Shawn Klomparens

"The TV critic doesn't critique each episode of Two and a Half Men because that's not necessary. In the same way, some books that people are reading sometimes don't need to be critiqued."

What good is a rating that has nothing to do with someone actually reading your book? And also, why were so many people/authors falling for this?

Emily Giffin: To me, it has always been about connecting with the reader. If readers love what I'm doing and feel satisfied, I am happy.

Think of where this might all be going. Right now you can know with a certain amount of precision how many books a day you're selling on Amazon. But Amazon isn't the only game in town.

A few months ago, when I started my Facebook campaign to make deserving books bestsellers, I solicited advice from several well known figures in the blogosphere about how to generate awareness. Do giveaways.

When I first joined Facebook several years ago it was for the express purpose the name implies: I was looking to reconnect with some old classmates I'd lost touch with. And it worked. Then I got a book deal.

Could I "bet" a bunch of people on Facebook and make a book a bestseller? Well, sure I could try. Why the hell not?