Rogue Ratings

Since Amazon has allowed rating a book without leaving a review, there has been a rash of rogue ratings. Some authors call them "trolls" -- people who leave a low number of stars, especially on books that are highly rated, just to pull them down. Most of the time, they don't read the book. In fact, most of mine are from "global" reviewers outside the country.

This is a shame because the review system has been very helpful to readers. I use it often in choosing books I want to read. I normally look at the low reviews to see if the complaints are something that will bother me. However, if I click to see a review and get the message, "Sorry, no reviews match your current selections," I disregard the rating. I also ignore the numerical star rating. Too many rogue reviews enter into the calculations now, and it's unreliable. I just look at the actual written reviews.

I, personally, wish Amazon would go back to requiring a review before someone can leave a rating. It gives a more accurate accounting of the book. However, with the system as it is, I've had to adjust my expectations and how I use the reviews. And I hope readers will take the rogue ratings into account and not judge an author harshly because of them.

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