Spam clogging Amazon's Kindle self-publishing

[sparkchaser]

Spam clogging Amazon's Kindle self-publishing

Spam has hit the Kindle, clogging the online bookstore of the top-selling eReader with material that is far from being book worthy and threatening to undermine Amazon.com Inc's publishing foray.

Thousands of digital books, called ebooks, are being published through Amazon's self-publishing system each month. Many are not written in the traditional sense.

Instead, they are built using something known as Private Label Rights, or PLR content, which is information that can be bought very cheaply online then reformatted into a digital book.

These ebooks are listed for sale -- often at 99 cents -- alongside more traditional books on Amazon's website, forcing readers to plow through many more titles to find what they want.

Aspiring spammers can even buy a DVD box set called Autopilot Kindle Cash that claims to teach people how to publish 10 to 20 new Kindle books a day without writing a word...

The article goes on to point out that this practice isn't limited to Amazon but since they dominate the market, the bulk seems to be with them.

Fortunately this isn't an issue for me since I am not in the spammers' target demographic.

 

[Will]

I saw this being the case some time ago. It's not just this rehashed content that's an issue, but also many self-published books with terrible writing/dire editorial controls flooding the market.

These too make it hard to find the good stuff amongst the dross. And many self-pubs will get friends to give 5 star reviews also, so it becomes kind of pointless. I see the Kindle being a hindrance unless Amazon starts to get involved - then they're taking on the role of the publisher however, and could be an issue also.

 

[Will]

I cleared this with Sparkchaser before posting (I don't want to shill my site etc.) but I interviewed author Adam Nevill at the start of the month, about many things related to horror books/genre/culture, but also there was a large chunk about the eBook/ePublishing market, and he touched upon a point raised in Sparkchaser's article.

The interview is here and the related question is in the last third of content for those not wanting to read the whole thing.

 

[Bob Magness]

Good interview, though I disagree with him when he says:

No one, after all, ever asked for eBooks

I did! The first time I saw Jean Luc Picard reading one in a Star Trek:TNG episode I wanted one.

Spammers will always find ways to get their stuff out there and savvy consumers will find aways to sift through it. Hell, most books published the traditional way are bad, and yet we manage to, more often than not, pick out the good ones. The internet might let more people self publish crap books but it also gives us tools to help identify the good ones. Tools such as this forum or sites like Good Reads, and even Amazon. People might have their friends post good reviews on Amazon but it is pretty easy to spot them. And there are always reviewers out there who have earned reputations for being reliable.

 

[freedom]

People might have their friends post good reviews on Amazon but it is pretty easy to spot them.

They need to buy if they want to post a review.
How can you spot fake reviews?

 

[Will]

Easy - if it's an unknown/ first time author, and the book has very recently been published on Amazon (by Amazon or a self-publishing firm) any review for it is likely by the author or an affiliate to them.

The odds increase given the amateur-hour nature of the cover (usually it will look like something put together in Paint Shop Pro in 1996) and availability in ebook only format.

They're normally so easy to spot - usually blinding praise and a five-star review... I mean damn, I've read some amazing books in my life, but very few get a five-star review... sometimes they're written with terrible grammar/spelling and you wonder whether the review really has read any book at all, ever.

It's like all of these authors are reading from the same 'ebook marketing 101' tract.

Once they or their friends have done with posting on Amazon about their books, they usually come to book forums like BAR to try some more promotions... Sometimes they read the forum FAQ, other times they don't bother. For this we have 'beer good'.

 

[sparkchaser]

If a self-published book is given a 5 star reviewer by someone that has made no other Amazon book reviews, chances are it is a spam review.

 

[freedom]

I agree. But as publishing market is slow novadays, many good authors will prefer Amazon.
Many books have "Look inside" feature. ;-) If you don't like - you don't buy. B&N also lets you read a bit before buying. We don't really need reviews if we can read few first pages.
On the other hand, some authors would polish the first 2-3 chapters only.

 

[Will]

You're quite right; I also agree that the look inside feature is definitely of worth - but it's quite rare for self-published books to utilise it, mostly for those issues you mention.

I think reviews are necessary - but I've found that it usually takes having a large number of readers/followers - a certain groundswell - before reviews start to crop up for any given title. But better a few honest reviews months after publication, than obvious fake ones that just put one off of buying...

 

[freedom]

I was looking for a good spy novel yesterday (on amazon). I read a lot of reviews. They made me frustrated! LOL One says I love this book, another hates it and says it's the worst book ever. If I'd have a chance to view inside, I'd make my own opinion. Usually, if I don't like a book from the very beginning (10-15 pages), most likely I won't like it later. I think, Amazon should offer "Look inside" option for all books it sells. Like in the book store - you can read a book before buying.

 

[Quorlan]

This is a tough one for me. I'm married to a self-published author and we too have struggled with the problem of spam clogging the online bookstores like Kindle, Nook and Apple's iBook Store as well.

The appeal of self-publishing is very attractive to author's of all levels of talent but self-publishing allows for anyone, regardless of talent, to publish at little to no cost.

So, for people like my wife, who, according to every single test-reader her book has had, has written a "very tight, chilling, adventurous thriller", how do we help to differentiate her from the dross and get some attention from the kinds of readers who would simply devour her book and come back looking for more?

And don't get me wrong here, I recognize my own bias, that's one of the reasons we used some test-readers we felt might be predisposed to not liking the book in an attempt to get as honest a reaction as we could. Without fail, every reader has not only loved it but most were unable to stop reading until they finished the book (390 pages!) in a single sitting.

So again, my question is, how can we get some reputable reviewers to read it and share their opinions. I've contacted a few I've found via Amazon and either get no response or an automated reply of some kind. I'm sincerely hoping for some advice here and not looking to simply try to promote the book. Thanks!

Cheers!
Q