Do publishers fear the John Cooper review?

[jmucchiello]

What concerns me is whether or certain perceived orthodoxies are actually inherent to what makes an implementation work or whether they're simply handed down. I just finished writing an extremely unorthodox XP and skill system (including skills that replace BAB and saves -- something that would be a *huge* mistake is not for a few specific systems on the side) for something I'm working on and have some doubts as to whether it would really get a fair shake.

That just means you know you have to take the review lightly. If the reviewer doesn't give your variant a fair shake, readers will understand and see the inherent bias. Don't let the number scores drag you down. People who really follow reviews actually read the words. They will spot biases and give you a chance if the topic interests them.

As for the actual thread topic, since I haven't released anything recently I can't say I had even noticed his reviews until this thread started getting popular.

 

[Eremite]

1. Yes - John is the king of nitpicking, and thus I -do- fear his reviews. They scare me until I've read them. I get this premonition of "bloody heck, he's going to blow holes through the mechanics in this book, isn't he?". Then I read the review, and I -love- how fair he is and that he doesn't let the little mistakes pull the rating of the book down if it is still a good book (although he still lists them all!).

2. To evert the fear, he does proofreading on some of our products. He rocks. We are hiring him on for the E.N.World Gamer also as our proofreader.

It is for these precise reasons that I've become an avid reader of John Cooper reviews. Keep up the great work, John!

 

[eyebeams]

That just means you know you have to take the review lightly. If the reviewer doesn't give your variant a fair shake, readers will understand and see the inherent bias. Don't let the number scores drag you down. People who really follow reviews actually read the words. They will spot biases and give you a chance if the topic interests them.

I'm not interested in just selling books to people who really follow reviews, though. I'm just as interested in selling to to dudes who skim to get to the verdict and don't know anything about review personalities. Plus, I disagree that bias (the types, not its existence) is so easy to see in reviews. It's sure not always that easy in other kinds of writing. I don't think most readers really follow the work of particular reviewers, either. Cooper's reviews are substantially different from others so he does stand out, but reviews are read by lurkers as well as site participants, so I think of them, too.

 

[jmucchiello]

I don't think most readers really follow the work of particular reviewers, either.

Make a poll and find out. I think most people (all 5% of them) who follow reviews have certain reviewers they trust and ignore most other reviews.

Do you use reviews to determine whether you will buy gaming books?
* I read them all and follow their advice
* I read only those by certain reviewers and follow their advice
* I read them all and take them with a grain of salt
* I read only those by certain reviewer and take them with a grain of salt
* I read reviews to find out the content of books not for the opinion
* I read reviews but never find them helpful
* I don't (or no longer) read reviews

My (out my rear) guess is that 2, 4 and 7 will score the highest.

 

[Crothian]

Good idea, I'm going to do that poll right now

 

[Crothian]

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=104657

and there's the poll

 

[eyebeams]

Make a poll and find out. I think most people (all 5% of them) who follow reviews have certain reviewers they trust and ignore most other reviews.

Do you use reviews to determine whether you will buy gaming books?
* I read them all and follow their advice
* I read only those by certain reviewers and follow their advice
* I read them all and take them with a grain of salt
* I read only those by certain reviewer and take them with a grain of salt
* I read reviews to find out the content of books not for the opinion
* I read reviews but never find them helpful
* I don't (or no longer) read reviews

My (out my rear) guess is that 2, 4 and 7 will score the highest.

But lurkers, man.