How reliable are amazon's ebook reviews - Page 2

Ea · 01-07-2010, 09:23 AM

I had no idea that Kindle book reviews were different from other Amazon reviews. Thanks.

I almost always take advantage of samples unless I already know the author. It's usually important for me to like the style of writing and to get an idea of whether this book might be for me. After I got over the 'honeymoon period' of how cheap books are in USA and I just bought them if they looked okay, samples and a little bit of restraint have really saved me some money.

For non-fiction (mostly cookbooks so far), I've taken advantage of books.google.com if Google had previews of the book. For non-fiction it's usually nice to see more than the first 5-10% of the book.

M.P. Jones · 04-16-2012, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

And beware 'review mills' -- a new internet-based business model that charges authors and publishers for writing positive reviews and circulating them on line (including to Amazom). Shady to say the least. Neil

Wow, is there no limit to the ability for people to make a quick, and slightly shady, buck!

So, ahem, where can I find one of these sites?

M.P. Jones

Dragoro · 04-17-2012, 10:17 AM

Yeah I definitely go with goodreads reviews, not amazons.

Joykins · 04-17-2012, 01:33 PM

For indie/self-pub books rely only on the negative (3 star and under) reviews.

Goodreads has the same problem Amazon does on low-circulation indie titles; also, some readerships are generally uncritical (m/m romance reviewers, I'm looking at you).

If a price is associated with the book, sometimes you have to try the free sample to see if the writing is competent.

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01-07-2010, 09:23 AM	#16
Ea Wizard Posts: 3,490 Karma: 5239563 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kindle 3\|iPad air\|iPhone 4S	I had no idea that Kindle book reviews were different from other Amazon reviews. Thanks. I almost always take advantage of samples unless I already know the author. It's usually important for me to like the style of writing and to get an idea of whether this book might be for me. After I got over the 'honeymoon period' of how cheap books are in USA and I just bought them if they looked okay, samples and a little bit of restraint have really saved me some money. For non-fiction (mostly cookbooks so far), I've taken advantage of books.google.com if Google had previews of the book. For non-fiction it's usually nice to see more than the first 5-10% of the book.

04-17-2012, 10:17 AM	#18
Dragoro Lovecraft Fan Posts: 414 Karma: 539914 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Michigan Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Kindle Touch	Yeah I definitely go with goodreads reviews, not amazons.

04-17-2012, 01:33 PM	#19
Joykins Wizard Posts: 1,610 Karma: 9211856 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini	For indie/self-pub books rely only on the negative (3 star and under) reviews. Goodreads has the same problem Amazon does on low-circulation indie titles; also, some readerships are generally uncritical (m/m romance reviewers, I'm looking at you). If a price is associated with the book, sometimes you have to try the free sample to see if the writing is competent.

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