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196
Steve Weber
One medical doctor who has a book for sale on Amazon has
submitted hundreds of reviews of other books, which serve primarily to
point attention to his own book. Apparently the doctor isn’t concerned
that his reputation as an author has been tarnished, as he’s continued
the activity.
In response to years of controversy about abuse of its review system,
in 2006 Amazon began requiring that reviewers have an account with a
registered credit card before reviews can be submitted. The safeguard
prevents individuals from using multiple accounts to submit phony
reviews. However, customers aren’t required to purchase a copy of a
book from Amazon before reviewing it.
Spam
This book is intended to encourage authors to promote their book
energetically and ethically. However, on the Internet, remember that
tactics that may seem perfectly fine to you could offend someone else.
For example, in 2005 an author sent a series of e-mails announcing his
book to a list of addresses harvested from Amazon’s Web site. Several
recipients were angry enough to post critical reviews of the book and
lambast the author for “spamming.” The headline of the book’s top
Spotlight Review declares, “this author is a spammer.” It’s not something
that will favorably impress potential readers.
Many book-marketing consultants advise authors to enter articles
about themselves and their book in Wikipedia.org, the popular online
encyclopedia. However, the site’s guidelines clearly state that Wikipedia
is not to be used for personal promotion or to popularize products or
Web sites. Articles that are deemed self-promotional are deleted.
Likewise, many books are promoted on Craigslist.com, an online
classified service operated by eBay, in apparent violation of the site’s
terms of service.
Plug your book relentlessly. But don’t do something in the heat of
the moment that could damage your credibility. The biggest asset
authors and publishers have is their credibility with the public.
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