Strict Anti-Spam Rules (for authors and publishers)

So that we can provide faster and better support, this forum (the "Public Suggestion Box") has been retired. Instead, please send any suggestions you have to us using the official website contact form.

This allows us to streamline our support system so that we can get to your message much faster. Instead of our support staff having to check three different places (support forum, suggestion box, and contact form messages), they know can respond to all message through one method, with that one method being the official website contact form.

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bookowlie
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Re: Strict Anti-Spam Rules: Important for authors and publis

Post by bookowlie »

HollyMichelle wrote:@Scott Thanks! I have one more question and I have looked through FAQ and the guidelines about making reviews and I can't find an answer or a place to ask the question. The book I am currently reading to review here has typos. I was submitting them to "Error" in my updates, but then it occurred to me that maybe that was not strictly what the Error section is for. Will it be okay (or possible) for me to either continuing submitting little things like that for changes or should I record them and submit an attachment in my review? Just a word doc or something. So far I have kept track of any errors I have come across so that won't be a problem on my end.
I don't believe you can tag someone until you have made at least 10 posts. I will tag Scott for you so that he will see your post. @Scott

The Error report is not for the purpose you mentioned. As for your question about typos and other errors, I have never seen a review attachment like this. Normally reviewers take this into account when they review the book. Let's say there are a few minor errors. You might not even mention it at all or, if you chose to, you would probably say something like "there were a few minor errors, but they were not distracting." If there are many errors, I think you would have to take that into account when giving the overall rating. You would mention the errors as a general statement (not every single error) - this then becomes a part of the justification for the rating (along with other factors). It might help if you read some reviews on the site to get an idea. For example, someone might say that there are many glaring errors including spelling errors, missing words, incorrect tenses, and dialogue without quotes.

Keep in mind that a reviewer's job is not being an editor. When reviewing and rating a book, you consider several factors when coming up with an overall rating - writing style and quality are certainly part of that . Theoretically, a book might have 8 errors and you might still choose to give it the highest rating since you loved the book so much. I also think you have to look at the errors within the big picture - are there 8 errors, for example, in a 35-page book? Are there 8 errors scattered throughout a 400-page book?
Last edited by bookowlie on 01 Jan 2016, 23:31, edited 1 time in total.
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gali
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Post by gali »

bookowlie wrote:
HollyMichelle wrote:@Scott Thanks! I have one more question and I have looked through FAQ and the guidelines about making reviews and I can't find an answer or a place to ask the question. The book I am currently reading to review here has typos. I was submitting them to "Error" in my updates, but then it occurred to me that maybe that was not strictly what the Error section is for. Will it be okay (or possible) for me to either continuing submitting little things like that for changes or should I record them and submit an attachment in my review? Just a word doc or something. So far I have kept track of any errors I have come across so that won't be a problem on my end.
I don't believe you can tag someone until you have made at least 10 posts. I will tag Scott for you so that he will see your post. @Scott

The Error report is not for the purpose you mentioned. As for your question about typos and other errors, I have never seen a review attachment like this. Normally reviewers take this into account when they review the book. Let's say there are a few minor errors. You might not even mention it at all or, if you chose to, you would probably say something like "there were a few minor errors, but they were not distracting." If there are many errors, I think you would have to take that into account when giving the overall rating. You would mention the errors as a general statement (not every single error) - this then becomes a part of the justification for the rating (along with other factors). It might help if you read some reviews on the site to get an idea. For example, someone might say that there are many glaring errors including spelling errors, missing words, incorrect tenses, and dialogue without quotes.
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bookowlie
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Post by bookowlie »

Holly Michelle, I think it would be a good idea if you looked around the forums and read and posted a few more thoughtful comments in sections that count toward your totals (certain sections don't count - read the guidelines). Then you would be able to tag and PM other members, in addition to getting to know more about the site.
"The best way out is always through" - Robert Frost
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HollyMichelle
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Post by HollyMichelle »

@bookowlie Thank you very much! I will definitely look through the reviews (its been on my to do list). I have read the guidelines, though I suppose it is possible I have missed something. Still getting the hang of the site- there's so much! I guess I will keep track of the errors for myself so I can mention that in the review, like you said. I comb through things I read like I would if I were writing the story myself, lol.
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bookowlie
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Post by bookowlie »

We have all been new at one time. :) It's good to read through the guidelines, but I agree the site can be overwhelming at first. We are all ready to help. One tip to keep in mind - when you post comments, not all of them add to your "countable" posts. The Off-Topic section and a few other sections (Introductions and maybe a few others) don't count in your totals. If you want to get past 10 posts, you should post comments in other sections, too.

