Paid Book Reviews-- What Do You Think?

[Christy Pinheiro]

Since the FTC has decided to have review bloggers disclose their freebies (I still don't think the law is going to pass-- there are no such disclosure requirements for print magazines and TV-- both of whom get billions of freebies); what do all of you think of paid reviews? Many authors are vehemently against this, but I actually like paid reviews because it guarantees that my book will actually GET a review. The best marketing, and the most profitable marketing for me, has been reaching out to book reviewers. Hands DOWN; no comparison. And even though some authors dislike paid reviews because they feel that it is unethical somehow, I like having the option of paying a reviewer so my book doesn't sit in a slush pile. That doesn't mean that I think my book deserves a positive review-- but if I pay for a review, that means someone is going to read it.

Example: by trade, I’m a tax accountant. When I met with a client, I charge $100+ per hour. I think that it is unreasonable to expect someone else to spend their precious time reading my book without any type of compensation.

I mean, I’m really happy to get book reviews for free, but I think that many of us would be happy to pay in order to get a review in a timely manner. And I don’t think that means the review has to be positive—believe me, I used to give people bad news about their taxes, but they got a bill from me either way! So what do you think of paid reviews??

The Publishing Maven
Publishing for Profit

[angela ambroise]

So if it's not law yet, do we or don't we disclose?

[Christy Pinheiro]

The law doesn't go into affect until December-- and even then it might be challenged as unconsitutional. It's a little odd that the law applies only to bloggers and to NO OTHER MEDIA; it's ridiculous.

Basically if you want to start disclosing now, you can. I just put a basic disclaimer on my blog.

The Publishing Maven

[haley mathiot]

I'm curious--what about it do you think is unconstitutional? i really want to know because i hadn't thought about it that way. please do tell!!

[Christy Pinheiro]

Okay everyone-- in the spirit of full disclosure-- I just got my Kirkus review a few minutes ago and I AM THRILLED. I was being a little snotty about paying so much for the Kirkus review earlier, so I thought I would just let you all know that I'm very happy with the review (it's mostly positive-- I guess if it was negative wouldn't be so chipper).

I just reprinted it on my blog. If the Kirkus review helps me sell extra 55 copies it will pay for itself. So I hope it helps boost interest. I'm hoping for some attention from the library market-- they love "How-To" books, but mine is self-pubished, so we'll see.

My press release goes out on Monday (a service I also paid for) and I will report back and let you know if that increases sales.

Wish me luck!

The Publishing Maven

[Stacy-Deanne (Novelist)]

Christy,

Wanted to touch on libraries, sorry if it's a bit long, LOL.

The key for a self-publishing author to get into the library is not the matter of their interest, it's a matter of space. Libraries have fewer shelf space than bookstores do. They also have just as high or even higher standards than bookstores. There have been some SP authors who talked to people and got their books in local bookstores (under special circumstances and it's still rare), but it's very hard for a SP author to get into libraries. In fact the only SP books I've seen in libraries were ones that were dedicated by the author and they still weren't ones that could be checked out.

Breaking into the library system is another brick wall for SP authors but a breeze to traditional published authors. Once again, I know it doesn't seem fair but it's the truth. Traditional published books are in libraries immediately because traditional pubs print books specifically for libraries starting off.

I've personally never seen a self-published book in any of the libraries I've been to in my neck of the woods (Houston). So you see I live in a huge city. We have a great library system down here by the way. Not saying there are not any in the libraries here, just I haven't seen any except like I said, ones that were dedicated to the library. But it seemed a lost cause to dedicate the book to the library because people weren't allowed to check it out. It wasn't available as an official library book.

Also, this is another thing when paid reviews come back up. The library people are very fluent in different types of reviews. They know which ones to trust and they have standards with reviews. That's why libraries pay special attention to The New York Times and Publishers Weekly especially. They don't care about any other type of review, if the author is self-published. They also know the difference between the Kirkus that you pay for and the one you don't. I don't believe neither matter to them when it comes to carrying a book because like I said, it comes down to space.

It has to do with the channels you go through to get a book in libraries. If they accepted SP books they wouldn't have any space for the books that come in by the truckload. They are already complaining about books and throwing them out by the week. They also use methods to weed out most SP books (basing their opinions on editing, etc.) They also look for if it's a demand for the title and why they should put it at that location. Different libraries cater to different types of people in that area.

For example, if it's a neighborhood with more kids that go to the library than adults, you will that particular location will have a HUGE sample of kids books but might not have as many adult book shelves. They have them, just not as many. The same is with a library located in a neighborhood with certain age groups, like a neighborhood lived mostly by senior citizens. There will be more adult-oriented books and books that the readers and regulars they get read frequently. Libraries focus on demand the same as bookstores, even more so. They don't have the shelf space not to. We must remember that small press books get into bookstores too (not self-published presses, small traditional presses), making space even more limited. If you combined all the numbers, I think we can see why some books will never be on a library shelf.

