http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2012/11/amazon-removes-reviews.

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It is so strange that Amazon woul institute a polic! that "i#es something no one thinks is
a problem in orer to placate $00 establishe authors tr!ing to limit the market
opportunities o" other authors. In this case% Amazon is unilaterall! eleting reviews
people post regaring books being sol b! Amazon. &'ee above web site(
)his makes no sense as Amazon*s reason "or being is to sell stu""% in this case books.
Apparentl!% Amazon oes not police "or revenge reviews that ma! be mae b! a person
who oes not like a given author an pens a poison art esigne to bring own the star
rating &"ace it% no one reall! reas the reviews% the! simpl! look at the star rating(. )he!
have% apparentl!% begun to remove reviews some algorithm in some automate ecision
s!stem ecies is inappropriatel! positive. +riving own the star rating will result in less
books being sol an rea. )hat oesn*t make sense "or Amazon% the authors% the
publishers &i" an!( or societ! in general.
)here has been a major unintene% I think% shi"t in the general book bu!ing public*s
purchasing pattern. ,ooks are increasingl! an impulse purchase. )o a egree% this has
alwa!s been the case% hence the paperback ispla!s at airport shops an super markets.
-owever% the tenenc! to impulse bu! is increasing ramaticall!% in large part% thanks to
Amazon.
Amazon has one two things that power"ull! impact the book market. .ne% the! have
mae sel" publishing so /uick% ine#pensive an eas! it has become a major inucement to
writers to write an publish. 0#actl! the same e""ect liketheew.com has on "olk like me.
-ell% it is "un an% whether or not an!one ever reas m! stu""% it is a woner"ul plat"orm
"or m! opinion an general take on the worl. An% as "ar as I know% no animals have
ever been hurt in the process.
)wo% b! s/ueezing both the traitional publishers an the authors% Amazon still has not
mae itsel" consistentl! pro"itable but has lowere the price o" books in the same wa!
Apple lowere the price o" music. ,oth music an books are mere impulse bu!s now.
1robabl! si#t!-"ive percent o" all book/ebook sales are mae to less than twent! percent
o" the reaing public. )hese people bu! books in much the same wa! gamblers gamble% a
ver! small percentage o" the total reaing or gambling population contribute the vast
majorit! o" the mone! into the s!stem. It is the same "or people who rink alcohol% smoke
ope% bu! guns% !ou name it% when ealing with aictive an or compulsive behavior a
minorit! contributes the majorit! o" the cash in the s!stem. +on*t ki !oursel"% book
bu!ing has alwa!s been riven b! compulsive behavior% in some cases% even aictive
behavior. It is so now.
Inee% an! s!stem epening upon sales o" stu"" to a given population alwa!s breaks
own into a minorit! spening a majorit! o" the mone! in that market s!stem. 0ven in
housing or new cars% a minorit! o" the bu!ing public spens a majorit! o" the mone! in
the market. In these last two cases there are "ewer aicts but compulsion bu!ing is "airl!
common. 2emember 3ohn 4c5ain6 -e ha eight houses when he ran against 1resient
.bama. Imagine having eight houses. I" he spent an e/ual amount o" time in each he
woul spen a month an a hal" in one an then have to move on to the ne#t. 1eople who
bu! lan% )e )urner% are the same wa!. )he! are compulsive about bu!ing it an a
minorit! o" all the lan bu!ers in 7orth America bu! a majorit! o" the lan sol ever!
!ear.
It oesn*t matter what commoit! o" gaget !ou are looking at% a minorit! o" the total
bu!ers alwa!s are accountable "or a majorit! o" the purchases an a majorit! o" the
mone! in the s!stem.
8hat Amazon% an their competitors% 9obo% ,arnes an 7oble% 'mashwors% 'crib%
etc.% have one is make book bu!ing ever more subject to compulsive an aictive
bu!ing patterns. )he! have one this b! breaking the ol agent/publisher gatewa! s!stem
an ramaticall! e#paning the number o" available books. )he! have also riven own
the price o" books in a ramatic "ashion.
3ust as Apple has taken mone! out o" the :recor: selling business an "orce musicians
to tour% more o" less constantl!% in orer to make the kin o" mone! the! want% Amazon
an its ilk are "orcing authors% even establishe A-listers% to "in aitional sources o"
mone! be!on the sale o" books. ;ectures% stanup% teaching% blog sites% <ou )ube
channels% whatever% "ewer an "ewer authors can make it penning a masterpiece an
waiting "or the ro!alties to roll in. )he authors who reall! make it in the new worl orer
will have to be entertainers as well as writers. 3ust as the =arbo routine isn*t working "or
actors an!more% the 3. +. 'alingers o" the worl will "in the new environment i""icult to
own right hostile.
I on*t think it is coincience that the primar! spokesman in the popular culture taking on
Amazon "or their punitive attack on -achette is 'tephen 5olbert. 5olbert is a giant
television personalit! as well as a best selling author. 8h! not 'cott )urow% 2obert
=albraith% 7icholas 'parks or 3ames 1atterson% best sellers all6 ;or knows -achette has
a stable "ull o" best selling% "amous authors but onl! one like 5olbert.
-ope"ull!% "uture success"ul book writing will not be limite to uni/ue pol!math
geniuses like 5olbert% but !ou can be assure there is a new gatewa! in town. )he new
gatewa! is clutter an cacophon! in the market. Authors who wish to rise above all that
an "in their auience an their market &all members o" !ou auience are in !our market
but not all members o" !our market are in !our auience( will have to have something
else to sell an promote. ;ikewise% agents an publishers who want to survive will have
to morph into something other than a gatekeeper% "or the gate no longer belongs to them.
)he! will have to "in wa!s to bring emerging talent along b! e#paning the
entertainment competencies o" their authors. 1la!ing +on >ui#ote to Amazon*s
winmills isn*t going to get it one "or agents an publishers. )hough Amazon is plent!
big enough% it reall! isn*t the enem!. )he entire market has structurall! change an the
pace o" that change will increase% not slow own% no matter how brilliant an "unn! an
insight"ul 'tephen 5olbert is.
Amazon probabl! knows all this as well as an!one. I suspect the new review policing is a
small% token gesture to some o" the $00 authors upset about :"rienl!: reviews the! think
ma! cut into their sales b! promoting the unwashe an the unworth!. )hat is the onl!
reason I can think that woul cause Amazon to set up a s!stem that tries to "erret out pu""
piece reviews but not revenge an poison pen reviews. 2emember% the current s!stem
onl! works to lower an author*s star rating. I" Amazon set up a policing s!stem that
attacke the bottom as well as the top% perhaps the! coul solve a problem that oesn*t
e#ist without hurting sales. -owever% I think the whole policing a""air is like the
2epublican attack on non-e#istent voter "rau. ?or the time being% it isn*t costing Amazon
much an it ma! placate authors who are a little restive over the -atchette "iasco.
In the meantime% the market has shi"te an will continue to o so. In the brave new
worl o" internet riven markets% i" !ou want to be an author% sharpen those entertainment
or political% etc. skills. <ou*re going to nee them.