PA author gets fired from job because of book

TheRightEyedDeer

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On February 11/09:

The Library Diaries (Paperback)
by Ann Miketa (Author)

19 Reviews
5 star: 21% (4)
4 star: 10% (2)
3 star: 10% (2)
2 star: 5% (1)
1 star: 52% (10)

See all 19 customer reviews...
2.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


1 collectible from $80.00

Gee. A collectible!
 

KikiteNeko

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Wow, you guys. This was published by PA but it has 19 reviews on Amazon (mostly unfavorable but still, they're reviews). Lots of decent, mainstream-published books can't even boast that.

It does sound interesting, I'll admit.

Maybe negative press and controversy is the best way for a PA author to sell books.
 

DaveKuzminski

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It's not so much the quantity of reviews as what a book is categorized as by the publisher or retailer.

Case in point. One of my books is listed as erotica and it sells very well. A sequel to that book is listed as science fiction and it doesn't sell as well. Yet both books have some sexual situations or scenes in them. They're also both science fiction. Other books of mine outside that series don't sell nearly as well yet those have been reviewed or have more reader ratings than any of that one series that sells well.
 

KikiteNeko

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It's not so much the quantity of reviews as what a book is categorized as by the publisher or retailer.

Case in point. One of my books is listed as erotica and it sells very well. A sequel to that book is listed as science fiction and it doesn't sell as well. Yet both books have some sexual situations or scenes in them. They're also both science fiction. Other books of mine outside that series don't sell nearly as well yet those have been reviewed or have more reader ratings than any of that one series that sells well.

What I'm saying is, at least 19 people have read a PA book and that is impressive.
 

KikiteNeko

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It's probably more like 19 other PA authors "reviewed" on the book in hopes of getting the same in return.
JMO.


I don't know about that. Most of the reviews were harsh. But it did appear as though a handful of them knew the author.
 

AnneMarble

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It's probably more like 19 other PA authors "reviewed" the book in hopes of getting the same in return for their own books.
JMO.
This book was a special case. :) Most of the reviews were people in the author's town or city who read the book because they'd heard about it when she got fired. Many read it to find out if they were mentioned in her "novel." ;) Some people from outside of the area reviewed it because of the controversy that ensued, although their reviews usually just point out issues involving librarians and the codes they follow, freedom of speech, etc.

If she really had to get those things off her chest, she would have been better off self-publishing it on her own. Or heck, starting an anonymous blog. (Although I don't think she really wanted to be anonymous?...)