Community Discussion: On Reviews
Here is another of the occasional community discussion posts. We were wondering how community members felt about print and on-line book reviews? These could be the professional ones generated by writers who are paid to review books or those reviews and ratings put up by readers on book selling sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, on review blogs or on sites such as Goodreads.
Do you read reviews before choosing to read a book?
Have you bought a book solely on the strength of a favourable review? How did it work out?
Do you mind plot spoilers and if not are there certain sites you avoid because of that?
Do you read reviews after you've read a book to see if others have had the same responses you have?
Do you trust the reviews you read?
I ask this because recently there has been a scandal involving Amazon where certain writers have been abusing the system by having their fan base and friends to have less than favourable reviews removed from the site and to up the star-ratings of their works through 5-star reviews. The main issue involves romance writers but who knows how wide spread this type of behaviour has spread. Those wishing more background on the Amazon situation as well as my own investigation into rating fixing at Goodreads can read my entry: A Cautionary Tale of Reviews.
What do you look for in a book review? Do you have different criteria for one from a LJ book community such as 50bookchallenge than you would from one at a book-selling site? How about from one you might read in a magazine or newspaper (on-line or in print)?
Over to you guys!
Do you read reviews before choosing to read a book?
Have you bought a book solely on the strength of a favourable review? How did it work out?
Do you mind plot spoilers and if not are there certain sites you avoid because of that?
Do you read reviews after you've read a book to see if others have had the same responses you have?
Do you trust the reviews you read?
I ask this because recently there has been a scandal involving Amazon where certain writers have been abusing the system by having their fan base and friends to have less than favourable reviews removed from the site and to up the star-ratings of their works through 5-star reviews. The main issue involves romance writers but who knows how wide spread this type of behaviour has spread. Those wishing more background on the Amazon situation as well as my own investigation into rating fixing at Goodreads can read my entry: A Cautionary Tale of Reviews.
What do you look for in a book review? Do you have different criteria for one from a LJ book community such as 50bookchallenge than you would from one at a book-selling site? How about from one you might read in a magazine or newspaper (on-line or in print)?
Over to you guys!