Has anyone used Booksprout to get reviews? They've been around a while now and are running a promo that I'm considering. Online reviews are mixed (of course), so I thought I'd inquire here.
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Booksprout
- Thread starter skip.knox
- Start date
Prince of Spires
Auror
I've tried them once. Got 1 person interested and no reviews.
Which might mean any number of things from me not understanding the platform, having bad cover / description / other text, to using the free tier, to the book disappearing underneath 1.000's of other fantasy novels, to there being no fantasy readers on there.
They are launching a new version (today I think?), which might change everything. In that they're also getting rid of the free tier. Which might be good to know.
For the moment I'm not going to use them again, since the $6 per month (it was something like that at least) is not worth it given the value I got from it. I'm also not releasing frequently enough to need a monthly subscription. I haven't seen their new pricing structure yet, so there might be something like a "pay per campaign" option. But otherwise it's not for me. Those $6 per month are better spent on either Bookfunnel or paid promo newsletters or something like that for me.
Which might mean any number of things from me not understanding the platform, having bad cover / description / other text, to using the free tier, to the book disappearing underneath 1.000's of other fantasy novels, to there being no fantasy readers on there.
They are launching a new version (today I think?), which might change everything. In that they're also getting rid of the free tier. Which might be good to know.
For the moment I'm not going to use them again, since the $6 per month (it was something like that at least) is not worth it given the value I got from it. I'm also not releasing frequently enough to need a monthly subscription. I haven't seen their new pricing structure yet, so there might be something like a "pay per campaign" option. But otherwise it's not for me. Those $6 per month are better spent on either Bookfunnel or paid promo newsletters or something like that for me.
- Thread starter
- #3
Thanks. Their deal is to lock in at a lower rate--yes, the free version is gone--but that lower rate isn't so huge as to matter. $50 versus $72. I do want to make a serious effort at collecting reviews when my Trouveres series starts. Right now the first book looks like a June release. But subsequent books won't be coming out monthly or anything like that. If I get one a year out the door I'll be moving faster than I've ever managed before.
So, probably not this one. Thanks for the reply!
So, probably not this one. Thanks for the reply!
Prince of Spires
Auror
Both of those rates are low enough to be manageable. I could pay them without too much issue. The main thing is that there's a lot of similar or related services, which all cost under $100. It's then mainly a case of which one is worth the funds, since I can't (or wont) pay for all of them. And like I said, with the two releases a year I manage, I think a yearly subscription to a review service is probably not worth it for me.
If you're looking for reviews, you could check out Voracious Readers Only. They have a platform where you give away your book, in the hopes of getting reviews in return. I've tried them and it's gotten me 2 reviews (which admittedly isn't all that much, but still 2 more than Booksprout...). But the main thing is that the first 20 or so readers you give your book to are free. So you can try them out without any cost involved. I'll let you know if I come across any other options for getting reviews.
If you're looking for reviews, you could check out Voracious Readers Only. They have a platform where you give away your book, in the hopes of getting reviews in return. I've tried them and it's gotten me 2 reviews (which admittedly isn't all that much, but still 2 more than Booksprout...). But the main thing is that the first 20 or so readers you give your book to are free. So you can try them out without any cost involved. I'll let you know if I come across any other options for getting reviews.