editorial

Amazon Victimizes Authors - Claims Review Violations but Breaks Their Own Guidelines

Irene Watson

Last week's editorial explained to you how blatantly Amazon .com is removing reviews, not only posted by sites but by individual reviewers.  I've heard from many authors who have written to the email addresses I gave, including Jeff Bezos, the CEO.  Not one author received anything other than a form email but what's even more disturbing is many didn't even get a response.  Is it because Amazon has been inundated with emails protesting, asking for reinstatement, or wanting answers, or is it that their customer service is so lousy they don't even respond?  

 The most humorous part (or should I say the saddest part) is that the responses from the CEO start off like this:

I'm [a different name each time] of Amazon.com's Executive Customer Relations team. Jeff Bezos received your email and asked me to respond on his behalf.

For the number of different names that appeared in this form email sent to those that wrote to Bezos, he sure has a huge number of personal peeps that have the important job of being asked to send a form letter.  Does the person who created this form email really think authors are so stupid that they would take this seriously?

To me, this type of form email or any other form email sent to the authors is just downright unacceptable and disrespectful.  I would think a company that is attempting to make more money from authors' books than authors do themselves would at least have the decency to communicate with them, and not only that, treat them with respect.

But, I guess the term "respect" isn't in the vocabulary of upper management and peeps of Amazon.com.  Check out Amazon.com controversies on Wikipedia and you'll get a bucket full of disclosures from treatment of workers to allowing anonymous reviews to reviews posted by public relations companies that were paid for. And, "By June 2011, Amazon itself had moved into the publishing business and begun to solicit positive reviews from established authors in exchange for increased promotion of their own books and upcoming projects. [44] "  Wow! Smells of compensation to me.

The reason I'm speaking of compensation, one of the guidelines that Amazon imposes on some reviewers is:

What's not allowed
Reviews written for any form of compensation other than a free copy of the product.

(This guideline only came into effect within the past year; when we first started posting reviews they didn't have it. And, it doesn't affect everyone; I did a quick cursory check and came up with 9 reviewers that charge for reviews but are able to post reviews on Amazon.com)

However, aside from extra promotion given noted above, Amazon.com themselves have hooked up with two review services that charge humongous amounts of money for reviews:

https://www.createspace.com/Services/KirkusIndieReview.jsp  ($379.00/$529.00 per review)
https://www.createspace.com/Services/ClarionReview.jsp ($399.00/$549.00 per review)

On both pages Amazon.com say:

A book review from a respected source is a powerful marketing tool, lending credibility both to your book and your reputation as an author. Consider including an excerpt of your Kirkus Indie review:

• On the cover of your book, website, blog, and your book's Amazon.com detail page

Mind you, if you decide to go through Amazon.com to buy the reviews you actually do get savings, for e.g., purchasing a review directly from Kirkus is $425.00/$575.00.

But just a minute here...something is wrong with this picture: it's not okay to pay for reviews but it's okay to pay for reviews.  I did send an email to Amazon.com asking for clarity on why they don't allow paid reviews to be posted on the book detail page, yet they are promoting same and allowing many to do the same. Of course, I didn't get an answer as of this writing and it has been a week since I sent the email.

I guess these are sticky subjects for Amazon.com and that's why they don't disclose which guidelines we violated because they violate them themselves and allow others to do the same.  After lengthy email and phone conversations with Sarah Hobbs, the first time we were banned, she had us reword some of the content on our site but would never admit or state what the violation was.

Amazon.com, also in their guidelines, says:

• Full disclosure: If you received a free product in exchange for your review, please clearly and conspicuously disclose that that you received the product free of charge.

Doing a cursory check of the top 100+ reviewers not one of them discloses one way or another.  Does that mean they actually get compensated?  Seems like it to me otherwise the reviewers would indicate the product was received free of charge, yet they are not banned and their reviews are not removed. This is one guideline that Amazon.com doesn't enforce.  They are selective in which guidelines to enforce and which ones just take up content space, and whom they decide to ban.  Nothing fair here.

Furthermore, Amazon.com has taken it upon themselves to override Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255 effective December 1, 2009 where it clearly indicates that any product, including a book, for review is to be considered as payment for the review.  There is no such thing as getting a "free" review unless the reviewer purchased the book or received the book as a gift.  When this ruling came out I had many conversations with the FTC legal department to be sure our site is in compliance and disclosure is noted on every review on the site.  Many reviewers and bloggers are aware of this and have the disclosure on their sites.

And, do you want to hear another sad thing?  Last week's editorial was posted on KindleBoards by an author but I didn't know about it until I received a Google alert.  By the time I got the alert the posting had been removed.  I guess the title of the post "Amazon Removes More Reviews: Targets Individual Reviewers and Sites Causing Authors to Become Victims" wasn't something that Amazon.com would allow comments on for fear of negative repercussion.

So, what is next?  I believe authors/publishers, and reviewers that have been banned and/or their reviews removed without explanation, should continue to make noises.  The only way things will change is if we are heard.  Some authors have even written to their Congressmen, Senators, and State Representatives.  Some have alerted the media.  If you feel you have been victimized I encourage you to make noise and be heard. Even Amazon.com claims A book review from a respected source is a powerful marketing tool.  It's your book sales that are at stake here...make a noise!

Comments?  I'd like to hear from you here.

PS - Just before the release of this newsletter I received an email from an author saying:

As incredulous as it is, I had 8 book reviews removed … one from my sister,  Randy O’Brien-Roundtable Reviews, Rod Clark-Bookreview.com, Bob Medak-Allbooks Review, Reader Views-William Phenn, Rebecca Reads-Kam Aures, and two friends.  (My sister and my friends are not connected to any publishing or reviewing entity. I sent two complaint emails to Amazon.com recently but I have not had a reply.

He followed up with another email: BTW… I checked with an author friend about reviews.  He has had several reviews removed also including one from Julian Bond. (American social activist and leader in the American civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer.)

PSS - I also got an email from Tami Brady, TCM-Reviews saying: Amazon has deemed us “Professional Reviewers”. As such, we can no longer post on Amazon and all the reviews, even those completed before we were deemed “professional” were deleted.

Make a Noise! Be Heard!

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