I was asked this by a new author who had approached a blogger and asked her to review her book. The blogger had quoted her a price, and being a new author, she wasn’t sure whether this was standard practice or not. The truth is, as an author and blogger of three years, I couldn’t really give her a definitive answer one way or the other.
Personally, I have reviewed books for authors and I have had my books reviewed by bloggers, and there has never been any expectation of a fee unless you count a copy of the book which I don’t think of as a fee, simply as a means to an end.
So Why Couldn’t I Answer the Question?
I think this is such a grey area, but before I dive into why, let me first say no one should be paying for or charging for Amazon reviews. This is against Amazon’s policy and if you get found out, the reviews will be removed and in some cases, your books might even be removed from the platform. I am talking here about reviews on other people’s blogs.
Half of me wanted to say yes, that’s fair. Anyone who has followed this blog for a while will know that I feel very strongly about bloggers being paid fairly for their work, just the same as any other person working in any other job.
The other half of me was sure the answer was no. As an author, I want reviewers to be honest about my book, and if they don’t like it, that’s ok, it’s just one opinion, but at the same time (maybe I shouldn’t admit this but I will) I honestly wouldn’t be too happy about the idea of paying someone to say my book was rubbish.
What Is the Answer?
After much soul searching, I think it comes down a lot to the person making the request. I think it’s a much different thing to charge a large publishing house for a multiple review contract than it is to charge an indie author for a one off review. Having said that, if a blogger wanted to charge for the time it took to read the book as opposed to the actual review, I couldn’t help but think that was fair.
Personally, I wouldn’t pay for reviews because I can’t help but think that gives an expectation of a 5* review whether you enjoyed the book or not, and for the same reason, I wouldn’t charge for a review, but I appreciate everyone will have their own opinion on this, and ultimately, if you find yourself at either end of this situation, it’s up to you to decide what you do or don’t feel comfortable with.
What do you think? As an author, do you expect to pay for book reviews? As a blogger, do you charge for book reviews? As a reader, would it make you trust the opinion of the blogger less if they had been paid to review a book? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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As a writer, I don’t expect to pay for a review and as a reviewer I have never even thought of charging. It’s one thing to be paid for a review for a magazine or newspaper and quite another for a blog like mine. I don’t do this for a living. It also means I can refuse a review request. The one thing I do expect is to be able to keep the book. If this sounds strange, there is a major publisher which “lends” you the ebook via Bluefire Reader – it vanishes after 60 days. They did this to me twice – the first time it didn’t matter because they were sending me the print copy when available, but the next time the book just vanished. I had read the book, prepared an interview for the author, who then refused the interview, so – a waste of my time and no book to show for it.
Wow, that’s crazy. I’ve never encountered a situation where it’s not clear that the reviewer keeps the book. Talk about rude expecting a review and not even letting you keep the book!
I completely agree with you here. I have clearly mentioned that I will not do “paid reviews” because I would like to reserve my rights to be honest which will be diluted when money comes into the picture. Also, when I released my book last year, I sent it for free and honest reviews and politely refused when reviewers demanded a fee. I think this is the best way.
I would still be honest either way – I have much more of a duty to my readers than I have to someone who has paid me a one off fee – but it does put you in a really awkward position.
There are so many bloggers out there now who are tired of putting in several hours of their time for no monetary return. I can understand that to some degree and I think it would come down to what they’re offering in return – maybe they have a huge following and the $$ = exposure? I’m sure there are plenty of bloggers who review for free and if you don’t want to pay someone, then you go with a blogger who will review for a copy of the book.
It’s a tricky one for me because I can see it from both sides, but with literally everything blogging related, I’m always telling people to know their worth and not work for free.
