And you don’t have the same last name? It’s frustrating, for sure, but hey, I’m high-fiving her for trying. One of the biggest complaints from authors when it comes to reviews is that their friends and family don’t come through for them.

Sandy

Vicki, a few years ago the rumor was 50 reviews. When I couldn’t find anything definitive about this online, I emailed Amazon customer support and got a non-answer in response. So in this case, even going straight the company didn’t help.

Sandy

Thanks Sandy, that makes more sense.

Thanks for digging into this, Luke. Honestly, sometimes all of the information surrounding reader reviews makes me want to take a nap.

I don’t think it’s a contradiction — I think I’d describe it as a “clarification.”

“Does not require a review” is almost meaningless because you can’t force anyone to review the book you gave them. But it does put the scammers and evil-doers on notice, right? The next part, “or attempt to influence the review,” reinforces the importance of honest reviews. Amazon is primarily concerned about honest input in the reviews section, whether it’s for books or boots, because consumers use those reviews to make purchasing decisions. If we buy goods based on glowing, but dishonest reviews that someone paid for (whether in money or merchandise), we’re going to return them, and e-commerce returns are expensive.

And yes, you’re so right about including a disclaimer in a review. The language I recommend to authors and readers is, “I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.” Then, of course, the review needs to be honest. Transparency is always important, so thanks for flagging that.

Thanks!

Sandy

The last paragraph of the Amazon announcement with this information reads:

“The above changes will apply to product categories other than books. We will continue to allow the age-old practice of providing advance review copies of books.”
—

This wording at https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201929730&language=en_US&ref=ag_home_cont_G201972160 seems to contradict that:

“Book authors and publishers may continue to provide free or discounted copies of their books to readers, as long as the author or publisher does not require a review in exchange or attempt to influence the review.”

The additional info link at https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202094170 suggests to me that a review in return or an ARC may be permitted provided the review also states something like “I received a free copy of this book so I could review it”.

What do you think?

Such wisdom, Wendy! Thank you! I love that you coach them through the review — that’s exactly what my Reader Book Review Forms do, too. They take the mystery out of the review-writing process by walking readers through it, easy step by easy step. Your approach — pulling their thoughts together for them — is even easier, but not always possible.

Thanks for sharing!

Sandy