As a new reviewer but an eternal learner, Online Book Club gave me the opportunity to expand my knowledge in many ways and still get paid for it. I'm loving to be part of the team!
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I've been a member if the book club for about a year. I've won a gift card in their giveaways and I've watched as several novels have made the Amazon best sellers lists.
I was skeptical about using the club to promote my novels, but I'm going to use their services for my initial marketing in the next year
D L Turk
Online Book Club is a great way to learn about new books and get a chance to review them. Scott Hughes and the administrative team are very helpful.
I did not have a problem with OnlineBookClub.org when my book was first reviewed, as it received a good review and was given for "free," although I was a little miffed that I needed to buy a "promotion package" to get the review bumped up for quicker posting on the site.
But since the time my review was posted and I paid the nominal fee for entry, the site owner has escalated the costs of reviews (saying they are competing with Kirkus Reviews, which is, at best, a major stretch) as follows, which I thought might sway authors looking for a review site for their books:
For $ 297 you can get a review of your book in one month.
For $ 199 you can be interviewed for the website!
And you could spend thousands on reviews or other "promotion packages" if you wish! (Eg., a 3 month social media Book of the Month campaign for a mere $ 8600!)
Info from the website
Level 1 review - $97
Includes 1 week featured status
Entry into 2017 Book of the Year Contest!
Average turnaround: 4 mos
Level 2 review - $148
Includes 2 weeks featured status
Entry into 2017 Book of the Year Contest!
Average turnaround: 3 months
Level 3 Review - $197
Includes 1 month featured status
1 week homepage link to review
Entry into 2017 Book of the Year Contest!
Average turnaround: 2 months
Level 4 review - (best value) - $297
Includes 2 months featured status
2 week homepage link to review
Guaranteed to get one of a few top-level reviewers
Entry into 2017 Book of the Year Contest!
Average turnaround: 1 month
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/authors/request-new-review.php
This company is amazing at paying personal attention to their customers and helping them with all problems that arise.
Overall a really amazing review site for indie writers, and the webmaster really goes out of his way to provide great support for users. Huge selection of books, too. Highly recommended!
Great to use and a fantastic place where you can find the latest titles and of course get free gifts!
I love Onlinebookclub.org. It's a way for me to connect with other readers and it's a way for me to find out about independent authors that I would never learn about otherwise due to my own schedule and routine. I've been active on the site for a little less than a year. The only negative experiences I have had have been when it takes an author longer than a week to reply to a review that I've submitted.
Interactions with the administrators have always been positive, I receive timely responses to any questions or concerns I have, and I enjoy the opportunity to learn about new books every day.
I use the reviews to help me decide what to resd next. So many choices so little time! I use our local library, Goodwill, used book stores... wherever I can buy or borrow books.
I have been a member of OnlineBookClub.org for quite awhile and active in for about 6 months. There is always new books to look at and purchase for either free or a discounted price. Mr. Hughes is always professional and there if you need to ask him questions, plus he is always nice and prompt in helping in whatever I need.
The website is huge but there are a lot of resources to help maneuver around the site. It is amazing how many resources there are on the site and I love what was done to the website recently. There is so much to do on the website, reading reviews, and participating in forums to discuss a wide range of topics, mostly book related. The daily giveaway and the tweet reward programs are also another nice feature of the club. I look forward to visiting the site on a daily basis! Great job!
As a reviewer i appreciate the OnlineBookClub because i get to discover authors all over the world, read books at discount prices, sometimes free and interact with booklovers like myself.
On Line Book Club is in a class of its own, not only does it get Authors into the spotlight and help generate sales... it also puts the reader into direct contact with new books and outstanding authors that are out there... grab a recommended book from OBC... you can't go wrong.
As an author, I like the site for the promotion it gives to books, especially the reviews. I have had two books reviewed and the reviewer did a good job with both.
As a reader, I appreciate getting daily notifications of bargain books to add to my bookshelves.
I have been a member of the Online Book Club for several years and have no plans of leaving.