When I first started, I kept a list of every single error. It got a little overwhelming if there was a book that had a huge number of errors. After that, I still kept track, but didn't always write every one down. Let's say you find a run-on sentence and you write it down (page number, beginning words). Then you keep finding a few more - you might just jot a note yourself - several run-on sentences. I tend to write down the very noticeable ones and repeated types - for example, words that sound alike but have different meanings, spelling errors, serious grammatical errors. It can get time-consuming. I've read a few review books where there were so many errors that it would have taken me a LONG time to write down each one, plus it's difficult to keep a reading flow going while always stopping to jot things down. At some point, the most important thing is to be able to read and comprehend the story so you can give a summary and your opinions. Just my 2 cents. :)
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Post by s_k_b »

Dear Scott:
This is the only place on your site that I was able to find in order to communicate with you. I recently received a very nice review by ALynnPowers and want to know whether it is okay to copy it and use it as advertising when I do book signings.

Stephanie Kay Bendel
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gali
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Post by gali »

s_k_b wrote:Dear Scott:
This is the only place on your site that I was able to find in order to communicate with you. I recently received a very nice review by ALynnPowers and want to know whether it is okay to copy it and use it as advertising when I do book signings.

Stephanie Kay Bendel
Please contact Scott through here: contact Scott.
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Post by Scott »

I updated the rules to remove the ban on new members voting in polls on the forums. That was an old rule from back in the days when BOTM ratings and votes were held as forum polls rather than through Bookshelves and the official ratings of the review team. It seems unnecessary since now polls are for fun.

Though, if we ever have an official poll in which accuracy is very important and/or there is a risk of meaningful cheating, we will need to remember to at least temporarily re-institute the limitation.
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davidandscottnovels
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Post by davidandscottnovels »

Thanks for giving us detailed guidelines. We just joined the OnlineBookClub. We are very new to all this so I find having rules to follow very helpful.
JeremyDeJournett
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Post by JeremyDeJournett »

Good information there! I'm glad to know, as a new user, that I won't be reading authors/publishers building up certain books for a bit of publicity.
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Lynn Thompson Books
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Post by Lynn Thompson Books »

I think I'm inadvertently on the bad list. Somehow I landed on the bookshelves, so I added my books and as I was messing around on the site I found this tidbit of info. Is the anyway to delete my books from the bookshelf so I don't get a smack on the wrist?
Lynn Thompson
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gali
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Post by gali »

Lynn Thompson Books wrote:I think I'm inadvertently on the bad list. Somehow I landed on the bookshelves, so I added my books and as I was messing around on the site I found this tidbit of info. Is the anyway to delete my books from the bookshelf so I don't get a smack on the wrist?
Lynn Thompson
You can contact one of the bookshelves moderator. I think for now it is ok though. @"Scott"?
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"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
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Post by Scott »

After talking it over with the forum moderators, we have decided to add #1 to the original post:
If your book is reviewed, you can make a reply in the topic briefly thanking the reviewer for the review, but that is strictly it. Public debate/commentary on the review from the author is not allowed.
"That virtue we appreciate is as much ours as another's. We see so much only as we possess." - Henry David Thoreau

"Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco." Virgil, The Aeneid
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thethunda
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Post by thethunda »

Very good information.
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Post by jakeandhistea »

Very clear and direct to the point. Not much is left to the author's imagination and what is or is not allowed. It really makes it a fair and even website for authors when it comes to self promotion. Very good writing.
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