THE Group for Authors! discussion

Hello,
I was wondering if there was a way to reduce and/or eliminate the possibility of aiming for the "to read" button and hitting the star rating button by mistake.
I have done that a couple times, and I had a few simple ideas for ways to reduce the chances. Hopefully one will be actionable.
1. change the shelves button to be side by side with the rating stars, instead of one over the other, or
2. put a little more space between the shelves option and the stars, to help reduce the chance of accidents happening. Or
3. maybe a "You are giving this book a x star rating, are you sure?" warning.
Or something.
Idea 1 would be the most effective and least intrusive.
Thank you,
Kristi

There are no accidents....

If you rate a book, you get a pop-up that invites you to review the book. I think if it was a mistake, she probably would have realized and deleted it from her books.

Chances are, she did read at least part of the book and either the sale is getting lumped with one of the other country stats, she borrowed it, or she read a free sample of it online and just decided she didn't want to buy it.

Assuming a negative review is 'accidental' is probably not a good mindset to have...

If it is a heart-felt rating, I'm bummed, but I'm good with it. I know my work isn't for everyone. Just, having accidentally done it myself, I guess I'm hoping it was an accident here, too. Anyway. I guess it just surprised me because the book had only been out for 3 days and I haven't even really started marketing it. I guess it is naïve to think that someone who only read a preview would not post a star rating.

Some books just aren't for everyone. On the bright side, if her friends have similar tastes in books they will probably not read yours and thus save you from additional negative ratings. That is how I try to look at it. :)

The best books have plenty of 1 star reviews.
Don't worry about it.

Thanks for the encouragement, Nenia & William. I am confident I will have more reviews in the 3,4,5 range than 1. :-)

Oh, you can easily accidentally rate a book 1 star. I did. A few months back I got a PM from someone asking why I rated a book 1-star when it wasn't even out. My first thought was she's crazy, I don't do that. But I checked, and there it was - my 1 star rating.

I remember looking at that book with my iPhone and I *thought* I shelved it as a wish-list book. But the buttons are so small, I assume I accidentally hit something. Or maybe I just butt-dialed the 1-star when the app was still open on my phone? Not sure, but I know it wasn't intentional. I found 3 other books that I also rated 1-stars, so I blame my iPhone.

As a solution to ratings on books not yet published, authors might want to ask a neutral person to PM the person asking if it was a mistake. I have talked to other people on GR who claimed similar issues with their small phone screens.

Also, years ago I remember chatting with a new GR member who listed several hundred books all 1-star. I had to ask her, WTF was that about? She replied back with something like "Oh no, you mean you can see my ratings? I marked all of my wish-list books 1 star so I can find them!" So, she was using it as a sorting feature. I PMd with her a few times and showed her how to create shelves.

I know the first reaction is to think it is malicious, and it might be, but from personal experience it can easily be harmless. And the person would be happy to fix.

The problem is that you can't get in touch with them and ask them about it. The author who got in touch with KarLynP really shouldn't have. Sometimes it IS a one-star rating, and the reviewers need to know that they're not going to get pestered by the author when they want to give a book one star.

I had something happen to me similar to what happened to you, Kristi. There was a reviewer who joined Goodreads, and on her first day gave 20 books one star - 20 ratings, all one star, no reviews, on her first. I was among the unlucky 20! I thought it was very unlikely that this reviewer really had 20 books she hated and not a single book she liked. Sometimes on Amazon I've seen people give a book a great review, with 1 star. I assumed that she really LOVED all of these books, but thought 1 star was the best. But there was no way to tell and really nothing I could do about it - just grin and bear it. You should never contact your readers unless they've contacted you first. It can turn out badly!

Good luck!

I like what William said: "The best books have plenty of 1 star reviews". I'm pretty sure it's true. As long as you feel good about your talent as an author, don't let people's personal opinions get you down. Sometimes, they themselves just aren't up to the level of YOUR writing.

Steven wrote: "The problem is that you can't get in touch with them and ask them about it. The author who got in touch with KarLynP really shouldn't have. Sometimes it IS a one-star rating, and the reviewers nee..."

Thanks, Steven. I know I just have to deal.

Paulette wrote: "I like what William said: "The best books have plenty of 1 star reviews". I'm pretty sure it's true. As long as you feel good about your talent as an author, don't let people's personal opinions ..."

