5-Star Rating Systems Suck
June 1st, 2015
It's 2015, and by now you've either read a book you've purchased from an online platform, or you've been living under a rock for the better part of the decade. Amazon is an ideal choice for indies looking to self-publish for cheap, because not only can you post your book, article, what-have-you, on their platform for free, but you can also choose to utilize their KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) program for further benefits. Amazon is easy, and it just makes sense to publish your book on their platform. Likewise, if you're a consumer/hardcore bookworm like me, their site is clean, concise, and optimized to pillage your wallet in exchange for thousands of professional and indie authors' hard work.
Despite all the pros of using Amazon, however, I have a bone to pick with them. And it's the star-rating system.
Here's how it works: You read a book, and whether or not you've purchased said book through their platform determines if your review will be listed as "verified" or "unverified" to the public. On a scale of 1-5, the consumer determines how the book fared--5 being the most magical of reads, which you'd willingly mainline if given the opportunity, and 1 being a literary abomination that even Jesus Christ Himself wouldn't condemn to Hell, because it's just that awful, and He really wants to walk away from it.
Take a moment to ponder how this system can all go wrong. Had a minute? Good. Now here's my spin on it.
1) The Star-Rating System Is Subjective!
And even though everyone probably knows this, it won't stop prospecting readers from basing their purchase off the star-system. We live in a world undergoing heavy globalization, and the United States especially is a melting pot of religions, cultures, creeds, and ideologies. You can't walk down North Michigan Avenue without hearing one guy speak his blessings about a certain sports team (Go, Sportsball!) and another express contradicting beliefs about the very same team! People don't agree! What is gold to you may be silver, platinum, or even mud to a stranger, but that doesn't change the fact that the author of the particular book in review likely wrote it with the best of intentions; that same author could now suffer a 2-star rating due to a consumer's disdain towards what they interpreted as a political bias on page 150, when the protag turned away a cold beer in exchange for a hot coffee (call me insane if it pleases you, I've seen this happen).
Furthermore, the book could have been well-written, edited professionally, and given the TLC that only a determined writer knows how to apply, but still stands a chance at receiving a 1-star rating, because certain elements or gimmicks of the genre weren't applied sufficiently in the reader's opinion. Professional writers don't care about a stranger's 1-star reviews, but indies stand a chance at losing future sales when those pile on.
2) The Star-Rating System Is Overly Influential to Most!
This one goes without saying, but I'll talk about it anyway. Would you rather pick up an item that was hyped, or would you choose its competitor, which had considerably less attention and praise? Obviously, you'd choose the option that is seemingly more tried-and-true, correct? You're not a discerning guy/gal, are you? Bear in mind: This is natural human behavior; humans are risk averse. It's how we evolved into the big, fat, amorphous slobs that we are now.
We base our decisions off of the experiences of others. It worked for us in the past, when taking a left at a boulder led to strawberries, and taking a right led to a den of hungry wolves. It doesn't necessarily apply to now in every case, though. In the case of Amazon's star-rating system, a 5-star rating (mostly) outweighs a 1-star rating, and prospecting buyers will note that.
3) A 5-Star Rating Is Not Always Best!
Ignore what you just read in point #2. I mean it -- Uncle Remus can make mistakes, too. Let's assume you come across a random book about a video game centralized around crafting... and mines... Not sure if a game like that exists, but someone should make it. Anyway, you (a discerning creature of exemplary human evolution) take note of how this craft-mine book has 1,000 5-stars, 20 4-stars, and a pittance of the rest.
If you don't mind my asking, what is the first thought that springs to mind?
Well, there's a bias, of course. Either that or the author is paying good USD for someone in the Philippines to leave dishonest reviews. So, naturally, you grumble something mean and click yourself away from the book, swearing not to trust another human being again, because they're intrinsically deceptive and never to be trusted around your children.
But what if the author didn't pay for someone in the Philippines to leave dishonest reviews? What if all of those reviews were legitimate, and there's actually a burgeoning fan-base for a game about crafting and mines? Then you just missed out on a great read! You jumped to conclusions; you assumed. Remember how you were told never to judge a book by its cover? Well, you just chose to judge it by its stars instead, but messed up again.
What exactly is an author to do in this situation? Does he pay for someone in the Philippines to leave an even lot of 4-stars, 3-stars, and 2-stars reviews to spread out the 5-stars? Isn't that contradictory to the entire concept of leaving honest reviews?
Is this all starting to make sense?
