So, because many publishers have fake accounts that lie, I should give this one a pass? Pete, I encourage you to write a book. The world is far worse than you seem to think.
The publishers send out review copies to people. Sometimes they get 5 stars, sometimes they get three. The publishers don't tell the reviewers to give them five stars, they ask for an honest review. Do they send lots of books to reviewers that tend to give five stars, probably, they aren't gluttons for punishment. But that's a far cry from fake accounts.
If you read in there, Si Dunn won't write the review unless he gives it 4 or 5 stars. He then sells the books he reviews back on Amazon. He doesn't do ebook reviews because you can't sell the ebook. So he gets paid about 65-75% of list. Looking at his reviews and twitter feed, it's a few hundred a month, and for a writer who quotes more than he reviews, probably not more than a few hours work.
So what if he makes a few bucks on it? The publishers don't pay him, they give him the same thing they give all the reviewers they request reviews from, a free book. He doesn't guarantee a good review in exchange, he guarantee he will either give a good review, a mediocre review, or no review. 4 stars on Amazon means the book is mediocre. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't review it.
That doesn't make his 5 star review illegitimate at all. If he thought it was a 4 star book, he would give it four stars, if he thought it was a 3 star book, he wouldn't give a rating. He gave it 5 stars because he thinks it is worth 5 stars.
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His note in full from your link:
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NOTE: I am not paid by publishers to review and tout their books. And I do not guarantee to publish a review about a particular book. If I do not like a book, I will not review it here. Writing a book requires significant time, effort, and expense, and I will not trash someone else’s writing. My goal here is to provide what I hope is an honest assessment and provide useful information to readers seeking particular types of books. Sometimes I offer a few critical comments, but mostly, I try to provide useful information that can help a reader decide to purchase a book–or not.
I receive sample copies from publishers, and I am under no obligation to publish reviews of any of those books. Indeed, I review only the books that I want to review, and I try to assess how well I think the books meet the goals set forth by their writers.
Publishers may mail printed books for possible review (no promises!) to: Si Dunn, Sagecreek Productions LLC, 1101 W. 34th St., #131, Austin, TX 78705-1907. As a general rule, I do not review e-books.
If you buy a book or e-book through links published in one of my reviews, I will make a few dimes (and not much more!) through my Amazon Affiliate account. Periodically, after printed books have been on my shelves for a while, I have to make room for new ones. So I sell some of the reviewed books on the used-book market. A few get donated to libraries. And a few are passed along to friends and relatives.
Book reviewing definitely is not a way to get rich quick–nor slowly. But reviewing is something I have done, part-time, for more than 35 years, mainly because I love books and enjoy helping authors reach new readers.
