I debated putting my book up for free as I have said before, because I was warned the KDP Select program no longer works like it used to. I was specifically told by another writer that it brings out trolls who can’t wait to write one-star reviews and do their best to sabotage. I didn’t want to believe it, and yet in less than twelve hours after putting “On a Hot August Afternoon” up for free, I received my first ever negative review.
The funny part is that one of the things the reviewer says is that the book is too long. I find that a little telling, seeing as they claim to have read it, written and posted their review in less than a day. After all, they say they are glad it was free, so it’s not as though they had bought it before the promotion. The shocking part is how foolishly hurt I was by it. Logically, I knew this could happen, and both the fact that it was written so quickly as well as nastily makes the intention clear.
It irks me that Amazon allows such blatant reviews like this, and yet they removed another five star review because they claimed the reviewer had done something wrong, but refused to tell her what that “wrong” thing was. Unfortunately, until another review is written, the one star review is the first one you see when you go to my amazon page.
In the time I had the book up for free, I received 553 downloads, and I am hopeful that soon someone will knock that negative review down a few notches. I realize not everyone loves every book. If I truly believed this person had written this to warn people not to part with their money, it would be hard to take, but fair. However, the way in which it was done makes the intent too obvious.
For those of you who are interested, here is the review that was pulled.
Simply splendid!, June 27, 2012
By KJAY (NC)
This review is from: On a Hot August Afternoon (Kindle Edition)
I have just finished and thoroughly enjoyed another Bridget Straub novel. This is a perfect summer read as you get to travel with the characters to places you may never have been. The book also offers a look inside of the complexities of a large wealthy family. I got a kick out of the similarities of families in general; rich or poor, large or small. Once I got started and met the characters I was hooked. The storyline was captivating and there was no predictable turn in the book. I was even surprised when I read the epilogue. I will be patiently anticipating what is next for Ms. Straub.
Now why would this be illegal?
