Kirkus Reviews and Kirkus Discoveries

I spoke with the founder of Kirkus Discoveries, the paid review service today. The topic was Publisher's Weekly, but naturally the conversation turned to paid reviews and the inherent difficulty that lies therein.

On one side, there is something to be said for the value to the author. Securing reviews is tricky since the number of books published so heavily outweighs the number of reviewers available to review them. One advantage a publishing service provider can offer is the ability to help an author overcome those odds.

On the other hand, the moment a review is "paid for" its creditability is called into question (the same can be said for paid-for-mention blogs and more on that at a future date).

Kirkus Discoveries seems intent to counter such prejudices by being particularly brutal in its reviews of on-demand books. Is that biting the very hand that feeds it, or is that simply its way of maintaining its impartial MO? According to the founder (not sure if he wants to be mentioned or not, which is why I'm referring to him like that), Kirkus has a reputation for being somewhat callous and cruel in its reviews anyway.

Our major competitor offers th "Kirkus Review" for $360, which is $10 more than anybody can get it for from the Kirkus website. Presumably the $10 additional fee above and beyond was is available directly from the Kirkus website is their service fee (ie, profit), but knowing what I know about the 50-word "reviews" coming out of Kirkus Discoveries (that's $7 a word, in case you're calculating), I wonder if that publisher is coming to the same conclusion their authors are coming to -- that paying $350 for a bad review kind of...sucks.

That's where the Outskirts Press Marketing COACH helps. Not only does it tell you what to do; it tells you what to avoid. But if you're the gambling type and feel like playing roulette, place $350 on black at http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/discoveries/index.jsp