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Tales
from the Amazon
My
Nine Lives as an
Amazon.com Top 10 Reviewer
by
Rebecca Johnson
© www.TheRebeccaReview.com 2007
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Listen to your dreams - those are
the sounds no one else can hear.
~Kobi Yamada
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Dedicated
to all the reviewers at Amazon.com who write for
the sheer love of writing, to my life coach who believes in me
and to my grandmother Clarice who secretly loved cats.
Grandma Clarice
March
1940
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Introduction
A
review can amplify an author's message and there is nothing I
find more exciting than reviewing items that open the mind to
possibility. I love reading books late at night and falling
asleep happy. Letting thoughts crystallize overnight often
results in waking up to a review flowing through me onto the
page.
I
love cats and I love books. Some of the most sublime moments in
my life have been while reading an enlightening book. Many of my
most comforting memories include reading a book with a cat
sleeping close by.
My
cats have always been attracted by the soft patter of my fingers
on the keyboard and will often walk in front of the computer
screen, as if trying to distract me from less important matters.
Cats have taught me much about how to enjoy life and live in the
moment. They also get as excited about new toys and catnip as I
do about books.
One
day I looked at my keyboard and realized I had literally put
holes in the keys from typing over 2500 reviews. It was then
time to buy a new computer.
With
some sadness I said goodbye to my old laptop, but saved the
keyboard. I had to move on and life was taking me in new
directions.
With
a new DELL computer in hand, I started to publish my own books.
The questions is, how did I get to the top of Amazon.com and why
am I there?
Is
there some mysterious reason or did I just type a lot of
reviews? Could writing one review really change your entire
life? It changed mine and here is my story.
I believe each life is here for a purpose and I believe
Amazon.com reviewers are providing an incredible service to
publishers and authors.
I
love talking to authors, publishers and reviewers.
They are the most interesting people I have ever met.
Writing reviews for new authors is one of the best experiences
in my reviewing journey.
My
goal in writing this book is twofold. I wanted to share what
happened behind the scenes as reviewers and authors encouraged
me to write more reviews.
I
also wanted to share my journey and publish a few of the
inspiring comments I have received over the years. I’m excited
about reviewing and how a review can be a gift to a reader and
an author.
This is a story of my journey while writing reviews. It is a
scrapbook of thoughts and experiences.
Amazon.com
is truly the cat’s meow.
Warmest Regards,
Rebecca
Johnson, M.Ed.
www.TheRebeccaReview.com
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Diving
Into a Magical River of Books
Is there any
excitement to compare with the opening
of a fresh parcel of books? ~William Targ
Thank you,
first of all, for all you do to promote and cherish the written
word. Your reviews are pure magic. Being a reviewer myself, I
know what a particular agony and ecstasy reviewing is and I am
always thrilled when an author writes to tell me that my review
was meaningful. ~K.
The Rebecca Review was not an idea
I thought of at the start. I started by reviewing cookbooks and
slowly worked my way into reviewing a variety of genres. The
first recorded review was posted on April 3, 2000 (The Best
Recipe). This was five years after Amazon.com opened its
virtual doors in July, 1995.
It is interesting how my desire to write a cookbook turned into
a desire to start a website and then a desire to review. I honestly had no idea that wanting to write
a cookbook would take me to a place where I would have to figure
out a professional reviewing name.
Like many reviewers, I was at Amazon.com having fun, meeting
people and chatting at the forums. I didn’t even take my first
few postings seriously. Well, not until I realized (to my
horror) that the reviews I had so casually posted were not
edited by professional editors. I had not even spell checked
them, thinking that would be some automatic feature.
The main problem was that I was high on chocolate when I first
posted reviews. I had just discovered a delicious chocolate and
had obviously become high on life itself. A few days later I
wondered about my sanity. How could I have written those reviews
without even checking my spelling? I panicked and sent reviews to my editor who was kind
enough to edit a few reviews.
I even considered an online editor after
coming to the realization that my words were posting almost
instantly and for all to see. Did I think I was posting my
reviews in private? The site felt so cozy.