Maryann Miller
I have had nothing but positive experiences with onlinebookclub.org, and Scott Hughes does an amazing job managing the club. As an author, we need a safe place to test our work. The reviewers for onlinebookclub.org are fair and knowledgeable. Scott ensures that every aspect of this club is run with respect and compassion, for both the authors and the readers. Whether you are an author, or an avid reader, if you are not a member now, join immediately! You won't regret it.
The site/forum has many different opportunities for both writers and readers alike. Through the "Review Team", book reviewers are given the opportunity to read up and coming books, for free (and sometimes for a monetary reward), in exchange for a comprehensive and honest review. On the flip side of this, authors are given the opportunity to have an honest review made of their book in order to either gain publicity for their work, or know what is required in order to make it better.
I have been a part of the "Review team" technically for about 4 years, but I have only been very active over the last few months. I have come to realise that OBC takes its reviews and its review team very seriously. Paid (especially higher paid) opportunities are not just given out to any available reviewer but rather earned through a system of reliability and carefully vetted prior reviews. Similarly, every effort to ensure that a review chooses a book that interests them is made and subsequently, that a quality review is written. In order to maintain access to these paid opportunities, the OBC tries to ensure that the member is an active participator in the myriad of forums.
As in any community, I'm sure there are members that try and take advantage of the system. Those that will put the minimum of effort in order to simply make a couple of dollars. This, however, will always remain the minority. Most of the community are dedicated readers who have always grown up with that passion. For these people, using the OBC to discover new authors/books, read brand-new fiction/non-fiction, and potentially help a budding author get their first steps, is what this site is all about.
I will continue to participate in this site as long as it exists as a reviewer and have already suggested this site to family members of mine.
This is definitely a 100% legitimate site! It's really allowed me to immerse myself into the community and the reviews are unbiased and constructive, especially since there is no contact between the reviewer and the writer, so the review is based solely on the book. OnlineBookClub.org is a great place to earn a little bit of money, and after using it for so long, it's become a website I visit every single day.
I have been a member of OBC since July 2016. I am an educator, avid reader, and a writer. This site is perfect for exploring these interests. I became a member to be part of a community of people who share a common interest. I began filling my "bookshelves" and tracking my progress toward my reading goals. I started reading the book of the month and participating in online discussions regarding the impressions, feelings, themes and other interesting aspects of the books that were being read. Since joining, I have been in contact and discussion with at least four authors of the BOTM. For a reader, having contact with the author is an amazing experience for me. I have also become a part of the review team. I have been able to choose books in the genres that I love including romance, erotic fiction, science fiction and fantasy, and I have been able to write reviews of these books. The lowest I have rated a book is 3 out of 4 stars. My experience as a reviewer has been personally challenging since I want to provide others with a genuine review that is entertaining, enlightening, and not "cookie cutter" as described by another poster on this site. My reviews are a reflection of my own talents as a writer and, therefore, I give it my all. Other reviewers on the site also take this role very seriously. Books and stories and the authors that create them are a gift to the reader. I, as the reviewer, want to share that gift with others. By providing an honest and fair review, I am providing a service to other readers not to mention the service to the author. Overall, I love OBC. I have found a niche that fits who I am as an educator, reader, and writer. I hope that others give the site a try!
Ive been with OBC for over a year and Im happy to be a part of it. Im proud of what we do, that is writing honest book reviews, not necessarily positive ones. Just like in everything else, we have personal preferences that affect our opinions on particular books. We rate books as objectively as we can and we express criticisms as constructively and as politely as we can with all due respect to the authors. We only give honest opinions and offer suggestions based on what we feel about the book.
I've been a lover of literature all my life and an OBC reviewer for almost two years now. I initially waited before participating because I wanted to be clear on all the rules, FAQs, and get more feedback about the site from other users. After doing so, once I started participating in book discussions and adding books I've read to my shelves, I started to enjoy myself.
