Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

Hi!
I've noticed an obsession by self-publishing authors with reviews. Many self-publishing authors think that reviews will help with sales. Not only will soliciting reviews get you into trouble with Goodreads, Amazon, etc. -- I don't think reviews make much of a difference in regard to readers' purchasing decisions.

I have purchased approximately a dozen self-published books over the course of the last 20 years, and I never read reviews. I read the information published by authors about their books on their own websites, or press materials, or articles on websites I trust.

If I'm unsure about a book, I do a Google search, and look for interviews with the writers, or articles writen about those books on various websites - but not on Goodreads, and not on Amazon. There are so many fake reviews posted on these two sites that - as a reader - I dismiss them completely, and don't even bother to read any of them.

And I'm saying this as a self-publishing author; I also write reviews about the books I read on Goodreads - appr. 50 reviews in 2023. I write those reviews for fun, but I don't really trust reviews posted on Goodreads. Goodreads is fun, it's entertainment, a hobby. I enjoy writing reviews, but there are just too many fake accounts on this site, so Goodreads is not a site I trust when I look for information when it comes to purchasing decisions. Sad, but true.

Yes, I'm aware that the number of reviews influences Goodread's/Amazon's algorithms and increases visibility - but that doesn't mean that people will actually buy your book.

Purchasing decisions are complex, and it's silly to think that a few reviews by people no-one's ever heard of influence purchasing decisions on a large scale.

"Reviews" have become a dirty word in regard to (self-)publishing, as the majority of reviews seem to be fake (purchased, or swapped as favours...).

I even think less of a book published by a traditional publishing house, if there are several reviews published on the back cover or on the first few pages. If they're trying so hard to let me know that a book is good...it's probably bad or at least not great.

I'd like to hear feedback from readers: Do reviews influence your purchasing decisions?

A very common sense view. I agree on the whole. I'm grateful to those who take the time to give my books a review, but doubt it helps with sales. It is a way to find a really good comment to quote when you put up an advert for a story, on X for example.

As a self publishing author with just a few books out, I have received 5 stars, 1 star and everything in between on the same book. One person thinks it's great. Another thinks it's awful. So who's right? There are books I have read that I absolutely loved and I see some people call it boring or garbage/ 1 star. I've seen people rave over a book that I just can't get into, at all. I've also written reviews where I list things I thought were wrong with the story or writing, but still gave it 4 stars because I really enjoyed it, even though I found issues.
So, does it really matter? Don't get me wrong, I love to hear that someone loved my book. It lights me up, but I can't focus on this. Everyone is different. Of course there is something to be said for basic writing ability and editorial issues, but as far as story telling, it's all relative.

I only read reviews if the cover and blurb haven't convinced me to hit the buy button and I'm not sure about the book.

I disregard the 5-stars (due to rampant review swapping by authors, getting friends and family to 5-star, or outright buying fake 5-stars). I read the 3-stars reviews, which I find give me the best feel for if the book suits my reading tastes or not. Sometimes I will scroll through the 1-stars to see if the reader has objected to anything that is also a hot button for me, like lack of editing or cliff hanger. Occassionally the reader dislikes something in a book that I really enjoy and it makes me buy! ;)

I do, but only for authors I don't know or a series I am unfamiliar with. Its a way of getting a peek into the book without being able to pick it up.

I ignore 5 stars, and check the others. 1 star reviews are usually no text or just someone with a grudge, but sometimes they point out something I will want to know. 5 star reviews are usually family and friends overstating things and giving an overly glowing review. For me, a 5 star book is one of the best books in human history, a massively important work of stellar quality and skill, and almost nothing qualifies for that.

As you adequately put, reviews only help with visibility while browsing without a real objective in mind. For my book, a simple google search will provide enough results for anyone to find it, should they go looking for it, but appearing in "featured" lists is a different thing. Word of mouth seems to be the leading factor when deciding to read a book or not (at least in my experience) and, even though I have received a number of positive (editorial) reviews, not only do I have yet to get a review on Goodreads (or Amazon, for that matter) but I much rather enjoy having a direct interaction with the reader and hear what he or she has to say. I am aware, however, that this is a luxury that will probably fade as the number of readers increases.
In the meantime, and in response to the original question, no, I do not read reviews when deciding what to read.

I don't really get much out of negative reviews. Most one star reviews are people who probably cannot enjoy even the most simplistic pleasures without slipping into a spiral of negativity. I read a few reviews of Shantaram, including some one star reviews. I swear, these one star reviewers must be the biggest goddamn bummers at every party they attend. The book is fantastic so far, by the way. Whatever psychological problems these one star reviewers had with the MC must have been residing within them only to be drug out by their own need to ruin others so as not to have their problems be noticed. The plan backfired. I noticed their problems and really enjoy the book they hate.

I will usually defer to my wife's opinion on a book. She read Shantaram and knew I would enjoy it. The decision was made on that bit of information.

To be perfectly honest with you all, I think that book reviews are a bit of an odd thing. A book is a subjective experience down to the last word. If you aren't enjoying a book, put it down and move on. Who the heck reads an 800 page book they hate and then rates it? But since reviews are so subjective, their only value seems to be in tricking the Amazon algorithm into displaying books more prominently.

