Anyone else feel lied to

[JessiFox]

I agree with you in that it really needs to be made clear....it is confusing at best and misleading at worst. Trying to bring in some additional income in this manner does not seem likely. True, reading and getting free books is its own reward; but not necessarily what some people were looking for, particularly if income is an important factor.

[jamespoet]

I agree with you in that it really needs to be made clear....it is confusing at best and misleading at worst. Trying to bring in some additional income in this manner does not seem likely. True, reading and getting free books is its own reward; but not necessarily what some people were looking for, particularly if income is an important factor.

To be quite honest I still don't understand looking to paid reviews as a source of income. Even though I myself was confused by how the system worked, I didn't read anything that led me to believe that it would turn into any kind of part time job, nor did I go into it with that kind of expectation. And nothing aginst those who did go in with that mentality, but I don't see where they would have gotten that idea.

[Lucyrichmond]

Oh, ah, I see... I won't bother! Well really!

-- 03 Apr 2014, 07:27 --

I was also looking for some regular reviews of indy ebooks - but this doesn't seem to be it!

[H0LD0Nthere]

To be quite honest I still don't understand looking to paid reviews as a source of income. Even though I myself was confused by how the system worked, I didn't read anything that led me to believe that it would turn into any kind of part time job, nor did I go into it with that kind of expectation. And nothing aginst those who did go in with that mentality, but I don't see where they would have gotten that idea.

I can tell you where I got that idea. The way I found this site was by Googling something along the lines of "get paid to write book reviews." The page I got taken to, outlined all the benefits to readers, authors, and reviewers of the reviews-in-exchange-for-free-books system. It added, "There has been such a high demand for reviews that we've had to start paying for them. If you are a very active reviewer, you can make up to a few hundred dollars a month."

I now think that part was put there just to bring people to the site. Everything else on the page was accurate, but not those two sentences.

[Dextress]

I haven't really gotten into the site yet, so...

[JessiFox]

To be quite honest I still don't understand looking to paid reviews as a source of income. Even though I myself was confused by how the system worked, I didn't read anything that led me to believe that it would turn into any kind of part time job, nor did I go into it with that kind of expectation. And nothing aginst those who did go in with that mentality, but I don't see where they would have gotten that idea.

I can tell you where I got that idea. The way I found this site was by Googling something along the lines of "get paid to write book reviews." The page I got taken to, outlined all the benefits to readers, authors, and reviewers of the reviews-in-exchange-for-free-books system. It added, "There has been such a high demand for reviews that we've had to start paying for them. If you are a very active reviewer, you can make up to a few hundred dollars a month."

I now think that part was put there just to bring people to the site. Everything else on the page was accurate, but not those two sentences.

You took the words right out of my mouth! I was actually looking into various freelance jobs...looked into writing specifically and saw some links about "freelance reading" that lead to a very similar description. No, it wouldn't be the same as having a standard job but it was very misleading in that it suggested extra income COULD be gained here.

[Lucyrichmond]

Jessi - freelance writing is a chancy business. Be very wary of online "content mills" paying pennies. Opportunities, and pay, have halved in the last 20 years. Good luck!

[Scott]

I appreciate all those who have defended the system.

While I do not agree that lying has occurred, I definitely understand the frustration of some of the people who stumbled on the site from searching for something like "ways to make money writing reviews" and who found this site because they were looking for a part-time job at the time, and on the page explaining the system read the line that they could eventually make "up to a few hundred dollars a month".

A few issues are at play here.

Firstly, the demand has swayed back and forth as we have been doing this review team system. Sometimes I have had over 100 authors waiting for their book to be reviewed. However, as time has gone on, we have often also had a lot more demand for review opportunities as a result of a rush of new members joining. Another aspect is that authors usually one of 1 or a couple books to review, and then they are done. Once a reviewer joins the team, they can keep reviewing books. The levels and reviewer scoring and the associated waiting periods and need to post and be part of the community are all actually quite new. It is an improvement in my book because as other's have pointed out it makes sense that we wouldn't just pay some stranger from the street to review books when we can use these levels, scoring and reviewing a poster's activity before giving them reviews especially the highest-paying ones.

Secondly, the page being referred to clearly states that if you are in it for the money, it's not for you. It clearly states that is is not some get 'rich quick online'. The main benefit is stated as the fact the books are free. It does indeed say that you could even get paid, which is true. But as time has gone on and more reviewers have wanted to take us up on the awesome offer, supply has met demand and the paying and especially higher paying opportunities are being reserved for those who demonstrated their ability to be part of the time and established their value as a higher level review team member. I think that's a good thing, and will make sure author/publishers are getting the best bang for their buck which will keep those bucks coming in.

Thirdly, I can understand the hopefulness that can be sort of unwittingly taken advantage of if you came to that page already looking for an online part time job. And I am sorry to have gotten your hopes up and then taken them down. But I really do not think that page makes it out that way, especially if you thoroughly read the whole page. Especially since the page explains explicitly that even if you were getting the highest paying review opportunities (which it also makes clear you won't get right off the bat) you would still be making less than the minimum wage if you added up all the hours you will be putting into it. The figure of up to a couple hundred dollars comes from the currently highest paying review opportunities which are $60 for a review, and the amount of reviews a person might reasonably complete in a month in their spare time, since as the page in question mentions you won't be able to quit your day job.

