Skeptical of a little e-book you’ve never heard of that has 28 five-star reviews on Amazon? You should be. Turns out in many cases, the authors are paying for reviews. The New York Times takes a look at the business of for-hire review writing, through the eyes of Todd Rutherford, a guy who started the now-defunct GettingBookReviews.com, where he churned out reviews at $99 a pop: “Mr. Rutherford’s insight was that reviews had lost their traditional function. They were no longer there to evaluate the book or even to describe it but simply to vouch for its credibility, the way doctors put their diplomas on examination room walls.” Read the full story at Gizmodo.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.