I am happy to say my books are in many libraries all over the country, but then I wonder how much libraries hurt an author's sales. I think they do now because with the economy some people might opt to just go to the library instead of buying a book. I research different titles on Worldcat.org all the time and you can find where books are in different libraries. A lot of authors do it out of curiosity I am sure.


Another thing indie authors don't seem to realize is that, you're just getting your book in ONE library, if you do it. The goal is to have it in the system where it will be in more than one library, at least in your city. I've seen so many SP authors waste a lot of time trying to get their books into one library when they could be putting the focus somewhere else. It is very hard to get your books in libraries on your own. It might be even easier getting them into stores.

What you can do is call up the main library system in your area and find out what channels to go through. I know that they have to read the book and make a decision before allowing a library to shelf it. This is where a lot of indie authors lose out.

I am glad you liked your review. Hope it brings you sales.

Best Wishes!

http://www.stacy-deanne.net

[Clark Isaacs]

This is a very interesting discussion of which I have read both sides of the issue.

Should reviewers be paid? Well, if a reviewer is doing this on a regular basis for newspapers and on-line media then arrangements should be made with the media for payment. The payment for a review is minimal at best. $20.00 to $30.00 per review printed. If the reviewer has a syndication and a lot of papers which publish the reviews, it works out well. Here is the wrinkle, many papers have folded, their budgets are cut with regard to pages, and finally they can get free reviews if they ask for them. Not that the reviews are quality, but they are FREE!

The number of books which are published each year is astounding. Over 200,000 new titles. Of this group those which receive reviews seem to be around 500 that make it to the top in sales. They are reviewed and from what I have read it seems that what drives sales is reviews. There is a change in thinking and several articles seem to indicate that paying for reviews should be fine and a part of the budget for publicity.

Some of the thinking indicates this is the 21st Century and times are "a changin" like Bobby D says.

I do not charge for reviews and receive a lot of books. My circulation is about 2 million readers of my reviews now. I would like to get to the point of making some money from this endeavor, but every time I ask authors or others in the industry about this they say it would be wrong. Then, I hear from others who say, "times are a changin" and it could be a correct thing to charge.

Some review sites do charge and they charge more for expedited reviews like a two week turn around. My time frame is a bit longer and I tell authors we are about 6 to 8 weeks out now. Some books seem to be more worthy than others and we review them sooner, especially if they are hot in the public's eyes.

Many of my readers tell me they clip out the reviews and save them. It is because they want to give the books as gifts and the recipient is consulted with a review or two in hand. What could be worse, given a book which you have no interest in or given a book which is not good.

In my humble opinion, I am not sure about charging for reviews. Many folks come to me while they are writing to give my thoughts about their books. This falls in the category of being a book doctor, I do not feel qualified to get into that arena. Yes, I have written several books , but to advise on story lines and characters? Well, that takes a lot of skill which I am sure I do not possess.

Charging for reviews and then getting a terrible book which under any circumstance does not warrant a review is wrong. I guess that I would refund the money. After 3 chapters of drivel, I put down many books.

[Serena Agusto-Cox]

I would love to get paid to review books, but the market doesn't seem to sustain this. Not that I would always provide positive reviews because there are just some books that are not well written.

[Stacy-Deanne (Novelist)]

Hi Serena,

There are some sites that do pay reviewers to review books and they are considered freelance employees or writers for such sites. That is different of course, because it's not the author paying for the review. It's hard for reviewers to break into these paying fields though but they work just like if you wrote freelance articles for a site. It's just like book reviewers who do reviews for newspapers, magazines and places like Publisher's Weekly. They are paid by those places to do reviews.

The dispute is when reviewers charge authors.

Best Wishes!

http://www.stacy-deanne.net

[Morgan Mandel]

There are so many reputable free places for reviews that it's not worth it usually to pay for a review.
I had asked Romantic Times Book Reviews for a review as soon as my book came out, which was late for asking for a review. I got a response that they would consider it if I advertised there. I decided not to, because they're expensive. Also, I had placed an ad in their magazine when my last book came out and got a review also in the same issue. Trouble was I didn't like the review. I don't believe I sold any copies from spending that extra money for advertising since one negated the other. I don't mind spending a little, like $10 or so, at a small site that offers other features plus reviews to be a member, but I'm careful now about spending in other places.

Morgan Mandel
http://www.morganmandel.com
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

[Linda]

As just a book lover and reader, I would much rather read a review written by another reader rather than a professional writer droning on to fill space. We may not sound eloquent, but we say what we mean!

[Harvee Lau]

Would somebody please pay me for my book reviews? I need a trip to Greece :)

[haley mathiot]

lol don't we all ;)