After this brief, albeit startling
revelation, I lost my fear of public posting and now enjoy the
excitement of posting my thoughts for all to see. Now reviews
post almost instantly and you can erase or edit individual
reviews. Your reviews are also listed in an about-you-area/profile
page where
you can organize your thoughts on books, movies and almost
anything Amazon.com sells.
Amazon.com has come a long way since I started reviewing back in
2000. Amazon's willingness to venture into uncharted territory
is very exciting for the consumer. It has been an
adventurous journey to watch the site change
over the past few years. Not only have they made it highly
enjoyable to post reviews, the site is super user friendly.
When I first started reviewing and talking
to fellow reviewers at the forums, there was a stigma attached
to writing reviews for anything but books. If I reviewed kitchen
items, reviewers would comment about the inappropriate nature of
such reviews. It has taken years for this to be more accepted
and I am sure some reviewers would still never review anything
but books.
Visiting Bookstores in
Europe in 1981
Me, Dad & my Brothers
While this is ideal in a perfect world, many of us find great
pleasure in reviewing obscure and fascinating items. Kitchen
items have always been the love of my cooking life and I can
truly say I almost died from excitement when kitchen items
appeared. You could then review a zester, or even an ice cream
maker.
There didn’t seem to be any limits. I
started to review everything I owned and even things I didn’t
own that I borrowed from the library.
It soon became very apparent. I was addicted to reviewing. While
living in Issaquah, Washington I didn’t have a car and
frankly, I needed more books on a daily basis. So, the trips to
the library started and I figured out how to take the bus to the
local library. This was a temporary solution. A bag of 10 books
is heavy and I had to carry them home on a bus and who wants to
spend hours reading anyway? OK, I’ll admit to wanting to read
constantly.
Well, apparently I heard this was not uncommon. These trips to
the library were quite acceptable as long as I was being
productive and actually leaving the house now and then. So, between testing recipes for my new cookbook and making sure my
husband was happy, I learned all about online life.
Online life is intellectually addictive. For me, Amazon.com is the icing on the
online cake. I became instantly infatuated with a
website. I can’t say there is any other site online that
affected me in such a profound way. I fell madly in love with
the entire idea.
It may have something to do with being
instantly published. Having the heart of a writer, I was
fascinated by the entire process. I could tell people what I
thought about books and a website would actually post my humble
little thoughts. I was honored they would actually let us post
and tried my best to write good reviews.
There were a few days when I was so annoyed
by a few movies that I left a trail of terror and had to go back
later and rethink my entire life. Normally my vindictive side is
more contained.
Did I want to promote items or take the more critical route?
Already I was receiving notes telling me I was too positive. Who
did I think I was being so sunny and cheerful in the dark depths
of Internet life?
I blame it on being young and naïve at the
time and I knew how it felt to be rejected by the publishing
industry.
It seemed to me that you had to be famous
before anyone would publish your cookbook. This didn’t work
for me because I didn’t want to be famous; I wanted people to
enjoy my recipes. Creating a website sounded like the perfect
solution, I would give all the recipes away for free.
Then, I remember thinking this was not such
a good idea because I would need to create over 400 website
pages.
Now you can be published in a matter of
months and have Print-on-Demand books for all to purchase from
online sites like iunivese.com. What
a new world online life has brought to new writers who want to
share their heart and promote what they love.
Many of the books being published online
are especially helpful and very unique. I love the originality
and creative spirit.
You don’t have to be famous to get your
message across; you just have to know how to write and how to
market yourself.
Dad reading to me in
1971. It seems my mother
took a lot of pictures of my dad reading
to me. It is one of my favorite
childhood memories.
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Kayaking
Upstream
Life
can't really ever defeat a writer who is in love with writing,
for life itself is a writer's lover until death - fascinating, cruel, lavish,
warm, cold,
treacherous, constant. ~Edna Ferber (1885-1968)
Your reviews, and overall outlook on
life, are refreshing in a world of negative reviews and
criticism. I’m delighted to see how you’ve made such a
positive influence in the lives of others, both reader and
author alike. Many blessings to you as you continue to share
your gift with the world. ~D.
