A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Reviews Are Precious - Preserve Them

 

It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.

Today's topic once again addresses reviews, but from a different angle. We can all agree that reviews are important, but they are only helpful if they are available. Why, then, do some reviews over time disappear and what, if anything can you do about it? After all, it is hard enough to get reviews in the first place.

So, why do reviews disappear?

• Sometimes, it is an accident. The Internet is expansive and sometimes clumsy. When websites update, things can accidentally disappear.
• Sometimes, it is part of an update. If the review is old and the blogger or whoever posted the review on his/her website updates posts to keep only the newest ones or decides to re-orient toward a niche that your book does not fall into, it could be dropped intentionally for not fitting the timeframe or topic any longer.
• Sometimes, the site's algorithm picks up on something that looks like fraudulent reviewer, such as when an author tries to review his/her book or have a friend/relative review a book multiple to give it an advantage in some way over other books; review sites will generally detect multiple reviews from the same ISP and delete them as fraudulent or as not following the site's policies on reviewing.
• The review may have been uploaded on a bitly link; those are sometimes flagged as suspicious.
• For Amazon, there may have been something in the link that made the Amazon algorithmic system think that you have a relationship with the reviewer.
• For Amazon and some other sites, there may be some problematic keywords, like "I got this book free IN EXCHANGE for a review. The "in exchange" makes the transaction sound like a bribe when really all that is being discussed is a complimentary copy.

What can you do about it?

• Contact the site owner. Remember, it is the owner's right to limit the number of reviews it posts for any one book or to set any other kinds of standards, limitations, qualifications. However, it could be a new policy that the reviews did not conform to -- this is helpful information. It could also be a glitch, and the site owner, including Amazon, will generally replace the reviews if they have been cached. Be aware, though, that with a site like Amazon, you may get a pro forma response; if there is not an obvious technical glitch, Amazon is not going to go into further details (although a site like Library Thing may tell your publisher the actual truth -- that has happened with us). 
• Be proactive. When you see a review, make a copy. That way, you can provide it to document what has been taken or post it elsewhere, such as on your Author Center page or on your website. (You should ALWAYS post ALL your reviews on your website.)

The bottom line is that reviews do disappear, from Amazon frequently and from other sites as well. It behooves authors to try to figure out why but to understand that there may be nothing they can do to get the site to put the reviews back (getting angry over it is counterproductive). The better approach is to ask and see if you can get them back and if not post them somewhere else (or ask the reviewer to post them to multiple sites to begin with -- you can ask this even if you do not know the reviewer by stating wherever you offer your complimentary copy that you request that any reviews be posted to as many sites as possible, a generally good practice for getting the word out and an especially good practice for preserving your reviews). 

Want to read more about disappearing reviews? Click HERE, HERE, and, if you have time to read only one article, HERE.

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Understand the reasons why reviews disappear and what your options for restoration and preservation are. Most authors feel hamstrung when reviews disappear, but in reality there ARE options. Know them, use them, be proactive.

 Read more posts about publishing HERE.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic you would like to see addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 17 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.