Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
The problem is finding the good reviewers. Not just "being willing to read"--I know half a dozen excellent reviewers at LiveJournal (erm, mostly of fanfic), and there are some specific book-rec communities, but you have to know they exist to find them. And then you have to figure out whose reviews are worth paying attention to, and who just says "I liked this one, therefore it was great! I didn't like that one, therefore it sucked!"
Ebooks that don't exist as pbooks are scattered around the web, and reviews are even more scattered. There's a lot of terrific writing being ignored because nobody knows it exists or where to find it.
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This problem is better solved by social networks like twitter. I've taken several great book recommendations that I never heard of or would've even considered looking at on my own from authors I follow on twitter. Admittedly, mostly Doctorow but still, the concept isn't his nor is he the only one participating.
Nobody needs reviews, they're a huge waste of time and effort anyway. What one really needs is trusted sources for recommendations and a little legwork of their own to form their own opinions. Detailed reviews only serve to sway your prejudices anyway.
I'd rather get a 40 character tweet from doctorow saying "Book Name by Author Name is fantastic!" and since I respect his opinion, I'll check out the book on my own.