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Reading books can be as sublime as kayaking in the Amazon
observing the pristine forests.
Being positive can at times be
like paddling upstream against the current of critical opinion.
Many people write me and say my reviews are
“seasoned with love” because they are so positive.
I love
reading and mostly refuse to read anything I dislike. Five stars
means I liked the book and
I can recommend it to you. If a book
completely impressed me, my review will reflect that attitude.
I’ve been known to give some books 100 stars.
I read your review of The Metabolic
Plan on Amazon.com. Checked out your website and
I've impressed with what you do! It's amazing.
:) I worked through your website and found your
work to be very positive. Take Care and Be
Blessed. ~J.
My Review Rating Scale
5 Stars – I think you would enjoy this
CD, DVD or book. I loved it! That doesn’t mean
I agreed with
everything in the movie or book. I look at the overall message.
4 Stars – This was still an enjoyable book or movie, but it
fell just short of the five-star rating.
3 Stars – Still entertaining and you might enjoy this book.
2 Stars – May not be worth your time and more than likely I
won’t spend time writing a review.
1 Star – If a book or movie is a one-star item, I will rarely
write a review.
In general, I see better results from love
and since my life seems to be about finding
a way around
rejection, I understand the heart of a writer. If a door closes,
I’ll find a window and then I’ll enjoy the view.
I actually do sometimes get more negatives
from a more positive review when it is sitting
amongst many
negative reviews, so votes are never a factor.
If people have a strong dislike for a
product, they will at times just give you a negative
because
they disagree with your view. We all notice the trends.
I don’t consider a critical analysis of a
book to be a negative review. I have written reviews
filled with
critical analysis even if people say I write mostly positive
reviews.
I find that when I review books I don’t love, I become
frustrated. Then I start to look for
one book to satisfy my
all-encompassing urge for an escape into the pages of a book
that feeds my soul.
The
problem is, few books really capture me. I am on an eternal
quest for memorable books.
A
few books become caring friends who hold silent conversations
with your soul.
There are books that will change your life after
the first page and books who will
hunt you down and throw
themselves at you, even from a store shelf.
While surfing around at Amazon.com, books have a real advantage.
They just arrange themselves according to your personal tastes.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found a book that was
looking for me.
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Scanning
the Horizon
It
always gives me a shiver when I see a cat seeing
what I can't see. ~Eleanor
Farjeon (1881-1965)
All
good and true book-lovers practice the pleasing and improving
avocation of reading in bed...No book can be appreciated until
it has been slept with and dreamed over.
~Eugene
Field, Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac (1896)
In the past few years I’ve spent a large
amount of time reading in bed, my favorite place to read. At
times I like to imagine I’m reading in an exotic location or
reading in a forest that is a dark silhouette against a midnight
sky decorated with stars.
Occasionally I print off a copy of my about-you-area/profile at
Amazon.com. I don’t think I found out about rank until I had
written hundreds of reviews.
Since I never kept detailed records for the
early years, I am reluctant to say how long it took to reach the
top ten. The precise moment evades my memory. I remember seeing
9 and then realizing something had happened.
Frankly,
I was having so much fun reviewing I must have suddenly hit the
top ten in 2001. It is amusing to me that I went someplace I
didn’t even know you could go. When I hit rank 3 one of the
reviewers returned and I ended up as rank 4 and currently I am at
rank 5. This could change at any time as new
reviewers rise in the ranks.
The
totals on the wish lists look a bit strange, but honestly I
tended to erase things from the wish list as soon as I purchased
them for myself or I got bored and had fun erasing things I no
longer really desired (lots of impulsive additions for sure). I
use my wish list as a “to buy one day list” and will often
move things to my shopping cart. At one point I erased an entire
wish list and turned them into tags.
There
were a few days when I erased quite a few reviews because I felt
they no longer represented how I felt about the world.
At one point, I decided I didn’t like everyone knowing what I
had purchased, but soon got over this and unveiled most of my
purchases. It seems that after some quick analysis, I am writing
about 535 reviews a year. 2004 was a very good year for me
because of publicity and so many authors mailing in books.
