Q –

Hi, Angela,

I hope your Holiday was splendid and blessed. Thanks for any help you gave in getting my third mystery out there.

Question: today I received an email addressed to my pseudonym from (someone who owns a book review website). She claims she reviews new books, has been doing this for years, and has increased the sales of new authors. She has a fairly impressive website with lots of books and synopses…including (best selling books).

She has invited me to reply and ask any question about her business. Her English was good. Do you know about her? Is she legit? Or should I reply and ask some questions?

A –

I checked out her website. She definitely charges for reviews. She’s not offering free services.

I doubt she has much reach. If she’s reviewed best sellers, she probably did it for free (didn’t even tell the author or publisher) to make her site look more legitimate.

The fact that she spammed you trying to get business says a lot, too. NEVER do business with spammers. They are desperate and that’s a huge red sign.

To get legitimate reviews to use in your marketing materials, read this:

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