Thanks Paulette!

Kristi wrote: "that is why I was posting my idea here of separating the buttons slightly. To (hopefully) mitigate future 'accidents'...."

It'll always be an issue, no matter what. People will make mistakes. Look at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Reunion-Paquito...

That's a review for Paquito d'Rivera, a great jazz artist, on Amazon. Some guy gave him 1 star, while writing, "Paquito D'rivera and Arturo sandoval are very very good musicians they play every song in this album with incredible taste and emotion.I reommend [sic] this album." He loved it, and he gave it one star!

As you can see, I gave it 5 stars to counterbalance it, but it's been sitting there, dragging down the rating for the last 8 years. Maybe it'll make you feel less alone in your agony, knowing that it's happened to Paquito d'Rivera, and he keeps on tooting his horn.

Kristi wrote: "Thanks, KarLyn, for validating that accidents do sometimes happen. It may or may not be the case for my book, but I am hopeful. <3"

In your case it is hard to tell, but since the book is published and she doesn't seem to make a habit of 1-starring all of your books, it could be legit. I agree with the posts above, leave it alone. From a readers POV, it won't mean much.

But if I can be honest Kristi, the fact that you rated it 5-star would be my biggest deterrent to reading your book. Not the 1-star. I realize authors do it here all of the time, and yes GR allows it. But I think GR gives authors a lot of rope to hang themselves, too. Most readers feel that biased ratings and reviews are not worthy sources.

Steven wrote: " The author who got in touch with KarLynP really shouldn't have."

It wasn't an author, it was one of my friends. But I completely agree, authors should NOT do that.

*** Deleted intentionally (because Nenia is right and the post was too stupid to allow it to live) *****

Jon wrote: "There are several threads dealing with the lopsided rating/shelving system in use at Goodreads. I admit to preferring a five-star review over a one-star any day, but the flowery endorsements are e..."

I really don't think that is appropriate to the discussion at hand.

you're right, but echoing "there are no accidents" seemed so boring. accidents of the type described here can be easily addressed by a slight redesign of the web page. let's see what happens.

♡KarLynP♡ wrote: "But if I can be honest Kristi, the fact that you rated it 5-star would be my biggest deterrent to reading your book. Not the 1-star. I realize authors do it here all of the time, and yes GR allows it. But I think GR gives authors a lot of rope to hang themselves, too. Most readers feel that biased ratings and reviews are not worthy sources. ..."

I wondered about that, KarLyn. If feels weird, but it also seemed weird to do one without any stars. I read somewhere in the GR tips that an author writing something personal - not a review - about the book could be helpful. If that is not the case, then I should probably delete the 'commentary' I wrote? I will remove the star rating, at least. I certainly don't want to turn people off by commenting on my own work. Marketing is the biggest hill I have climbed so far, and I am open to suggestions. It is a steep learning curve for me.

Kristi wrote: "♡KarLynP♡ wrote: "But if I can be honest Kristi, the fact that you rated it 5-star would be my biggest deterrent to reading your book. Not the 1-star. I realize authors do it here all of the time, ..."

I write commentary in my review space for my books. It can be a very nice way to get people interested without being obtrusive or invasive. I like to write a bit about the history of the book, where I got the idea, what inspired me, how old I was when I started, and how many years revisions took, any aspects of the book that stand out that wouldn't fit in the summary, etc. :)

It doesn't matter that you rated your own book 5 stars.
Anyone who wouldn't read it because of that wouldn't read it anyway.
The best you can do is write honest stuff that you like.
If you like it, there are others who will like it too.
Marketing is bullshit.
It takes a long time, one reader at a time, for the little guy to market his book.
You're hunting for a "breakout moment."
As you go along, posting information about your work and yourself and connecting with readers, you are looking for that one big name to say yours.
Also, they say the best way to sell your previous books is to write another one, so there's that.
People like a large volume of work to explore.
Good luck to you.

Nenia wrote: "I write commentary in my review space for my books. It can be a very nice way to get people interested without being obtrusive or invasive. I like to write a bit about the history of the book, where I got the idea, what inspired me, how old I was when I started, and how many years revisions took, any aspects of the book that stand out that wouldn't fit in the summary, etc. :) ..."

