Why do some authors find the need to respond to every review?
On the Amazon site are forums. If you’re an author, curious to see what readers say about authors, take a gander at a thread like this one.
The opening poster pointed to a specific book on Amazon and asked why the author has commented on the reviews.
People responded:
G. says:
I think that quite possibly, the author does not want to sell any books? Self-defeating behavior, or a complete lack of professional boundaries probably does not help. Very sad.
Brraaiinnsss says:
I just think about all the flame wars I’ve seen where an author takes up the flag of injustice and ends up looking like Charlie Sheen on a Sunday morning.
HJ Leonard says:
Bottom line is that reviews are not intended for the author, but for other readers. There really is no appropriate time for an author to comment on a review … I feel very uncomfortable when an author responds.
Robin L. McLaughlin says:
Personal comments from authors on reviews that were written to other readers is creepy. It doesn’t matter what the content of the comment is.
LG says:
It does seem kind of creepy or pretentious even when the author is just leaving thank yous to reviewers for their input. I would just rather not see any author comments. The only exception would be if there was some formatting problem with the ebook or it was filled with typos (though how anyone with any pride in their work lets this happen, I don’t know). In that case, it doesn’t bother me if the author comments that it has been corrected and lets the readers know that the corrected version is available for downloading now. But even then, I think the author could add that information to their product description where the message would reach more potential readers anyway.
Anna Karenina, Zombie Queen (Am I Safe Now?) says:
I think even better advice to an author might be not to read reviews at all. Especially if an author is sensitive. The positive benefits of reading reviews might not outweigh the negatives.
Hope Welsh says:
As someone said it’s a no-win situation. I read a reviewer comment on her blog that she was tired of inconsiderate authors that didn’t take the time to thank her for reviews, for example. It is no-win for the author. I don’t thank reviews on Amazon anymore. I make sure any reader that wants to can contact me via my sites or Twitter and leave it at that.
