© Can Stock Photo / PixelblissPaying 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.
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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