I’ve been involved with Kindle for a while, now.
Not only my own books, but as a partner in another business, where sometimes hundreds of books per day are sold — gathering dozens of both good and bad reviews.
And after a while, you see a pattern.
Especially with the 1-star reviews.
And that is very few are genuine.
Most are just from comment trolls with an agenda.
Take for example this blue flame special who left a 1-star review for my “How To Write, Produce And Profit From Print Newsletters” book:
I can’t believe that someone Gary Bencivenga endorses would slap this crap together like this. It doesn’t even do well construed as only “theory”. C’mon man.
Amusing stuff.
And, predictable, too.
These types of whiney reviews are popping up more and more.
And in 9 out of 10 cases they are from some loser who is jealous, a competitor or someone who simply has too much time on their hands, so they prance around Kindle leaving 1-star reviews on products from people they don’t like.
How do you tell if they’re genuine or the ravings of a loser?
Well, here are a few signs:
1. Emotional
A real review (whether 1-star or 5-star or anything in between) is “just the facts” like a weather report — where it’s either raining or sunny, and here’s what to expect etc.
Not a commentary on how crappy the weather is.
Or, how they feeeeel about it.
Yet, that’s what the little comment troll above did.
No specifics.
Just empty complaining with no real point.
Which brings us to…
2. Axe to grind
You can tell the one above is from someone with an axe to grind. Maybe he’s a goo-roo fanboy I’ve offended (good!) Or maybe he’s a competitor. Or, maybe he’s just angry at the world.
Who knows?
One thing is for sure:
He sounds like he’s got an axe to grind.
It sounds personal for the little troll, not business.
Thus, it hurts his review’s credibility.
3. False Info
Another red flag is dropping misleading information. For example, when did Gary Bencivenga ever “endorse” me?
Answer:
Never.
But (presumably) the troll thinks saying so helps his case.
Of course, it doesn’t.
Just makes his review misleading…
4. Spiteful
Calling something “crap” without any specifics whatsoever is like when someone knows they’ve lost a debate (cuz they have no facts), so they pathetically resort to profanity or name calling.
I’d venture to guess 90% of 1-star reviews do this.
At least, the ones I’ve seen…
5. No Facts
The little troll says it’s not even good “theory.”
Which is interesting for two reasons:
First, he’s not a verified purchaser.
(As of this writing, at least.)
So probably he didn’t even read it.
(i.e. just has an axe to grind)
And secondly, there isn’t any actual “theory” in the book.
It’s the exact formula I used to launch, sell and publish 2 successful print newsletters as witnessed by hundreds of collective paying subscribers over the past 3+ years. He likely knows this (and if not, then he should do at least a modicum of homework before spouting nonsense in reviews). But since he has no facts to back up his complaints, he thinks lobbing insults will help his case.
Which, of course, it doesn’t.
Especially when weighed against the other reviews.
(Which are positive reviews.)
So there you have it.
The anatomy of an Amazon comment troll.
You’ll get these eventually if you sell on Kindle.
Might as well expect it…
Okay, one last thing:
I’m obviously a big fan of print newsletters.
And, wish there were more (good ones) out there.
So if you’d like to check this book out, go to:
If you’re in the US:
www.bensettle.com/print-newsletter/us
If you’re in the UK:
www.bensettle.com/print-newsletter/uk
Of course, I’d appreciate it if you left a review.
Yes, even if it’s a 1-star review.
All I ask is it’s a *legitimate* review.
Not a troll review like the one above…
Ben Settle
P.S. I’m experimenting with a way to turn 1-star reviews from comment trolls into sales. If it works (and I won’t know if it will or not for a while) I’ll not only not care if trolls leave reviews, I’ll profit from them.
If it does work, I’ll teach it to my “Email Players” subscribers.
Fun times ahead…