There
are reviewers who keep better track of me than I keep track of
myself and the reason this list is not a comprehensive one is
because I was too busy reading and it is at least a good excuse.
Here
are some interesting numbers, numbers were accurate
at time of recording but a lot changes on Amazon including
our vote totals, number of reviews...etc. We are not sure
why, but in November 2006, I lost about half my votes and I was
not the only one to experience lost votes. So that explains
some of the numbers. At other times, I deleted reviews,
lists, rearranged items and organized wish list items
into tags. So much has changed since 2000! Here
is a record of the numbers recorded throughout
my experience:
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2000
4/3/2000
Reviews
Written: 1
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2001
6/20/2001
Reviews
Written: 580
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10/5/2001
Rank: 9
Reviews Written: 707
(4816 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 74
Wish List: 719 items
Listmania
Lists: 2
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2002
1/9/2002
Rank: 5
Reviews Written: 844
(6044 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 74
Wish List: 924 items
Listmania
Lists: 2
1/23/2002
Rank: 3
Reviews Written: 864
(6226 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 77
Wish List: 936 items
Listmania
Lists: 2
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6/10/2002
Rank: 3
Reviews Written: 968
(7812 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 76
Wish List: 998 items
Listmania
Lists: 2
8/21/2002
Rank: 3
Reviews Written: 1173
(8456 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 84
Wish List: 1000 items
Listmania
Lists: 2
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2003
2/4/2003
Rank: 3
Reviews Written: 1364
(10088 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 88
Wish
List: 808
Listmania Lists: 51
2/17/2003
Rank:
3
Reviews Written: 1393
(10213 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 88
Wish List: 808
Listmania Lists: 80
4/5/2003
Rank: 3
Reviews Written: 1444
(10604 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 96
Wish List: 854 items
Listmania
Lists: 158
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8/13/2003
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 1563
(11744 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 106
Wish List: 958 items
Listmania
Lists: 392
9/16/2003
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 1509
(12035 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 109
Wish List: 998 items
Listmania
Lists: 392
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2004
1/18/2004
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 1622
(13524 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 124
Wish List: 1059 items
Listmania
Lists: 533
(Rating:
4.0)
1/27/2004
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 1711
(13754 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 124
Wish List: 1069 items
Listmania
Lists: 533
(Rating:
4.0)
2/23//2004
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2007
(14118 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 11
Wish List: 993 items
Listmania
lists: 533
(Rating:
4.0)
3/15/2004
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 1830
(14409 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 11
Wish List: 995 items
Listmania
lists: 533
(Rating:
4.0)
5/9/2004
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 1896
(15027 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 11
Wish List: 993 items
Listmania
lists: 533
(Rating:
3.5)
8/16/2004
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2248
(14118 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 10
Wish List: 175 items
Listmania
Lists: 533
(Rating: 3.5)
2005
1/14/2005
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2552
(18984 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 185
Images: (1 published)
Wish List: 463 items
Listmania
Lists: 534
(Rating:
3.5)
1/30/2005
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2588
(19395 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 202
Wish List: 310 items
Listmania
Lists: 534
(Rating:
3.5)
2/10/2005
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2611
(19704 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 203
Wish List: 323 items
Listmania
Lists: 534
(Rating:
3.5)
3/2/2005
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2631
(20220 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 224
Images Published: 2
Wish List: 350 items
Listmania
Lists: 547
(Rating:
3.5)
5/1/2005
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2728
(21329 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 250
Images Published: 3
Wish List: 455 items
Listmania
Lists: 547
(Rating:
3.5)
6/20//2005
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2809
(22229 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 275
Images Published: 3
Wish List: 663 items
Listmania
Lists: 547
(Rating:
3.5)
8/14/2005
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 3009
(23452 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 300
Images Published: 7
Wish List: 947 items
Listmania
Lists: 547
(Rating:
3.5)
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9/9/2004
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2332
(16933 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 10
Wish List: 296 items
Listmania
Lists: 533
10/7/2004
Rank:
4
Reviews Written: 2446
(17368 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 10
Wish List: 381 items
Listmania
Lists: 533
(Rating: 3.5)
10/15/2004
Rank:
4
Reviews Written: 2473
(17477 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 109
Wish List: 391 items
Listmania
Lists: 533
(Rating: 3.5)
11/2/2004
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2560
(17729 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 109
Wish List: 425 items
Listmania
Lists: 533
11/27/2004
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2404
(18138 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 161
Images: (1 Published)
Wish List: 418 items
Listmania
Lists: 533
(Rating:
3.5)
12/26/2004
Rank: 4
Reviews Written: 2543
(18637 helpful votes)
Shared Purchases: 174
Images: (1 Published)
Wish List: 440 items
Listmania
Lists: 533
(Rating:
3.5)
2006
11/11/2006
Rank: 5
Reviews
Written: 3320
(14719 helpful votes) - votes disappeared on many reviewers
pages - strange but true
Shared Purchases: This feature now only displays up to 12
products automatically
Wish List: 30 Items
Listmania Lists: 1
(174 views)
So You'd Like To...Guides: 7
(1216 views)
Customer Images: 32 published
TAGS:
222 categories, 7006 products tagged
(I transferred
everything on my wish list and made it a tag so I could find
items more easily when I wanted to purchase things.)
