author-fans harassing negative reviews - as well as people leaving goodreads.