# Does anyone else use Readers' Favorite for reviews?



## authorkcfinn (Jan 8, 2016)

I just got this really superb 5 star review from them and it made me wonder who else uses them here. I've always been very satisfied with the service.
"Boosted by Finn's narrative style, it didn't take me long to become immersed in the story. Finn's writing is witty, compelling and emotional. I found myself chuckling along with some lines, as well as on edge with the suspenseful bits."
https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-book-of-shade


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## M.W. Griffith (Oct 13, 2015)

Interesting.  I'll look into it.


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## Accord64 (Mar 12, 2012)

Congratulations! A nice review.

I've never heard of them until this post. Looked over their website and had a couple of questions for you:

1. Did you use their "free" review option?
2. Have they been trying to up-sell you on their paid services?

Thanks.


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

I don't get what this group does.  They offer "free review of your book" but is it only ONE book per author that's free (and the rest paid, perhaps)?  The website sort of sends off alarm bells in me.  Obviously they have to make their money somehow, so I assume the free review is to attract writers to their site and from there they try to rope writers into paying for services.  Not illegal, obviously, but.....    

Hmmm, wikipedia lists Readers Favorites as a "vanity book award" site.  Probably like those high school "Who's Who" books--if you pay, you 'win' the honor.


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## Guest (Jan 12, 2016)

Looked at a few categories and random pages... no reviews lower than a four star! If the first review is free, are they ever going to give a bad one since they want you to pay for more?


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## Guest (Jan 12, 2016)

The have a "review exchange" service and they sell express reviews. BOTH of these are clear violations of the Amazon TOS that we have discussed repeatedly on this site. 

The also "sponsor" an awards mill...which is another way to mooch money out of authors.


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## A. N. Other Author (Oct 11, 2014)

I looked into this a while ago and although it sounded a little suspect I took a punt on one of my earlier books. I don't know how true it is, but they SAY they do not publish bogus reviews, but nor do they publish "bad" ones. Minimum 4-star, hence their excellent review page. 

They claim that it is still legit because if the reader they allocate does not like it, they pass it on to someone else, and then someone else, and so-on. I don't have time to look properly as I'm typing this in my lunch break at work but from memory, if they cannot find a positive review after (5?) tries they refund you the money. 

Clearly it does not appear 100% above board, and I'm sure some may say (although I couldn't POSSibly comment) that the wording of those clauses COULD be to add legitimacy to a service that isn't entirely honest. Possibly. 

(am i covered there, lawyers?)

But I have no direct evidence as they reviewed a book of mine well that had already been reviewed well by other services and genuine readers, so I didn't quibble.


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## A. N. Other Author (Oct 11, 2014)

Oh look, I did have time. And a faulty memory... (my emphasis)

*We only post 4 and 5 star reviews
*We use a standard 5 star rating system and only post reviews we have awarded a 4 or 5 star rating. Our goal is to help authors with positive advertising for their books and to provide insightful reviews to help readers find the perfect book by a new or established author.

I_f you receive a poor review then our reviewer will point out any issues they had with your story to help you make it better_. Once you have revised it, we will be happy to review it again. We were the first review company to not post negative reviews and are proud to have been a part of making it an industry standard.

You may use as much or as little of our review as you wish. We write several paragraphs to provide you with a lot of material to pick quotes from. You will have a simple link to your Review Page featuring your book title like this one for actor/comedian and now award-winning author Jim Carrey, https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/how-roland-rolls. This link is not only user friendly, but it dramatically increases the searchability of your book title and review in search engines.


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## Accord64 (Mar 12, 2012)

Jena H said:


> Hmmm, wikipedia lists Readers Favorites as a "vanity book award" site. Probably like those high school "Who's Who" books--if you pay, you 'win' the honor.


I noticed that Preditors & Editors has them listed under the Writing Contests category ("Not recommended. Charges fee"). But I couldn't find them listed in any other category associated with reviews. My main concern is that while I might get a free review, it would come with a price of being spammed to death for their other paid services.


