How Important are Stars in a Review

Shazza · 12-06-2010, 12:40 PM

Just had the first review of my book and I'm very excited! Grace Crispy from Motherlode gave me three stars. She caught the essence of the book, liked some parts, didn't like others and wrote a very thoughtful review.

I couldn't be happier.

Would love to hear the thoughts of ereaders on how much emphasis they put on reviews in general and starred reviews in particular.

kindlekitten · 12-06-2010, 12:59 PM

welcome to the forums shazza! Grace Krispy is actually one of our regular posters as well!

I look at the stars particularly if I am unfamiliar with the author. then I really read what the posters write. I find that quite often a lower star award is because the reader was un-prepared for the content; ie was the story infused with religious references and they were unprepared for that sort of content, was there a lot of sex and violence, and that was a surprise? so it appears that having a really good explanatory blurb about your book is vital

SeaBookGuy · 12-06-2010, 01:08 PM

I tend to steer clear of books with lots of 1's and 2's -- otherwise, without written comments, they're pretty meaningless to me.

Pookeysgirl · 12-06-2010, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

I tend to steer clear of books with lots of 1's and 2's -- otherwise, without written comments, they're pretty meaningless to me.

I agree

leebase · 12-06-2010, 02:24 PM

I pay attention, but even more to the user reviews on Amazon. I read positive and negative to get a feel for a book.

Lee

mr ploppy · 12-06-2010, 04:43 PM

Assuming it's caught my attention enough to make me click on the cover I would just download the sample and decide for myself. Sometimes I might go back later and see if I agree with the reviews, but usually I don't bother. User generated reviews are wide open for abuse.

Richey79 · 12-06-2010, 05:16 PM

In a world where there was time to read every review, I would care a good deal about what was said about the book and not at all about the star rating.

In reality, a quick scan of the range of star ratings contributes to the decision of whether I read any of the reviews for a particular book - there's just so much reading material out there.

GraceKrispy · 12-06-2010, 10:13 PM

Good to see you've found your way through the various forums!

Speaking strictly as a reader, stars in a review are not nearly as important to me as what's said in the review. Reviews that just say "she's done it again! what an awesome book! everyone must read it!" are useless to me, as are ones that say "this book sucks. I wish I hadn't bought it." Useless. Reviews that just describe what the book is about and give me a play-by-play are useless as well (to me). I want a quick summary of the story-- those are especially interesting if they've hit upon something that the official blurb doesn't (but nothing spoilerish, please!). Then I want the good and the bad. One woman's junk is another's treasure! Just because someone didn't like aspects of the book doesn't mean I won't. Our tastes may not be the same.

The thing that will kill a book for me? More than one review stating how awful the editing was. If there are lots of errors (grammar or typographical), I'm not really interested. It's too much work for me to read past that.

If there are a ton of reviews on Amazon or whatnot, I probably won't read them all, but I will scan through to find a few with each star level. So if there is a book with reviews ranging from 2 to 5 stars, I'll read a review or two at each level. That gives me a good picture of whether it's a book I'd want to read.

Speaking as a "reviewer?" I try to write reviews that, as a reader choosing a book, I'd want to read.

One final thought on stars-- they mean a lot less to me if I click on the reviewer's page and see that that reviewer has only rated books as 5-star books. I will admit, I'm a little less likely to want a book that has only 1-2 star ratings (ok, a lot less likely), but if it has a dose of 3 stars and above, it may be a book for me.

(sorry for the ramble, can you tell I've thought a lot about this topic?)

SlowRain · 12-06-2010, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

...stars in a review are not nearly as important to me as what's said in the review.

Well said. For example, book A and book B can both have 4-star ratings on average, but if one of them has more thoughtful comments, I'll be swayed by that. First and foremost, I usually try to see what the 1-star reviewers are saying and how well they are saying it, then I'll see what the 5-star reviewers are saying and how well they are saying it. Sometimes, a 1-star review may say the book was too slow, which may be an indicator I might like it. A 5-star review may talk about the fast pace, which might be an indicator I won't like it. I pay particular attention to what reviewers say regarding characterization, pace, language, and themes. If there is too much mention of plot, pace, action, etc. and not enough mention of language, character, and themes, I'm more likely to steer clear of the book.

