Thoughts on 1-star reviews.... - Page 2

GraceKrispy · 08-02-2011, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PKFFW

I don't agree with giving a 1 star "review" that basically says......"I haven't actually had any experience of this product because I don't want to pay the price". A review is meant to be a critique of ones experience with the product. If you have no experience with the product then your "review" is worthless and isn't even a review it's just a whinge.

I agree with this. If the price is too high too high for someone, it's too high. Don't buy it. I don't see how a review saying 1 star "because it's too expensive but I haven't bought it -obviously- because it's too expensive" is helpful to readers or authors? It doesn't give the readers the information they're looking for-the price is listed right there, a one star review isn't going to make the price more obvious. Now, on the other hand, if the reviewer says "this book is good for these reasons, not so great for these, but I really don't think it's worth 11.99 and I wish I hadn't bought it for that price..." that's helpful. Maybe the things the reader liked about the book are the exact things I've been looking for in a book, and maybe that price point is fine with me. Or maybe the book intrigues me, but I'll go ahead and look for it at the library or wait for a sale because that price is a deal-breaker. Or maybe I don't like any of the "good" points in the review, so I know it's definitely not worth my money.

Isn't just not buying the book the way to send a message to the publisher? I know many authors who do experimentation on price points to see what price gets the most sold and/or gets the best profit. Not selling any would be a pretty clear indication that price point isn't right.

ucfgrad93 · 08-02-2011, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caleb72

Of course, I never learn. Read the sample first, Caleb!

That is one thing I really love about my ebooks - getting a sample of the book before I buy it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I agree with this. If the price is too high too high for someone, it's too high. Don't buy it. I don't see how a review saying 1 star "because it's too expensive but I haven't bought it -obviously- because it's too expensive" is helpful to readers or authors? It doesn't give the readers the information they're looking for-the price is listed right there, a one star review isn't going to make the price more obvious. Now, on the other hand, if the reviewer says "this book is good for these reasons, not so great for these, but I really don't think it's worth 11.99 and I wish I hadn't bought it for that price..." that's helpful. Maybe the things the reader liked about the book are the exact things I've been looking for in a book, and maybe that price point is fine with me. Or maybe the book intrigues me, but I'll go ahead and look for it at the library or wait for a sale because that price is a deal-breaker. Or maybe I don't like any of the "good" points in the review, so I know it's definitely not worth my money.

Isn't just not buying the book the way to send a message to the publisher? I know many authors who do experimentation on price points to see what price gets the most sold and/or gets the best profit. Not selling any would be a pretty clear indication that price point isn't right.

Well said.

Stephen_Melling · 08-02-2011, 06:30 AM

I just read this 1 star review of a writer's work I know is decent. I'll cut and paste the review but not the name of the book or author(however inaccurate the review may be I don't want to upset anyone)

Here's the review:

Are you really taking 4 of your RECENTLY published novellas and combining them into one ebook??? Are you hoping to get some extra sales from someone who's not paying attention??

You're not that good of a writer to warrant two versions of your crap "The 6th Sense" knockoff novellas. You should have just left them in the small presses where selling out of a 200 book print run makes you feel important.

It takes more than getting a few of your discussion group buddies to write 5-Star reviews of your ebooks to make you a good writer. You should stick to your straight-to-DVD acting career.

The reviewer remained anonymous.

avantman42 · 08-02-2011, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PKFFW

Secondly, if by "others", you mean the publishers/retailers/author, then you should write directly to them as that is far more likely to garner their attention and response.

I agree that is the better response, but it's not always easy. I tried once (to tell the publisher that I wasn't going to buy a particular book that I wanted, because it was around £15 for the ebook, while the paperback list price was £9.99), but I found it difficult to find contact details for the publisher. I'm still not sure if I sent my e-mail to the right address.

After that experience, I'm disinclined to bother trying to contact the publisher. I'll just not bother buying the book.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

1 star reviews on the basis of price I don't think are appropriate. I can make up my own mind whether or not the price is one that I'm willing to pay.

1 star reviews based on errors - yes, absolutely. Poor formatting and numerous errors will make a book unreadable for me, no matter how good the story.

