Roxanne Bland's Blog - Posts Tagged "paid-review"
Book Reviews
My last radio interview focused on book reviews. The first point, to state the obvious, is that a review is one person's opinion of your book. That can't be stressed enough. It is not about you as a person. I know of so many authors who take negative reviews personally, instead of for what they are. And negative reviews can be helpful. They can offer good, solid criticism that can help an author be a better writer. I know that the criticism I received on the first edition of The Underground helped make the second edition better. So don't dismiss the value of a negative review.
Second, we talked about paid reviews. There are two types of reviews, the editorial reviews--which you will pay for--and the reader reviews. Philosophically, most authors I know are against paid reviews. It cheapens and undermines the review process, they say. Money skews the review toward the positive. Philosophically, I am not against paid reviews, as long as the review is honest, meaning both parties understand that a paid review does not guarantee a good review. After all, we pay others for their opinions. Ah, but those are professionals, just like the professional reviewers. Unpaid reviewers do what they do for the love of books and reading. Yes, but is it so bad that these reviewers are paid? They invest a lot of time and effort in what they do. Personally, I have never paid for a review. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't. I have, however, investigated paid review sites, and they simply cost too much.
So that's what I think. How about you--what's your opinion?
Second, we talked about paid reviews. There are two types of reviews, the editorial reviews--which you will pay for--and the reader reviews. Philosophically, most authors I know are against paid reviews. It cheapens and undermines the review process, they say. Money skews the review toward the positive. Philosophically, I am not against paid reviews, as long as the review is honest, meaning both parties understand that a paid review does not guarantee a good review. After all, we pay others for their opinions. Ah, but those are professionals, just like the professional reviewers. Unpaid reviewers do what they do for the love of books and reading. Yes, but is it so bad that these reviewers are paid? They invest a lot of time and effort in what they do. Personally, I have never paid for a review. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't. I have, however, investigated paid review sites, and they simply cost too much.
So that's what I think. How about you--what's your opinion?
