Yesterday my books were suggested as good reads on two different threads on Amazon by various people. I'm seeing this happen more often now, and it makes me happy that people are liking my books enough to recommend them. It's worth noting, however, that although people are suggesting my books, they're usually describing them as "fun" (rather than "the most incredible romances ever!"), and often placing them in the 3.5-4 star range. They also don't hesitate to mention any issues they have with the plotting and characterization.
Due to the way Amazon works, this is a good thing. On Amazon, glowing 5-star reviews tend to be looked upon with suspicion. If you get a hardcore fan who adores you and starts threads about how amazingly awesome your books are, someone is almost certain to suggest they're a sock or a friend of the author. Reviewers sometimes comment that the other reviewers must all be the writer's friends and family. And in a way I can understand this, because I've seen books with samples that were just unbelievably bad, yet which had somehow garnered five or ten five-star reviews. It's not hard to see where the suspicion comes from.
So on Amazon, it seems that the best of all possible worlds is readers who like your work enough to suggest it to others, but who also don't hesitate to mention any problems they see in your writing.
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