At the end of the day, however, you need to ask yourself if there's a better method out there. Some people prefer the star-rating system. I, however, do not. So for the rest of the reviews listed in Notable Reviews, there will not be any stars listed. Sorry, but I believe many, many books are unfairly judged, and there's not enough emphasis given to the combination of the good and the bad in a book. For those of you who do prefer the current system, thankfully, Amazon doesn't seem to be changing its mind anytime soon.
As always, thank you for reading, and happy writing/reading!
-V.C. Remus
Despite all the pros of using Amazon, however, I have a bone to pick with them. And it's the star-rating system.
Here's how it works: You read a book, and whether or not you've purchased said book through their platform determines if your review will be listed as "verified" or "unverified" to the public. On a scale of 1-5, the consumer determines how the book fared--5 being the most magical of reads, which you'd willingly mainline if given the opportunity, and 1 being a literary abomination that even Jesus Christ Himself wouldn't condemn to Hell, because it's just that awful, and He really wants to walk away from it.
Take a moment to ponder how this system can all go wrong. Had a minute? Good. Now here's my spin on it.
1) The Star-Rating System Is Subjective!
And even though everyone probably knows this, it won't stop prospecting readers from basing their purchase off the star-system. We live in a world undergoing heavy globalization, and the United States especially is a melting pot of religions, cultures, creeds, and ideologies. You can't walk down North Michigan Avenue without hearing one guy speak his blessings about a certain sports team (Go, Sportsball!) and another express contradicting beliefs about the very same team! People don't agree! What is gold to you may be silver, platinum, or even mud to a stranger, but that doesn't change the fact that the author of the particular book in review likely wrote it with the best of intentions; that same author could now suffer a 2-star rating due to a consumer's disdain towards what they interpreted as a political bias on page 150, when the protag turned away a cold beer in exchange for a hot coffee (call me insane if it pleases you, I've seen this happen).
Furthermore, the book could have been well-written, edited professionally, and given the TLC that only a determined writer knows how to apply, but still stands a chance at receiving a 1-star rating, because certain elements or gimmicks of the genre weren't applied sufficiently in the reader's opinion. Professional writers don't care about a stranger's 1-star reviews, but indies stand a chance at losing future sales when those pile on.
2) The Star-Rating System Is Overly Influential to Most!
This one goes without saying, but I'll talk about it anyway. Would you rather pick up an item that was hyped, or would you choose its competitor, which had considerably less attention and praise? Obviously, you'd choose the option that is seemingly more tried-and-true, correct? You're not a discerning guy/gal, are you? Bear in mind: This is natural human behavior; humans are risk averse. It's how we evolved into the big, fat, amorphous slobs that we are now.
We base our decisions off of the experiences of others. It worked for us in the past, when taking a left at a boulder led to strawberries, and taking a right led to a den of hungry wolves. It doesn't necessarily apply to now in every case, though. In the case of Amazon's star-rating system, a 5-star rating (mostly) outweighs a 1-star rating, and prospecting buyers will note that.
3) A 5-Star Rating Is Not Always Best!
Ignore what you just read in point #2. I mean it -- Uncle Remus can make mistakes, too. Let's assume you come across a random book about a video game centralized around crafting... and mines... Not sure if a game like that exists, but someone should make it. Anyway, you (a discerning creature of exemplary human evolution) take note of how this craft-mine book has 1,000 5-stars, 20 4-stars, and a pittance of the rest.
If you don't mind my asking, what is the first thought that springs to mind?
Well, there's a bias, of course. Either that or the author is paying good USD for someone in the Philippines to leave dishonest reviews. So, naturally, you grumble something mean and click yourself away from the book, swearing not to trust another human being again, because they're intrinsically deceptive and never to be trusted around your children.
But what if the author didn't pay for someone in the Philippines to leave dishonest reviews? What if all of those reviews were legitimate, and there's actually a burgeoning fan-base for a game about crafting and mines? Then you just missed out on a great read! You jumped to conclusions; you assumed. Remember how you were told never to judge a book by its cover? Well, you just chose to judge it by its stars instead, but messed up again.
What exactly is an author to do in this situation? Does he pay for someone in the Philippines to leave an even lot of 4-stars, 3-stars, and 2-stars reviews to spread out the 5-stars? Isn't that contradictory to the entire concept of leaving honest reviews?
Is this all starting to make sense?
At the end of the day, however, you need to ask yourself if there's a better method out there. Some people prefer the star-rating system. I, however, do not. So for the rest of the reviews listed in Notable Reviews, there will not be any stars listed. Sorry, but I believe many, many books are unfairly judged, and there's not enough emphasis given to the combination of the good and the bad in a book. For those of you who do prefer the current system, thankfully, Amazon doesn't seem to be changing its mind anytime soon.
As always, thank you for reading, and happy writing/reading!
-V.C. Remus