The growth of ebooks, especially after all those gifts of Kindles after Christmas, is destined to continue. Much like music, the ability to easily download tunes has actually led to a dramatic increase in the sale of music. It's reckoned that 50% of all books sold will be ebooks by 2016.
Digital hasn't stifled book reading or music listening, but rather, has increased access and usage of it. Thanks to Amazon's kindle, more people will end up reading, not less. Digital is the delivery system that's easier, faster and better than driving/parking/shopping at a bookstore so it means more people buy books than before.
However, those of you who use ebooks, know the importance of reviews as a method to help choose a book. Much like the "staff pick" cards in the bookstores of old, online reviews are like friends telling you what to read.
However, it's a system that has been corrupted and Amazon has rightly started deleting the reviews. It has also banned writers on reviewing their peer's work.
Some authors have recently has 50 reviews deleted without notice producing their criticism of Amazon, on blog posts. However, Amazon are simply trying to put right a system that those very same authors have abused.
RL Ellory, for example, the best selling British writer of crime, was exposed for posting fake reviews about his own "magnificent genius" whilst criticising his rivals. He also tried to remove negative stories about him on Wikipedia as well as giving his own books 5 stars. Mind you, he probably thinks they're worth it.
Actually, using the name "Jelly Bean", he posted a review of his own book 'A quiet belief in angels' that it was "one of the most moving books I've ever read". And maybe it was when he went back and read it....(embarrassing or wha?) And he went on...."It is so beautifully written I felt as though it enabled me to be a part of that era even though that can never actually happen. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who really wants to experience a class read."
He also appears to have been posting as ‘Nicodemus Jones’, who described the same novel as a ‘modern masterpiece'. But when it came to another writers book, he posted anonymously, "This is the 2nd of this author's books I read, and to tell you the truth (sic), I can't be bothered anymore".
Authors are well known to publish positive reviews of their own work and scathing reviews of their competitors, because they know the star review system sells books.
These fake reviews (and there's thousands of them) mislead and Amazon is only starting to deal with the situation whereas the authors, are up in arms because they've lost a way to cheat to sell their books.
Just look at the amount of 5 star ratings supposedly for books and writers no one has ever heard of! So don't pay them any attention really.
Better off Googling online about the book and see what's being said.
And if you haven't, buy yourself a Kindle.
The greatest invention since the Iphone.
(Thanks too to the many reviewers of this blog who not only gave it 5 stars but also said, "I cannot believe how good looking Stuart is in real life to have such an incredible mind and body". Thank you. I appreciate it. Shucks.)
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