Reviewing for exposure? Think hard about this…

So the other day on Twitter, I see that some reviewer is announcing that they will be taking on self-published authors. But, the moment I look over their requirements, the one that sticks with me is "Must have at least one pro sale, be a member of one group like the SFWA at the pro level, or have completed an intensive writing course like at Clarion."

Well, this isn't looking for self-published authors, is it? No, it's looking for pro writers who are dabbling in self-publishing. Or what the big guys like to call traitors. That no actual self-published writers have a chance for a review is spelled out in one sentence. So I made a comment in the comments field about how this wasn't going to yield any new writers, and I remarked that the SFWA is notoriously anti-self-pub.

The blogger called my short cuss word-free paragraph a diatribe, and said reviewer then revealed that she is in fact a pro writer, and a member of the SFWA. In her attempt to defend the people in the organization as being not all the same, she also made it clear that she's doing these reviews to help her exposure as a writer and to help her good friends who can't find reviewers now that they've become traitors. She is not doing this to promote new titles or new self-published authors. Oh, she can say all day that she's really trying to promote others, but she's really just another writer who heard that reviews are a great way to stay in readers' minds without chanting "buy my book" 24/7.

And, let me be clear: there are authors like Michele Lee who review for exposure and admit it. Michele's reviews are generally balanced, covering the bad and good for every book. Michele doesn't read from any one clique, nor does she have any guidelines meant to keep out writers of any level. She really will read just about anything, from a kids book on alien booger invasions to a non-fiction collection detailing the origins of monster legends. Compare her reading list and her standards with this other writer, and you see how one writer/reviewer is working with fair guidelines, while the other uses a one sentence standard to block out 98% of the same self-pubbed authors that she claims to want to review.

Now I could be a bitch and call out the author who is reviewing friends for exposure, but the fact is, I don't care what chica does in her spare time. But I'm telling the rest of you straight up, if you want to review for exposure, great. If you want to write reviews for your pro friends who are dabbling in self-publishing, email them requests for their books. Do NOT put out a blog post advertising that you're looking for self-published authors when you have no intention of taking in work from said group. And if you do, AND you leave open the comments, don't fucking act shocked when someone comes along to point out what a toadying little bitch you are.