The rating system has become a kind of Publishing Relativity, with the fewer the stars, the slower the sales.
Let’s be clear, left to honest opinions only; even Shakespeare would not always score so high! Because not every book will ‘hit the mark’ with every reader.
A rating system has one function, which is to provide individuals with a picture of the ‘value’, the score of a particular product. The problem has become that books only sell well if they have 5-star ratings. Score less and you are stuck. People will not read your book and, subsequently, it will not ever be able to climb to better ratings
Of course, human nature will mean that savvy authors will find ways of pushing their books out with as many 5 stars as possible, particularly at the initial stages, just to give it an appeal to other readers. Basically, the desperate push for 5-star ratings has devalued the system.
Consider this: when you look at books, is it even reasonable that nearly every one of them has average ratings over 4, and many of them have consistent 5-star ratings? Let’s be clear, left to honest options only; even Shakespeare would not always score so high! Becase not every book will ‘hit the mark’ with every reader.
The rating system has become necessary but irrelevant. Hardly anyone will read a book with low ratings, so now every book seems to have high ratings. Basically, the stars are there to be taken with a pinch of salt.
How to fix this?
I am unable to think of a rating system that cannot, in one way or another, be manipulated, so we should never consider it as the be-all and end-all of judging a book before you read it. Commercial success is something you can measure numerically, but literary excellence is not. So put the ratings system aside and read the reviews. Read the words. Use the currency most apt for measuring the value: Written words.
A thoughtful review is far harder to ‘fake’ than an impersonal rating score. When selecting a book, pick out how people feel about the work. And most certianly do not ever fear to read something which has an average rating score. It might just be the book that you 5-star love.
