Authors Quoting Authors

Tags

amazon, authors, books, news, reading, reviews, writers, writing

The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions. – Leonardo da Vinci

Hello readers. As my topic states, I will be talking about authors quoting authors in this post. What I mean by that is authors giving a good word about another author’s published book and the problems surrounding it for readers.

Say two writers are very good friends. They both publish a story. One story is amazing, while the other is not. The amazing book gets a great quote by the friend, and – in turn – the other friend gives a great quote to the other book without actually reading it. Or perhaps they did read it, but the truth still stands. That book is horrible, and they lied about it.

I recently came across a situation like this on Amazon. One author who wrote many books exchanged quotes with another author. It was clear to tell (after reading through the reviews below each book) that both quotes were very fake. One author quoted that “this book is one of the best in its genre” while readers all agreed that it deserved only a 2-star at best and was one of the worst books in its genre.

The other book was compared to a whole list of other authors’ works, being put up on the stand with legendary writers (and writers that had nothing in common with each other). Readers once again agreed that this quote was utter nonsense.

So how exactly are readers supposed to trust the words of authors when they spit out lies so frequently? Fake quotes and reviews are not friendly to readers. When I go to amazon to look for books I might like, I don’t want to be lied to, so why should anyone else?

I think it’s ridiculous that authors do this for one another. Clearly everything you have said will all unwind once someone reads the book. And giving a quote that compares your friend to a half dozen writers who all write very differently is not a very convincing lie.

Amazon – for the most part – is a very trustworthy site when it comes to reviews. Choosing which book to buy is an easy task when you listen to fellow readers. But if those fellow readers are authors doing other authors a favour, then it becomes far less trustworthy.

I hope I never wander into this situation. I am very careful about what I quote, making sure it’s the exact truth. Perhaps some authors need a little more honesty. I would hate to spend money on a book that I believed to be amazing, but was far from it. I am sure every reader feels the same. No one wants to be tricked.

What do you guys – as readers, writers, and authors – think about this subject? Would you buy a book that has been obviously quoted and reviewed falsely? Would you write a quote/review for a friend, even if their story is awful? Would you accept a quote/review if you knew it wasn’t true?

Thanks for reading!

~ Sandra Harvey

Wrath of the Titans

Tags

clash, entertainment, gods, greek, movie, perseus, reviews, titans, wrath, zeus

Feel the wrath

So I went to see this movie on Tuesday (yesterday). I must say, it was MUCH better than Clash of the Titans. I guess I should explain why I have issues with that movie before I get into this one. (Also, there will be spoilers for the first movie)

Clash of the Titans started off good, it really did, and I had hopes that it would be a great movie because I really liked the Greek gods. I was introduced to some cool characters, like Perseus’ trainer. But when the movie neared its end, every character that I liked died. Actually, more to the point, every character that I liked and didn’t liked died. Everyone died. So there was Perseus, alone with his Pegasuses and sword to fight the Kraken. If I was expecting an epic battle, I was very wrong. Perseus did nothing but fly back to the city, where he showed the Kraken the head of Medusa and threw his sword at Hades to send him back to the Underworld.

That was it. That was the end of Clash of the Titans.

So, moving back to Wrath of the Titans …

Like I said above, this movie was much better. It starts off with Perseus and his son, showing how they live in their village as fishermen. Zeus comes to Perseus to tell him that the Gods are losing their powers and Titans are escaping their imprisonment. Perseus ignores him and continues life as is.

Though, while Perseus is living in contentment, Zeus is betrayed by his son, Ares, and captured by Hades. They plan on using his power to release Kronos – father of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. This would mean total destruction of the world.

There is no moment that Liam Neeson cannot make epic.

So when a terrifying beast (top picture) attacks Perseus’s village, he takes his son far away and visits the temple closest to the heavens to speak with his father. Though, the message he receives is less than comforting, and so he must begin another quest to save the world. He teams up with the son of Poseidon, Queen Andromeda, and a very crazy weapon-maker.

Who knew "Jane Bennet" could be such a warrior?

This movie had a great cast of characters, the enemies were pretty awesome, and the 3d was great. I found myself jumping at some parts, like when a rock came hurtling at the screen or when the camera fell crazy heights through tunnels. Though, one thing I did not like was the camera angles in some parts. Sometimes it was hard to tell who Perseus was fighting or what was going on.

Yet the ending of this movie was so fulfilling, unlike its predecessor.

And of course, Kronos as the end fight was very cool.

Yikes

This movie was mainly about Perseus’s love for his son, and the growing bond between a father and son. This is basically the constant theme throughout the entire movie, pushing Perseus forward to save his son and father.

I’m giving it a 4/5. Go see it. I guarantee you’ll like it.

The Amazon Issue with Author Reviews

Tags

amazon, author, books, reviews, writing

I was completely blind to this at first, thinking to myself, “I hope I get good reviews and lots of people enjoy my book!” It never actually occurred to me to write my own review on my page. Why would it? For many other authors, though, it simply isn’t the case.

What I’m talking about is authors giving themselves 5-star reviews and competition 1-star reviews. I thought it was just a little thing, but apparently it’s quite common. I’ve seen several cases already on my own and lots of people on the kindle boards are talking about it.

From what I’ve gathered, authors are creating several fake accounts and ranking themselves 5-stars, while going to their competitors and giving them 1-star reviews. This is ridiculous to say the least. Do they not realize that people can easily tell that the author wrote those reviews? Just by looking at the writing style of the review, most people would know and turn away from that book.

I’ve even come across an author who didn’t even create a fake account, but posted a review on their wall (5-stars, of course) to not review their book, but to make a comment, defending themselves against critics and bashing out at readers. Is that really necessary? First off, if you want to make a comment, comment below the actual reviews and not create your own!

Secondly, don’t hate the readers! Some aren’t going to like your book. Some will. That’s how it works. Instead of hating, use that criticism for good use.

I really hate the fact that authors are trying to cheat their way into readers’ hands. It’s a terrible thing to do, but the world isn’t all sunshine and daises, after all.

~ Sandra