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    the problem of Pagan book reviews

    I'm starting to realize, if I keep reading one star reviews of pagan or witchcraft books and always taking their word for it for how "inaccurate" they are, according to the reviewers standards, I'll end up never buying any books.

    #2
    Re: Whatcha thinking about now?

    Originally posted by toxicyarnglare View Post
    I'm starting to realize, if I keep reading one star reviews of pagan or witchcraft books and always taking their word for it for how "inaccurate" they are, according to the reviewers standards, I'll end up never buying any books.
    Pagans often think their knowledge/ideas are superior to that of others, and books always have details that at least someone thinks are inaccuracies based on their own research or beliefs, but that doesn't mean they don't contain useful ideas. It doesnt help that writers of these books often don't explain the difference between fact and opinion so make massive claims about things we just can't know for sure. The authors of the book 'Neolithic Shamanism' try so hard not to appear 'fluffy' that they make themselves seem fluffier in the process than they would have if they'd just been themselves. Yet they still present some ideas that I've adopted into my own little world of unashamed inaccuracy! In fact, the author of my favourite pagan workbook could be Silver Ravenwolf's cousin the way she goes on at times! Again, when you ignore the crap, I found her rituals powerful and life changing, and base most of my working style on hers these days.
    夕方に急なにわか雨は「夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は「朝立ち」と呼ばれないの? ^^If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

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      #3
      Re: Whatcha thinking about now?

      Originally posted by toxicyarnglare View Post
      I'm starting to realize, if I keep reading one star reviews of pagan or witchcraft books and always taking their word for it for how "inaccurate" they are, according to the reviewers standards, I'll end up never buying any books.
      Originally posted by Jembru View Post
      Pagans often think their knowledge/ideas are superior to that of others, and books always have details that at least someone thinks are inaccuracies based on their own research or beliefs

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        #4
        Re: Whatcha thinking about now?

        Originally posted by Jembru View Post
        Pagans often think their knowledge/ideas are superior to that of others, and books always have details that at least someone thinks are inaccuracies based on their own research or beliefs, but that doesn't mean they don't contain useful ideas. It doesnt help that writers of these books often don't explain the difference between fact and opinion so make massive claims about things we just can't know for sure. The authors of the book 'Neolithic Shamanism' try so hard not to appear 'fluffy' that they make themselves seem fluffier in the process than they would have if they'd just been themselves. Yet they still present some ideas that I've adopted into my own little world of unashamed inaccuracy! In fact, the author of my favourite pagan workbook could be Silver Ravenwolf's cousin the way she goes on at times! Again, when you ignore the crap, I found her rituals powerful and life changing, and base most of my working style on hers these days.

        Add to this that people neither know how review a book or to rate a book even remotely objectively. They tend to conflate "I didn't like this for X, Y, Z reason" with "NO ONE should like it because I don't like it".
        Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
        sigpic

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          #5
          Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

          Also, bear in mind the politics of book reviews. I know a particularly unpleasant person who has, on occasion, arranged for their friend to give me a bad review. I even had a one star review on amazon once claiming that the kindle download gave his computer a virus!

          Conversely, remember that many 5 star reviews are fakes too, either from Fiverr or similar, and some authors seem to have dozens of friends all eager to offer 5 star reviews.

          My own books offer the first chapter to read for free on the Wolfenhowle Press website, and the kindle downloads on Amazon have the Look Inside feature. So really, this gives you a chance to browse a bit, just as you would in a bookshop.

          At the end of the day, read and learn. Make notes to remind yourself of things in future, if necessary. Sometimes we learn which authors to avoid, which in itself is something.
          www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


          Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

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            #6
            Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

            Originally posted by Tylluan Penry View Post
            Also, bear in mind the politics of book reviews. I know a particularly unpleasant person who has, on occasion, arranged for their friend to give me a bad review. I even had a one star review on amazon once claiming that the kindle download gave his computer a virus!

            Conversely, remember that many 5 star reviews are fakes too, either from Fiverr or similar, and some authors seem to have dozens of friends all eager to offer 5 star reviews.

            My own books offer the first chapter to read for free on the Wolfenhowle Press website, and the kindle downloads on Amazon have the Look Inside feature. So really, this gives you a chance to browse a bit, just as you would in a bookshop.

            At the end of the day, read and learn. Make notes to remind yourself of things in future, if necessary. Sometimes we learn which authors to avoid, which in itself is something.
            ...I read your comment about Fiverr, and then I googled to see how often this happens, and now I'm unhappy and wishing any of my books were over the 20 review hump Amazon has.... *sigh*
            hey look, I have a book! And look I have a second one too!

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              #7
              Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

              Another thing about book revies (I love reading book reviews, even if I wasn't buying the book itself) is that the rating criteria are really subjective. Of course a one-star review and a five-star review are quite clear cases (however, some people, like myself, would only give a five-star rating to a "perfect" book while others might allow a bit more flaws as long as it's still an excellent book as whole) but the other ratings can be a lot more vague.

