1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

A- Rod Book Tanking

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Boom_70, May 6, 2009.

Page 1 of 18
  1. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Today on Amazon top 100 - Selena Roberts A Rod book has dropped to 89. Yesterday it was at 61.

    With all the publicity I was sure that it would skyrocket. Seems to be going the wrong direction. Perhaps too much time elapsed between SI excerpt and publication date.

    #89 Ranking has gone down in the past 24 hours
    3 days in the top 100 A-Rod A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez
    by Selena Roberts (Author)
    2.5 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews) | 1 customer discussion
    In Stock

    List Price: $26.99

    Price: $17.19

    You Save: $9.80 (36%)

    24 used & new from $16.50
     
    Boom_70, May 6, 2009
    #1
  2. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    Yeah but the Amazon reviews are hilarious.
     
    cranberry, May 6, 2009
    #2
  3. 21

    21 Well-Known Member

    Not going to start a poll, but really curious: Has anyone here bought the book, or do you plan to buy it? Or if you got a review copy, will you read it?

    I suspect the hype about the salacious stuff might have killed an otherwise good read.
     
    21, May 6, 2009
    #3
  4. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    Guy in the office next to mine has a copy I've skimmed. Pop psychology mixed with nasty, mean-spirited jabs.

    Anyone else think she tries to write like Maureen O'Dowd and comes off as a bad imitator?
     
    cranberry, May 6, 2009
    #4
  5. Herbert Anchovy

    Herbert Anchovy Active Member

    Saw a review copy yesterday. I don't want to be mean or spiteful ... I might have wanted to consume this kind of stuff when I wore a younger man's clothes -- like maybe 18.
     
    Herbert Anchovy, May 6, 2009
    #5
  6. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I haven't read the book. I can't imagine I will read it anytime soon. Too busy and too many other things I have to read. I am only 3/4 of the way through Torre's book right now and it has been sitting there for weeks.

    I will bet anything on this, though: A good chunk of those comments on amazon.com were the result of a concerted effort to load up the page with negative ratings and negative customer reviews to try to negatively influence sales. The book might suck, but too many of those comments are way too similar and don't address the book on its merits, or lack of them. They mention "Duke Lacrosse," question her credibility or her personally, and accuse her of fabricating info.

    The comments that seem to be legit, question the book for being too much pop psychology and being light on on-the-record sourcing. But if there has ever been a concerted effort to use the internet to influence opinion (in this case negatively), this has to be it. Dozens of comments that are virtually all the same and amount to ad hominem attacks. I wonder if it's the work of Scott Boras, A-Rod himself or cranberry.
     
    The Big Ragu, May 6, 2009
    #6
  7. GB-Hack

    GB-Hack Active Member

    Or fans who constantly believe that the media has an axe to grind against their beloved team.

    I think every team, whether NFL, MLB, NHL and the rest has a group like this, who refuse to believe anything the media writes.
     
    GB-Hack, May 6, 2009
    #7
  8. goalmouth

    goalmouth Well-Known Member

    C'mon, 21, you predicted a NYT bestseller. Something happened on the way to the list.
     
    goalmouth, May 6, 2009
    #8
  9. write then drink

    write then drink Guest

    the list is fluid ... updates every hour based on a complex formula that amazon doesn't release but weighs all sales with an emphasis on recent sales

    No. 89 ain't bad ... No. 1 sports book and only sports book in top 200 overall

    if she does a major TV appearance, it will immediately pop into the top 10
     
    write then drink, May 6, 2009
    #9
  10. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    Never would bother posting a review but I'd suggest that the positive reviews are typically publishers, friends and family, so these type of things have a way of evening themselves out, don't you think?

    Laughable, however that you think a) that I care enough post reviews on Amazon or b) that I'm one of only a few people in the world who were disgusted with the way Selena handled the Duke lacrosse story. Google it and I'll bet you find many.
     
    cranberry, May 6, 2009
    #10
  11. king cranium maximus IV

    king cranium maximus IV Active Member

    Here's some help with Selena w/r/t the Duke LAX case...

    From Selena in 2006:

    A lie. There were no "reported court documents."

    Another lie. She was not.

    Another lie. The three team captains gave eyewitness accounts.

    If by "heartening" you mean "would later put Duke and the city of Durham in serious legal trouble," then sure.

    Pure hackery.

    Pure hackery.

    And making their university into a legal laughingstock in the process. But oh well, Leena, I guess you got yours.

    Hack.
     
    king cranium maximus IV, May 6, 2009
    #11
  12. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    1) I am sure you are right about positive reviews. People with money or reputation at stake will pull out every marketing or anti-marketing stop they can.
    2) I was joking about the reviews being yours. Lighten up, Fehrza.
    3) I know lots of people who had a problem with the tone of her Duke lacrosse story, but it was a COLUMN, and to hear it told now, she actually deemed them guilty -- (what more than one of those reviews wrote) -- which is untrue. It also has nothing to do with this book or her as an INVESTIGATIVE reporter. In my experience, people who go to those kinds of lengths to make the writer (or any other messenger) the focus, usually are trying to obscure the message. If the book really is a snoozefest or anticlimactic, they'd be best off just letting it go away for lack of interest. One thing I do know for sure. She was the only one to come up with reporting that ARod failed his 2003 test and he copped to itm even if he may have been selectively truthful about his past when fessing up. On a major credibility issue, she has proven hers.
     
    The Big Ragu, May 6, 2009
    #12
Page 1 of 18
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page