What Authors and Amazon Owe Readers: Transparency, Accountability, and Informed Choice
A few weeks ago, the New York Times reported on its front page that Amazon.com had deleted thousands of misleading book reviews on its website. Amazon found that many book reviews had been written by authors’ friends and colleagues, who, Amazon had assumed, were favorably biased. It also removed reviews by competing authors (although Amazon didn’t explain how they determined this). They also deleted some reviews that were just irrelevant. Among those deletions was a one-star review of my book The Skilled Facilitator, in which the reader’s entire three-sentence review complained that the book had arrived wet and smelling of mouse urine. (You can’t make this stuff up.) Because it was my only negative review, Amazon had previously highlighted it as the most helpful critical review!
What does this have to do with leadership and organization results? Plenty.
Writing nonfiction is a form of leadership – thought leadership. When you write a book about how to do something, whether it’s how to create a more effective organization, or how to lead teams, or some other subject, you are making a claim that you have some expertise in your subject – and that you should be trusted. Those who buy your book place trust not only in the claims you make, but in the testimonials that others express on your behalf.
It’s common practice for authors to ask colleagues and friends to post positive reviews on Amazon. I am currently working with consultants who are helping to market and publicize my next book, Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams that will be published in April. These consultants encouraged me to ask colleagues and other influential people to write positive reviews on Amazon as soon as my book comes out.
I didn’t seek positive Amazon reviews for my first two books and I won’t do so for my newest book because doing so would be in conflict with the leadership values I operate from.
I help leadership teams get better results through a set of five values: transparency, curiosity, informed choice, accountability, and compassion. These values get better results for the leader, his/her team and the organization. It’s particularly important for leaders to apply these values when people aren’t watching us or can’t figure out whether we’re doing the right thing. When soliciting positive reviews for their books, thought leaders violate three of these values: they aren’t transparent with their potential readers, they don’t consider themselves accountable to their readers, and they prevent their readers from making informed choices about whether to buy their books.
I’m glad that Amazon is taking action on this issue, but they could demonstrate greater leadership. They could hold authors accountable and ask them to be transparent with readers, so readers can make an accurately-informed choice. By doing so, they would ensure greater value to two key stakeholder groups: their customer and their shareholders.
How might they do this? Simple. For each book page, Amazon could post a brief statement that says something like, “As the author of this book, I certify that I have neither solicited or paid for, nor asked anyone to solicit or pay for, any positive review of my book.” Authors would have an option of checking the box next to the statement, indicating their agreement. Would it be foolproof? No; authors could lie. But it would require authors to consider what it means to be transparent and accountable to their readers – the people they are leading.
I’m therefore encouraging Amazon to adopt this kind of author statement. If you think it’s worthwhile, you can also contact Amazon customer service. In the meantime, I’ve added an author statement to this effect at the Amazon book pages for each of my books.
Leadership isn’t something you do only when you’re in a formal leader role in your organization. It’s how you show up every day in all of your interactions with others.
