History has proven that reviews can add a powerful contribution, even a cornerstone contribution, to book marketing campaigns – even bad reviews. Some specific titles come to mind. The opposite of love isn’t hate, after all. Be wary of apathy.
But with the astronomical flood of new books on the market in print and digital form, the book review process has been forced to adapt, and the most pronounced – at least talked about – form emerged as what we know as paid review services.
Paid review services have taken on criticism, even labeled unethical. But aren’t all reviews paid reviews? The last time I checked the New York Times wasn’t a 501c3. Someone is getting paid to tell us what we should be reading – a trusted source we’ve looked to for cultural and media role-modeling.
Esquire’s Stephen Marche may be a bit bold in his claim that, “written criticism — literary, music, and movie reviews by trained professionals — has never been less relevant.” But there is something to be said about here. Technology in our new “Attention Age” has changed the way we gain access to valuable information and will never go back.
Regardless of our opinions, it’s unlikely that paid reviews will be going anywhere anytime soon. And like traditional book reviews, the longer they are around the more credible they’ll become as the collective acceptance develops, especially among emerging micro-niche online social networks.
For the publishing author, ask your self-publishing service provider about review submission services for your book – they can often offer prices lower than going directly through the service provider, and handle the leg-work for you.
Self Publishing Advisor 