              Five star reviews at least on Amazon and Goodreads also tend to be quite emotional and personal. I've seen so many "books that changed my life" that I've grown quite cynical towards them and interviews that use similar rhetorics. ("I LOVED it!!" "It was just the book I needed at that time of my life, I bought a copy for my daughter/son/neighbour/colleague/hamster too!") You don't review a coffee machine by saying "Loved it, because I need my morning coffee!". Especially in non fiction books where there is no spoiler risk, I'd be happy to see the contents of the book reviewed and discussed rather than trusted blindly on someone's emotional flares.
              baah.

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                #8
                Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

                Originally posted by Malflick View Post
                ...I read your comment about Fiverr, and then I googled to see how often this happens, and now I'm unhappy and wishing any of my books were over the 20 review hump Amazon has.... *sigh*
                Have to be honest, I've never come across a 20 review hump on Amazon... maybe I fell over it when I wasn't paying attention!

                Anyone concerned about reviews etc., would do well to read this article and discover just how rotten the entire reviewing system is:


                and
                www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


                Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

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                  #9
                  Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

                  Originally posted by Tylluan Penry View Post
                  Have to be honest, I've never come across a 20 review hump on Amazon... maybe I fell over it when I wasn't paying attention!

                  Anyone concerned about reviews etc., would do well to read this article and discover just how rotten the entire reviewing system is:


                  and
                  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...ishing-scheme/
                  The review hump is something I've heard from loads of independent authors, its pretty simple: Amazon's algorithms favor books and products in their search results with 20 or more reviews. On the plus side, it helps keep spam books down. On the down side, it keeps books that can't meet that mark down to :P. It might not influence the sales of your book if your own offsite marketing is really good, or if your market is specific enough that keywords aren't as much of an issue, but is a hump a lot of independent authors have trouble getting over. But regardless of current sales, nearly every writer I've talked to about it has seen a sales boost when they got over the hump.

                  I read those articles... And wow 8D! How rotten indeed. That's really upsetting and saddening. Oh well. Thanks for sharing them X_X.
                  hey look, I have a book! And look I have a second one too!

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                    #10
                    Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

                    Many people don't know how to write a review. I was looking at books today and at least 3 per book would have something along the lines of "Haven't read it yet" and yet give a five star. Conversely, a lot of one star reviews said something similar to "I didn't realize it was <something subjective, such as more academic than they expected>". Some reviews also stated "Maybe I'd like it more if I actually did the exercises rather than skip them".

                    I'd rather take a chance on a one star that has an informative review than a five star with buzz words.
                    ~Rudyard Kipling, The Cat Who Walks By Himself

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                      #11
                      Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

                      Honestly, I never read the five or one star reviews except for the laughs. When I'm looking at reviews on Amazon, I read the 3 star reviews. They are usually the ones that have reliable statements that are not based on emotional flares or 'it didn't validate my personal opinion therefore it's crap'. People who give 3 stars seem to be the ones who are willing to discuss the pros and cons of a book. So that's where I start.

                      Though sometimes you can tell how good a book is by it's 1 star reviews. Because sometimes every single 1 star review is ludicrous or is obviously someone with a chip on their shoulder. If there are no legitimately constructive comments in 1 or 2 star reviews, you can assume that the book isn't actually that terrible.

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                        #12
                        Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

                        I always look at amazon reviews when choosing my next audiobook. I've learned (through TripAdvisor of all places) to throw out the top and the bottom extreme votes and reviews. Those people always have an agenda. They are die hard haters or lovers if you ask me. I look at people who took the time to give it a middle review and read from there.
                        Satan is my spirit animal

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                          #13
                          Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

                          I have seen people give one star reviews because the book was delivered late. If you don't understand how to review a book, don't.

                          I used to cut down my searches on Amazon by sorting by rating, but I don't think I will anymore, rather spend a little time actually reading the author's input.

                          Has anyone seen the reviews for that wolf and moon t-shirt on Amazon that was making the rounds a few years ago? Sometimes, terrible products are worth looking at purely for the reviews.
                          I'm not one to ever pray for mercy
                          Or to wish on pennies in the fountain or the shrine
                          But that day you know I left my money
                          And I thought of you only
                          All that copper glowing fine

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                            #14
                            Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

                            If I'm actually looking at reviews instead of looking for a specific title that I intend to get one way or another, any review less than three paragraphs is ignored, if I can't easily find longer reviews on amazon then google will find one somewhere, past that I'll glance at the ratings and occasionally look up the author of the book (largely for technical issues but also for some other stuff).
                            life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

                            Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

                            "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

                            John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

                            "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

                            Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


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                              #15
                              Re: the problem of Pagan book reviews

                              Originally posted by Briton View Post
                              Has anyone seen the reviews for that wolf and moon t-shirt on Amazon that was making the rounds a few years ago? Sometimes, terrible products are worth looking at purely for the reviews.
                              That made Amazon's list of the funniest reviews:

                              The review of the BIC pen is one of my favourites.

                              Looking at my own reviews, I see I don't usually give 1 or 5 stars. At the risk of incurring instant derision, here they are:

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