11/11/2006
Notes:
"I seemed to have lost about 9,000 votes in the
last two days. Has this happened to you? Do you know
anything about it?" ~ D.
2007
4/15/2007
Rank: 5
Reviews
Written: 3957
(39030 helpful votes) -
Wishlist: 309 items
Recent Purchases: This feature now only displays up to 12
products automatically
Latest Activity: Items we review are now listed at the
top of the page.
Listmania Lists: 4
(3114 views)
So You'd Like To...Guides: 7
(4112 views)
Customer Images: 34 published
TAGS:
291 categories, 9454 products tagged
Note:
With so much to review, I rarely left the house from Nov
2006 - Feb 2007. With only about 125 books left to review
I finally felt free enough to leave the house and read
more casually in April.
5/30/2007
Rank: 5
Reviews
Written: 4003
(40,063 helpful votes) -
Wishlist: 317 items
Listmania Lists: 5
(3241 views)
So You'd Like To...Guides: 7
(4274 views)
Customer Images: 34 published
TAGS:
302 categories, 9441 products tagged
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Yes I was terrified!
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Feeding a tiger cub his bottle at the fair.
This made my day because I adore cats!
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The
Jaguar Pounces Playfully
Human
beings are drawn to cats because they are all we are
not—self-contained,
elegant in everything they do, relaxed,
assured, glad of company,
yet still possessing secret lives. ~Pam Brown
I would love to hear a bit more from
you on how and why Amazon.com book reviewers have risen from an
underground community to a whole new vigorous collective voice
on a scene that has been dominated by professional book critics.
~R.
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Wall
Street Journal
10/21/2002
This was my first real publicity ever. I am
still stunned by the entire experience. This was the first time
I talked to a reporter and the first time I had to know what I
was talking about.
Fortunately, I had no idea what I was
getting myself into, so I was natural, laughed through the
interview and basically was not nervous. When I realized how
much can be printed and how many things I could say wrong, I was
more reluctant about interviews. Although when the next reporter
called, I was quite happy to talk to her.
Comments:
I am so pleased. I've actually told your story at a few of my
conferences (including one to 150 librarians) and used your best
quote in the Wall Street Journal as an example. It's burned in
my brain: "It's almost an intoxication with words."
~M.
Thanks for the gorgeous review! You made
the book look irresistible. Also love the WSJ article about you.
~D.
Amazon.com
Forum in Seattle
March
29, 2003
A few reviewers were invited to talk to
some of the top employees at Amazon.com. They wanted us all to
participate in a forum because they valued our reviews,
listmania lists and discussion board posts. They wanted our
feedback and ideas. We were all very honored and pleased to have
been invited.
During the day, the humorous part of
the meetings was when Amazon.com
employees would bring up a topic of interest; all the reviewers
had so many creative ideas they would take over the forum for
minutes at a time. No one was shy about individual opinions and
everyone seemed to have a special cause or concern. I felt that
our ideas were a reflection of the overall Amazon.com community
and everyone had many creative ideas for future site features.
