Just saw a tweet from @publicistebeam warning that books sent for review might be considered compensation. When that happens, I’m going to stop accepting them.
Most of the books I get to review are marked, “Review Copies – Not For Resale.” I can’t sell them even if I want to. Used bookstores won’t touch them. I have to be the public library to accept them. In fact, I have been tempted to send them to a hard-luck library in the middle of nowhere, such as the library I used when I lived in New Mexico. I figure the Feds are too busy searching for illegal immigrants in those border towns to spend their energy prowling through libraries. Anyway, if they were readers, they would never be suggesting this.
Most of the books I get to review are pretty awful. Even when I get nice shiny copies of new books, I have to wonder what possessed an author to write this book, especially if it’s about a dog that’s hard to train or a family coping with a difficult teen. They have little value except as door stops. I suppose I could shred some of the worst and line the cat box, but I can’t bring myself to destroy even the worst book. Used bookstores won’t touch them: they can sense a disaster a mile away. Libraries just hang them out to dry at their annual sales (ever noticed how libraries are still unimaginative when it comes to fund-raising? Even high school kids stopped holding car washes and selling candy).
True, you can use book reviews to Boost Your Business. I made thousands of dollars from clients who came to me by way of book reviews. My Google Analytics system tells me I get subscribers even today. But these results come from real books, preferably non-fiction best-sellers.
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