Who would think the joke book business would be a dog-eat-dog world? But it is. Unfortunately, a common practice among some joke book authors/publishers is to visit the Amazon book pages of their competitors and give low star ratings in the hopes of making other book publishers look bad.

It’s difficult to say how trustworthy Amazon book reviews are in general, as people’s opinions and experiences can vary greatly. Some reviews may be more trustworthy than others, depending on how well-written and detailed they are, and whether the reviewer seems to have actually read the book and is able to provide a thoughtful critique. That being said, it’s always a good idea to take reviews with a grain of salt and read multiple reviews before making a decision. 

So here are some tips to consider when purchasing joke books for yourself or for gifts:

1. Ignore the number of stars book gets. Instead, look at the actual written reviews people have submitted. The same people who are unscrupulous enough to purposefully try to sabotage their fellow authors are also too lazy to actually write reviews.
2. Judge a book by its cover. Find joke books with professional looking covers and series of joke books with a common theme/look.
3. Immediately reject joke books that are just a listing of jokes. These authors just went online and gathered a bunch of jokes (good, bad & ugly) and slapped them into a book. Once again, lazy.
4. Look for joke books that are illustrated.
5. In addition to looking at the cover of a joke book, also look carefully at the first few pages and the back of the book. Has it been done professionally with no spelling or grammar errors?
6. If you are giving a joke book as a gift, look for one that is visually appealing and upbeat.
7. Look for authors who have a collection of joke books. This is an indicator that they are a professional who actually takes pride in their work.
8. If you don’t have time to scrutinize each joke book you find in bookstores or on Amazon, check out the ones recommended right here on BestJokeBooks.com. We’ve done the footwork for you, so that you can more easily and confidently select a joke book that is best for any given occasion or situation.