GA Russell · 12-07-2010, 12:23 AM

I've bought quite a number of books for Christmas presents the past two weeks. I go to Amazon to see what people think, and if the average is less than four stars I give it a pass.

astra · 12-07-2010, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shazza

Just had the first review of my book and I'm very excited! Grace Crispy from Motherlode gave me three stars. She caught the essence of the book, liked some parts, didn't like others and wrote a very thoughtful review.

I couldn't be happier.

Would love to hear the thoughts of ereaders on how much emphasis they put on reviews in general and starred reviews in particular.

I think I look at the number of reviews more than the star rating. However, I read reviews anyway. I don't judge by star rating.

HappyMartin · 12-07-2010, 06:17 AM

I take note of the star ratings. At least I have done till now.

I am on the 2nd book of the Fencer trilogy, "Belly Of The Bow", by KJ Parker and it received poor star ratings and reviews. It put me off a bit but I was into the trilogy by then so purchased and started it anyway. Point is I am loving it.

Live and learn

Mel Comley · 12-07-2010, 07:38 AM

I tend to read the reviews (hopefully some don't give the plot away) then I might look at the stars. But then everyone's taste is different.
I find it quite surprising how many people slag off Dan Brown's books and yet look how many have bought his books!

Mel

kcmay · 12-07-2010, 07:55 AM

Generally, readers are generous with their stars and give 3-5 stars to books they like. I pass on books with an abundance of 1-2 star ratings. For books with a majority of 3-5 stars and a few 1-2 stars, I'll read the individual reviews to see if there are problems that would hinder my enjoyment.

But I tend to sample books on my Kindle before buying, so the star ratings aren't all that important to me. If I like the sample, I'll get the book. I'll pass on a 5-star book if I can't get through the sample!

tubemonkey · 12-07-2010, 07:59 AM

I pay little attention to reviews and never base a reading decision upon them.

12-06-2010, 12:40 PM	#1
Shazza Addict Posts: 241 Karma: 224 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Vancouver BC Device: Kindle 3 - 3G & Wifi iphone	How Important are Stars in a Review Just had the first review of my book and I'm very excited! Grace Crispy from Motherlode gave me three stars. She caught the essence of the book, liked some parts, didn't like others and wrote a very thoughtful review. I couldn't be happier. Would love to hear the thoughts of ereaders on how much emphasis they put on reviews in general and starred reviews in particular.

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12-06-2010, 12:59 PM	#2
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	welcome to the forums shazza! Grace Krispy is actually one of our regular posters as well! I look at the stars particularly if I am unfamiliar with the author. then I really read what the posters write. I find that quite often a lower star award is because the reader was un-prepared for the content; ie was the story infused with religious references and they were unprepared for that sort of content, was there a lot of sex and violence, and that was a surprise? so it appears that having a really good explanatory blurb about your book is vital

12-06-2010, 01:08 PM	#3
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,015 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	I tend to steer clear of books with lots of 1's and 2's -- otherwise, without written comments, they're pretty meaningless to me.

12-06-2010, 02:24 PM	#5
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,929 Karma: 26616647 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	I pay attention, but even more to the user reviews on Amazon. I read positive and negative to get a feel for a book. Lee

12-06-2010, 04:43 PM	#6
mr ploppy Feral Underclass Posts: 3,622 Karma: 26821535 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Yorkshire, tha noz Device: 2nd hand paperback	Assuming it's caught my attention enough to make me click on the cover I would just download the sample and decide for myself. Sometimes I might go back later and see if I agree with the reviews, but usually I don't bother. User generated reviews are wide open for abuse.

