Most book selling sites
have reader ratings.
They also have lists
ranking the books
with the top reader ratings.
As a result…
reader ratings are pretty much useless
because other authors
will mess with a book’s rating
to ensure that book doesn’t outrank theirs
on the list.
Nasty ratings or reviews happen
and they don’t always happen
because your product is a piece of shit.
Actually…
they are more likely to happen
if your product isn’t a piece of shit.
If no one cares about your product,
it simply isn’t going to get rated or reviewed
at all.
I don’t take any reviews or ratings,
good or bad,
to heart.
What I look for,
to determine if a book or product is working,
is repeat business.
For book sales,
I’ll watch the waves of buying.
There will be the first launch wave.
Then a week later,
there will be a recommended wave
(those are readers recommending the book
to friends).
THAT recommended wave
is what truly counts.
Ignore the nasty reviews.