Reedsy

If you don't promote them, they don't promote you.

Avoid!!! Yes, like the plague! If you want a sh***y reader review you can get on Goodreads for free!

Absolute worst company. There may be a couple good editors but others are TERRIBLE with total ego problems who tear authors apart to belittle and condescend. If you have an issue at all reedsy you will not back the author they are there too back the people that work for them and will make them money. It’s an absolutely terrible company with no ethics, no morals, and who do not follow their own terms and conditions. Google editors and don’t use this garbage site!

Where do I start? Had the worst experience ever. Had a Slavic language and history academic, reviewing an Australian motor racing memoir (ROSCO The Fastest Aussie on Earth). He completely missed the point of the book. made assumptions, which were all incorrect, accusing me of only listening to tapes and copying them. Although there was some input from the subject via 8 x 10-minute recordings, I had to completely rewrite what he said. I also wrote at least 70 percent of the book from my own knowledge. I have an in-depth knowledge of Rosco and his racing career, having worked closely with him for 15 years. I asked them to get someone with knowledge of my book's subject to review it, but Reedsy refused. My book has had 27 verified reviews on Amazon, all 5 stars. I sold 800 copies in the first month. Reedsy reviewer gave it 3 stars. What a joke, do not get them to review your work.

I have had a great experience with Reedsy - both with editing my book and I’m getting a review once it was published. The editors were excellent and really lifted my work and I was very happy with the review I received.

I hope you like the review you get, because if not--TOUGH! You have to live with your review, even if you are unhappy and it does nothing to help you out as a struggling author! They will NOT remove a review and it doesn't matter how unhappy you are! They care more about their amateur reviewers than their PAYING authors! They cleave to their beloved policies even if it means angering their customers! They will NOT help you out if you have a problem. Once you get a review, it's there forever! Even if you delete your book(s) and account, your review will stay on their site. Why? Who knows! I guess they care more about themselves and making their site look a little less empty than taking care of their customers. This is a BIG risk, people! Save your $50!

I have never attacked an editorial review of my work until now. Reedsy's lack of reviewer vetting is to blame. Since Reedsy refuses to act in the best interest of their clients, they leave me with no other option but to post this response. Let me level set with a bit of history. My most recent reviewer did not like my first book either. As an editorial review, her review of the first novel seemed harsh. So much so that I viewed it as a consumer review, not a professional editorial review. Other reviews for the novel were solid, and it was a top-10 seller in Time Travel Sci-Fi on Amazon. When I posted my next novel to Reedsy Discovery, the same reviewer *immediately* picked it up. This seemed odd considering the prior encounter. How many times do you want to read a book from an author you rated average? So, I questioned the "support" group, which is just a lady named Felicia. She said it wasn't uncommon for a reviewer to pick up another book from an author they liked. I highlighted they did not like my first book, having given it three stars, and rightfully wondered why the interest in picking up my second? I told her I would prefer another reviewer. No response or mitigation. A month later, the two-star review emerged about six weeks before the new novel launch date. I expressed my displeasure at the predictable outcome and requested removal of the review. Of course, Reedsy declined from their mighty perch and refused to admit any errors—unacceptable and why I will not be using the service again. However, the reasons we have arrived here are laughable when considering the reviewer's qualifications and the background development leading to this novel. First, this reviewer is not qualified to write editorial reviews. She is a heavy equipment operator from Canada and an artist on the side who has never published a novel. This is from her old website bio: "Who am I? Well, my name is ____, and I spend my days working towards my Heavy Equipment Technician ticket." She also teaches leather sewing and does some illustrations for clients and wants to start a robotics company? I appreciate anyone exploring multiple roles and their creative side, but this flies in the face of reason. They claim to vet reviewers… this is a joke. Second, this novel has a long history and wasn't a first draft slapped together in a month. It started as a screenplay that I workshopped extensively with multiple producers in Atlanta and Los Angeles. I converted it to a novel with the help of a developmental editor. My father—a retired career USMC avionics chief—reviewed the operations components. He speaks plainly and reads military espionage regularly. He would have never advised me to publish if "observational oversights" existed. It seems this artist with 14 Twitter followers really found gaps the old Marine missed. It is an insult to me and my family's extensive history of military service. As a closing statement, my NetGalley reviews for this novel are at four stars. I know it will rate about four stars across the board. It is commercial fiction meant to be a fast, fun, eye-popping read. I don't pretend I'm the best writer in the world. However, the reviewer has sadly gone the consumer review route and not fulfilled her duties as an editorial reviewer. She doesn't like my writing style and took issue with perceived gaps and decided on a rating. That's fine for a consumer, but Reedsy needs to quality check their editorial reviewers instead of just taking my money. This was an offensive experience from start to finish and I hope no other author gets subjected to it. Fortunately, I think that is the case, since this reviewer states on her website she won't be writing book reviews any longer. Regrettably, I got to experience two of them.

$50 for a half baked review. Vet your reviewers better if you intend to appear as though you do editorials. Right now, most of the reviews are on par with random readers on Goodreads. People want to improve their writing, not flush $50 away.

Reviewers should be sufficiently fluent in English to understand figures of speech, play on words, hyperbole, metaphors, etc., when reviewing fiction books that use those mechanisms. My reviewer wrote, “Since I'm a non-native English speaker, I had to look up several words to understand what they meant.” The book is only middle-grade level. The reviewer didn't even understand the title because she was apparently reading it literally. I can go on. Now, mistakes happen. So, I simply asked the review be removed. I did not ask for a refund. The staff at Reedsy refused and have not been pleasant. As alternatives, I recommend BookSprout, Library of Things, and Midwest Book Review if you want thoughtful reviews and a pleasant experience. Don't pay Reedsy $50 to get insulted--that's my motto.