I review books I enjoy. I'll probably never review a book I don't enjoy, though there are some bad reviews I have made only because I did in fact HAVE to read those damn books for school or work or whatever. My negative review of Homer's various and unyieldingly unwieldily works is probably not going to have any impact on his life or whoever came of his lineage. He doesn't even know about the Amazon algorithms that might cause his book to lose or gain readers.

I'll give 5 stars to books that I enjoy. I'll give 4 stars to books that I enjoy. The only difference may be in some minor issue with presentation or whatever. I probably won't give a 3 star review to any works out there unless they are well established "popular" books that I had hoped to like but somehow did not. In any case, If I don't like the book I thought I should like because everyone else on the Earth liked it, I'll likely put it down and move on without rating it.

A good example is Hunter S Thompson. He's a fantastic author and I really wanted to like Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 but I didn't like it. It doesn't matter though, because Hunter S. Thompson's ashy remains were fired out of a cannon some years ago, so there is little chance he, like Homer, will ever be afflicted by the Amazon algorithm.

I also live Vonnegut Kurt, I have read many of his books and have many more on the "to read" list. That said, I have already attempted to read the "to read" offerings and just couldn't get into them. That was many moons ago though so I figure maybe time has changed my way of seeing those books a bit and I might enjoy them more now. Vonnegut starts at 5 stars with me automatically. If, by virtue of something I don't like in one of his books I haven't fully read yet he seems to be dipping into the 4 star range, I might put it down so I don't have to give the dead man's work such a rating. He no doubt would see my deference towards his life's work as some kind of moral flaw on my part. He might be right. My point is, this is a 100% subjective thing. It is a mood thing. It is a snapshot of our own desires, moods, politics, fear, personality flaws and such at that moment in our lives.

Maybe I'll pick up Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 again in a few years and think, "Dammit Dave, this is the man that wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." The guy had his ashes shot out of a goddamn cannon for crying out loud. I owe him a second chance. Not today though, because today, I am already invested in three books.

Sometimes, I read books that are quite outside of my normal preference. I rate them for what they are even if I do not prefer that sort of reading. I do this because it is probably good to step out of one's bubble every once in a while to gain perspective.

I do enjoy indie and first time authors quite a bit more than most established authors. I think it may be obvious why in my profile. There is something about a writer that sets out to do the whole damn thing on their own that appeals to me. I have been through it and am still going through it. I admire and respect it. These writers are up there with Vonnegut in my head even if sometimes the editing and such is not perfect. I don't care about editing flaws. I have a few. I kinda like them. They are little blemishes that remind me that we are all human. I have one published "blemish" that I have decided to accept and will never remove in future editions if editions are even made to The eom Expression: Beautiful Chaos - A Satirical Science Fiction Adventure. That blemish is as follows: the word frozen is spelled "frOzen" throughout. This was a stupid find/replace error that went unnoticed. The thing is, the word "Ozen" refers to a remarkably empty area of space that an alien race had to endure for a very long time. Their resources were stretched. Suffering happened in the Ozen. So, having the word "Ozen" tucked nicely into the word "frOzen" seems to be some kind of lucky accident. It makes some kind of sense even though I just fucked up a find/replace task.

The majority of avid readers, for whatever reason, choose to never post a rating or review. Although I have posted 150 ratings with reviews on Goodreads to-date, I do not read those of other readers.

Since a rating/review is merely a personal, and therefore, subjective opinion, one reader's Best book ever! might very well be another reader's Worst book ever!, which is why most astute readers do not allow a rating or review to influence their purchasing choice one way or the other.

Reputable books, articles, lectures, and seminars stress the fact that sales drive reviews, not the other way around as some believe.

Marie wrote: "As a self publishing author with just a few books out, I have received 5 stars, 1 star and everything in between on the same book. One person thinks it's great. Another thinks it's awful. So who's ..."

I know that feeling well! the 1 stars make me want to give up, the 5 stars make me want to keep going. I'm behind on my current novel due to various other projects - but essentially I decided to write for myself and hope somebody other than my mum likes it. (she complained about my grammar, so maybe she's not the best judge anyway, lol)

Ingrid wrote: "Hi!
I've noticed an obsession by self-publishing authors with reviews. Many self-publishing authors think that reviews will help with sales. Not only will soliciting reviews get you into trouble wi..."

It's not an obsession it's that most self-published authors are told by book-marketing experts, successful authors, and traditional authors that books should have a substantial amount of reviews in order to get noticed and get sales. Is this true? Yes, and no, it's more of what I refer to as the double-edged sword. On one end, you will likely get traction to your books page and possibly sales, but on the other end, reviews aren't everything nor the sole factor in someone deciding to buy a book, so while you may have a lot of reviews if the book's cover, description or category is poor then the reviews really don't matter.

Also, some people though not all do look at the number of reviews when deciding to buy a book. I think that's just it though, they look at the number of reviews and don't necessarily read the actual reviews themselves. I know some people do but it's more than likely these days that the amount determines for them as to whether or not they wish to buy a book.

Finally, there are safe ways for authors to get readers to read and review their books but obviously here on Goodreads and even Facebook groups, you tend to see a lot of soliciting and spamming of books. This of course goes against the rules and most think spamming and hawking their book will get people interested when it will only do the opposite and get them into trouble.