The Amazon.com building/castle and
employees really did impress me. I had more than a few thoughts
about wanting to work in a building with huge windows
overlooking downtown Seattle. The professionalism of the
Amazon.com reviewers at the conference also made me realize how
dedicated everyone was and how much life experience they draw on
to write their reviews.
Jeff Bezos spoke to us and thanked us for
attending the forum. I could not believe we were all in the same
room with Jeff. It was truly a momentous occasion.
Article appears in
the LA Times
March
24, 2004
Photographer for LA Times arrives to take
my picture. I frantically redecorated my office the night
before. I also had to buy all new bedding since my office and
bedroom is in one room. I was not sure what type of photograph
would be needed but did suggest that because I read a lot of
books in bed, I should have a photograph taken reading books in
bed.
That picture actually did appear in the
newspaper. I kept thinking: “Help, Hollywood is going to
see my bedroom!”
The photographer had me pile books up on the desk. I had 200
books on my shelves and some of the books even had some
publicity after people noticed them in the photograph. I was
sitting up on my desk; afraid I’d knock all the books over
onto the floor. It almost happened a few times when we tried to
take photograph with the cat. She was none too pleased about
this new adventure.
While stacking books for the picture, I promptly ruined my
freshly painted nails and had to go fix them. I changed outfits
at least four times because I could not decide what to wear.
I had no idea the article had appeared, so
imagine my delight when people started to send me e-mails
telling me that I had a huge picture in the Calendar section.
Note from reader:
The article is a cover story in
Calendar (pretty prestigious) and your photo is huge actually,
with you leaning on two tall stacks of books, somewhat bathed in
blue light. ~J.
Note from a forum:
Congratulations to The Rebecca
Review …& Amazon.com for making great strides in how the
public & professionals view these reviews. First the
prestigious Wall Street Journal Article a couple of years ago.
Now the LA Times…
Amazon.com
Reviewers are
Featured in Forrester Magazine
July
2005
Other Interviews:
I was interviewed by Money Magazine and was asked to do an
interview for a Brazilian magazine. A professor wanted to do a
survey and many of us did fill out an online form about
reviewing. My first online interview: An
Interview by Yen
Writer
Requests for Interviews:
I'm a writer/editor in the UK. I'm putting together a
feature for a magazine you can find the online
and was hoping you could contribute. In the feature I'd like to
examine the importance of the 'social web.'
As you're one of the top reviewers on Amazon, you'd make a
great interviewee for this feature
(I'd like to find out what motivates you, and what kind of
satisfaction you get out of reviewing on Amazon).
Please get back to me if this is something you would be happy
contributing to?
Thanks for your time,
D.
Amazon.com
Reviewers Featured on
Evening Magazine, King 5 TV
July
31, 2006 - Interview at my home...
November 1, 2006 - Interview on TV
VIEW
VIDEO
This is an interview with Jim Dever, a famous reporter
from King-TV. The interview is at my home so you can see
my office, bookshelves, Kitten Meesa, products I review
and other fun items. The focus is on Amazon.com
Reviewers from Washington State.
"Hey there, I saw you on Evening
Magazine a couple of nights ago.
How have you been? Imagine how surprising it was to see you on
TV.
You looked great...often wonder how you're doing."
~M.
Questions
& Answers
Most
of the main questions people have asked
me in e-mail since I've been online reviewing...
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Who are you?
I review
therefore I am
I am a positive lifestyle
reviewer with an interest in reviewing books,
movies and music that promotes positive change
in the world. I am convinced that the world can
be changed through information and action, so I
try to promote items that will help to bring
about positive change.
Reviewing is my lifestyle, I live to
review!
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What is your real name?
Rebecca Johnson
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How do you feel about using your real
name?
Signing your real name to a review gives
the review more credibility. You also have to be very brave to
express some of your opinions and you have to be willing to read
feedback from readers and authors. I cried a lot when I first
started reading negative comments, but soon I realized that I
could not please everyone and I now have a much healthier view
of my work. I take it all as constructive criticism.
