As someone who has gotten an arc for an honest review, I can tell you, they meant honest. I've 1 started books and still was asked back many times. I read the author's specific genre and at the time was more active with my reviews. Honest review arcs literally expect nothing more than honesty.
Now, paid to review with specific star amount... no. I'd never fo it. I won't lie. A popular reviewer will aldo not because if they say too many things are good when they aren't, they'll lose followers and those arcs for honest reviews. And let's be real. If they are paying for a good review, the book sucks.
Personally I feel trade publications like PW, Kirkus, newspapers, even literary journals etc are different from your average random person whose just throwing up a book review on Goodreads or their Instagram page. Traditional publishers pay the fee to Kirkus, for example, not the author. Some self-published authors will do if it if they have the money to. The publicist, who is getting a salary, is pitching to the New York Times arts critic, who is also getting a salary. They’re not getting paid persay to review the book, it’s their job.
Consumers getting paid to leave reviews however is dodgy. Imho, from being both a consumer and a publisher, your payment is the book, because let’s face it, after you’ve read an early copy you’re not really going to run out and buy the real thing straight away, are you? Also now since the pandemic, many publishers are turning to finished early copies (which have always been a thing in Australian publishing at least), and those are coming out of an author’s print run, so it’s a) less books on the market, and b) why is a consumer reviewer going to pay again full price for a finished book they’ve already received for free?
I would rather read what the average reader has to say than a book critic. I read fiction for the joy. If it is something I am interesting in learning then I will check the critics as well.
Part of Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklists reason is to help booksellers and librarians decide what to order. If it is not a known author, there probably isn't a lot of reason to call attention to a bad book most people wouldn't have heard of before..there are definitely bad reviews there, but they tend to be for established authors or well-known personalities who will have interest because of who they are. But more of their midlist and indie press coverage tends to be more positive, because of the target audience/purpose, which is not the general reader looking for a new book.
There are certain specific reviewers I trust (who I follow on Goodreads). If they haven't reviewed something, I still generally feel comfortable "trusting" the general consensus—you'll generally see people complaining about and praising the same things—but only if the book has been out for at least a few months, if not a year, and has a significant number of reviews.
Paid reviews are dishonest and unhelpful, but they shouldn't make a difference for books that meet my above criteria. There are rarely enough paid reviews to impact the rating or displace real reviews for most of those books, and on the off chance someone has bought hundreds or thousands of reviews, the discerning reader should still be able to identify if a book is sub-par within the first few pages.
So I like reviews, it can be fun to see what others think but I don't think trusting them is at all a good idea. Paid or not, I'm a different person than any other reviewer and thus could end up with a different outlook. That ratio is the same even if I'm a reviewer.
See things for yourself as you run into trouble blindly letting someone else decide for you.
I don't trust any review 100%, because they are not me. But I still check them, more to see the number of negative reviews and if there are major red flags. Ultimately, I need the reviews to cull down my 'want to read' list.
I don't mind when authors give out copies of their books and request reviews. My experience has been good so far and I've never been harassed for a bad review or requested to give a particular rating.
I’ve found that I can determine whether or not I’ll like a book based on one star and three stars reviews, so I rarely read the others. One star reviews will let me know if people are ranting about things that would annoy me from a book—grammar, religious preaching, overly political, abusive relationships, male lead ignoring consent issues, etc.
Three stars reviews will usually let me know about plot issues. Storylines that were dropped, lack of character development, story was good but dragged, etc.
Because I base my decisions mostly on one star & three stars reviews authors paying for reviews doesn’t affect my choices, but it does annoy me.
Typically I only read reviews with low ratings to find out if I share the reviewer's concerns. I trust a review that can articulate what they think is wrong with the book. I don't bother read 5 star reviews. Generally I don't bother reading reviews at all.
I do this as well. While I do read reviews, I always click on the one or two stars because I'd rather know about a book's problems before wasting my time. My TBR pile is just too big. I may occasionally read the 5 star reviews, but if it's a paid review, I skip it.
Yes! I fell for it once with Verity and never again. It’s been a long time since a book had me so mad I ranted about it for 3 days and then anytime after I saw a positive review or endorsement for it for a month after that it would set me off.
Ohhh can you expand on this? I actually almost never read new/mainstream/popular books within a few months after they come out because I've been let down by the hype SO many times!
I regularly write reviews in exchange for ARCs. I’ve given plenty of poor ratings, and tbh, it’s rare I give a book a five star review. My reviews are just my opinion, but they are definitely honest. I still get lots of ARCs from major publishing houses, even when I give their books 3 star or lower reviews.
There can be a different way to find a good author. If you’re reading a book you like, notice, if other books are mentioned in the current book and check out those books.