12-06-2010, 05:16 PM	#7
Richey79 mrkrgnao Posts: 241 Karma: 237248 Join Date: May 2010 Device: PRS650, K3 Wireless, Galaxy S3, iPad 3.	In a world where there was time to read every review, I would care a good deal about what was said about the book and not at all about the star rating. In reality, a quick scan of the range of star ratings contributes to the decision of whether I read any of the reviews for a particular book - there's just so much reading material out there.

12-06-2010, 10:13 PM	#8
GraceKrispy It's Dr. Penguin now! Posts: 3,909 Karma: 4705733 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: (USA) Device: iPad mini, Samsung Note 3, Sony PRS-650 (rarely used now)	Good to see you've found your way through the various forums! Speaking strictly as a reader, stars in a review are not nearly as important to me as what's said in the review. Reviews that just say "she's done it again! what an awesome book! everyone must read it!" are useless to me, as are ones that say "this book sucks. I wish I hadn't bought it." Useless. Reviews that just describe what the book is about and give me a play-by-play are useless as well (to me). I want a quick summary of the story-- those are especially interesting if they've hit upon something that the official blurb doesn't (but nothing spoilerish, please!). Then I want the good and the bad. One woman's junk is another's treasure! Just because someone didn't like aspects of the book doesn't mean I won't. Our tastes may not be the same. The thing that will kill a book for me? More than one review stating how awful the editing was. If there are lots of errors (grammar or typographical), I'm not really interested. It's too much work for me to read past that. If there are a ton of reviews on Amazon or whatnot, I probably won't read them all, but I will scan through to find a few with each star level. So if there is a book with reviews ranging from 2 to 5 stars, I'll read a review or two at each level. That gives me a good picture of whether it's a book I'd want to read. Speaking as a "reviewer?" I try to write reviews that, as a reader choosing a book, I'd want to read. One final thought on stars-- they mean a lot less to me if I click on the reviewer's page and see that that reviewer has only rated books as 5-star books. I will admit, I'm a little less likely to want a book that has only 1-2 star ratings (ok, a lot less likely), but if it has a dose of 3 stars and above, it may be a book for me. (sorry for the ramble, can you tell I've thought a lot about this topic?)

12-07-2010, 12:23 AM	#10
GA Russell Montreal wins Grey Cup! Posts: 7,583 Karma: 31484197 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I've bought quite a number of books for Christmas presents the past two weeks. I go to Amazon to see what people think, and if the average is less than four stars I give it a pass.

12-07-2010, 06:17 AM	#12
HappyMartin Martin Kristiansen Posts: 1,546 Karma: 8480958 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Johannesburg Device: Kindle International Ipad 2	I take note of the star ratings. At least I have done till now. I am on the 2nd book of the Fencer trilogy, "Belly Of The Bow", by KJ Parker and it received poor star ratings and reviews. It put me off a bit but I was into the trilogy by then so purchased and started it anyway. Point is I am loving it. Live and learn

12-07-2010, 07:38 AM	#13
Mel Comley Addict Posts: 318 Karma: 602031 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: France Device: none	I tend to read the reviews (hopefully some don't give the plot away) then I might look at the stars. But then everyone's taste is different. I find it quite surprising how many people slag off Dan Brown's books and yet look how many have bought his books! Mel

12-07-2010, 07:55 AM	#14
kcmay Addict Posts: 363 Karma: 500001 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Georgia, USA Device: Kindle2	Generally, readers are generous with their stars and give 3-5 stars to books they like. I pass on books with an abundance of 1-2 star ratings. For books with a majority of 3-5 stars and a few 1-2 stars, I'll read the individual reviews to see if there are problems that would hinder my enjoyment. But I tend to sample books on my Kindle before buying, so the star ratings aren't all that important to me. If I like the sample, I'll get the book. I'll pass on a 5-star book if I can't get through the sample!

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12-07-2010, 07:59 AM	#15
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,475 Karma: 158151390 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	I pay little attention to reviews and never base a reading decision upon them.