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What is your age?
I will be 41 on Sept 11, 2008. I'm a Gen Xer so I tend to
see the world through rose-colored glasses.
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Location?
I am currently living in Washington State.
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Do you have children?
No and the clock is ticking very fast.
I have always thought I would adopt children or sponsor
children. I do have two cats named Princess Meesa (she has
a pet stroller) and Princess Sasha. Some of my
friends say my reviews are like my children. I sponsor a child
in Mexico and would like to support more children.
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What is your educational background?
I have a master’s degree in Educational Administration
(1992).
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Have you ever won any awards for your
writing?
In July 1999 I was selected as a winner in the Better Homes and
Gardens Standouts Recipe Contest and in August 2000, my first
poem appeared in Tides of Memory. As far as current rewards go,
I can't think of a better reward than a comment from an author
about how much they enjoyed a review or a note from a movie
producer or scriptwriter saying you understood their work.
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What is your job?
I occasionally take on Editing/Book Analysis projects. I see books in a unique way and can
give authors an idea of what a reader thinks of their books even
before publication. Book Analysis is an extremely in depth process that
can take weeks to complete.
I recently completed a book
analysis/editing project for an author who is already published
and needed an online editor to work on his next project as he
traveled around the world.
New authors have started to ask me for advice on how to publish
and market books. I finally made a page at my site for new
authors interested in publishing cookbooks.
I seem to work on my site a lot and it
could become a full-time job. During the week I also
take on housecleaning jobs so I have more money to spend at
Amazon!
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How do authors and publishers find out about you?
Many people find my reviews at Amazon.com
and at other sites. One author wrote me back after I asked the
same question:
I obtained your name through John
Kremer's BookMarketingUpdate.com.
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When did you launch SeasonedwithLove.com?
5/2/2000
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What is your star sign?
I’m a Virgo so I naturally analyze everything in my world. I
write reviews in my head about everything in my life, so
Amazon.com gives me a natural outlet for analysis.
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Have you published your work?
I have published some photography and poetry. Recently, OregoN Fruit
featured one of my recipes in
their Holiday
Journal. My online cookbook is "Seasoned
with Love."
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Have you written
reviews professionally?
I have been asked to write reviews for publishers and
authors. Magazine editors have asked if they could
publish my reviews in their magazine. The reviewing
scene is no longer dominated by professional book
critics. I've been asked to provide blurbs for the back
cover of books and two were recently published.
I would be very
grateful for your review. It would also be great if
I could be allowed to insert some of our comments on
the back of the book cover. ~R.
We really liked
the review of Tazo's® "Lotus Decaffeinated
Tea" you
posted on Amazon.com. If it's alright with
you, we'd like to
include it in the Food reviews section of our
upcoming website.
~http://the21review.com
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When did your first blurb appear?
My first blurb appeared on the back cover of Hearts and Minds by
Thomas David Kehoe. The
second
appeared on the cover of Conversations with the Conscience by
Sarkis Khoury. The publisher asked
for a blurb for the cover.
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What
are your reviews to you?
Reviews are my fascination with life on display.
Reviewing adds a sense of mystery to my daily existence.
I have an uncanny ability to intensely focus on
projects for hours at a time. Reviewing gives me an
outlet for my love of intense reading sessions. I
escape into books.
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How
did you decide to become a reviewer?
The entire process was born of curiosity. You
know you are a writer when
all your pillowcases have ink on them. I love to write in
bed.
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How do you have time to review so many items?
We currently
don't have our TV hooked up to cable, so we have plenty
of evenings to read and go
out to dinner.
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Why did you start reviewing at
Amazon.com?
I have been reviewing since April 3, 2000.
After watching an Oprah show sometime in 2000, I became
completely fascinated with the idea of actually telling people
what they wanted to know about a book by Gary Zukav.
He was promoting his book Seat of the
Soul and I decided I wanted to order it from Amazon.com. I
started to review cookbooks and self-help selections around
April 3, 2000.
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Do You Review for Other Websites?
