Here is my 2c: do not pay for book reviews. Do not pay $50 for book reviews from "Xavier House Publishing". Do not pay $119 for an expedited review at Book Pleasures. Do not pay $400 for a review from Kirkus. Do not pay for reviews.
If the only way you can get a review is to bribe the reviewer you have bigger problems than the self-POD glass ceiling.
If the only way you can get a review is to bribe the reviewer you have bigger problems than the self-POD glass ceiling.
Comments
I am not promoting Readerviews; I have experience in that they are doing some of the marketing for my new book coming out in January, and I have found them to be extremely professional and prompt. They are also very attentive to the authors needs, and nothing goes out without the author's approval. I will have more feedback on the experience when all is said and done in January -- to the fact whether or not any of the marketing actually helped sales.
I have no experience with the other places, but I do know that even in traditional publishing, book reviews and blurbs aren't always on the up and up.
Caution should be the word of the day. And make sure you check your marketing company out thoroughly before you pay for anything. But the sad fact still remains, you can't sell books without some kind of marketing strategy. Having it on Amazon does nothing unless people know about it, for that to happen, you need a little marketing.
However, I as a (volunteer) reviewer don't know who's paid for a review. So if I don't like the book, I tell the proprietor, and she gives the author the option of "negative or nothing." (So far, everybody's chosen "nothing.")
Having said that, all review sites are not created equal, so one must do one's homework.
Check out their web-site at www.xavier-house.com/review.html