Thursday, February 9, 2012

.99 books and 4 and 5 star reviews

I posted my first review of a .99 cent book on goodreads and Amazon.
I have been buying .99 cent books to help self published authors from the first day I got my kindle.
I was so happy in the beginning. I found dozens of yet to be noticed writers and loved the work they sold at the amazing price that was less than a dollar.
I have begun to notice specific books with very high four or five star ratings and reviews.
It looks professional, the plot seems great, the reviews are positive and abundant so I buy them and put them in my pile of books to read.
In January I read seven books one after the other that just sucked. They had one thing in common- the price.
I am so pissed off.
How could I be so wrong? I went back to check. These books were so mediocre I was beginning to doubt myself and my book picker.
Then I found that any review giving what I felt was a real criticism, stating both the good and the bad were rated as unhelpful reviews and kind of hidden from the first page on amazon. Then I noticed comments bashing the reviewer?!? ( and not just on on book, but all over the place)
I have come to several conclusions:
- it took me several hours to write my review. Why bother when my opinion will be bashed. I am choosing to save my energy for my own work.
-I am going to avoid buying .99 books PERIOD. I can't trust the other reviews. I would rather spend my money on authors I know and love. One book-versus ten-or-so okay (to poor) books? It has become such a crap shoot. I choose the one book.
It's sad because I want to find new authors to support, but enough is enough.
It's a shame. Sometimes a well written review, no matter the faults of the novel only enhance my desire to read the book and make my own decision.
I realize picking a book is still a crap shoot but in the future I will roll the dice and take a chance on each new book without the influence of the abundance of unreliable "reader" reviews.