Amazon gives author an award then revokes it

[Daithi]

Salon has an amusing article on an author named Alison Espach who in June was awarded the "Amazon Best Book of 2011 … So Far" award for her novel The Adults. Well, by the time the Holiday season arrived her novel couldn't hold up to the competition, so it is no longer an Amazon Best Book of 2011. The author was actually a pretty good sport about it, but I still feel for her. Read the article, it's pretty good.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by Daithi

Salon has an amusing article on an author named Alison Espach who in June was awarded the "Amazon Best Book of 2011 … So Far" award for her novel The Adults. Well, by the time the Holiday season arrived her novel couldn't hold up to the competition, so it is no longer an Amazon Best Book of 2011. The author was actually a pretty good sport about it, but I still feel for her. Read the article, it's pretty good.

Fame is fleeting and a fickle mistress or something like that.

[RainingLemur]

That was a long 15 minutes.

But, hey, at least she had the distinction for a while.

[carld]

Well at least they didn't accidentally give an award to the wrong person before taking it back.

The National Book Awards, Accidental Nominations, and How Not to Handle Mistakes

[Daithi]

Originally Posted by carld

Well at least they didn't accidentally give an award to the wrong person before taking it back.

The National Book Awards, Accidental Nominations, and How Not to Handle Mistakes

Damn, the way they handled that is truly awful.

[afa]

I don't get what the big deal is.

The award clearly said "...So Far" which obviously implies that it could be temporary, depending on whether or not a better book comes out. It did, so her's is not the best any more. So what?

I'm sorry, but the title of this thread is very misleading. I thought this was going to be another National Book Awards, instead it turned out to be Amazon doing precisely what they implied they would.

[Daithi]

Originally Posted by afa

I don't get what the big deal is.

The award clearly said "...So Far" which obviously implies that it could be temporary, depending on whether or not a better book comes out. It did, so her's is not the best any more. So what?

I'm sorry, but the title of this thread is very misleading. I thought this was going to be another National Book Awards, instead it turned out to be Amazon doing precisely what they implied they would.

Yeah, I thought about titling the thread -- Amazon Let's Author Know She Might Win an Award but She Didn't. But to be honest, I thought that title was boring, even if it was more acurate. However, I did try to explain what the story was about in 3 or 4 short sentences, so I hope I didn't waste too much of your time.

There is just something about winning the "Amazon Best Book of 2011 (so far)" award that is amusing. You get to throw it on the cover of your book, just like if you won a Hugo or something, but then a few months later you lose. I guess I can just put myself in the authors shoes, and see how happy she would have been, and how she would understand that even the "so far" award would help her sell more books, but in the end she loses and I can just identify with how she must have felt. This is why the story of the award is a "big deal" or at least compelling.

[garrybuck]

How is it different than being on the NYT bestseller list? You're very fortunate if you get on it, and after awhile you won't be; but you will ways always have the bragging rights.

[HomeInMyShoes]

I think the bigger issue is the lameness of even announcing a so-far winner in the first place. Marketing departments everywhere have sunk to new depths of patheticness.

[afa]

Originally Posted by Daithi

However, I did try to explain what the story was about in 3 or 4 short sentences, so I hope I didn't waste too much of your time.

I suppose you'll have to make up for it somehow. I'm sure you'll think of something.

There is just something about winning the "Amazon Best Book of 2011 (so far)" award that is amusing. You get to throw it on the cover of your book, just like if you won a Hugo or something, but then a few months later you lose.

Oh, I get that. And I agree - there idea of winning a "... So Far" award is a little amusing. Sort of like naming an award "Possibly the Best Book of the Year (Maybe)".

My point was simply that the title seemed like Amazon was being accused of having cheated the author, which it didn't. Hence, I thought it might be misleading.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

I think the bigger issue is the lameness of even announcing a so-far winner in the first place. Marketing departments everywhere have sunk to new depths of patheticness.

They promoted her book. Amazon promotes a lot of books. They have a "best books of the month" list, and a "best books of the year" list, and numerous other lists.

Sure, "so far" is a silly designation, but promotion doesn't always have to be basic and boring.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by afa

My point was simply that the title seemed like Amazon was being accused of having cheated the author, which it didn't. Hence, I thought it might be misleading.

I agree that the title is misleading, because the award wasn't given to the author. It was more like announcing a contender for the title.

“So far?” my mother said through the phone. “What do they mean, so far?”

Yes, I explained. Amazon likes “The Adults,” but can’t commit to declaring it the best, because the year is not yet over, and surely something much better will come out, especially closer to the holidays when the big names are published.

It looks like the author knew what it meant, but at the end still hoped that she will keep the title.

[Namekuseijin]

so what?

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

so what?

So I don't get why she's upset about this. She only got named for this award because she wasn't competing against the "big names" in June, and she got 5 months of extra publicity for it.

[Namekuseijin]

sorry, Sil_liS, it was my reply to the whole topic.