I had written some similar content, I just had put a star rating in. That is gone, now. Thanks for the heads up on that being a turn-off. I wasn't really comfortable with it, but went ahead anyway.

William wrote: "It doesn't matter that you rated your own book 5 stars.
Anyone who wouldn't read it because of that wouldn't read it anyway.
The best you can do is write honest stuff that you like.
If you like it,..."

Actually, that's not true. Good marketing, like giving out ARCs and having promotions work wonders. And while I love supporting the little guy, I have to admit that I'm less likely to read authors who give their works 5-star ratings because in my experience they tend to be the ones who attack anyone who doesn't think they are awesome.

William wrote: "It doesn't matter that you rated your own book 5 stars.
Anyone who wouldn't read it because of that wouldn't read it anyway.
The best you can do is write honest stuff that you like.
If you like it,..."

Thanks, William. I do write because I love it, and frankly marketing kept me from publishing for a long time. I finally put that fear aside and just went for it. Now I'm just trying to tread water. Just need to keep from getting swept up by the little waves of the things that don't matter, right? Thanks for the reminder of what's important. <3

Kristi wrote: "Nenia wrote: "I write commentary in my review space for my books. It can be a very nice way to get people interested without being obtrusive or invasive. I like to write a bit about the history of ..."

You should definitely go with your gut instincts on these things. After having this chat with you, I have to say that you seem like a very easy-going and classy person, and readers really appreciate that. If you continue to temper enthusiasm with humility and kindness, I am sure the GR community will only be too happy to support you. :)

Nenia wrote: "And while I love supporting the little guy, I have to admit that I'm less likely to read authors who give their works 5-star ratings because in my experience they tend to be the ones who attack anyone who doesn't think they are awesome. "

You don't read someone's work because you think that if they rated it 5 stars they are more likely to attack you.
I'm going to assume that opinion is in the minority.

Nenia wrote: "You should definitely go with your gut instincts on these things. After having this chat with you, I have to say that you seem like a very easy-going and classy person, and readers really appreciate that. If you continue to temper enthusiasm with humility and kindness, I am sure the GR community will only be too happy to support you. :) ..."

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Nenia. I am trying to strike the balance of doing what I love with the 'selling'. Of course I want to sell my writing, or else why would I have put it up here? And I want feedback, too, so I can be a better writer. That is a thing that bugs me about the 1 star with no review. How can I get better if I don't know why they don't love it? Except that, of course, not everyone is going to love it. I'm glad for you and William and others who have been very encouraging and helpful as I navigate this, my first 'rating panic'. You all have helped prevent me making an ass out of myself. Well, at least keeping it limited to this thread. :-)

William wrote: "Nenia wrote: "And while I love supporting the little guy, I have to admit that I'm less likely to read authors who give their works 5-star ratings because in my experience they tend to be the ones ..."

You are twisting my words around, William. I said I was less likely to read an individual's work if they self-rate. Obviously, I operate on a case by case basis.

If, for example, the author strikes me as a condescending, closed-minded individual, and I see them harassing dissenters and readers in public or in private, AND they have also rated their book five stars, I will not read their book.

Under such circumstances, I am afraid you would be wrong; the majority of the people I have spoken with tend to be very firm on this. Self-rating authors who give off airs are far less likely to succeed.

I see you've rated your own book five stars, so I can't help but question your motivation in being so hostile.

I'm not being hostile.
I'm being direct.
I just don't agree with you.

Kristi wrote: "Nenia wrote: "You should definitely go with your gut instincts on these things. After having this chat with you, I have to say that you seem like a very easy-going and classy person, and readers re..."

It's a very difficult balance to maintain, so I respect you for trying so diligently. That definitely sets you apart from a lot of people who really don't care how they present themselves to the public.

I wouldn't say that you made an ass of yourself at all. Just that you seem very new to the writing scene and maybe a little unsure of where the boundaries are. I think it's a safe bet to say that we've all been there. :)

No one will ever say, "You know, I think I'll buy it - that five star review from the author looks pretty good, he gave it a real vote of confidence." On the other hand, some people will say, "The author rated his own book 5 stars - it kind of turned me off."

My view on this subject (self-rating) is that it's not dishonest, it's not nefarious, it is not "bad," and the author has every right to do it. But it might hurt sales, and it will never help sales. So why do it? That's the simple calculation.