Amazon is Adding Goodreads Ratings to Book Listings

[JSWolf]

https://bookriot.com/goodreads-ratin...mazon-listings

So. Amazon is starting to add Goodreads ratings to their book pages.

Goodreads notoriously doesn't do enough to moderate bot/spam/sock puppet accounts. They don't even require email address verification before rating. And now this will impact sales in a bigger way than ever.

[ownedbycats]

So Goodreads is basically a marketing platform for Amazon at this point. (Though it has been. Links to the books on the Kobo store mysteriously disappeared a few years ago - compare this page and its prominent "KINDLE 6.99" with the copy archived from 2012.)

[hleo12]

That's probably just in the US for now. Or at least selected regions.

I checked the books they gave as examples and I don't see any goodreads reviews yet.

I get both sides, but I honestly don't see including goodreads review as a negative. Amazon could keep goodreads reviews moderated, ban the obvious bot accounts, etc.

I actually think Amazon could be more lax in their review system. I don't think putting a monetary minimum just so you could review something you bought is honest.

To do any of the following, you need to have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com, using a valid credit or debit card, in the past 12 months:

Create reviews (including star ratings)
Answer customer questions
Submit helpful votes
Create idea lists
Follow other contributors
Promotional discounts don't count towards the $50 minimum spending requirement.

I know some authors struggle with reviews, but the reasons they give are more like an exemption to the rule. More authors get review bombed because they themselves are problematic, or write extremely problematic books than authors who have lgbtq characters in their books.

Giving consumers more options and be better informed is always a good thing to me. And I also haven't seen someone be that concerned about the reviews or star rating without actually checking the reviews posted.

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by hleo12

but I honestly don't see including goodreads review as a negative.

I certainly do. I explained why here in the first post... https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=349326

So more false ratings and reviews on Amazon.

[hleo12]

Originally Posted by Karellen

I certainly do. I explained why here in the first post... https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=349326

So more false ratings and reviews on Amazon.

And I followed that up with saying Amazon could moderate the reviews and ban bot accounts. Goodreads needs a lot of work.

Your post reminded me of this author who also had a similar problem with his goodreads. He casually mentioned that he was considering writing the next entry to his series. After that someone added that planned book to his series on goodreads. He only noticed when he was actually in the process of publishing the book. He contacted goodreads and goodreads basically said they couldn't do anything about it, and they couldn't remove the false book from his author profile.

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by hleo12

Your post reminded me of this author who also had a similar problem with his goodreads. He casually mentioned that he was considering writing the next entry to his series. After that someone added that planned book to his series on goodreads. He only noticed when he was actually in the process of publishing the book. He contacted goodreads and goodreads basically said they couldn't do anything about it, and they couldn't remove the false book from his author profile.

Yea, there is something terribly wrong with that. I certainly don't believe it is impossible to remove a book from their site. If it is, then the developer that developed the site should be shot for not adding maintenance tools.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Karellen

Yea, there is something terribly wrong with that. I certainly don't believe it is impossible to remove a book from their site. If it is, then the developer that developed the site should be shot for not adding maintenance tools.

https://help.goodreads.com/s/article...-1550590077773

Removing published books from our database is against our policy. Goodreads strives to be a complete database of all published works, including works that are out-of-print. We like our members to be able to add their exact edition to their virtual shelves.

However, if your book was never published and never will be published, we might be able to remove it from our general catalog. Please Contact Us.

The "never will be published" may explain it—my guess is that support thought the existing false book was the same as the one being published.

[Uncle Robin]

Having discovered that Goodreads allows authors to give their own works 5-star ratings was the final confirmation I needed that the GR (& thus by extension Amazon's) ratings are not worth a pair of fetid dingo kidneys

[rcentros]

I'm glad I never paid any attention to Good Reads ("social reading" is kind of an odd concept to me) -- but at least it was what it was and now it's not. Kind of like Amazon owning IMDB and Box Office Mojo (no ratings skewing for Amazon Prime productions of course). Or Warner Communications owning Rotten Tomatoes (I think, now it's actually owned by Fandango/Vudu -- Fandango sells movie tickets, Vudu sells streaming) no chance for abuse or gaming the system there. These sites should have to put up disclaimers.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I'm glad I never paid any attention to Good Reads ("social reading" is kind of an odd concept to me) -- but at least it was what it was and now it's not. Kind of like Amazon owning IMDB and Box Office Mojo (no ratings skewing for Amazon Prime productions of course).

yup...

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by hleo12

And I followed that up with saying Amazon could moderate the reviews and ban bot accounts. Goodreads needs a lot of work.

But Amazon bought Goodreads to sell books and find out more about customers.
They don't police bots & reviews too much on their main shop site.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I'm glad I never paid any attention to Good Reads ("social reading" is kind of an odd concept to me) -- but at least it was what it was and now it's not. Kind of like Amazon owning IMDB and Box Office Mojo (no ratings skewing for Amazon Prime productions of course). Or Warner Communications owning Rotten Tomatoes (I think, now it's actually owned by Fandango/Vudu -- Fandango sells movie tickets, Vudu sells streaming) no chance for abuse or gaming the system there. These sites should have to put up disclaimers.

Reading, for me, is not social in any way. In my case it is anti-social because I am an isolated island in a sea of people when reading.
Apache

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by hleo12

That's probably just in the US for now. Or at least selected regions.

I checked the books they gave as examples and I don't see any goodreads reviews yet.

I do see Goodreads star ratings. But I need to use Edge to see them. Using Firefox and I don't see them.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I'm glad I never paid any attention to Good Reads ("social reading" is kind of an odd concept to me) -- but at least it was what it was and now it's not. Kind of like Amazon owning IMDB and Box Office Mojo (no ratings skewing for Amazon Prime productions of course). Or Warner Communications owning Rotten Tomatoes (I think, now it's actually owned by Fandango/Vudu -- Fandango sells movie tickets, Vudu sells streaming) no chance for abuse or gaming the system there. These sites should have to put up disclaimers.

Same for me, I never pay any attention to ratings, I simply read the blurb and if it sounds good, I download, if not, I skip it. I am perfectly able to determine by myself whether or not I like a book.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Same for me, I never pay any attention to ratings, I simply read the blurb and if it sounds good, I download, if not, I skip it. I am perfectly able to determine by myself whether or not I like a book.

Until you read the book, the best you can do is think you might like it. Especially if it's a book from an author you've never read.