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## Guest (Jan 12, 2016)

I used the free review service for a review. It took two rounds to get a reviewer to pick it up, but I was satisfied with the review I got.



Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> The have a "review exchange" service and they sell express reviews. BOTH of these are clear violations of the Amazon TOS that we have discussed repeatedly on this site.


The express reviews are not an Amazon TOS violations because RF does not post their reviews to Amazon. Authors can put them in the editorial reviews which is allowed for paid reviews, same as Kirkus and the other big names. Reader's Favorite notes in this in the service info.

The review exchange, though, does sound like one and it is something I hadn't noticed before


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

Accord64 said:


> I noticed that Preditors & Editors has them listed under the Writing Contests category ("Not recommended. Charges fee"). But I couldn't find them listed in any other category associated with reviews. My main concern is that while I might get a free review, it would come with a price of being spammed to death for their other paid services.


That's what I wondered too. The 'free review' is the bait, and once they have your info......  And their "awards" sound a little iffy, too.


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Pay me $20 and I'll whisper in your ear that your book is awesome and it will do you as much good as one of their "reviews".


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## Guest (Jan 12, 2016)

Anma Natsu said:


> The express reviews are not an Amazon TOS violations because RF does not post their reviews to Amazon.


Ah, now I remember. This is the site that a few years ago when Amazon first started to crack down on paid reviews raised a big stink on Facebook because Amazon pulled all of their reviews because of non-disclosure and payment. Back then they charged a fee for each site the review appeared on. So instead of not charging, they just continue to charge but don't post the review on Amazon.

I hate this business some days...


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## Antara Mann (Nov 24, 2014)

Monique said:


> Pay me $20 and I'll whisper in your ear that your book is awesome and it will do you as much good as one of their "reviews".


You nail it! but their free service is okay and if they pick your book and review it there's no harm.


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## jenminkman (Mar 2, 2013)

I had 5 books reviewed by them for free and I never got spammed.


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## JB Rowley (Jan 29, 2012)

jenminkman said:


> I had 5 books reviewed by them for free and I never got spammed.


Same. I used their free service for a review of one book. I had to wait months for one of their readers to pick it up but got there in the end and I have never been spammed by them in any way and they have never issued any follow-ups to try to sell their paid products.


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## DJ Edwardson (Mar 15, 2013)

I have one book reviewed by them for free as well. It was a nice, thoughtful 4 star review. I think it took several months before they got around to reviewing it in which I was periodically sent emails (every few weeks, nothing spammy) offering the paid service to guarantee a review. I didn't care one way or the other so I took the slow ferry to Boston, as it were.


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## authorkcfinn (Jan 8, 2016)

I receive no spam whatsoever from them and they have reviewed about ten of my books, all with well written and very conscientious commentary on them. Paying to gain reviews just means you get more than one and they get done a lot quicker, but if you don't mind waiting a couple of weeks/months then it's worth having a go. 
They don't post their reviews directly to Amazon because of the aforementioned conflict between the sites, but some of the reviewers do post a short line or rating for you afterwards, and Amazon has no qualms about you adding the RF review to your book details via Author Central.


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## Ros_Jackson (Jan 11, 2014)

That review exchange they advertise does not pass my sniff test. Then they say "We proudly review for industry icons and celebrities like..." No. Reviews are supposed to be for readers, not authors or publishers. And then they have paid reviews. 

I wouldn't touch it with two barge poles strapped together.


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## Guest (Jan 13, 2016)

Ros_Jackson said:


> That review exchange they advertise does not pass my sniff test. Then they say "We proudly review for industry icons and celebrities like..." No. Reviews are supposed to be for readers, not authors or publishers. And then they have paid reviews.


I also have a sneaky suspicion that, much like Kirkus, they DON'T charge trade publishers for their reviews.


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