Review of OnlineBookClub.Org for Author Book Reviews

Here’s my review of OnlineBookClub.Org from an author's perspective and what I thought about their book review service for authors. I have no ties or connection to the OnlineBookClub (apart from using this service) so this is completely objective, impartial, and an honest review. My intention here is to help other authors decide whether or not to use the OnlineBookClub to review their books online.

Why I Choose The OnlineBookClub’s Book Review Service

My original purpose for wanting a book review was to see if I am heading in the right direction with regards to my own writing. "The Future Is Set" is my first thriller book (I’ve never written before) and have not long published it. I wanted to get a genuine review from someone that wouldn’t be biased because they know me and would feel awkward to say if the book stank. I wanted an honest review.

So I chose the OnlineBookClub simply because it showed up first when I searched online. I did look at a few other sites but came back to the OnlineBookClub as it seemed to fit with what I was looking for.

Before I even created a free account I checked the book reviews displayed on their home page. I went through a number of reviews to check the quality and genuineness of each one. Just so you know, the OnlineBookClub pays people to read and review author's books and so I wanted to make sure that these reviewers, by getting paid, wouldn’t influence the review of my own book in any way – otherwise what’s the point. Anyway, I was happy with the range of book reviews I checked.

The reviews have a star system from 1 to 4 stars - 4 being the best. My observation was that there weren’t many 1 and 2 star reviews which made me a little sceptical, but you’ll understand why that is. Once you sign up and fill out your Review Request you can add some blurb about who your book would be best suited to. Reviewers then choose your book based on your blurb description and their personal interest. It’s like a book match-making system that helps to avoid a reviewer accepting a book genre they have no interest in.

How Much Does The OnlineBookClub Review Cost?

It cost me $97.00 for my book to be reviewed by 1 person. There are different options but I chose the cheapest. I put my review order in on the 23rd July and it was complete on the 21st Sept. It does say it can take up to 4 months for that price but you can choose other options at higher prices for a faster service.

How Do The OnlineBookClub Reviewers Work?

The reviewers are given guidelines to follow and have to give constructive criticism. The website also states that the reviews are honest reviews and not to expect fake ones. I believe this to be the case as I had no way of knowing who was reviewing my book.

To keep the book reviews impartial and genuine the OnlineBookClub prevents authors and publishers from knowing who is reviewing their book. This helps to prevent dishonest reviews. After the book has been reviewed and published you can then check who reviewed it.

The site does keep you updated along the way regarding what stages have been completed so you are not kept in the dark. It tells you when a reviewer has chosen your book to review, when they download it (they purchased mine from Amazon), when they have started reading it, when they have finished, when they are writing the review, etc.

After they have written the review they have to write a short blurb which you are given to verify, to make sure the reviewer has read the whole book. When you acknowledge that you believe the reviewer has read the entire book the review is then checked by moderators before it is published. To me the system seems robust and takes out most chances of scams.

My Book Review by The OnlineBookClub.Org

The review I received for my book was actually spot on with what I was trying to do, concerning the way I was writing it. She did a very good job. I did receive 4 out of 4 stars but regardless of that I checked her other reviews to see how generous she was with other authors – they do get paid to review after all. So she had given other writers various stars, the lowest were a couple of books with 2 stars, so I felt mine was an honest review. Here’s my book review.

My Overall Thoughts

Overall, as a new author and testing my first published book, I was happy with what I paid for and got what I was expecting. I was hoping for some sales as a secondary goal but this has never happened which I find a little strange considering the website boasts they have over a million members. I somehow think those members are either not active on the website or only the higher paid services are given the opportunity to access them through email. I don’t know for sure.

Now, all that said, if I had books published online that had already received reviews from book buyers then I wouldn’t have used the OnlineBookClub’s book review service, even for a new book, because I would already have an idea of what my reader's like. That's not a bad reflection on the OnlineBookClub, just the fact I wouldn't need theirs or any other book review service.

So I don’t think the book review service would be useful for established authors that already have books published and that already have reviews and you just want to promote to get sales. You could however use one of their advertising services for promotion and sales but I haven’t used these, so I can’t make any genuine comment on them.

I personally see the book review service by the OnlineBookClub as a good thing for new self-publishing authors, like me, who don’t have any email subscribers to send out advance copy books to. The review service can help new authors test the waters before they publish mainstream. A good constructive review will hopefully put you on a path to becoming a successful author.

So that’s it in a nutshell. Overall it was good for what I needed and it did provide that.

Thanks, Nigel.