For years my barely read first novel INSIDE THE SKIN (formerly The Sea Trials of an Unfortunate Sailor) had been pegged at 15 meager but oh so appreciated and loved Amazon reader reviews…
However, as of today there are now only 7.
I mean, c’mon…
Thanks Amazon.
Sigh…
#itainteasythiswritinggig
Reviewers are getting a hard way to go. The problem will not end soon. Glad you still have the 7.
Well, for me reviews have always been tough to come by. Nature of the beast… and my ability or lack thereof to market my work successfully, I suppose. Glad I still have the remaining 7, too. Thanks, Darnell.
Hi author Kurt
how did you lose reviews – ? how did it go from 15 to 7??
Amazon’s hyper-assertive search-and-destroy bots that live to eliminate any reviews emitting even the slightest whiff of partiality, I suppose. Or perhaps there are deep-seated and extreme political motivations behind it all… Only the Amazon Gods know for sure. 🙂
yikes…. that kinda sucks
and it is not fair.
and on a side note – I was looking at a book the other day – from a site I was at back in 2014 and I didn’t like the lady back then – she seemed like a snake and I was at the time looking up healing stuff and her site came up – anyhow – somehow landed there – and she sold the site – but they had this salt and vitamin c book linked – and well – the reviews there seemed so sketchy – and there were like 40 of them. maybe the bot need to filter those and leave kind authors alone – lol
🙂
Oh no, how frustrating! I keep hearing such horror stories about dealing with Amazon. Makes the whole “looking forward to getting published some day” seem a little less rosy. But what can you do? Can’t live without Amazon, ugh.
Tru that…
That’s frustrating. Amazon has blocked a number of reviews on my books too.
Yeah, actually I’m not surprised. It was only a matter of time before they got to me… I’ve heard horror stories of best selling authors having hundreds whacked at a time. I understand Amazon’s perspective for the most part. Reviews are the fuel that powers its money-making engine…
If Amazon believe either you or the reader are swapping reviews they will remove a chunk with no amount of questioning from you getting them to change their minds… I know it happened to me. If anyone wants more reviews, carefully not swapped, and free? Please contact me for more details of our review group.
Well none of my reviews that got whacked were swapped reviews; however, I’m pretty sure all the reviewers were associated with me as a friend or follower on one social network or the other.
Another victim of big brother Amazon. They seem to leave the big money-makers alone for the most part and pick on the little guys. I sure wish someone would come along to challenge them. Getting reviews is already a discouraging, daunting process and we don’t need Amazon making it worse!
Yeah man… and what’s up with B&N? I wish they would at least try to compete with them somehow by providing an alternative publishing space for authors. No fight in them whatsoever.
If I had the money and expertise I would do it myself! I would love to see an Amazon alternative which caters only to indie authors.
Well, a viable alternative because there are already alternatives such as Smashwords and others. But they ain’t got nothing on Amazon.