Agreed. I think I've only ever left two 1-star reviews: one for a phone, one for this ebook. In the case of the ebook, the formatting was so bad that some pages simply wouldn't display on my Kindle, and others required me to use the 5-way controller to pan left & right.

MartinC · 08-02-2011, 08:56 AM

Interesting article in guardian.co.uk a couple of weeks ago suggested that both one- and five-star reviews should be discounted.

Apparently research suggests that star rating systems encourage reviewers to adopt extreme opinions - essentially they are competing for attention. The more reviews a product has (on Amazon, say) the more pronounced the effect.

WillAdams · 08-02-2011, 09:12 AM

Interestingly, originally the Mona Lisa's colors were much brighter:

http://www.lumiere-technology.com/Pages/News/news3.htm

patrickt · 08-02-2011, 09:25 AM

I suppose for me it's a toss-up on who is the most dumb. Is it the person who gives a one-star rating because the book costs more than she wants to pay or is it someone who bases a decision on reading on book on how many "stars" it's gotten.

I wouldn't mind a system that had five stars and an N/A. Honest people could use N/A when they thought the book was good but the editing was horrible or the price outrateous. The dishonest could, as they do now, keep using one star.

HomeInMyShoes · 08-02-2011, 09:58 AM

1-star based on price is stupid. The market will dictate what people are willing to pay for. If it's a bad book it's a bad book at any price. There's so much written work out there at every price point that everyone should be able to find a lot of material there.

Horrible editing does detract from the experience. When I'm reading reviews, I read the five's to see if it just seems like pat on the back stuff, I read the one's to see if the book actual was terrible and ignore things on price, and I read the three's to see what people say about a meh kind of book. What made it not so good? What made it not so bad? I usually find the more thoughtful reviews in the middle.

There's been a lot of research on Likert scales. Five options isn't really a good number for getting the correct distribution of how people feel in many cases. It would be nice if Amazon moved to 7 for the scale which would be a little more valuable.

Skibble · 08-02-2011, 10:22 AM

I usually read the 1-star reviews just to see what they have to say. Numerous 1-star reviews raging about bad formatting and poor grammar? I'll take them into consideration. Complaints about price and customer service? Not a factor. I don't understand why anyone would think those should be part of a review of the ebook, as opposed to feedback to the company.

issybird · 08-02-2011, 10:23 AM

If I have to pick, a one-star review is potentially more valuable than a five-star review. Perfection is rare, but there's a lot of craptastic stuff out there, as well as a lot of shillers.

In any case, you have to read the review, which readily weeds out the people with a grudge, the price-averse and so forth. Two- and three-star reviews are the most useful. I'm predisposed to like something if I've gotten so far as to read the reviews, so I want to know what might kill the deal. Do the objections seem well-founded? Are they issues that would bother me, also?

Pomtroll · 08-02-2011, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

1 star reviews on the basis of price I don't think are appropriate. I can make up my own mind whether or not the price is one that I'm willing to pay.

1 star reviews based on errors - yes, absolutely. Poor formatting and numerous errors will make a book unreadable for me, no matter how good the story.

I agree with Harry on this one. Some people wouldn't even look at the reviews if they see the overall is low. What I tend to do is rate on the story but add there were so many errors that reading was difficult.

I tend to read a few of each star review. I have found reading the 1 star is as helpful as reading the 5 stars.

Stephen_Melling · 08-02-2011, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pomtroll

I have found reading the 1 star is as helpful as reading the 5 stars.

I totally agree with you on this. It really does draw the attention.

JSWolf · 08-02-2011, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Mona Lisa - 5 stars - works for me

That is a 1 star copy. If I could give it less, I would have.

RainingLemur · 08-02-2011, 07:20 PM

I read as many 1 star reviews as I read 5 star reviews. At the least, I'll get a grasp on the extremes of both ends. But, the 1 star reviews that are nothing more than "Oh, it's too expensive!" and nothing else, I tend to ignore.

tubemonkey · 08-02-2011, 08:57 PM

I tend to ignore 1 star reviews for defective products; unless there are quite a few of them.

