Comments on: Books of the future: chunky bits of digital linkbait? http://knowit.co.nz/2009/04/books-of-the-future-chunky-bits-of-digital-linkbait Tech, Apple and WordPress Mon, 07 May 2012 23:07:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Maria http://knowit.co.nz/2009/04/books-of-the-future-chunky-bits-of-digital-linkbait/comment-page-1#comment-2414 Maria Fri, 08 May 2009 21:19:35 +0000 http://knowit.co.nz/?p=2636#comment-2414 It would indeed be a shame if readers were able to publicly comment on books as they do on blogs and forums. As we all know, the 'Net is full of trolls. Publishing would become a personal popularity contest, with the author who offends the least number of people the person most likely to get new books published. There won't be black or white -- just gray, as every author and publisher attempts to please everyone all the time to avoid negative comments. Original thought would come to a standstill as old thoughts are regurgitated with fewer and fewer controversial points intact. Amazon.com is already promoting author popularity contests with its reviews; the author with the most friends who can post positive reviews wins. I've been fooled into buying an absolute piece of crap novel by author friend reviews on Amazon. Likewise, I've seen more than a few excellent titles bashed by people who obviously didn't bother to read what they were reviewing. I won't get fooled again. I don't read the reviews there. But imagine that kind of comment availability on a global scale, affecting what publishers decide to publish and what we have available to read. That's not a world I want to be an author in. Let's hope it doesn't happen in my lifetime. It would indeed be a shame if readers were able to publicly comment on books as they do on blogs and forums. As we all know, the ‘Net is full of trolls. Publishing would become a personal popularity contest, with the author who offends the least number of people the person most likely to get new books published. There won’t be black or white — just gray, as every author and publisher attempts to please everyone all the time to avoid negative comments. Original thought would come to a standstill as old thoughts are regurgitated with fewer and fewer controversial points intact.

Amazon.com is already promoting author popularity contests with its reviews; the author with the most friends who can post positive reviews wins. I’ve been fooled into buying an absolute piece of crap novel by author friend reviews on Amazon. Likewise, I’ve seen more than a few excellent titles bashed by people who obviously didn’t bother to read what they were reviewing. I won’t get fooled again. I don’t read the reviews there.

But imagine that kind of comment availability on a global scale, affecting what publishers decide to publish and what we have available to read.

That’s not a world I want to be an author in. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen in my lifetime.

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