Q –

My publisher is trying to sell me a trifecta review service. Specifically, this consists of three reviews, by Kirkus, Clarion and Blue Ink. It’s pretty pricey but I want to sell books. Is this a good idea?

– CR

---

A –

I checked this out and, in my opinion, this is a TOTAL RIP-OFF! They are going to charge you almost $4,000 for this service. Let’s get real here. Do you REALLY think you’re going to earn back that much in royalties as a result of those three fee-based book reviews? Unless you’re already a celebrity, or you land some major press (which will be a result of YOUR marketing activities, not book reviews), it is EXTREMELY unlikely that you’ll earn back that $4,000 back as the direct result of those reviews.

Incidentally, if you ordered those reviews yourself, instead of allowing your publisher to be the middle-man, you’d spend:

Kikus Indie Reviews: $425
Clarion + Blue Ink (they have a partnership): $695
TOTAL: $1120

So, your publisher was going to pocket $2700 of your money.

It took me literally three minutes of Googling to figure out how badly your publisher is scalping its authors. And, yours is not the only publisher selling this service at such a ridiculous price.

Authors, please don’t fall for the snake oil!

You should NEVER pay for book reviews. Read why HERE.

And, do yourself and your wallet a favor by reading this:

How To EASILY Get Awesome and Honest Book Reviews That REALLY Carry Weight With Readers!

RELATED:

Outrageous Upselling by POD Publishers!

Throwing Away Your Money on Review Copies?

Can You Republish Amazon Reviews? Maybe, or Maybe Not…

WHO ARE THE REAL STARVING WRITERS? Book Reviewers!

KARMA! Man Who Sold Book Reviews Is Shamed Online

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