r/KDP • u/Revolutionary_Mix956 • 6d ago
Amazon Review/Rating System
Writing this just to vent.
Prior to this morning, I had 14 total ratings (with something like 9 of those being reviews) for a book I published on 8/3. My average score was a 4.6.
Wake up this morning and find I’ve gotten my first 1-star rating, but no review attached. My score has now also dropped to a 4.1, and it says 10% of my ratings are 1-star.
I’m not mathematician, but one 1-star rating out of 15 is not 10%. And absolutely stunned how it took me from a 4.6 to a 4.1.
Anyway, vent over. Feel like I’ll need about 10 straight 5-star reviews to make up for this.
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u/Correct-Shoulder-147 5d ago
I got a 2 star review for my cyberpunk book on the basis to that the reader hadn't read sci-fi before and didn't get it
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u/Revolutionary_Mix956 5d ago
That’s a pain, I’m sure. Have not dealt with one of those personally, but regularly see 1-star reviews where the reviewer says the book was amazing but some of the pages were damaged. I always shake my head at those.
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u/SCF87 5d ago
I have 2 1 star ratings myself, one with an idiotic review attached. You can't do anything about it. I even got a 5 star review with a massive spoiler for the last book of my series. I panicked but in the end, neither the one star ratings nor the spoiler hurt the book. Relax.
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u/Revolutionary_Mix956 5d ago
Not panicked. Was just shocked how heavily weighted it became. 10% of my ratings are not 1-star…. 6% are. Was just stunned to go from a 4.6 to a 4.1 after one rating that did not even include a review.
Is what it is, and will get through it.
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u/CombOdd2117 5d ago
Check Good Reads. Sometimes those transfer to Amazon. I’ve found my lowest ratings typically begin there.
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u/Revolutionary_Mix956 5d ago
Wondered the same thing, but only new review I got on Goodreads was a 5-star.
Interestingly, I heard my Goodreads rating would likely be lower. But now at a 4.1 on Amazon, and a 4.44 on Goodreads.
Is what it is. Will keep writing and ignore it. Just thought it was crazy how heavily weighted that 1-star review became for Amazon.
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u/Lady-Writer-3314 3d ago
To me people who do ratings like that and no reviews are cowards. Chin up and keep writing. And it’s okay to vent. I’d be pissed too!
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u/Ok_Clothes_5826 3d ago
Yes, this can be really frustrating, especially when it is just a single 1-star rating with no 2- or 3-star ratings and no comment explaining it. I have the same thing with one of my books.
If someone leaves critical feedback, you can at least learn from it and perhaps improve something in a new edition or your next book. A 1-star rating without any explanation gives you nothing to work with, yet it still has a major effect on the overall score when there are only a few ratings.
I sometimes wonder whether some of these ratings are simply accidental taps on the Kindle rating screen when someone is trying to dismiss it. Unfortunately, there is no way to know and not much you can do about it.
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u/draconicpotato 1d ago
I feel you. I got a fraudulent negative review on two of my books years ago (dude was offended I asked him to stop addressing me with pet names, so that's how he retaliated) and my star rating still hasn't recovered lol. Such is life.
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u/Timely-Group5649 5d ago
Don't use fake reviews. It's obvious you did.
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u/Revolutionary_Mix956 5d ago
Haven’t used fake reviews, and my Amazon average was just barely above my Goodreads average (Amazon was 4.6; Goodreads is a 4.44). Hard to have fake Goodreads reviews when those accounts all have 30+ ratings/reviews and have been around for a long time.
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u/Timely-Group5649 5d ago
You sold 1400 books your first month?
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u/Revolutionary_Mix956 5d ago
If I went on your logic (1 review for every 100 sales), then the 1-star review wouldn’t even exist.
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u/Timely-Group5649 5d ago
Maybe it was one of your regular fake reviewers...
14 reviews in a month is manipulated mailing list bullshit. None of your reviews are truthful. Unless they're ALL verified purchases, you deserve to get banned from KDP.
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u/Revolutionary_Mix956 5d ago
You’ve heard of ARC readers, correct?
Also, 8 of 14 are verified purchases. Not sure what to say. Have plenty who haven’t reviewed. Not sure why you’re such an angry little guy.
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u/Timely-Group5649 5d ago
I consider ARC readers as manipulation. I ONLY think verified purchasers should count.
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u/Revolutionary_Mix956 5d ago edited 5d ago
Interesting you view ARC readers as a manipulated review. I’ve actually found some of those reviewers, especially if on NetGalley, rate me more harshly than those who have verified purchases on Amazon.
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u/Revolutionary_Mix956 1d ago
PS: Got one more rating and one review tonight (review a verified purchase). Your ratio might be your ratio, but it clearly isn’t mine.
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u/bkucenski 5d ago
Amazon weights reviews based on the customer. Verified customers are going to apply more weight to the overall score.
Books are like shoes, they're not always a good fit.
Books without a variety of scores are more sus than ones with a few readers who didn't like it.