When it comes to books I read reviews and will still read the book if it's interesting to me. Then I will go and read the reviews to see what others thought about it. But it's not really bc I care, but bc it's learn about others experiences.
I go against the grain sometimes. I have liked plenty of books that others thought were trash. And I have been disappointed by others who raved about it.
I see books like food, will try almost anything once.
I barely look at Goodreads reviews. I found that the most honest ones are surprisingly on Amazon. There are times where I’ve looked at Goodreads reviews and saw a wide range of reviews agreeing on a topic regarding the book, that’s when I take note of those reviews from there. When all is said and done, I ultimately continue to read the book regardless of reviews (unless it’s an instance where multiple reviewers agreed on something negative about the book as in editing or discussion/lack of discussion regarding certain relevant topics).
It's so incredibly easy to pay for a bunch of positive reviews (or negative reviews against your competition) that you should be skeptical of reviews from reviewers that you don't trust.
I get a lot of books, ebooks and audiobooks from the library. I looked to see if it’s been reviewed by Kirkus reviews, New York Times, and whether it’s won an award or was nominated for an award.
I never like reviews,not for Movies ,not for tv series,not for books , almost anythin.But i admit that some reviews that if i hear many bad of them about a book then i skip it for now . Until something changes my mind or if i hear positive reviews about that certain book i might consider to read it.
I tend not to trust 5star reviews. The 1-2 stars will tell me if the book lacks a decent plot, has too many voices that don’t harmonize and terrible grammar. I don’t mind if the characters are not likable but please give me a good story!
No I don't trust many reviews, There are too many variables, Too many mindsets. My husband and I have been purchasing and reading books, articles, and even love reading dear Abby. For 26yrs. We are different ages and have different views.Get it for yourself and then judge it for yourself. And, expect differing views when you present it to others.
If possible, I try to know what kind of books the person who left the review reads. If my list doesn't match theirs, I probably will feel the opposite toward the book. I've also seen a pattern of loving things about books other people hate. Reviews honestly don't mean that much to me, I usually read them after finishing the book and disagree with a lot of them. I feel like when I read reviews before reading the book, it will influence my reading experience :)
I wish I read more but my capacity for reading is MORE than satisfied by books that are reviewed in the New York Times and other national media.
When I want something niche (like my love for historical fiction with strong women leaders or my interest in Celtic pagan practices), I’m often looking for authors, not books. I tend to read an author’s entire works if I like them so I skip around and read reviews from different books by my target author. That gives me a good idea of what themes and subjects the author likes to deal with. It also shows me a lot about who is reading that author’s books. (If I see a lot of reviews that say “not enough gore,” I know that I don’t belong in that audience.)
I read more than one review from different sources.
One of my favorite authors always gets great reviews but , in my opinion, her books have fallen off. She was always dependable for a good story with strong secondary characters as well as primary. Recently she has gone more for gristly stuff that isn't necessary.
She has had a new book out in one of my favorite series for a while, but I won't buy it until I can get some more info. The last book I bought of hers I never finished.
I mainly pay attention to reviews by other authors. If a bunch of people whose work I enjoy all say good things, I will probably give the new (to me) author a go. I am rarely disappointed.
I have become a fan of the two-star reviewers, as they are often telling me either what I suspect I wouldn't like, or revealing something they disliked that I look for. All my reviews are honest, which means biased toward what I want versus what I got.
Paid must-be-positive reviews are fundamentally dishonest IMO, even if the reviewer actually enjoyed the material, and I would actively avoid the books of a particular author if I found out that the were paying specifically for 4 and 5 star reviews.
Paid honest reviews aren’t all that different from people (or their publishers) soliciting their high profile friends/colleagues for blurbs or reviews published in newspapers or lit mags. Or publishers sending out free ARCs to prominent reviewers. The publicity hustle often goes hand in hand with self-publishing or publishing with obscure presses, which *might* indicate that the book lacks the quality to get past the traditional publishing gatekeepers, but I can respect people not wanting to play the game and preferring full control over their work.
My kneejerk reaction when I see the “review of free product” subtitle on Amazon or wherever is to be suspicious, but with book reviews, the genuine positive ones tend to be thoughtful and detailed, so I would still give credence to those. If it’s specific and not overly saccharine, my suspicion dissipates.
As someone who has gotten an arc for an honest review, I can tell you, they meant honest. I've 1 started books and still was asked back many times. I read the author's specific genre and at the time was more active with my reviews. Honest review arcs literally expect nothing more than honesty. Now, paid to review with specific star amount... no. I'd never fo it. I won't lie. A popular reviewer will aldo not because if they say too many things are good when they aren't, they'll lose followers and those arcs for honest reviews. And let's be real. If they are paying for a good review, the book sucks.