In any case, I am very sorry for any misunderstandings or disappointments. But I greatly appreciate the feedback. Thanks to this feedback I have added the following to the FAQ of the page in question:

So I will really make a guaranteed hundreds of dollars working part-time online? Wow, cool.

No, again, as stated earlier, if you are in it for the money, it's not for you. Your first review won't be paid, and you will almost certainly not get the highest paying reviews very early on. You will need to establish yourself as one of our top level reviewers, by doing free or low-paying reviews and/or establishing your presence in the community and value as a reviewer, before you are getting first dibs at the highest paying reviews. Moreover, how much you could possibly make would be determined by the availability of high-paying reviews versus how many reviewers are competing for those opportunities. We cannot guarantee such availability. Finally, even if you do establish yourself as a top-level reviewer and get $60 for every book review you submit, it still wouldn't be a real job. You'd be spending countless hours using the site and reading books for an ultimate yearly 'salary' that's less than what most people make in a month. And that's a best case scenario. Like stated right in the first sentence on this page, you won't be able to quit your day job. What kind of part-time job pays only up to a few hundred dollars a month? It is really a great opportunity for readers, but we cannot say enough that if you are just in it for the money or are looking for an actual job, it's not for you. It's really a very awesome opportunity for readers who can get some money doing what they do anyway, but we don't want to falsely get your hopes up.

[gali]

I appreciate all those who have defended the system.

While I do not agree that lying has occurred, I definitely understand the frustration of some of the people who stumbled on the site from searching for something like "ways to make money writing reviews" and who found this site because they were looking for a part-time job at the time, and on the page explaining the system read the line that they could eventually make "up to a few hundred dollars a month".

A few issues are at play here.

Firstly, the demand has swayed back and forth as we have been doing this review team system. Sometimes I have had over 100 authors waiting for their book to be reviewed. However, as time has gone on, we have often also had a lot more demand for review opportunities as a result of a rush of new members joining. Another aspect is that authors usually one of 1 or a couple books to review, and then they are done. Once a reviewer joins the team, they can keep reviewing books. The levels and reviewer scoring and the associated waiting periods and need to post and be part of the community are all actually quite new. It is an improvement in my book because as other's have pointed out it makes sense that we wouldn't just pay some stranger from the street to review books when we can use these levels, scoring and reviewing a poster's activity before giving them reviews especially the highest-paying ones.

Secondly, the page being referred to clearly states that if you are in it for the money, it's not for you. It clearly states that is is not some get 'rich quick online'. The main benefit is stated as the fact the books are free. It does indeed say that you could even get paid, which is true. But as time has gone on and more reviewers have wanted to take us up on the awesome offer, supply has met demand and the paying and especially higher paying opportunities are being reserved for those who demonstrated their ability to be part of the time and established their value as a higher level review team member. I think that's a good thing, and will make sure author/publishers are getting the best bang for their buck which will keep those bucks coming in.

Thirdly, I can understand the hopefulness that can be sort of unwittingly taken advantage of if you came to that page already looking for an online part time job. And I am sorry to have gotten your hopes up and then taken them down. But I really do not think that page makes it out that way, especially if you thoroughly read the whole page. Especially since the page explains explicitly that even if you were getting the highest paying review opportunities (which it also makes clear you won't get right off the bat) you would still be making less than the minimum wage if you added up all the hours you will be putting into it. The figure of up to a couple hundred dollars comes from the currently highest paying review opportunities which are $60 for a review, and the amount of reviews a person might reasonably complete in a month in their spare time, since as the page in question mentions you won't be able to quit your day job.

In any case, I am very sorry for any misunderstandings or disappointments. But I greatly appreciate the feedback. Thanks to this feedback I have added the following to the FAQ of the page in question:

So I will really make a guaranteed hundreds of dollars working part-time online? Wow, cool.

No, again, as stated earlier, if you are in it for the money, it's not for you. Your first review won't be paid, and you will almost certainly not get the highest paying reviews very early on. You will need to establish yourself as one of our top level reviewers, by doing free or low-paying reviews and/or establishing your presence in the community and value as a reviewer, before you are getting first dibs at the highest paying reviews. Moreover, how much you could possibly make would be determined by the availability of high-paying reviews versus how many reviewers are competing for those opportunities. We cannot guarantee such availability. Finally, even if you do establish yourself as a top-level reviewer and get $60 for every book review you submit, it still wouldn't be a real job. You'd be spending countless hours using the site and reading books for an ultimate yearly 'salary' that's less than what most people make in a month. And that's a best case scenario. Like stated right in the first sentence on this page, you won't be able to quit your day job. What kind of part-time job pays only up to a few hundred dollars a month? It is really a great opportunity for readers, but we cannot say enough that if you are just in it for the money or are looking for an actual job, it's not for you. It's really a very awesome opportunity for readers who can get some money doing what they do anyway, but we don't want to falsely get your hopes up.

Well put and it is much more clearer now. It sounds fair to me.

[TrishaAnn92]

I agree, while I didn't come in expecting a part time income, my love for reading was refreshed and now I have people to share that with.