The impact of a negative review is more powerful in decreasing book sales than a positive review is in increasing sales. The authors attribute this to the credibility consumers place on the reviews. For example, multiple glowing reviews for a book may be perceived as hype generated by an author or publisher.
1 thought on “On Human Cynicism”
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I probably agree that gushing reviews don’t increase sales, because I for one am very cynical when it comes to books that people hyperventilate over. Too much hype tends to destroy a book’s credibility in my opinion, and more often than not, the reality rarely lives up to the heightened expectations.
Needless to say, I wont be buying Elizabeth Kostova’s, The Historian, for this very reason.