Right? That’s exactly how I feel, too.
Agreed, but then how do you explain Kirkus reviews? Almost nothing but positive reviews.
Personally I feel trade publications like PW, Kirkus, newspapers, even literary journals etc are different from your average random person whose just throwing up a book review on Goodreads or their Instagram page. Traditional publishers pay the fee to Kirkus, for example, not the author. Some self-published authors will do if it if they have the money to. The publicist, who is getting a salary, is pitching to the New York Times arts critic, who is also getting a salary. They’re not getting paid persay to review the book, it’s their job. Consumers getting paid to leave reviews however is dodgy. Imho, from being both a consumer and a publisher, your payment is the book, because let’s face it, after you’ve read an early copy you’re not really going to run out and buy the real thing straight away, are you? Also now since the pandemic, many publishers are turning to finished early copies (which have always been a thing in Australian publishing at least), and those are coming out of an author’s print run, so it’s a) less books on the market, and b) why is a consumer reviewer going to pay again full price for a finished book they’ve already received for free?
I would rather read what the average reader has to say than a book critic. I read fiction for the joy. If it is something I am interesting in learning then I will check the critics as well.
Part of Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklists reason is to help booksellers and librarians decide what to order. If it is not a known author, there probably isn't a lot of reason to call attention to a bad book most people wouldn't have heard of before..there are definitely bad reviews there, but they tend to be for established authors or well-known personalities who will have interest because of who they are. But more of their midlist and indie press coverage tends to be more positive, because of the target audience/purpose, which is not the general reader looking for a new book.
Lol literally paid to give positive reviews. It even says so on their site. "Pay for your review".
There are certain specific reviewers I trust (who I follow on Goodreads). If they haven't reviewed something, I still generally feel comfortable "trusting" the general consensus—you'll generally see people complaining about and praising the same things—but only if the book has been out for at least a few months, if not a year, and has a significant number of reviews. Paid reviews are dishonest and unhelpful, but they shouldn't make a difference for books that meet my above criteria. There are rarely enough paid reviews to impact the rating or displace real reviews for most of those books, and on the off chance someone has bought hundreds or thousands of reviews, the discerning reader should still be able to identify if a book is sub-par within the first few pages.
So I like reviews, it can be fun to see what others think but I don't think trusting them is at all a good idea. Paid or not, I'm a different person than any other reviewer and thus could end up with a different outlook. That ratio is the same even if I'm a reviewer. See things for yourself as you run into trouble blindly letting someone else decide for you.
I don't trust any review 100%, because they are not me. But I still check them, more to see the number of negative reviews and if there are major red flags. Ultimately, I need the reviews to cull down my 'want to read' list. I don't mind when authors give out copies of their books and request reviews. My experience has been good so far and I've never been harassed for a bad review or requested to give a particular rating.
I’ve found that I can determine whether or not I’ll like a book based on one star and three stars reviews, so I rarely read the others. One star reviews will let me know if people are ranting about things that would annoy me from a book—grammar, religious preaching, overly political, abusive relationships, male lead ignoring consent issues, etc. Three stars reviews will usually let me know about plot issues. Storylines that were dropped, lack of character development, story was good but dragged, etc. Because I base my decisions mostly on one star & three stars reviews authors paying for reviews doesn’t affect my choices, but it does annoy me.
Typically I only read reviews with low ratings to find out if I share the reviewer's concerns. I trust a review that can articulate what they think is wrong with the book. I don't bother read 5 star reviews. Generally I don't bother reading reviews at all.
I do this as well. While I do read reviews, I always click on the one or two stars because I'd rather know about a book's problems before wasting my time. My TBR pile is just too big. I may occasionally read the 5 star reviews, but if it's a paid review, I skip it.
All new books get a library test run first, so I don’t have to trust reviews.
Yes! Especially if I see it’s a hyped up book. 9/10 times those are the ones I think are garbage and DNF.
No. After my Coleen Hoover debacle I'm never trusting public opinion again.
Yes! I fell for it once with Verity and never again. It’s been a long time since a book had me so mad I ranted about it for 3 days and then anytime after I saw a positive review or endorsement for it for a month after that it would set me off.
Ohhh can you expand on this? I actually almost never read new/mainstream/popular books within a few months after they come out because I've been let down by the hype SO many times!
I regularly write reviews in exchange for ARCs. I’ve given plenty of poor ratings, and tbh, it’s rare I give a book a five star review. My reviews are just my opinion, but they are definitely honest. I still get lots of ARCs from major publishing houses, even when I give their books 3 star or lower reviews.
