The Ongoing Fake Review Row

Various high profile authors have come forward to add their voices to the campaign against the practise of fake reviewing, or 'sock puppeting' as it's known. Ian Rankin, Lee Child and Val McDermid are amongst many who are appealing to both Amazon and fellow authors to seek an end to the practise.

It's thoroughly dispiriting to an indy author struggling to find a way into the market. If I'm to make it as a writer I want to do it honestly and on merit, but the honest author is at an automatic disadvantage when others are either creating their own false identities to promote their own work and undermine that of their rivals, or are paying others to do it for them.

I'm not sure what the answer is. For now there is no real pressure on Amazon to change its system: as far as they're concerned, reviews work. I suppose it will only change when the end consumer demands it.

For more information, see the stories on the Telegraph and Forbes websites.