Tag: reviews

Why Paid Book Reviews are Unethical

© Can Stock Photo / Pixelbliss

Paying for book reviews is a topic which comes up from time to time in online discussions. To some it may sound like a good idea. However, paying for reviews is considered unethical, nor is it without risk. We all know good reviews help authors sell more books. However, reviews aren’t intended to help authors. They’re meant to help readers.

I do a lot of online shopping. Whether I’m buying a book, a sweater, or a toaster, I like to read the reviews before I buy. I want to know what other people thought about the product. Were they satisfied with their purchase? Would they recommend the product to others? For me, it’s not about the seller’s description. It’s about what other customers thought of the product. Book buyers are the same way. Readers want to know if other readers liked the book, and they want unbiased opinions. Herein lies the problem with paying for a review.

Those who write paid reviews aren’t in it for the reader. Nor are they in it for the author. They’re in it for the money, and who wants to pay someone for a bad review? Someone recently sent me an unsolicited email offering to  write a review for one of my Marina Martindale novels. This person included their website in their email, which I immediately looked up. To their credit, their website was well done. It included testimonials from some of the authors they’ve reviewed, but then something else caught my eye. It stated that if they were to write a bad review, they would refund the money to the author. Really? How interesting. They offer a money-back guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied with your review. Therefore, there’s no incentive for them to write a bad review. So, are their reviews really honest? Who knows.

I also tried to find out more about their pricing. Unfortunately, all I found was a vague reference about the price being determined by the individual book, but no specific information about how they go about making this determination. Interesting. So those authors who take them up on their offer could be pay anywhere from a few dollars to several hundred dollars for a review. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I like to know how much a product or service costs before I buy.

Here’s the bottom line. Paying someone to review your book is unethical, and your readers deserve honest reviews. You’re also taking some big risks. Chances are, these folks will want you to pay them upfront, and once they have your money, they may or may not review your book. I’ve also read horror stories about people offering to review books prior to publication, otherwise known as Advance Review Copies or ARCs. The unsuspecting author then sends the reviewer a copy, only to discover later on that the “reviewer” has pirated their work and is taking credit for something they didn’t write.

Then there is another big risk. Amazon does not allow paid reviews. Amazon will remove them, and perhaps delete the author’s account as well. They’re not bluffing when they state this. I’m reading all kinds of stories on online forums where Amazon really did delete an author’s account for violating their community standards. When it comes to selling books, Amazon is the king. I would highly discourage anyone from doing anything which could put their Amazon accounts in jeopardy.

I did not respond to the individual soliciting a paid review of my book. That email has been deleted. I instead contacted my webmaster, and we did an update on my website, clearly stating on my contact form that Good Oak Press does not pay for book reviews, and that we consider paid reviews to be unethical. Our readers deserve honest reviews, not gaslighting. In the meantime, here is a link to Amazon’s Community Guidelines for Customer Reviews.

Amazon Customer Reviews

Gayle Martin

From the Writer’s Desk does not include AI (Artificial Intelligence) generated content or use AI software of any kind. It is written and edited by a real human being. No part of this blog may be used or reproduced or transmitted in any form, or used in any matter by AI, without the express written consent Good Oak Press, LLC. Requests for permission must be addressed to Good Oak Press, LLC, P.O. Box 51244, Denton, TX 76206-1244.

 

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How to Write an Honest Review

for a book you didn’t like
© Can Stock Photo / Pixelbliss

Whether we write fiction or nonfiction, all authors want their books to be read, and reviews are an essential marketing tool. This is why authors ask other authors for reviews.

A good review is like gold. The author may include it on his or her website and media kit, or even as a back cover blurb. This can benefit the reviewing author as well, as his or her name, and book title, may get a free mention. Most of the time, it’s a win/win for both. Most of the time. However, there are times when it can be problematic.

Authors often post review requests on online forums, and back when I was a newbie author, such a request caught my eye. It was for a nonfiction book about UFOs and aliens, and the author wanted some reviews on Amazon. While not my writing genre, I grew watching Star Trek, and I’ve always been interested in UFOs. So I contacted the author, and he mailed me a copy of his book..

It wasn’t what I expected

I eagerly opened the envelope as soon as it arrived. However, once I started reading, I realized it wasn’t at all what I expected. I’m not an astronomer, but I know we live in a vast universe. New solar systems are being discovered. I’m hardly a mathematician either, but I know we live in a galaxy with trillions of stars and perhaps billions of planets. Therefore, it seems logical to me that a certain percentage of those planets would have life. Maybe not life as we know it, but if I were a betting person, I would say yes. There is life on other planets. This author, however, didn’t think so.

The author turned out to be a born again Christian who didn’t think life on other planets existed. He also believed that what we may see as UFOs and aliens, such as the grays, are actually demons.

Okay, we won’t be having a religious debate here. I’ll simply say that while I believe in God, I also believe in science. (Many people believe in both.) However, until life on other worlds can be definitively proven, if ever, people will have their own opinions and beliefs. I happen to believe that extraterrestrials, if they do exist, are not demons. A demon is a spiritual entity. An extraterrestrial is a living being with a physical body, even if that body is only a single, microscopic cell.

The conundrum

In the meantime, the author is waiting for a review, and I honestly don’t like his book. So, what do I do? Do I decline? Do I write a bad review? Or do I try to come up with a different approach?

Declining to review a book can be awkward. It’s even more awkward when the author and I are on the same forum. Writing a bad review can have unintended consequences as well. I don’t want to make enemies or risk getting retaliatory negative reviews. Nor do I want to earn a reputation as someone who only writes bad reviews.

My solution

To the author’s credit, the book was well written and professionally edited. His argument went well beyond quoting Biblical scripture. His theory, while rooted in his faith, was well thought out. I just didn’t happen to agree with it. So, I tried to come up with a way to write a fair and honest review. Then, it hit me. Why not address the review to the people he wrote the book for? Christians. After all, Christian books are a recognized genre.

I gave the book a four star review, and mentioned some of the things I’ve mentioned in this article. The book discussed the UFO phenomenon from a Christian perspective. It was well written and edited. Christians might find it an interesting read. I didn’t go into my own opinion or debate the author on the subject matter. As mentioned, the subject matter has yet to be proven. Until then, all we have is speculation, conjecture, and opinions. Opinions are like a certain body cavity. Everyone has one.

In conclusion

Book reviews should be honest and fair. If for any reason you decide you don’t want to review a book you can certainly decline. Had the book been poorly written, I would have declined for that reason and told the author it needed more editing. However, that option didn’t apply. So before writing a bad review, consider doing what I did. If possible, try writing a review for the author’s intended audience, and tell that audience why they might find the book interesting.

After I posted my review on Amazon I got a nice thank you note from the author. It was nice for both of us to walk away happy.

Gayle Martin