🚀 go-pugleaf

[This followup was posted to alt.comp.shareware.programmer and a copy was 
sent to the cited author.]

In article <01bc30ff$c66c20a0$d2a6b5c7@ingwe-p120>, "Steve Estvanik" 
<stevee_msn @msn.com> says...
> Cascoly Software is now affiliated with Amazon.Com to sell books over 
> the web.  We need reviews of books and will pay you for each book that 
> is sold as a result of your review (People will be able to order 
> directly via a link on our website from your review to Amazon). All 
> categories are possible, but we most need books in the following 
> areas: 
> 
>  History
>  Games & Games Programming
>  Windows and other Programming
>  Science Fiction
>  Science & Ecology
> 
>  If interested, reply by email for details to Steve@cascoly.com
> -- 
> Steve Estvanik     http://cascoly.com
> 
Steve,

A book review is supposed to be unbiased.  If you pay me for
each copy of a book that you sell as a result of my writing
this is called ADVERTISING not reviewing.  Will you pay me
to read awful books and report that they are bad?

Eric

 

> A book review is supposed to be unbiased.  If you pay me for
> each copy of a book that you sell as a result of my writing
> this is called ADVERTISING not reviewing.  Will you pay me
> to read awful books and report that they are bad?
> 
> Eric
> 

ROFL!!!! what world are you living in??   do you think the reviewers for
any major periodical or newspaper write for free?   Books reviews should be
fair and objective, of course, and that's what I'm asking for from
reviewers.   But no, I don't intend to post terrible reviews.  There are
plenty of great books out there to concentrate on the ones that are worth
recommending.  Each reviewer's name will be attached to their review, so it
wont make sense to give a great review to a bad book, either.   

Steve Estvanik wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> > A book review is supposed to be unbiased.  If you pay me for
> > each copy of a book that you sell as a result of my writing
> > this is called ADVERTISING not reviewing.  Will you pay me
> > to read awful books and report that they are bad?
> >
> > Eric
> >
> 
> ROFL!!!! what world are you living in??   do you think the reviewers for
> any major periodical or newspaper write for free?   Books reviews should be
> fair and objective, of course, and that's what I'm asking for from
> reviewers.   But no, I don't intend to post terrible reviews.  There are
> plenty of great books out there to concentrate on the ones that are worth
> recommending.  Each reviewer's name will be attached to their review, so it
> wont make sense to give a great review to a bad book, either.

Wait a minute: you haven't addressed his original concern.  Sure, the
N.Y. Times pays for reviews, but the writer gets paid whether it's a
positive or negative review.  What you are proposing is that the reiewer
doesn't get paid unless his review inspires people to buy the book, so
if he gives the book a bad review he is unlikely to get anything for his
trouble.  Or are you proposing that we only send reviews for books we
have already read and would like to recommend?

  > Wait a minute: you haven't addressed his original concern.  Sure, the
> N.Y. Times pays for reviews, but the writer gets paid whether it's a
> positive or negative review.  What you are proposing is that the reiewer
> doesn't get paid unless his review inspires people to buy the book, so
> if he gives the book a bad review he is unlikely to get anything for his
> trouble.  Or are you proposing that we only send reviews for books we
> have already read and would like to recommend?
  

Sorry, I thought I had addressed the question --  The basic idea is to
recommend good books, not to try to cover the entire range of books
available.   So, yes, I am suggesting that reviewers only send me positive
reviews.  Another way to do it would be to compare the book you're
reviewing to others "This is MUCH better than that book by Slarty
Bargumal".   
 
Most of us who read a lot do this every time someone asks for books to read
-- i dont tell friends about all the bad sci fi i encounter, but rather act
as a filter.   That's the intent of this service.   
 
At first, readers are going to have to take the reviews on faith, but over
time, they should be able to compare their assessment of previous reviews.
 
S

In article <01bc3656$4cda6600$d2a6b5c7@ingwe-p120>, Steve Estvanik
<stevee_msn@msn.com> writes
>Sorry, I thought I had addressed the question --  The basic idea is to
>recommend good books, not to try to cover the entire range of books
>available.   So, yes, I am suggesting that reviewers only send me positive
>reviews.  Another way to do it would be to compare the book you're
>reviewing to others "This is MUCH better than that book by Slarty
>Bargumal".   

If a book is bad, doesn't the reader deserve to be told so just as much
as if the book is good? The whole point of a review, IMHO, is to be an
impartial and unbiased judgement of a book.

Chris

----------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Marriott, SkyMap Software, U.K. e-mail: chris@skymap.com
Creators of fine astronomy software for Windows.
For full details, visit our web site at http://www.skymap.com

Steve Estvanik (stevee_msn@msn.com) wrote:

: ROFL!!!! what world are you living in??   do you think the reviewers for
: any major periodical or newspaper write for free?   Books reviews should be
: fair and objective, of course, and that's what I'm asking for from
: reviewers.   

In academics, we DO review for free.  It's part of the professional
obligation, and serves to produce unbiased reviews (as much as this is
possible).

Mike

-- 
--------------------------------------
Michael J. Licari                        
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 
Dept of Political Science
Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53201
(414)-229-3816     Fax: (414)-229-5021
email: mlicari@csd.uwm.edu                   

In article <gMghv1A1SPNzEwpB@chrism.demon.co.uk>,
Chris Marriott <chris@chrism.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>  � In article <01bc3656$4cda6600$d2a6b5c7@ingwe-p120>, Steve Estvanik
>  � <stevee_msn@msn.com> writes

>> Sorry, I thought I had addressed the question --  The basic idea is to
>> recommend good books, not to try to cover the entire range of books
>> available.   So, yes, I am suggesting that reviewers only send me positive
>> reviews.  Another way to do it would be to compare the book you're
>> reviewing to others "This is MUCH better than that book by Slarty
>> Bargumal".   
>  � 
> If a book is bad, doesn't the reader deserve to be told so just as much
> as if the book is good? The whole point of a review, IMHO, is to be an
> impartial and unbiased judgement of a book.

Sure.

This seems like yet another attempt to get something for nothing. If the
reviewer is competent, they should expect to be paid.

What's more, if *anyone* is (thus) doing Cascoly/Amazon's work for them,
how will they know whose review to publish?


best...

-- 
Mark

"There is only one direction - forward"

<http://home1.gte.net/msealey/index.htm>
<mailto:marksealey@aol.com>