10 Bad Reviews Which Will Actually Increase Your Book Sales

An interesting look at the uses for bad book reviews. Definitely worth the read!

Tara Sparling's avatarTara Sparling writes

Look at my face. Seriously. Take a good long look at this face. It’s blue. And why is that? Why is my face the colour of childish summer skies, frozen computer screens, and musical moons?

It’s because I’m BLUE IN THE FACE telling you that 5-star reviews do not sell books. Stand-alone 5* reviews (rather than bunched together in aggregate, which I admit wield pens of power and therefore refuse to deal with here) are as much of an incentive to readers to buy a book as broccoli yoghurt is to naughty children to behave. They are meaningless: often vapid: frequently regarded as fake, and I have blogged about them so many times that my fingers are weary and my face is blue.

You know what can sell your books, though? A bad review, that’s what. And why is that? Because bad reviews contain 97.5% more useful information than good reviews, that’s why.

10 Bad Reviews Which Will Actually Increase Your Book Sales This…

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8 thoughts on “10 Bad Reviews Which Will Actually Increase Your Book Sales

  1. Thanks for sharing this… definitely puts a lighter spin on my recent not so positive review… Hoping someone will read my review and decide that I, in fact do know sweet FA and buy the book! 😀
    That’s a great post though.. so much food for thought.. not only for authors but for bloggers as well… Cheers.

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    1. Same here! I just received a one star review from a customer whose history shows that he gives Indie books low reviews and excellent reviews to anything traditionally published. Oh well, you can’t please everyone! 🙂

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      1. Huh? How does that even make sense? I have read plenty of indies that have been way better than some trad published books… some strange logic there, me thinks… but you’re right.. can’t please everyone!!!

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        1. I agree with you, I mostly read Indies because the price is right. I would rather read three good books at $3 than one at $9. If I can tell the difference, I’ll know in the sample and I don’t buy the book. Regardless, I just let it roll off my shoulders and focus on having fun with it all! 🙂

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