Thursday, October 05, 2006

OK, so people searching for How To Make Money Like A Porn Star frequently come to my site: I'm #2 on Google for it with my recent review of the book. Amazon's entry for the book, unsurprisingly, is first. Take a look at it now, if you would. You see those first two reviews? (Link to a screen capture)

They're written by two people with no other reviews on Amazon. Both are full of amateur-at-best marketing hyperbole:

This book is absolutely fantastic. A great ride from cover to cover. It never takes itself too seriously and like a classic DePalma film, it has a great time laughing at itself! The ads are all brilliant. Read 'em close. There's little clues, email addresses and websites that are all accessible! So cool! It's also the perfect follow up to Neil's Jenna Jamison book with an intro that really gets right to the heart of why he wrote this in the first place. Amazingly dark, tongue-in-cheek satire that is the equivalant of a really great popcorn film. Worth your time and your money!

and

This is yet another excellent body of work from the Creative Mind of Neil Strauss and the Extremely Talented Hands of artist Bernard Chang. I've had a chance to thoroughly read this book 3 (three) times now, and each time it gets better! ! There are so many double entendres, puns, Easter eggs, and startling true facts in this book - there is always something new I haven't seen each time I pick it up. Though I wouldn't call this a coffee table book - you will absolutely find a copy both on my bookshelf (next to Neil's other books) and on the back of the porcelain throne. What a great book to pick up and read a few pages from, or read cover to cover like his other works! I even bought a DOZEN extra copies for friends; and I'll send some to Operation Comix Relief as well - THANKS for another GREAT piece of Entertainment Neil!

Considering the fact that the second reviewer, "Phoenix," gets into a heated comment debate with the book's sole negative reviewer (who, to be fair, only read a preview but made note of this right at the top of his review) and says this:

This reviewer - in addition to serving his own agenda (he is a fake PUA who is only posting a review to SPAM his own website, and leach off of Neil's success with this novel! He has OBVIOULSY not read the book - he even stated that himself in the beginning of the review. This is Amazon.com Reviews at its worst (allowing anyone to say anything). It's Pathetic - Someone who didn't even read the book - making outlandish remarks, and posting negative reviews. I give the book 5 STARS! Laughing out Loud Funny, this book is another great piece from the creative mind of Neil Strauss.

Note: "Phoenix" reinforces what appears to be marketing message and uses the same phrasing as before, almost as if he was told exactly what to say by someone.

The back and forth is quite fascinating: the negative reviewer has 34 reviews to his name on the site, along with four lists. Phoenix, again, has no other reviews and uses ad hominem attacks with a vociferousness that suggests a stake in the entire affair.

Curious, to say the least. It's not unheard of for companies to hire marketing "representatives" to hit message boards, blogs, etc with their commentary, but for it to be this clumsy indicates one of two things:

1. Regan Books really has released a book that "Phoenix" feels so strongly about that he must argue for it in a public forum where he's definitely the neophyte.
   
2. Regan Books is doing a remarkably bad job of hiring marketing people, instead looking for zealots they can pay by the word.