His business folded because of issues with Google and other troublesome\u00a0factors, but its temporary success brings up important book marketing\u00a0questions for authors: How do you feel about paid book reviews? Are they ethical? Acceptable? A reasonable marketing tactic?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Personally, while I understand the impact and importance of favorable reader reviews, I think it’s unethical and misleading to purchase them. It’s false advertising. You’re influencing a consumer’s purchase by pretending that someone just like them bought the book, read it, and liked it enough to post a glowing review on Amazon.com. But that’s not the truth.\u00a0\u00a0So how is that an honest tactic?<\/p>\n