# Do authors 'salt' their Amazon.com and other online reviews? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-authors-salt-their-amazon-com-and-other-online-reviews/531943 "2010-03-10T03:24:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-authors-salt-their-amazon-com-and-other-online-reviews/531943/41 "2010-03-24T14:02:47Z")
**Sampiro** , I’m sure it happens - in fact, I guess people in this thread have said it happens, but it’s also mostly real ‘reviews’ on those small-time ‘literary’ books. I’m more likely to post a review on Amazon, and on facebook, if it’s a smalltime/firsttime author than I am on _East of Eden_. It feels like it’s accomplishing more - nobody needs a review on _East of Eden_. Also, I’m more likely to review a book if I’m blown away by it, rather than not caring for it. Often I feel like it could very well be not for me, but someone might like it. Also, it just feels jerkish. (On the other hand, for best-selling books that I actually hated, writing the most bitter review I can on goodreads is kind of fun). So mostly good or stellar reviews for smalltime books is not, in and of itself, evidence of reviews by mom, friends, and sock puppets. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-authors-salt-their-amazon-com-and-other-online-reviews/531943/42 "2010-03-24T14:12:56Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s sometimes called “logrolling,” when two authors praise each other’s books. Best logrolling I ever saw was when Alex Baldwin wrote the first book in his _Men at War_ series. He got a favorable cover blurb from best-selling military fiction author W.E.B. Griffin. It was later made public that Baldwin and Griffin are pseudonyms for the same guy, William Butterworth. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-authors-salt-their-amazon-com-and-other-online-reviews/531943/43 "2010-03-24T14:52:04Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > I recently watched an independent film that was absolutely god-awful. Aesthetically it just looked bad: it wasn’t HD, there were no production values to speak of, the lighting was terrible, many of the actors didn’t wear makeup. OK, it’s really low budget, fine. But it was also critically flawed in its story. Although the premise was mildly interesting, the characters were entirely bland and unlikeable, the dialogue was ridiculously cheesy with every other line being some philosophical cliché, and the same point just got hammered home over and over with no developments. > > _Anyway_, I look at the Netflix reviews and see tons of 1-stars and a fair number of glowing 5-star reviews. Not too surprising by itself, until holding some of the favorable reviews to closer inspection. They said things like: > > “The first time writer-director of this film shows a lot of talent, and it looks like he’s really going places with his career. I can’t wait to see what his next film will be!” > > HMMMM. This sounds familiar. Over Christmas, I had the [worst film I’ve ever seen](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0496411/) inflicted on me. Looking at the [IMDb ratings](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0496411/ratings), it has a weighted average of 4.2, but somehow has 14 votes saying that it is a masterpiece. The blurb on the [director](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2126042/bio) is worth a read. It’s so obviously self-authored. > [@](#): > > **Many believe** because of the creative license John provides to his actors that eventually he will become known as the Actors Director. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-authors-salt-their-amazon-com-and-other-online-reviews/531943/44 "2010-03-24T17:31:20Z")
Let’s cut to the chase, here: **Sampiro** , when is YOUR book coming out? Believe me, you won’t need any phony baloney reviews written for you. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-authors-salt-their-amazon-com-and-other-online-reviews/531943/45 "2010-03-25T06:20:38Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Does anybody know of any writers- particularly the ones who are around the corner yet from famous and still working on that breakout book- who salt the field like this? Don’t know about that metaphor. Salting a field makes it infertile. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-authors-salt-their-amazon-com-and-other-online-reviews/531943/46 "2010-03-25T13:33:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Don’t know about that metaphor. Salting a field makes it infertile. It’s a mining term. Scam artists would “salt” a field with gold nuggets or diamonds to convince potential buyers it was minable property. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-authors-salt-their-amazon-com-and-other-online-reviews/531943.md?page=2)