Genre Specific Review Groups discussion
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Hi, I'm hoping you can answer a question for me...I started a Facebook group with the goal of an in-person review exchange, similar to what these groups do, but in person at a meetup. I was told any type of review swap is against Amazon's policy, and if caught, the author and the reviewer may be suspended from Amazon, and their books no longer able to be for sale there. You have a pretty well-oiled machine here with this group, so I'm thinking you must have checked this out and ensured that what you are doing is okay with Amazon. Is it? Lol, thanks!
Mod
Review swapping is against Amazon policy. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...). Also, it can create a difficult situation. What if a reviewer honestly evaluates a book negatively? The reviewer is stuck between wanting to be honest and fearing that the other author will retaliate out of spite. This is why we try to avoid having authors review each others' works. I have heard of reviews being removed from Amazon. I have not heard of transgressors having their accounts suspended or their works removed from Amazon. I suspect that this would require sufficient violations to constitute a breach of Amazon's Terms of Service.
We do not break Amazon's rules. There is no compensation for reviews, and reviewers are encouraged to be honest.
R.
Mod
I would like to endorse R. Leib's comments above, having also heard of reviews being removed from Amazon. It has even occurred when a family member's review of an author's book has been posted. I do not recall any instance when reviewers/authors have had their accounts etc removed from Amazon, or have been "suspended". It is expected that reviews are objective and honest and that there is no petty squabbling between the author and reviewer.
G.J.
ah ok, so the problem arises from a "swap" where 2 authors are reviewing each other's work. So, what you guys do here, and what I'm planning should be okay since it would be a large group of reviewers choosing which books to review. As long as no money changes hands and the reviews are honest, we're good. I'll review the link you sent to Amazon just to be safe, but sounds good. Thanks! (PS: My husband's review of my first book was indeed removed from Amazon.)
I would like to be a reviewer I would also like to submit a book for review. How do I become involved as a reviewer and as an author with a book to be reviewed?
Mod
Laura:
Broadcast messages are sent out to all members of Genre Specific Review Groups, when a new group opens for sign up. If your book fits the review group, sign up by posting links to your Goodreads author page and your book's Goodreads page to the review group topic.
If you would like to see a new group started with specific genre or other qualifications, go to the Review Group Requests folder. See if there is a request there that suits your book. If so, comment on that topic. If not, create a new topic describing the review group. (There are plenty there already to give an idea of what to do.) When enough members have commented on a request, a moderator will start the review group.
R.
How do I create a new topic? I'd like to start a religious theme group (fiction) and not necessarily Christian)
Mod
Go to the page for the folder. (In this case, the Review Group Requests folder.) Below the name of the folder to the right, there is a link called "new topic". Click on that. A form will be displayed for creating the new topic.
I have completed my assignments for the non-fiction group but can no longer find the group. Is there a way to find a group without having to scan through the list of over one hundred groups looking for it?
Mod
Go to your author home page. Scroll down to the TOPICS MENTIONING THIS AUTHOR section. The review group will be included there. Another approach is to go to the Genre Review Groups folder. Click on the topic heading. This will order the review groups alphabetically by topic. Scroll down to your topic (in this case "Non-Fiction"). Check the Non-Fiction groups until you find yours.
Mod
"To contribute to Customer features (for example, Customer Reviews, Customer Answers, Idea Lists) or to follow other contributors, you must have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com using a valid credit or debit card in the past 12 months. Promotional discounts don't qualify towards the $50 minimum."
I do not know how new this policy is.
Strange. I have to purchase ALL my Amazon stuff from Amazon.co.uk (they don't allow me to do that any other way) but when I write a review I can easily post it on both sites (.com and .co.uk) without any bother. (I have written about 120 reviews, however. (Maybe they give me special latitude ... some hope.)
Mod
I have posted reviews on both Amazons without problem, as well. I purchase quite a bit from the American site, so they may not enforce the rule as specifically as it is written.
The moderators are discussing this and will come up with a resolution as soon as we can.
1) Let the moderator know if there are any conflicts. If an author has reviewed another author's book previously, we will make an effort not to schedule those authors to review each other's books.
2) Post to the review group topic, when you have received or obtained a review copy of any book assigned. This lets the moderator know that participants are aware of their assignments and are pursuing them.
3) Read the books assigned. Moderators allow reasonable time for each round of a review group. If a participant cannot complete a review on time, all that is required is that the participant notify the author and the moderator. (This can be by Goodreads message or by posting to the review group topic.) Skimming is not acceptable. To give an honest and thorough review, you have to read the book. These peer review groups are a learning and growing experience for all of us. If you have an issue with the book assigned to you, contact the moderator.
4) Write and publish an honest review of the books assigned. Normally, reviews are published to Goodreads, Amazon, and Amazon UK. The author may request that the review be posted elsewhere. If you both agree, that is fine. If the author and the reviewer agree that the review should not be published, that is between them. Just post a statement in the topic to that effect.
5) Once the review has been published, post links to each review on the topic. This will let the author and the moderator know that you have completed your assignment.