Hi Lynn - My 2 Cents about Reviews:

Never, ever, ever, should a writer or publisher have to pay to have a book reviewed - that's a conflict of interest. I believe some review sites offer "faster" reviews for a fee - but if they do not put in a disclaimer that the reviewer might not find the book a good read, and the money paid is not a guarantee of a good review, then it is not kosher.

There are several types of reviewers:

1. The sarcastic, hates everything, and lives for creating him/herself a nasty reputation
2. The reviewer who just wants free books
3. The lovey-dovey reviewer who gushes over each book, whether good or bad.
4. The snakes who charge for a review
5. The sincere ones.

My review policy: If I hate your book, I'll tell you so and return it. I prefer to not write a negative review if at all possible, especially for new writers. If I like your book, but see some areas that concern me, I will write the review and hopefully be able to address the concern(s) in an author interview. I don't take money as getting the book is a perk in my eyes. I will publish the review in as many places as will accept it, including Amazon, BookPleasures, Midwest Book Review, Writers Crossing, etc., as well as on my own site. Some books I am assigned to review from sites such as Fiction Addiction, Writers Crossing, Infuze and Christian Book Previews. For those sites, I adhere to their reviewer guidelines and negative reviews can be found there. For established authors, such as Robert Parker and John Sanford, I feel they have an obligation to their readers to meet a certain standard, and I will comment negatively in such cases.

Unfortunately, a lot of the review sites will not accept self-published books because of a premise set early on of bad editing by some of the self-publish houses. And there are a few books out there that should have never been published in the format they were in. Sadly, this could be avoided if more writers were to employ the services of an established editor who can help shape the story into a readable form: keep the plot going forward; keep the Point of View clear; catch simple grammar and punctuation mistakes; suggestions as to where the plot might need more detail or perhaps cut out as it's unnecessary to the story.

Check the credentials of any review site and/or reviewer.

Are they honest?
Do they make a name for themself by being rude and cruel?
Do they work under a conflict of interest (i.e. I'll give you a good review if you pay me).
Read at least one book they have reviewed and evaluate the review for it's content:
1. Is it apparent from the review that the reviewer actually read the book?
2. Is the review written to help a buyer decide whether or not to purchase the book?
3. Does it mention the audience and how the book might be used or by whom it might be enjoyed
4. Does it give information about the author and where more might be found (this sometimes is helpful in giving the reader an idea of the author's credentials)