Encouraging folks to do more reviews

[der_kluge]

My problem is that I just mostly skim products, even the ones I buy. So, I don't feel qualified enough to fully review anything since there are so few products I've actually read *all* of.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

Is the reviews section fixed yet? It has been practically unusable in terms of "browsing" anything except the most recent handful of reviews...

 

[billd91]

I agree that sending out a free review copy to someone who seems to have a reasonable ethic of fairness in return for a review is a good idea. I don't think it generates bias. Rather, I'd be concerned if a publisher gave out copies of something else in return for reviews (especially if only for good reviews). That's a bribe. Giving out the material to be reviewed is supplying the reviewer with the necessary materials.
Heck, I'd even say that giving out a free copy with an agreement to come up with a review within a reasonable time or the material must be paid for or sent back would be fair as well.
Implicit in all this and the fairness of giving out free product to reviewers is a commitment on the part of the publisher/writer/whomever to accept graciously any reasonably conscientious review written by the reviewer. And I would say that any negative review written reasonably conscientiously must not be used as a reason to deny that reviewer access to other free review products later on.

I've written several reviews on this site based on things I've bought or gotten ahold of at my local library. Because I don't spend an awful lot of money on gaming materials these days (got day care to pay for first), I'm not all that prolific. More free review copies would increase my review output, so I consider it a reasonable thing for a publisher to encourage by giving out free review copies.

 

[Ace]

I figure folks write reviews for 4 reasons --

#1 they want to evangelize a product (I loved X you will too)

#2they hated a product and want to warn people off (this is rarer though as it requires spending work on something you hated)

#3 they like writing reviews

#4 they want to return a favor as I did with my (one and only) review of the Kenzer module I won in a contest

If you sell a few hundred copies of Lycean Arcanum or Chainmail Bikinis the odds aren't that good that someone who meets the criteria

Also there are a LOT of D&D (and other) products out there and the absolute number of reviewers is pretty small and their time is limited. This can mean lots of good products get de-prioritized

I can't really offer many solutions other than to ask for a review -- just flatt out request one. A post saying "Hey anyone want to review Lycean Arcanum may just get what you want

Also on a personal note - I don't review much because I don't buy much -- I did buy a few PDF's this year and Blue Rose and that was about it. Everything I bought had been reviewed before and I dodn't have anything to add -- I have a tendancy to wait until I have read 2 reviews or looked at the product before buying

Now just to be mercenary -- I am perfectly willing to do reviews of a product I have been given -- Now I have to mention that in my review -- and it will color my perceptions in a positive way but on the whole I am (IMNSHO anyway) reasonably fair --

I suspect a lot of other folks are like this too...

A caveat with this approach though -- if you are trying to get a review of a supplemental product you need to check to see if they have the needed main book -- FREX I do not own Elements of Magic -- so if I did a review would have to be a 2fer and cover both books --

 

[trancejeremy]

With certain exceptions, getting review copies from publishers is like trying to get, er, something really hard to get (I just woke up and am not quite up to the task of finding a suitable metaphor yet).

Now honestly, I'm not sure they help sales much , since at least at RPG.net, they only seem to get read about 2000-2500 times on average (for a print product, maybe half that for a PDF). (ENWorld doesn't show the number of reads/hits for reviews).

But for PDFs at least, it's not like the company is out anything.

It might also help if the books were in the database. I think the Elements of Magic 2 is, but the Chainmail Bikini one is not.

 

[JoeBlank]

Another vote for free copies of products to reviewers. I do like when the reviewer mentions that the product was provided at no charge, but I think most are honest enough not to let that influence them.

As others have said, reviewing is hard work. I did a few for d20 Magazine Rack, and while I enjoyed those I just couldn't keep doing it. Other barriers, as others have also mentioned, you feel obligated to do a thorough review but like many I don't usually read and entire RPG book, just the parts I find interesting and think I can use. Also, if I don't like a book I can usually tell within a few pages and a quick thumb through. That was my biggest problem before, realizing right away that a product just was not for me made it a lot more difficult to slog through and do a review.

So many thanks to the reviewers, here and elsewhere. I appreciate what you do and certainly make use of your work. I just read dozens of reviews before placing my order for FFG's big sale. Having tried it, I know it is hard work.

 

[Henry]

I agree, and that's a good instinct on your part. It does get very weird when one publisher reviews another's work.

Maybe that's why it's tough at EN World -- we've all been published??

Maybe it's my Unpublished perspective on this, but I don't see it as that weird. My reasoning is that it doesn't stop people from commenting on products (which I see on forums all over), why would it stop them from an in-depth review?

Or, maybe I don't take the hobby seriously enough?

 

[Crothian]

Another vote for free copies of products to reviewers. I do like when the reviewer mentions that the product was provided at no charge, but I think most are honest enough not to let that influence them.

I do the opposite, I mention when I reveiw a book I bought usually by saying something about the price or in some other context. I just review so much that is submitted it got old saying in every review "this was sumbitted for review purposes".

Writing reviews is not always easy but can be really fun. I encourage people to write PDF reviews, they get less love from reviewers then the printed books. But writing a review on a printed book is still good.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Reviews of products can come in the same way that they come for every other media: before the official release, in the "hype-generating" stage, when you're putting the final touches on it, you send out a review copy to someone whose opinion you want to get on record. Then, when the book comes out, you make sure the ad campaign for it includes the positive things that reviewers are saying, and, if possible, you take some of the negative things into account before you release it.

Ideally, the review and the product will be released at the same time, so you can say "This reviewer said this! Go here and read it!" about your product.

Free copies, man. They're the way review systems roll.

 

[Crothian]

Reviews of products can come in the same way that they come for every other media: before the official release, in the "hype-generating" stage, when you're putting the final touches on it, you send out a review copy to someone whose opinion you want to get on record. Then, when the book comes out, you make sure the ad campaign for it includes the positive things that reviewers are saying, and, if possible, you take some of the negative things into account before you release it.

Some books that come out first as PDFs and then as Print a few months later I have seen sort of take advantage of this idea. Hopefully, more companies that do PDFs before Print will start to.