I think you should get paid. Unless you have a hobby blog, then fine. And of course you may decide it suits you to do a free review. But it has taken you hours and hours of work to harness your following and if someone/brands approach you and want their products reviewed on your site you should be compensated for that. I simply only take payment for things I know I would love – that’s tricky with books. So I would agree to accept the free book without any review until I have read it – then if I love it I would except to write the review for a previously agreed fee. That way my blog stays a positive site, I’m not into brand bashing. Blogs are our business and if we don’t treat it that way, how do we expect others? xx
It’s funny because with literally everything except books, that’s exactly how my mind works (as I’m sure you know because I’m always banging on about it lol), and there’s a large part of me agrees with it for book reviews too. I really like your idea of a pre-arrangement though.
I’ll chime in since I published my first book less than a month ago and I’ve been blogging for 6 years. I personally would not pay for a review of a book. I would however be ecstatic if any blogger friends happened to write about it. I also wouldn’t take any money to write a blog review because I would feel awful if I didn’t love the book after reading it.
I do think giving away a free book in exchange for a blog review is ok, but only if I really know the person and I’m positive my book will be something they enjoyed. I’ve also done book reviews for my blogger friends because I truly enjoyed the content.
I think the biggest thing is to be honest about what you’ve been given in exchange for a review so that consumers can determine if they trust what you’re saying. That’s why I love your blog, you have built a reputation of pointing people towards great reads! #AnythingGoes
I am totally going to review your book – it’s on my review list after the one I’m currently reading 🙂
I mostly review books I have bought and enjoyed and want to recommend to other people now, but if I do accept a review request, I always make it clear I was given a free copy to review and if I don’t like the book, I will say so. I love that people come to me for their next great read and I could never recommend a book I thought was bad, even if it was from someone I know.
My answer to both questions is no. As an author, I have never paid for a review. My blog reviews family-friendly books and I have never charged for a review. On the other hand, I have seen the number of requests for reviews go up dramatically from authors who use the contact form on my website to ask for reviews. If the book doesn’t interest me, I don’t review it. Occasionally, I will be sent a book that is really horrible, in terms of content, poor editing or formatting. In that case, I usually write the author with comments or suggestions without posting a review. I sincerely want to help other authors, but all of this takes a lot of time away from my own writing and marketing. I may have to rethink my policy at a later date.
I know what you mean – I love being able to help other authors, but I turn done most review requests now because I just don’t have the time to dedicate to them.
As a reader, I would trust the opinion of the blogger less if they had been paid to review a book.
#AnythingGoes
Yes, I think I would too
I agree with what you said about giving a free copy of the book to someone for a review, but that’s as far as I would go. As an author, I agree with your thought that it would be pretty crappy to pay someone for a bad review, but it also doesn’t make sense to pay so you get a good review. That’s not honest either.
So, no, I wouldn’t pay as an author, and I wouldn’t charge as a reviewer/blogger. Great thoughts!
Yeah I think paying for the review at all can skew it, and as much as I would be happy to pay for someone’s time, even with that distinction you are left with what is essentially a paid review.
Difficult one to answer when books can give such pleasure but when reviews are piling up and there is no guarantee you will like the book, I could equally argue reviews should be paid for. I have never charged though #AnythingGoes
It’s a hard one isn’t, because both sides of the argument have such valid points.
I review lots of books on my blog, but as it’s something I really love doing I’ve never considered charging for a review. I like to leave reviews on Amazon too. #anythinggoes
I didn’t even know it was a thing to charge for them to be honest
As a reader, I prefer voluntary reviews. #AnythingGoes
Me too – I like to think the person genuinely wanted to share their thoughts on a book
As someone who has reviewed several of your books Debbie, the thought of ever charging never came to mind. You raise an interesting point though. Some bloggers only do book reviews and that’s how they get paid but I follow a book reviewer who doesn’t get her books directly from the author but from the publishing company. Not through Amazon. I think that is different.
