Amazon recently created a new community for authors. The `Meet Our Authors' community is designed to give authors a space to engage with one another and promote their latest and greatest works.

With the advent of the new community, we will no longer allow self-promotional posts in other communities. Starting on December 15, 2011, all "shameless self-promotion" activity will be limited to the `Meet Our Authors' community. Promotional threads outside of these forums will be removed.

We invite authors and interested readers to come join the discussion at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/forum/meet%20our%20authors

We look forward to seeing you!

thank the lord!!!

Are you related to Gyles?

Are you related to Melinda?

I've been asked this before. Sadly, no. Christmas would be so much more fun.

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No - what an outrageous suggestion!

T. A. Brandreth.
I do most humbly apologise.
But what with the surname and the somewhat effusive 'thank the Lord!' I just got this image of dear Gyles on the comfortable couch throwing his arms in the air, rolling his eyes etc. He was wearing a rather smart jumper.

I am in fact in work and wearing a rather smart checked shirt number - no teddy bears in sight either...
Gyles is the Black Sheep I'm afraid the rest of us are from good working class stock - with a hint of Viking.

To Amazon management - thanks for listening to the complaints about self-promotional spam postings!! :-D

Now, please, please, please enforce this. The spam issue is still bad.

Also, can we have some action against shill reviews. One book I saw had seven fake or dishonest reviews, one by the authors wife, and the rest single post reviews. Two of which were done on the same computer as they got their posts mixed up... Its a real shame... and it also undermines the entire basis of the review system.

John Says :- etc etc

And I support his post - they - the self-promoters - are so cunning and crafty - and they could be defeating their own purpose of self promotion - because any intelligent person finds that sort of thing disturbing - (as Yoda) -"disturbed are they - ignoring them I am"

Oh please forgive me - I must've entered the wrong forum. I thought this was sci-fi...

No Bother Mary Lamb - I think we are Troll Hunting - to exclude inappropriate posts - self advertising so-and-so's

I do think that self-written reviews are a little dishonest, and certainly fake-accounts are, but I do not think it dishonest if an author's spouse writes a review, particularly if they identify themselves as such. They are a reader, and they have an opinion, which is all reviews are. Perhaps every reviewer should be given a psyche profile and all reviews they write which can be shown to be not their true opinion should be erased?

A review, by nature, is partisan . Do we say friends can't write reviews as well? How about friends of friends? Such proscription seems a bit pedantic to me, and the other issues (fake accounts) are dealt with in forum rules already.

If the reviewer makes their relationship clear that at least is honest, but I'm afraid many don't do that and quite deliberately try and kid us their review is impartial. However, I do think most people would prefer to have recommendations from totally impartial readers with no connection to the author.

@ Sou'Wester - call me a Nor'Nor' Wester in a manner of speaking but I do so agree
I cannot say for certain but I believe that self promotion results in a way, because the writer has every reason to believe his book lacks talent (He/She wishes !!) and then self-promotion is the only recourse to getting noticed
Has it not been said that even bad publicity - is still Publicity - moreover - if the writer "self-promotes" is that not a sign that one might well AVOID the Book - IMnsHO just thinking

It's sometimes argued that there's nothing wrong with close friends/relatives posting public reviews on Amazon. That might be all right IF they were prepared to publish an adversely critical review where the book warrants this; but how many people would be prepared to say in public that their friend's/relative's book is not up to scratch?

Do you remember - Leo Genn and his portrayal of Petronius the Arbiter - with Peter Ustinov as Nero - his Critique was beautifully voiced and he was the most truthful man - sadly Nero was said to have encouraged his suicide for telling this truth.
Okay they cannot kill you so easily these days - and I prefer to be truthful in this way - sure, a little more tactfully but I value truth - and a writer who has conniptions when told the truth - is not worth reading

I found this site by accident. It seems very nice here. Never thought of self promotion till now.

Much regards to you all.

Green Mack

@ ESW aka Green Mack - Self promotion is quite easy - but you need to get on with it - no one will do it for you - everyone is good at something - something GOOD - we have all got SOMETHING - and many people see no harm in a little SELF promotion -
It may seem likely - that getting relatives / friends - to do it for you is a bit SLY, because in promoting you they may be led to "lying" on your behalf.
I could say - possibly -
"Look - this book I have chosen to write - it is a bit dark - but I speak from experience about (then tell just a bit) the story is told from a very personal point of view"
That is as much self- promotion as could be seen to be bearable, anything more than that would not be suitable. Moreover - getting relatives and friends to "fib it out" is very wrong - and gets my back up (Think CAT every time)

I find self-promotion invariably has the opposite effect to the one intended. My reaction is: 'I have no interest in reading anything written by anyone whose sensibilities are so dulled that they do not understand that self-promotion is, at the very least, rather distasteful behaviour.' If it was then recommendedd to me by someone whose opinion I respected I may well give it a go, but would probably be prejudiced against it from the start, so it has an entirely negative effect on me.

I believe that an honest description of your book with a hint at the kind of reader at whom you were aiming your work - can be seen as self promotion.
It is my belief that the self promotion to which you are referring is actually something a little more extreme than that which I had "seen".
Besides - there is one specific thing about your post S.J.F - that makes me furious - that is to say I am displeased that I did not think of it first - it's a darned good post

Actually, can I add to this that I'm a bit confused as to why anyone thinks that demonstrating that they can't read (specifically this thread which says "no self-promotion in this forum") would make anyone think that that they can write well.

Well that is odd Ken, demonstrating that they can't read? - since they read and then reply - how are they demonstrating they cannot read.
I have dropped in to several forums - made a note of some contributions specifically, what is causing your confusion.
People who write can obviously READ, but self promotion is clearly biased and valueless, I am uncertain how else one could put it. Unless of course you care to expand on your comment, which is interesting.