Question on morality for a review blog

[Scott, Fabled Reviewer o' Tales!]

I had another potential idea for a way to monetize the blog. I'm just throwing this out to get a bit of feedback. I'm thinking of doing a service that would run 50-60 dollars it would entail a 4 part feature on the blog and potentially include a banner ad (not sure on that one yet).

The feature would be one day each week (thinking possibly Mondays). First Monday is a book/author feature with a cover shot and author bio with picture. Second Monday would be either an interview or guest post. Third Monday would be the opposite of the second week. Feature would wrap up with a review and optional giveaway (if the author wanted).

Is that a worthwhile feature to anyone? Does it seem like something that could actually be worth paying for?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Thaddeus]

Could be a potential conflict of interest on the review front. Otherwise the idea seems sound.

Personally, it'd be too much for me to go for, but as I'm currently poorer than a church mouse who just got an enormous tax bill, on the same day his wife ran away with another mouse, taking all the cheese, that's not unexpected.

[A.L.]

Lol Blackadder fan I see:)

[Leeland]

This would work it is called a sponsored feature on other sites like Freebooksie and Bookbub. All you have to do is include at the top "sponsored feature" and it would clearly show that it is paid for.

You could also set some bars for entry which would make it unique and likely fit with your blog better. For example "must have over 5 reviews with an average 4 stars or better."

You could also do a "New Fantasy Ebook" feature where the bar would be "blurb and first 5k word excerpt must be approved for inclusion and must have been released within the last 90 days." Then you can get a group of 5 or more reviewers together who read the blurb and excerpt in exchange for a free copy of the book if they want. Best 3 of 5 meets bar... Basically keep it simple to keep up with, but still high quality.

Staying focused on your core genres would be fabulous too for your readers.

[K.M.]

I’m new to your blog and this group so consider this an outside opinion.

Monetizing your blog is a good idea. I’ve often felt that there’s more money in reviewing books then writing them. Many authors are desperate for reviews and a good number are willing to pay for them. It’s difficult sometimes to get reviews, especially, if your novel is quirky, which is often the case with a lot of indie books. However, there are some ethical issues with paid reviews as has already been stated. So how to monetize all of us authors desperate for recognition while maintaining some integrity?

Ads are good. Though from my experience they aren’t that helpful in sales unless the stars and planets all fall into perfect alignment. You can’t do a little advertisement and have it work enough to justify the cost. From your side ads are easy revenue while for authors it might be that useful. It all depends upon the clicks and all good stuff.

Paying for expedited reviews is fine, though the problem here is that you might end up with so many people paying for expedited reviews that it would eliminate your free reviews. You say you only five 3-5 star reviews so it’s not like someone’s going to pay and get a 1-2 star review. Still as has been pointed out there would be some ethical considerations. You might for example boost expedited reviews up a little as you’re getting money from it. It should be a 3.5 star review and you just bump it up to 4.0. Honestly, this isn’t a horrible thing but if this something you or your readers might dwell on then it would probably be more harm than good.

Now my real suggestion, builds on your post in #51. I’ll tell you what would sell. $75 for an author to enter a book into a Indie Book Blog Competition. Competitions in my opinion are great. Authors love the idea of winning a competition and you can structure it in a way to sidestep a lot of ethical issues. $75 plus a few copies of the book guarantees a review and either an interview with the author (just develop a single list of questions to simplify things) or they can write a guest blog subject to approval. The trick is to minimize your work while providing something for your customers. Here’s the thing, you recruit a few other members from this group to serve as guest judges for the competition. You can divide up the entries into categories or whatever as long as the numbers in each group are manageable. Your original review is yours but where the entrant wins the competition will be determined by the judges. In fact, those who win the first year you can ask to be judges the next year.

Obviously, this could be rather complicated to organize, competition usually are, but it would let you monetize your blog, provide a service that would make people excited, and also potentially drive up interest in your blog and this group.

Anyway, just some quick thoughts.

- Kirk

[Leeland]

The contest idea is a pretty good one. Here is a contest that is open right now with a $150 entry fee: http://indiereader.com/the-indiereade...

[K.M.]

Leeland wrote: "The contest idea is a pretty good one. Here is a contest that is open right now with a $150 entry fee: http://indiereader.com/the-indiereade..."

Yes, I was actually thinking of Indiereader when I wrote my blog as we put in a novel last year and our latest this year for that competition. I personally am more keep to pay for a competition than most ads or reviews and the fact you get a review when you apply to the Indiereader one is an added bonus. Modeling on that could be a win-win. I'd enter a book. :)

[Red]

I suppose I'm opposite in that I've had a review site of my own for going on three years now, although I've been a reviewer for a number of sites over the past ten years. As an author, both traditionally and indie published, I can very much agree reviews are needed, wanted and sought but I've never felt comfortable charging for reviewing someone's work. I state on my site I will never require a charge for it, perhaps because I truly give my honest opinion about the work although I am always respectful for the enormous effort and spirit authors dedicate, which so often unacknowledged or known.

Also, I know, that like many I don't have the funds to fork over to sites charging for reviews. Yes, there are some established sites, but then there are almost so very many...what amounts to vanity reviews since you've paid their price. I've actually quit review sites that required you to always give a positive review no matter what because of that.

I do not directly have editing or formatting services, but I do have a small press label, Flying With Red Haircrow, which is primarily a writer cooperative. If I do accept to work with an author in publishing, I will do their editing/formatting or contract it out to another within the group all within the basic contract.

I don't have any issue with a blog expanding itself, and do not feel it to be a conflict of interest either. As a writer, editor, formatter and publisher, I know how these things can be very different in how you have to perform the services and what you require. I can read and review a book certainly, but it is a total different mindset when I am editing and formatting. And yet another when I am considering a manuscript as a submission for publishing. So it's interconnected but distinct distinctly performances.

What you are proposing however seems like an enormous amount of time and commitment, so I would ask the question: do you think you will be able to keep up that level of involvement or is this a shorter term idea? Even with a review site/promo/interview blog separate from my indie press, it takes so much time.

In any case, I wish you good luck.

[A.K.]

I can't comment about book reviews, but I've paid for expedited reviews for iPad apps I've published before, and this is a standard accepted practice in that world. It doesn't effect the rating, only the time period in which the review is published.