It's hard work writing quality book reviews, and being an OBC member serves as a good challenge for me as a reviewer. I understand that my OBC reviews are only for posting on the OBC site, which is a little different for someone who regularly cross-posts her non-OBC reviews. However, directing fellow readers over to my OBC reviews via social media (and sometimes my blog) has been a pretty good way for me to share about books I've found on the site.
Although I've not always gotten the most timely response when I've submitted an error report on the site, I do appreciate the site's latest updates. It's even easier now for me to select books in the genres I prefer, and even then, if I find I'm not enjoying a book I selected, I can opt out of reading it and go back to select something else. While, naturally, some books have disappointed me or simply haven't been my favorites, I've also found some superbly-written novels and memoirs with powerful messages on the site, books that I likely wouldn't have known about otherwise.
I am a member of this site as a reader and reviewer. My experience has been nothing but positive. There are lots of book discussions not only about books that are officially reviewed on the site but other books too. As a reviewer, I'm able to select books based on genre, book synopsis and author bio. This allows me to ignore books that I know I wouldn't enjoy and give an honest review. Honesty in reviews is encouraged. The review system is transparent and easy to understand. I have always been paid promptly and exactly with no issue. I'm not an overly active poster and don't participate in all of the social media bonus point activities but I'm still able to get paid for reviews. It's a small amount but it was very clear up front that reviews pay in the range of $5 to $80 per review. This is accurate in my experience. I do it for the love of reading and exposure to books I wouldn't otherwise get to read. Hopefully I get to help out an author by providing a little bit of exposure. Love the site and everything seems up front to me.
Looking over some of the reviews here it seems that reviewers have a high rating for OBC, while authors have a lesser view. I have never tried to engage with OBC as an author, so I cannot speak to that system or process. I can speak to my personal experience as a reviewer and what that looks like (at least for me).
I am not an indie writer or author of any kind. I am an avid reader and fairly decent essay writer. I joined OBC because it gave me a chance to read new books and provide feedback on them. In the beginning, I couldn't even get paid reviews. Every review I completed was for free. As I established my name as a reliable, quality reviewer, I earned paying opportunities.
Free or paid, the process is the same:
First, I look at a list of opportunities. This list gives basic information about each opportunity including, title, author, genre, and payout. I am able to click on opportunities to learn more about the book, like a plot summary, and any other specifics. Based on my reading preferences, I select a book that I think I would enjoy reading. We are discouraged from selecting books outside of our normal preferences. However, there is no system in place that says that I am "qualified" to review one genre over the other.
Once I have selected and downloaded the book, I am given up to approx. 1 month to read the book and write my review. My written review is submitted to the review team for approval. At least one other editor reads my review and grades it. If it meets their expectations, it is approved and posted. For paid reviews, I am also required to submit a paragraph about my opinion of the ending of the book. I also take this opportunity to leave personal feedback to the author that is more than I can put in the review. Once the author has seen my feedback (not my review), my review is accepted and I receive payment.
In regards to the content of the review, we have a 4 star rating system. We have been directed that a book that lacks editing (i. E. contains grammatical errors, typos, technical errors, etc.) generally should not get 4 stars. Outside of that, the star rating is based on the writing style, plot, character development, etc. As with all rating systems, this is somewhat subjective. We are not allowed to detract points simply because we did not like the story (again why we are encouraged to select books within our genre). I have read and reviewed multiple books within my genre that I did not like, but still gave high reviews to because there was nothing wrong with the book, I just didn't like it.
I do not participate in the Book of the Day promotion, so I can't speak to getting compensation for purchasing and reviewing the selected book each day. I do not get Amazon gift cards for reviews or any other perks. I have always assumed the payout for reviewing a given book was set by the author, but I really have no idea how that process works.
For reviewers: I think OBC is a great place to go to earn a little extra cash and to read some really great (and not so great) books.
For authors: I really don't know what your experience is like, so I can't say if it is the best place to go to have your book reviewed or the worst place to go.
Hi,
We have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Please send me a message on Sitejabber with your order number or email address, and I will send you a refund. Alternatively, you can email me at:
[email protected]
Thank you,
Scott