An invitation from Elevate London Book Club to the spotlight my novel, The Thin White Line

In the previous blog post, I engaged Book Market Architect Sophie, who promised to “step in to redirect the light” by providing “recalibrated positioning” that would result in “measurable traction, stronger reviews, organic engagement, and renewed sales cycles”.

Here’s another approach from Cristina Joy, who invited me share my novel, The Thin White Line – Culture War with Deadly Consequences, with Elevate London Book Club.

“Hi Rod. One of our readers loved your book The Thin White Line. It really stood out, and I think it deserves more readers who will truly connect with it.”

Cristina went on to explain that Elevate London was a book club where readers come together because “we love stories that make us laugh, think and feel something real.” What makes their group special is that books “are discovered naturally. Readers share what moved them and those titles often become community favorites.”

They run casual Book Spotlight chats amongst themselves and have “a relaxed conversation about your book and your writing journey. No pressure, just real talk with readers who care.”

No pressure? It’s a book club, why would there be any pressure? Real talk? As opposed to what –unreal talk or nonsense? Readers who care? Care about what? It’s a story written by a stranger? I’m thinking Cristina has hooked up with people who, at the very least, should get out more.

“After the chat,” that would be the no pressure, real talk, caring discussion, “those readers leave genuine reviews on Amazon or Goodreads. The kind that actually help books get noticed.”

“The catch here is”, yes, she actually used that phrase, “you choose how many readers join in: 20 to 40 or More! Each reader receives a tip as a thank you for their time.”

She’ll share the details if I’m interested.

I respond, with a few questions:

– how much is the tip? Is there a minimum? Is there a volume discount – more reviewers less tip per individual?

– are the reviews honest? I mean, I usually don’t tip for bad service so just asking.

– how long are the reviews? I would consider a better tip for say a comprehensive review of about 250 words, than for one sentence

– are the reviews specific? Do they address the characters and plot or are then generic like “really thrilling”, “couldn’t put it down”, “another Brad Thor”, that sort of thing where there is no indication the book was read.

– who are you? Where do your recruit your reviewers from? How come you don’t have an internet of social media presence? How did you come across my book? 

– do you buy my book, do I gift it, send you a pdf?

– how is the tip paid. PayPal, transfer, cheque, someone comes by my house for the cash? 

– can I join your review team? You’re (I mean they) are probably making more on “tips” than I do on royalties.

– do you ever have any twinges about scamming people, not saying that you are, of course? Ever consider putting your efforts into writing your own book? With your own team grinding out the reviews, I’ll bet you could do well.  So, yes, sounds like “my kind of thing”, actually right up my alley. Finally, my genius will be recognized!

Dear Rod, I had a good laugh reading you message, I really appreciate your humor and the detailed questions. Let me go through them properly;

The reader tip is a small token of appreciation, usually around 15 -25 per participant, and authors often choose between 20 to 40 readers or more, depending on how much engagement they want.

The reviews are completely honest. The tip is simply a thank you for the reader’s in the discussion. Some reviews are glowing, some are balanced but all are genuine.

The review length varies. Many readers write a few thoughtful paragraphs, often around 100 to 250 words, especially when something in the story connects with them. Others keep it shorter but still personal.

The reviews are specific. We encourage readers to share what stood out to them such as characters, plot, pacing or themes so it’s never just the usual “really thrilling” kind of comment.

About me, I’m Cristina Joy and I help organize Elevate London Book Club. We’re a small group of readers who chat about stories we love. Most of our readers come from book clubs and reading circles. We stay fairly low-key online so we don’t push a big social media presence.  You can find us on Meetup though.

For our reading, You can share a digital copy, PDF or ePub, whichever is easiest for you. We would also need a discussion guide that usually contains the following:

• A brief synopsis (to refresh readers’ memories)

• 5–8 discussion questions or prompts

• Any key themes/questions you’d like readers to focus on

After, most readers end up wanting to get their own copies!

Tips are sent securely through Payoneer, direct bank transfer, whichever you prefer, let me know what works for you and I can arrange accordingly with our funds manager.

As for joining the review team, you’d probably fit right in with your wit and energy.

