Too Good to Be True

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Last weekend I got two different email pitches about reviewing my books. I answered each of them and exchanged several emails until I reached the actual pitch from these individuals. At that point, I passed on their offer because it sounded too good to be true. Another way to put it, these offers were a high priced scam for authors.

In this article, I want to give you some of the details then you too can avoid and not fall into an offer which is too good to be true. If you take these offers, you will potentially waste a lot of money and energy. Finally I’m going to show you a better way to get these reviews which is old fashion yet effective.

The Pitch

Each of these emails approached me with a pitch about getting reviews for one of my books. The person writing me intentionally selected one of my books which had zero or only a few reviews. Even though I’ve written a number of articles about the importance of my reviews. A few of the books that I wrote early in my career do not have any or few reviews. In general these are children’s books that I wrote as a work-made-for-hire where I was paid upfront for my writing with no additional earnings. Because they were work-made-for-hire, as an author I had little inventive to encourage reviews (ask others) or do any promotion on these books. 

The person pitching me had no idea of the work-made-for-hire element with these books. The approach was strictly about the lack of reviews. Here’s part of their pitch (both email pitches used similar language):

“Let me say this upfront, I’m not a promoter or marketer. I already work in real estate (houses by day 🏡, books by night 📖). But my love of reading grew into a community of over 2,000 readers who follow along with me.

Here’s what we do: we look for books that deserve more attention, especially those with few reviews, and we simply read them. Afterward, we share our honest thoughts on Amazon or Goodreads. That’s all. No campaigns, no social media, no ads, just genuine reading and feedback.

Think of it like shopping for a shirt. If there are no reviews, people hesitate. Books are the same. Readers want reassurance before taking the leap, and that’s where our group comes in.

I know authors sometimes feel cautious when someone reaches out, but this isn’t promotion. It’s simply readers helping readers discover your story.

Would you like me to introduce Never Too Busy to my reading group and save it a spot on our upcoming list?” 

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The pitch sounds interesting and like something to explore--so I responded. Her second email to me gave a little more info:

“I want to encourage you with this: many successful authors I’ve come across both new voices and household names didn’t rely on ads or campaigns at first. What moved their books forward was simply readers finding them, reading them, and talking about them. Competitors who understood this principle often pulled ahead, not because their books were better, but because their reviews made them more visible.

I always remind authors:

“A great book without reviews is like a lighthouse with no light—built strong, but unseen by the ships that need it most.”

The small gesture we give readers isn’t about paying for opinions it’s about valuing their time so they can read for fun without pressure. The reviews remain 100% genuine. That’s why this approach works and why authors often see their books finally break through Amazon’s invisible wall.

Even if this doesn’t seem like the right fit today, I’d love to keep the door open for Never Too Busy. Sometimes it only takes 20–30 voices for Amazon to start treating a book differently. And with the heart of your message, I believe it deserves to be discovered by more readers.

Would you be open to me keeping Never Too Busy on my community’s “watch list,” so if you reconsider, we can bring it forward?” 

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The third email gave the details and huge potential expense:

I noticed Never Too Busy currently has no reviews, which is a good foundation but still leaves so much room for momentum. As I often say: “One review is a whisper, but a collection of reviews becomes a choir that even Amazon can’t ignore.” 🎶

Here’s how my group works: I run a community of 2,000+ readers and reviewers. We don’t pay for reviews. Instead, we tip each reader $15–$20 not for the review itself, but simply as a coffee-and-cinnamon-roll thank-you for taking the time to read. Every reader has their own business and life, so this helps them enjoy the process while reading purely for fun.

Authors I’ve worked with often begin with 20–50 fresh reviews, and that alone can shift how Amazon positions the book in its algorithm. It really depends on how many readers you’d like to start with.

The usual process is simple: you’d send me a PDF of Never Too Busy so I can read it first, then I share it with selected readers in my group. From there, the reviews grow organically, one honest voice at a time.

Would you like me to save a spot for Never Too Busy and get this started?” 

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I passed on using this pitch. Something about it felt wrong to me--and the large potential expense stood out. If I “tipped”  50 people $20 each, that is a $1,000 expense. Follow this link to learn more details about Amazon reviews and their terms.

The Better Way for Reviews

1. Ask fans and readers to write a review.

2. Use a launch team to gather reviews at the release off your book.

3. Encourage people who have never written a review to use a book review template.

4. Write a page on your website and encourage reviews. Follow this link for a detailed example from one of my books.

These methods take time and effort from the author but do not violate the Amazon terms and do not have a large expense tied to them.

I hope this cautionary tale helps you with your book. If the pitch is too good to be true without additional explanation, then it probably is a lie and something you should avoid. Have you received these types of emails? Or maybe you have another suspicious pitch, then let me know in the comments below. 

Tweetable:

If you get a pitch that is too good to be true, you should be cautious according to this prolific writer and editor. In this article, he gives a detailed example related to book reviews.   (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week another podcast recording launched:

 

On the Accents Podcast, Katerina Stoykova (@Katya_Stoykova) and I spoke about best practices in book promotion and more on WUKY Radio. Listen at: https://bit.ly/3HIizrz

During my decades in publishing, I’ve co-authored over a dozen books and reviewed thousands of submissions (no exaggeration). As a part of the process of working with these authors, I speak with them about their dreams and plans. Many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. Many aspects of the publishing process are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses.

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