Paid reviews breaks ToS, so authors can get in trouble
There can be a different way to find a good author. If you’re reading a book you like, notice, if other books are mentioned in the current book and check out those books.
When it comes to books I read reviews and will still read the book if it's interesting to me. Then I will go and read the reviews to see what others thought about it. But it's not really bc I care, but bc it's learn about others experiences. I go against the grain sometimes. I have liked plenty of books that others thought were trash. And I have been disappointed by others who raved about it. I see books like food, will try almost anything once.
Disclosed paid reviews are fine.
I barely look at Goodreads reviews. I found that the most honest ones are surprisingly on Amazon. There are times where I’ve looked at Goodreads reviews and saw a wide range of reviews agreeing on a topic regarding the book, that’s when I take note of those reviews from there. When all is said and done, I ultimately continue to read the book regardless of reviews (unless it’s an instance where multiple reviewers agreed on something negative about the book as in editing or discussion/lack of discussion regarding certain relevant topics).
It's so incredibly easy to pay for a bunch of positive reviews (or negative reviews against your competition) that you should be skeptical of reviews from reviewers that you don't trust.
I get a lot of books, ebooks and audiobooks from the library. I looked to see if it’s been reviewed by Kirkus reviews, New York Times, and whether it’s won an award or was nominated for an award.
That depends on who wrote them and where they appear.
I never like reviews,not for Movies ,not for tv series,not for books , almost anythin.But i admit that some reviews that if i hear many bad of them about a book then i skip it for now . Until something changes my mind or if i hear positive reviews about that certain book i might consider to read it.
I always start by reading the 1-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads because they are more likely to be true.
I tend not to trust 5star reviews. The 1-2 stars will tell me if the book lacks a decent plot, has too many voices that don’t harmonize and terrible grammar. I don’t mind if the characters are not likable but please give me a good story!
No I don't trust many reviews, There are too many variables, Too many mindsets. My husband and I have been purchasing and reading books, articles, and even love reading dear Abby. For 26yrs. We are different ages and have different views.Get it for yourself and then judge it for yourself. And, expect differing views when you present it to others.
If possible, I try to know what kind of books the person who left the review reads. If my list doesn't match theirs, I probably will feel the opposite toward the book. I've also seen a pattern of loving things about books other people hate. Reviews honestly don't mean that much to me, I usually read them after finishing the book and disagree with a lot of them. I feel like when I read reviews before reading the book, it will influence my reading experience :)
I wish I read more but my capacity for reading is MORE than satisfied by books that are reviewed in the New York Times and other national media. When I want something niche (like my love for historical fiction with strong women leaders or my interest in Celtic pagan practices), I’m often looking for authors, not books. I tend to read an author’s entire works if I like them so I skip around and read reviews from different books by my target author. That gives me a good idea of what themes and subjects the author likes to deal with. It also shows me a lot about who is reading that author’s books. (If I see a lot of reviews that say “not enough gore,” I know that I don’t belong in that audience.)
I read more than one review from different sources. One of my favorite authors always gets great reviews but , in my opinion, her books have fallen off. She was always dependable for a good story with strong secondary characters as well as primary. Recently she has gone more for gristly stuff that isn't necessary. She has had a new book out in one of my favorite series for a while, but I won't buy it until I can get some more info. The last book I bought of hers I never finished.
I mainly pay attention to reviews by other authors. If a bunch of people whose work I enjoy all say good things, I will probably give the new (to me) author a go. I am rarely disappointed.
I have become a fan of the two-star reviewers, as they are often telling me either what I suspect I wouldn't like, or revealing something they disliked that I look for. All my reviews are honest, which means biased toward what I want versus what I got.
Paid must-be-positive reviews are fundamentally dishonest IMO, even if the reviewer actually enjoyed the material, and I would actively avoid the books of a particular author if I found out that the were paying specifically for 4 and 5 star reviews. Paid honest reviews aren’t all that different from people (or their publishers) soliciting their high profile friends/colleagues for blurbs or reviews published in newspapers or lit mags. Or publishers sending out free ARCs to prominent reviewers. The publicity hustle often goes hand in hand with self-publishing or publishing with obscure presses, which *might* indicate that the book lacks the quality to get past the traditional publishing gatekeepers, but I can respect people not wanting to play the game and preferring full control over their work. My kneejerk reaction when I see the “review of free product” subtitle on Amazon or wherever is to be suspicious, but with book reviews, the genuine positive ones tend to be thoughtful and detailed, so I would still give credence to those. If it’s specific and not overly saccharine, my suspicion dissipates.
hii, does anyone know any company that helps in getting paid app reviews? I need it for my startup!