Gurglings of a Putrid Stream

Organization. Respect. That's the solution to these problems with Amazon and other reviewing sites. How about, instead of wasting time (that's what I think it is, honestly, a waste of time) on petitions and BBA nonsense -- how about we focus on being recognized for what we are: self-published reviewers. SPAs use platforms like Kindle to make their work available to the public; we use platforms like Amazon, Goodreads, and Booklikes. We don't charge for our reviews; SPAs don't always charge for their...umm...stuff, either. SPAs can use their work to talk about anything they like; this is exactly what we do.

What we need is a group -- a kind of union, as it were -- for Self-Published Reviewers. Then we could have a voice, a coherent voice, instead of coming across as just a bunch of disgruntled bookworms.

What would we need, really? A Code of Conduct, certainly. A self-monitoring system, obviously. A membership list, and a way of deciding whom to give membership to. And some kind of "official" seal, or seal of approval.

Over time, such a group could develop some real respect. And leverage. And power. If an author complained about an SPR review, it wouldn't be an attack on a single review or reviewer, it would be an attack on the entire group. That would be a tougher fight.

Well, it's a thought. What do you guys think?