I was the first reviewer for Black Cat Review. July
27, 2005. My reviews often appear spontaneously
at other sites due to the Amazon associates program
where sites list books and link them in to
the site.
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What inspired you to start reading?
"And then she saw that there was a light ahead of
her; not a few inches away where the back of the wardrobe ought
to have been, but a long way off. Something cold and soft was
falling on her. A moment later she found that she was standing
in the middle of a wood at night-time with snow under her feet
and snowflakes falling through the air. Lucy felt a little
frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well...
she could still see the open doorway of the wardrobe and even
catch a glimpse of the empty room from which she had set out...
"I can always get back if anything goes wrong,"
thought Lucy. She began to walk forward...
~The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
This book was the doorway to my love of reading at a very
early age. Now I see that reading is a bit like that wardrobe.
You enter a new world through the first page of a book in a
similar way to how Lucy enters a world of imagination through
the wardrobe.
I was very young when a teacher in Africa started reading this
book to the class of 2nd graders, I think that was when the fire
flickered just slightly. Before this, my father had been reading
me everything from C. S. Lewis to Alice in Wonderland.
I remember the rest of the class becoming frightened by
something in the book and they all wanted the teacher to stop
reading. I believe I was the only one who raised my hand to have
her continue. I was seriously disappointed and much later
figured out I would have to go to the library and discover the
rest of the book myself.
That was when it started, as plain as day.
You know, my father read me adult books at age 5-10, I
remember being completely fascinated by all the complex words I
had to ask him to explain. My paternal grandmother gave me Alice
in Wonderland on my seventh birthday. Fortunately, I still
couldn't really read it that well, so my dad had to read it. He
did sing "beautiful soup" rather well.
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Why do you review?
Reviewing at Amazon.com is my main hobby besides cooking,
searching the world for beautiful movies, knitting, refinishing
wood furniture and exercising. I love playing with words and
ideas. I love words, delicious words that wash over your soul
and become part of your very being. I like organizing my
thoughts on various books and movies. There are so many to find
and so little time in life to spend on such pleasures.
It is my theory that when you need a book,
that book will find you.
I hope by reviewing, I can help some books
find readers.
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Which review has the most votes?
I recently noticed that "Introvert Advantage" has
over 300 votes.
What type of items do you review the most?
Poetry, Cookbooks, Exercise DVDs, Beauty Products and
Self-Help books.
What are the strangest things you have reviewed?
Tiramisu (a dessert), Games, a Bread Box, Rolling Pin, Flag
and Notecards.
What is your main motivation for
reviewing?
I write reviews in my head about everything in my
life, so Amazon gives me a natural outlet for
analysis. I also love helping new authors who may not
be able to get a review as easily as a famous author. I love this quote:
The urge to write can come from anywhere- the
desire to have a serious conversation with yourself,
the need to sort out what seems like an overwhelming
number of tasks, the urge to capture the past or pin
down a current insight, the impulse to record an
event or perceptions of an event, or simply the
desire to create a record of life's journey.
~Rita D. Jacobs
Most haven't given me the time of day. You did,
Rebecca, and so much more. Thank you. ~S.
My motivation for reviewing is that I love to read and have
the need to review every book I read. It just doesn’t seem as
much fun to only read a book. The process of analyzing a book is
truly exciting. I also like learning about new things, like how
to make croissants. Reviewing has been more of an
education for me than college. I can follow my true
interests.
One of my main interests
within my motivation for reviewing is to find books that can
change a life in a positive way. I am always looking for books
of beauty.
I truly love promoting books I love.
According to Jason
Epstein, former Random House Editorial Director and
Founder of New York Review of Books, "Book
reviews are important not simply for their promotional
value...they contribute to that ongoing, open-ended
Socratic dialogue that is our culture."
He also said: "I don't think anything can
replace a serious book review for promoting a
book."
Originally my intention was to review everything in my
house. Now my main focus seems to be on reviewing
for new authors. Publishers also send me books by new
authors. When I review for authors my main
goal is to encourage then to change the world through
donating money to charity. Reviewing
is really my creative outlet, my main hobby and it
makes me happy.
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