Yes, I accept payment for reviews now. No, it is not necessary. Yes, I am still doing free reviews.
Now that that’s out of the way –
When I started this blog, I was not anticipating the barrage of review requests that have come my way since. Let’s just say it’s been way beyond what I anticipated. It isn’t easy to keep up with, and I am somehow unable to say no to authors. I understand how they feel. I’m working on a poetry book myself (check out my Instagram!) and I can imagine how important every single review is. I know each word of feedback counts. And a positive review can totally make your day, or even week! So I find myself taking on more than a single human being is capable of.
But.. I am only human.
To keep up with my TBR, I’m accepting contributors who would like to read and review for Oh Just Books. Once in a while, reviews will pop up from someone other than me.
However, the point of this blogpost – I am also accepting paid review requests because sometimes authors want their books to be reviewed sooner, maybe because it’s an ARC, or because that author has a new book coming out! The payment is for speed, not for review. My reviews will stay unbiased.
This is just to give me a little relief from the hectic TBR buildup and also because this blog requires a lot of time and effort. I used to feel guilty about it, but after all, it’s still work. I am reading a review copy instead of a book I could be reading for no other reason than me wanting to read it.
Don’t get me wrong, I love discovering new authors, as I did when I started this a year ago. I’ve just realised people seem to have really high expectations about the speed, and I don’t know if I can keep up.
So yes, for my own sanity, I will charge for quick reviews. Note that this does not in any way ensure that it will be a positive review. My reviews will still be unbiased. I feel like I need to make that very clear.
Looking back at what I wrote, the number of disclaimers I put there make me sad. I feel like I would be on the receiving end of angry mails, but I reiterate – I am still doing free reviews. It will just take longer. I hope to stop feeling apologetic about it soon.
I hope you understand. I am only human and there’s only so much I can read, after all.
Photo Credits:
bookriot.com
