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Amazon Reviews: Harriet Klausner

Here's another thought. I know of new authors who shipped her their books, free, because she posts her email address in her profile, is Number 1, and leaves good reviews. I imagine book publishers do the same. Though I seriously doubt they're paying her - if you read through her list of Amazon reviews, she's got a number of self-published books in there too. If she were getting paid, you'd see a different kind of pattern.

So she's scoring free books, and will as long as she retains her title. That would be one motivation to review your brains out, you know? And to leave only good reviews.

You can always resell them anonymously on Amazon Marketplace, whether you read them or not. So perhaps she has a side income, peddling the books America's authors are shipping to her. Eh? Sound like a plan?
 
Stewart said:
Then I go to the .com site, write a review of a book I've never read, and it's accepted on the same day. :eek:
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And 2 out of 6 people, so far, have found it helpful. :D
 
harriet.jpg

athebestreviews.com_images_users_5.gif

Same person? :confused:
 
I read an interview about her after she started posting here. She was annoying the shit out of me and happened across it. So, I decided to see if the interview portrayed her to be as much of a tool as she comes off.

According to the interview, she's a housewife who does nothing all day but read. She flies through a good four to five romance novels (that's half of what she reviews) daily. The reason she reads a lot from certain publishers is that they send her the books for free in advance of the release dates. I think she's an advance reader for Double Day, Random House and a few others. It must be nice to sit around all day and read free books.

The picture I've seen before is the top one.
 
I don't know why you are so surprised about this person's motivation. If she is the first to post a review, she gets a voucher. Why do you think so many people do it?
 
clueless said:
I don't know why you are so surprised about this person's motivation. If she is the first to post a review, she gets a voucher. Why do you think so many people do it?
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Yes, but the point is she can't review for shit, has no critical eye, and every book gets a good rating.
 
Stewart said:
Yes, but the point is she can't review for shit
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After reading some of her "reviews", I think that you got it exactly right with one of your first posts.. she just re-types the blurbs on the back of the books.

Her "reviews" contain no actual discussion about the qualility of the book, but merely state the plot and then finish off with one of 3 lines that she repeatedly uses as a round-off. I don't think that any of the books that she has reviewed have /ever/ been lacking in the action department - they are all "action-packed".

Summary: Either this lady excites easily, or majority of her reviews are a cut-and-paste job.

Monkeycatcher
 
Stewart said:
Yes, but the point is she can't review for shit, has no critical eye, and every book gets a good rating.
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And that's exactly why Amazon publishes her reviews. They want to sell. If the books are rubbish, readers interested on them will have no critical eye either. They see five stars and buy the goods. The last thing Amazon wants is a proper review with a low star rating.
 
Here's another thought. I know of new authors who shipped her their books, free, because she posts her email address in her profile, is Number 1, and leaves good reviews. I imagine book publishers do the same. Though I seriously doubt they're paying her - if you read through her list of Amazon reviews, she's got a number of self-published books in there too. If she were getting paid, you'd see a different kind of pattern.
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She is widely known, and widely criticized (not as of anyone of import, but in a joking manner by most reviewers I know in the SF/F community). I'm not going to knock anyone for getting ARC's , because I do as well from numerous publishers/authors, but I don't trust anyone who gives Robert Newcomb (perhap the worst practioner of the fantasy in the history of the genre) a positive review. :)

Author, Charles Stross (a nice chap) posted this at his site:

Harriet Klausner, the most prolific reviewer on Amazon.com, has of course gotten her hands onto an early copy of Accelerando:

Extract:


This novel has appeared as short stories in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 2001-2005. Each story has been extended with its own chapter in a seamless plot. The individual members of the Macx family and those who came into their orbit show three generations of technological change and how it affects society. All three Macx characters are fully developed and have their own distinct personalities but when they come together they are a force to be reckoned with. Charles Stross has written the singular most explosive work of his career.

(I'd take this review with a pinch of salt. Harriet means well, but her output of 3-5 reviews per day should speak for itself. I include it here in the interests of completeness.)
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Can we find out who the top ten reviewers are in order to get an idea of their critical ability?
 
Can we find out who the top ten reviewers are in order to get an idea of their critical ability?
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I think John Clute is the most outstanding and reputable reviewer in SF/F (he is the force behind the Fantasy/SF/and Horor encyclopedias). He is probably the most respected.
 
clueless said:
I don't know why you are so surprised about this person's motivation. If she is the first to post a review, she gets a voucher. Why do you think so many people do it?
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I never knew that. Are you sure? I'm certain I've posted the first review on books and never saw squat for it.
 
namedujour: My understanding is that if you submit the first review of an item you get (or used to, and this is on the UK site only, so I don't know if the US site ever offered this) entered into a monthly draw to win a £50 Amazon voucher.
 
Shade said:
...so I don't know if the US site ever offered this...
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Not as far as I know. I've posted first reviews before and never recieved any notification that I was entered in a drawing.
 
I just poked around, and found Joanna Daneman, who ranks Number 6 and writes reviews I would probably read. She even hits the lower ranges of stars on occasion. But she doesn't necessarily review the stuff I would be inclined to buy.

Number 3 looked good to me too.

Number 2 gives what seems on first glance to be TOO much information.

The Number 4 and 5 slots seem to weigh heavily in the direction of five stars.

So have a look, and see what you think.
 
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