tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258832833257933108.post918658940269209562..comments2023-10-22T04:39:49.373-06:00Comments on Forgefire: Learning From Online ReviewsTom Abbotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02245728822327092684noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258832833257933108.post-19012255969496735582012-02-25T02:00:13.222-07:002012-02-25T02:00:13.222-07:00Anna called me from the school book fair yesterday...Anna called me from the school book fair yesterday. She read off titles to see if I was interested. I looked them up on Amazon, and checked out the reviews.<br /><br />Most of them were 4 and 5 stars. Likely written by friends.<br /><br />I didn't have her get anything. Everyone is looking for something different in a story, and nothing jumped out at me.Tom Abbotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245728822327092684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258832833257933108.post-67119784712636658552012-02-24T11:42:46.656-07:002012-02-24T11:42:46.656-07:00Lol! Sometimes even the 4-star reviews can help d...Lol! Sometimes even the 4-star reviews can help determine whether or not I am in the target audience. An example I read today:<br /><br />"What this contains: A woman living with the knowledge she was found in a dumpster and adopted, the possibility she's a pedophile as she discovers a summer fling is actually a high school student, divorce, and lack of self esteem. Also: Adultery, prostitution, interracial dating, undercover cops, drug rings, computer hacking... Really.. awesome stuff."<br /><br />Yea . . . awsome stuff . . . /rolleyesAnachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00544003519381539691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258832833257933108.post-41157390232145598442012-02-17T18:19:10.879-07:002012-02-17T18:19:10.879-07:00I'll have to remember that next time. Look in...I'll have to remember that next time. Look in the one-star reviews for things that you think are red flags. This will tell you if you're going to like the book.<br /><br />I'm continually amazed at how diverse peoples' tastes are. I'm not a fan of Modesitt, but I've certainly learned a lot from his success. 16 books... Everyone looks for something different.<br /><br />I wish I knew what to do with 5-star reviews. The ones that aren't plot-summaries tend to be little more than "Loved it! ^-^"<br /><br /><br />I really liked Savage's insights. I'm amazed at what I can learn at conferences.Tom Abbotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245728822327092684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258832833257933108.post-78984824286653197632012-02-17T14:15:25.057-07:002012-02-17T14:15:25.057-07:00I was on Amazon today reading some reviews of book...I was on Amazon today reading some reviews of books, and I couldn't help remembering what you had written here. Had to laugh; it was so true.<br /><br />To be honest, when I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy a book, I tend to look at a couple of detailed reviews from people who really liked it, just to get an overall feel of what is in the book, then I read the one-star reviews. A lot of times, this is the key to helping me identify whether or not I am in the target audience of the book. (For instance, someone who loves explicit books may not mention it is explicit in a 5-star review, but someone who doesn't will definitely mention it in a 1-star review.)<br /><br />Useful things, reviews . . .Anachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00544003519381539691noreply@blogger.com