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08-02-2011, 06:30 AM	#18
Stephen_Melling Stephen_Melling Posts: 133 Karma: 479422 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Preston, Lancashire Device: kindle	I just read this 1 star review of a writer's work I know is decent. I'll cut and paste the review but not the name of the book or author(however inaccurate the review may be I don't want to upset anyone) Here's the review: Are you really taking 4 of your RECENTLY published novellas and combining them into one ebook??? Are you hoping to get some extra sales from someone who's not paying attention?? You're not that good of a writer to warrant two versions of your crap "The 6th Sense" knockoff novellas. You should have just left them in the small presses where selling out of a 200 book print run makes you feel important. It takes more than getting a few of your discussion group buddies to write 5-Star reviews of your ebooks to make you a good writer. You should stick to your straight-to-DVD acting career. The reviewer remained anonymous.

08-02-2011, 08:56 AM	#20
MartinC Hanger on Posts: 148 Karma: 1355233 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Dorset, UK Device: Kindle 3, Galaxy S, Sony PRS-505, Sony tablet	Interesting article in guardian.co.uk a couple of weeks ago suggested that both one- and five-star reviews should be discounted. Apparently research suggests that star rating systems encourage reviewers to adopt extreme opinions - essentially they are competing for attention. The more reviews a product has (on Amazon, say) the more pronounced the effect.

08-02-2011, 09:12 AM	#21
WillAdams Wizard Posts: 1,260 Karma: 3439432 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (300ppi), Samsung Galaxy Book 12	Interestingly, originally the Mona Lisa's colors were much brighter: http://www.lumiere-technology.com/Pages/News/news3.htm

08-02-2011, 09:25 AM	#22
patrickt Wizard Posts: 1,221 Karma: 8381518 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Device: Paperwhite 4 X 2	I suppose for me it's a toss-up on who is the most dumb. Is it the person who gives a one-star rating because the book costs more than she wants to pay or is it someone who bases a decision on reading on book on how many "stars" it's gotten. I wouldn't mind a system that had five stars and an N/A. Honest people could use N/A when they thought the book was good but the editing was horrible or the price outrateous. The dishonest could, as they do now, keep using one star.

08-02-2011, 09:58 AM	#23
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	1-star based on price is stupid. The market will dictate what people are willing to pay for. If it's a bad book it's a bad book at any price. There's so much written work out there at every price point that everyone should be able to find a lot of material there. Horrible editing does detract from the experience. When I'm reading reviews, I read the five's to see if it just seems like pat on the back stuff, I read the one's to see if the book actual was terrible and ignore things on price, and I read the three's to see what people say about a meh kind of book. What made it not so good? What made it not so bad? I usually find the more thoughtful reviews in the middle. There's been a lot of research on Likert scales. Five options isn't really a good number for getting the correct distribution of how people feel in many cases. It would be nice if Amazon moved to 7 for the scale which would be a little more valuable.

08-02-2011, 10:22 AM	#24
Skibble Runs With Scissors Posts: 115 Karma: 1173596 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: USA Device: Kindle Voyage	I usually read the 1-star reviews just to see what they have to say. Numerous 1-star reviews raging about bad formatting and poor grammar? I'll take them into consideration. Complaints about price and customer service? Not a factor. I don't understand why anyone would think those should be part of a review of the ebook, as opposed to feedback to the company.

08-02-2011, 10:23 AM	#25
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 21,514 Karma: 236076651 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: Mini, H2O, Glo HD, Aura One, PW4, PW5	If I have to pick, a one-star review is potentially more valuable than a five-star review. Perfection is rare, but there's a lot of craptastic stuff out there, as well as a lot of shillers. In any case, you have to read the review, which readily weeds out the people with a grudge, the price-averse and so forth. Two- and three-star reviews are the most useful. I'm predisposed to like something if I've gotten so far as to read the reviews, so I want to know what might kill the deal. Do the objections seem well-founded? Are they issues that would bother me, also?

08-02-2011, 07:20 PM	#29
RainingLemur Spork Connoisseur Posts: 2,355 Karma: 16780603 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Nook Color	I read as many 1 star reviews as I read 5 star reviews. At the least, I'll get a grasp on the extremes of both ends. But, the 1 star reviews that are nothing more than "Oh, it's too expensive!" and nothing else, I tend to ignore.

08-02-2011, 08:57 PM	#30
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,851 Karma: 158733736 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	I tend to ignore 1 star reviews for defective products; unless there are quite a few of them.