Don’t judge a book by its star rating

Like other authors, I have been enraged by the scandal of the fake reviews appearing on Amazon, something that we all suspected was happening, but perhaps not to the extent and viciousness it was revealed in recent news.

It is really disheartening for honest authors – which I still like to think are the most part! – to know that their deservedly earned 5* reviews may be considered fake by the public, and for a reader that has spent some time to write a review of a book they liked that her efforts may be judged pointless.

All this got me thinking.

Have reviews become the criteria upon which the public chooses a book? Are we really sold by 5* ratings and put off by negative reviews?

I can’t say reviews and ratings play a great part in my choices of books.

In the good old days before Amazon and the internet, when I used to browse bookshops, I saw the cover, I read the blurb, scanned the first few pages and then decided whether the book was interesting enough to purchase and read, without knowing what other readers thought of it.

Knowing and liking an author’s previous work was also a pull.

Friends’ recommendations might play a part when it comes to making my mind up, depending on their own taste and reading habits.

Today I buy most of my books online and I might take a look at the reviews, but ultimately I follow the same procedure before buying and reading a book.

All that considered, are we authors placing too much emphasis on readers’ reviews, to the point that some feel the need of assuming fake identities to rave about their own book – or worse to belittle books of other authors?

Reviews can be helpful to spread the word among readers that a book is worth reading, but on the whole, it seems that they are not the first port of call when it comes to choosing a book. Books with plenty of 5* reviews don’t always sell any better than those without.

Perhaps we shouldn’t lose sight of what ultimately makes a book a success story: an interesting voice, a page-turning plot and great characters.

And a well written blurb.