And no, no twinges of guilt here. I love connecting authors with readers in a genuine way and I leave the storytelling to the experts you know.

I hope that clears everything up nicely. How many readers would you like to include for *The Thin White Line*?, what would be your budget per reader, and when would you be permitted to send us your discussion guide?

Hope to hear from you soon .

A book club with a funds manager?

Dear Christina, Just a few more things, if you don’t mind. I’m afraid your response does not “clear(s) everything up nicely”. You write,

“The reader tip is a small token of appreciation, usually around 15 -25 per participant, and authors often choose between 20 to 40 readers or more, depending on how much engagement they want.”

15-25 of what? If you’re talking percentage than it would be helpful to know the price per participant.

And I’m confused. Why would I need to provide “A brief synopsis (to refresh readers’ memories)”, or anything else for that matter. My book “really stood out, and …deserves more readers who will truly connect with it”, at least according to you. I’m good with their opinions once they’ve read the book (which I’d be supplying). No need for discussion questions or prompts or key themes/questions to focus on.

Thanks for your patience. I’m a stickler for details and you know what they say, “the devil is in the details”. Well, maybe not the devil, but you know what I mean.

Anxiously awaiting your reply,

HI Rod, I completely understand where you’re coming from and I appreciate how closely you look at the details. It’s the same care we try to take when organizing these sessions.

To clarify, the tip isn’t a percentage. It’s a flat token, usually between £15 to £25 per reader. Some authors start smaller, others go higher depending on how many readers they’d like involved.

About the synopsis, I hear you on that too. The note I mentioned isn’t about shaping opinions. You don’t need to add prompts or themes unless you want to, though some authors enjoy including a few points they want readers to discover or talk about.

I really appreciate your attention to detail, and it’s what helps make it smooth and transparent for everyone involved.

So, how many readers would you be moving forward with?

Hmm. Getting impatient, Cristina?

Dear Cristina, 

Thanks for providing the information. 

Right now, the £15 is equivalent to $28.20 CA x 15 reviewers = $423.00. You can call it what you like but it’s still paying for a review, which I refuse to do. It’s the inherent conflict of interest that gets me – another one of my idiosyncrasies, you know, like the devil in the details thing. 

That and the fact I can’t get my head around working on a novel for two years, then giving it to someone free and having to pay them to read and comment on it. 

Call me naive, call me old fashion, but I still think a well-written book will find readers (and reviewers). If it doesn’t, then I have to believe it’s because the author (me) lacks the necessary craft. If I think otherwise, it’s an excuse to not improve as a writer.

The reason groups like yours (no judgement) thrive (and apparently, they are – I get about three similar requests a week) is that writers refuse to believe their book is terrible, that their dream of being a bestselling author is not going to come true (the Dunning–Kruger effect). And so, they look for shortcuts, a formula, thrive on stories about the exception proving the rule (Harry Potter was rejected 12 times, Gone With the Wind  25+ times), Carrie by Stephen King 30 times) and people like yourself who help keep the dream alive for a price – not necessarily a bad thing.  

The Thin White Line is a good book, certainly worth $3.99 USD. So, here’s my counter offer. I’ll forgive the cost (two years) it took to research and write it, absorb the $3.99 price of the ebook and send you 15 PDF files of the manuscript free to pass on to Elevate London Book Club members – or better still have them get in touch with me directly to save you the hassle. Maybe I’ll get some reviews, maybe I won’t, but it will save what little integrity I have left, not to mention $423.00.

Hi Rod, I just wanted to check in and see if you’d had a chance to think about our last exchange.If there’s anything you’d like me to clarify, I’m happy to.

Once they think they’ve got you on the hook, they’re reluctant to give up.

Here’s the thing.

If you’re a self-published author on Amazon, you can go to ChapGBT and ask it to write a review of your book–and it will. It will provide enough information for a scammer to knock a half dozen reviews that look authentic. Tweak your request by asking AI to focus on something specific in your book, like characterization, and there’s enough new information for a half dozen more.

Same goes for establishing key words or other meta data. You can even ask AI to produce a book cover.

This is free for you–and for scammers. Though often not very professional, new authors chasing the dream, may not be too discriminating–and prepared to pay the price.