Sean Dollwet's Take on Swept Out Reviews · Royalty Guild. Amazon KDP

Sean Dollwet's Take on Swept Out Reviews

Why Reviews Are Disappearing

Routine Cleanup: Amazon regularly purges what they believe to be fake reviews. Unfortunately, legitimate organic reviews are often removed as collateral damage during this process.
Account Deletions: The primary reason reviews vanish is not necessarily the review itself, but the deletion of the user account that posted it. If Amazon flags a user account for suspicious activity and deletes it, all reviews associated with that account are automatically removed.

Red Flags: What Triggers Account & Review Deletion?

Several "suspicious activities" that trigger Amazon's bots:

AI-Generated Content: Amazon aggressively targets reviews that appear to be written by AI.
Speed & Engagement: Leaving reviews too quickly after downloading a book, or reviewing without actually opening or reading through the content, signals bot-like behavior.
New Account Activity: New accounts that immediately start reviewing a high volume of products are flagged as suspicious.
Unverified vs. Verified: Accounts that leave an overwhelming number of "unverified" reviews (without purchasing the product) are at higher risk. A healthy mix of verified purchases is necessary.
Review Swaps: Using multiple book club services increases the risk of accidental "review swapping" (two authors reviewing each other), which is strictly against Amazon's terms.

Action Plan for Authors & Reviewers

To minimize the risk of losing reviews, the video suggests the following best practices:

Avoid AI Tools: Write reviews manually to ensure they sound human and authentic.
Real Reading: Actually read a portion of the book and wait a few days after downloading before posting a review.
Slow & Steady: Publishers should aim for a steady flow of reviews rather than a massive spike in a short period.
Stick to One Service: Use only one book review service (for example, Book Bounty) to avoid cross-platform review swapping.
Build Your Own Audience: The best long-term strategy is to build an email list or social media following so you can generate reviews on demand without relying solely on third-party services.

5 comments