I’ve also recently just thought of my own book reviews and I have never thought to even put a disclaimer up stating that it isn’t paid for and therefore my opinions are my own. Maybe I should? Like my book of the month are usually books I have bought and choose to read on my own time. And even when I review one of yours or when I review Heather’s it will be my own time. Reading is a part of my daily routine so why would I charge for that? I don’t know. I think it depends on the blogger and if the author is willing to pay or not. As some have said already there are plenty of bloggers out there willing to do a review for free. #AnythingGoes
Yeah, I think it’s different if you’re doing it on behalf of a big publishing house. To me it’s like the difference between doing a post for a local boutique store vs a post for Walmart. I only put a disclaimer up if I’m sent the book, not if I’m not, but it really has no effect on my opinion of it – life is too short to read bad books and I could never recommend one.
I only agree to review books I want to read, so I don’t class it as work and wouldn’t as for a fee. That said, if they expect social shares and more than a couple of paragraphs of reviewing, I’d probably say yes. #bloggerclubuk
In my experience, authors are grateful for any review, but I agree. If I encountered a diva author who tried to dictate terms of how long the review would be, where it would be shared etc, then I wouldn’t be doing that for a book as payment.
The big review sites, like Kirkus and BlueInk, are paid for reviews. Some give you the option of not having the review published if it’s negative; Kirkus does not, and you’re paying hundreds of dollars, so it’s a risk.
If a blogger was going to charge for reviews, he/she better have a damn strong following. Don’t get me wrong–I love and support book bloggers, but I see lots who barely have ten followers. Getting a book promoted on their site is not going to help you too much. They should also have the option where you don’t have to have it publicized if you don’t like the review. So you’ll have paid the fee, but you don’t need to accept the book shame.
If someone has a huge, avid following, then yes, they could get away with charging.
I’d be loathe to spend hundreds of dollars on a review, even a glowing one, when I think of all the better things I could do with it marketing wise.
Hello Debbie,
I agree with your rationale. Thank you for posting about this. In all honesty, I wouldn’t know what to expect whether I’m the author or the reviewer. You have shed some light on this topic for me.
Best,
Sigrid
It’s definitely one that seems to split opinion!
I’m not sure whether there is a right or wrong here. Personally, I find it a bit weird if a blogger asks for payment unless as J.H. Moncrieff says, they have a strong following x #AnythingGoes
Yeah I think it comes down to personal choice and whether or not people are willing to pay x
Popping back over from #BloggerClubUK x
Tough question. I know some very well written books that I just did not enjoy. Does not mean they were bad. Just not my style. #bloggerclubUK
Yeah it’s really subjective
Popping back via #BloggerClubUK – had an odd one the other day where my husband read the book but I ended up writing the review which speaks volumes about my marriage really. Sorry – too much over-sharing there! #AnythingGoes
Haha, I love it!
It’s a tricky one but I’ve reviewed books and never charged a fee…I can see both sides though! #BloggerClubUK
Yes, same here!
It would depend on different circumstances if the Blogger is stretched and needs money Time is Money. If your getting lots of people asking it wouldn’t be fair not to be paid. Non paid you would have to be freed up plus gain a book or not depending if you wanted it. But then again giving away the book to the reviewer would be the polite thing todo.
Personally I’d be happy with the book non paid
I personally don’t charge for book reviews, but I only accept reviews of books I like the sound of, and I always make it clear to the author that they might be waiting quite a long time as I have to fit reading it in where I can.
I’m not an author,but i don’t think you shouldn’t pay anyone for reviewing your book x
I have been blogging for 10 years. I have over 19k Twitter followers. I review books received directly from authors and I review books that publishers send to me. I have never charged and never will. I review books for a national newspaper. I am paid for those reviews but I am paid by the newspaper, not by the author or publisher. In fact that authors/publishers have no idea that I’m reviewing them for the newspaper until it’s published. My blog is not my job. Hope this helps
I would definitely expect to be paid by the newspaper if I was writing the review for them as to me that’s the same as producing any content for them and you wouldn’t write an article for them for free, so why a review?