Comments on: Wait a minute, are “sock puppets” really that bad for the book business?

By: Rekha

Rekha — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 05:40:35 +0000

On freelance job sites like Freelancer, I routinely come across vendor requests for 1000 Facebook likes, Web Page Comments, 5 star Product reviews by online sellers, even forum reviews and comments to be done in a day from different accounts using different ISP. I may have missed the author-vendors, who knows, (The dark underbelly of freelancing). And, the requests are usually by American vendors – makes sense. Kind of a big turn off, since I went looking for honest work.
The point I am trying to make is, if you pay a price, some desperate guy/girl will do the job for you. So , there will be authors who use sleaze ball tactics to get book sales, but they get caught eventually, unlike the others above who enjoy complete anonymity behind a profile name.
As a reader and reviewer who came to Amazon, like an awed child dropped into to the biggest toy store, I have been fooled by such reviews…but, have learnt to sort the chaff from the grain. For a new/unknown author I check the detailed three stars reviews and the occasional 2 and 4 stars. They paint an accurate picture more often than not, especially verified purchasers and book reviewers.
I love paperbacks but the production houses have made my favourite authors expensive and often beyond my reach, that I make do with ebooks by middle list and newbie authors for purchases.

By: David

David — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 08:34:52 +0000

Looking at thrillers on Amazon today I have noticed that a writer called Michael Roberts has been tagging books by Lee Child, Stephen Leather, David Baldacci etc., with titles of his own books and series. He is clearly using 6 or 7 Amazon ‘accounts’ to do this, hoping to drive browsers to his own books. Also a little dirty, methinks…

By: Madlyb

Madlyb — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:29:14 +0000

Yeah…I’m sorry, just because everyone around you is speeding doesn’t get you out the ticket.

I don’t care if it is a book, CD, or any other product, if you try to game the system and I find out about it, I will not support you in any way going forward.

By: Donna Lynn Melton

Donna Lynn Melton — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:38:33 +0000

Well, my 2 cents, welcome to free inter-prize. The last time you walked down an isle at your favorite grocery store, those items that met you straight on, eye to eye are charged accordingly. Those pristine shelves have special pricing to be placed there. Bottom shelves that are easily grabbed by younger consumers are also higher priced. I think its a matter of personal honor. The stuff that character is made from and reputation is built. We will always have those who care about their own reputation and honor and those who don’t. Do we need more regulations in a world that already has more than enough? In a world that these regulations have been chiseling away at the very meaning of freedom and free inter-prize for way too long.

By: Valentine North

Valentine North — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:24:42 +0000

I read about one book every two days. When I visit a website to buy something, I already know what I want. If something catches my eyes, then reading the short description and a few paragraphs are usually enough to tell me if I want to read it or not.

Sure, I look at what other people post, but honestly, I don’t take them seriously. What I like, others may hate, and the other way around.

So, unless the sock puppets lie about the book contents, it doesn’t seem that important.

However, the americans have a saying that applies very well to this scenario, any publicity is good publicity. It’s actually funny, but I don’t really care about the authors morals, only their books, if those two mentioned in the article wrote something in the genres I liked, then I might have bought a book or two, simply out of curiosity or just because they seemed interesting.

Oh, don’t judge the contents by the wording, English is not my native language, and there are bound to be some serious mistakes.