Why I Ended my Association with the Online Book Club

 

I did reviews for the Online Book Club for the past two years. Initially, despite my frustrations with their editorial process, it was an acceptable side hustle. I got free copies of books and the review payments averaged around $25.

Within the past year, there have been far fewer ARCs, Kindle gifts, or even books available via Kindle Unlimited. Online Book Club expects a lot from its reviewers. While I can't fault them for having high expectations of quality, some of the things reviewers have to go through are ridiculous considering the low payout. 

For instance, if the review does not fall into the volunteer category, the reviewer is expected to write a summary to prove they "actually read" the book. While Online Book Club claims the reviewer need only write about three sentences, every time I tried to do that, the author or publisher stated it wasn't enough proof. Most of my summaries were at least as long as the review. I've never heard of another review site that demands such a thing of their reviewers.

Reviewers are expected to keep track of spelling errors and to note the first instance of profanity in the book. I didn't mind this too much because I enjoy proofreading. However, if I'm expected to proofread, I should be paid as a proofreader. The reviewer is also expected to determine whether or not the book is "professionally edited." I've never been sure how I'm supposed to know that, and it always set wrong with me that writers who can afford to hire an editor are seen as being superior to those who can't.

Like many independent authors, I'm also my own editor. I have a very meticulous process. Each of my books undergoes at least three edits. I am confident enough in my skills that I would be willing to edit for pay. However, I cannot afford to pay an editor. I don't believe that should keep me from publishing my work.

Online Book Club tends to move the goalposts on their reviewers. For instance, they recently added the rule that if there are no errors in the book, reviewers are expected to write that the "editing was exemplary." I don't read books so I can critique the editing. I read books to critique the story. I got dinged for forgetting to put this phrase in my review, which I found ridiculous.

Now comes the proverbial straw that broke the owl's back. The people who edit the reviews are level 6 reviewers. These reviewers really are not superior to reviewers at lower levels. They are simply more likely to engage in activities such as promoting the book of the day on Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter. Perhaps it's the old union mentality from the days when I worked at the Denver Post and UPS, but I didn't sign up to do social media promotion. I signed up to write reviews.

I did get to Level 6 at one point and attempted to review the reviews. I didn't feel comfortable doing this and I didn't enjoy it. We were told that we were superior to low-level reviewers, but I didn't feel this was the case. Also, some of the reviewers who engage in this process find fault like there's a prize for it. I disputed one critique because the "editor" had a problem with me writing my summary in the past rather than the present tense. There technically was nothing wrong with what I had written. 

In another instance, the "editor" insinuated that I was guilty of plagiarism because my review was "generic." I stated that while the book was written for older people considering a career change, it could also benefit younger readers hoping to discover what career to pursue. Hence, the book was a good choice for a wide audience. I'm not sure how that's "generic" or smacks of plagiarism, but I was done. If putting up with emotional abuse is part of my job, I expect to be properly compensated for it. 

There are those who have said that the Online Book Club is a scam. It isn't. They do pay. However, what they pay is not worth the headache that doing reviews for them delivers. I honestly thought I was unable to write reviews anymore. However, I enjoyed the most recent independent review I did. It's not me, it's them.

Also, if you are an author, I would suggest doing extensive research before considering Online Book Club to promote your book. A simple search will reveal a concerning number of negative comments by authors who have used the service. 

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Ornery Owl Reviews Things

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A Writer's Revelations . . . . . . . . by Judy Ann Davis, Writer & Author: INSECURE WRITER'S SUPPORT GROUP

A Writer's Revelations . . . . . . . . by Judy Ann Davis, Writer & Author: INSECURE WRITER'S SUPPORT GROUP:                                          

I review books and it puzzles me when people publish manuscripts that look like they haven't even been proofread. One of the worst ones looked to be someone's NaNoWriMo project. It was nothing but nonstop (bad) dialogue with occasional very brief descriptions of the scene (i.e. we were in a swamp when...) I would have been embarrassed to put my name on this mess. If that's your first draft, great. But nobody is such a great writer that they can release their first draft without editing. Believe me.

IWSG Book Club: Questions for Chill Factor

Disclosure: If readers purchase a copy of the book through the above link, I receive a small commission from Amazon. I really wasn't a fan of this book, and I don't recommend it. I gave it two out of five stars. But you're welcome to check it out if you like.

The questions come from the Insecure Writers Support Group Book Club discussion of this book.

1. In the opening of Chill Factor, I love the way Sandra Brown begins with setting, weaving in character activity and then details to create this uncertainty when we meet Ben Tierney. He is out in the open air of snowy mountains with a shovel where there are four unmarked graves. Then, as it continues, his thoughts detail the event and mystery of the graves, as he finds his way back to his vehicle. The introduction of the character, setting, and mystery are powerful. It makes you quickly flip the page to find out what happens next.

QUESTION: The first chapter ends in uncertainty. At that point, did you think Ben Tierney was a hero or a killer?

I thought there was a fair likelihood that Ben was a killer (or one of a group of killers) at that point.

2. In the second chapter, Brown is in the female POV and she reveals the thoughts of the ex-husband in such a subtle way through the female's thought summary that you almost feel like you are hearing his thoughts, not hers. It’s so seamless it feels like you are in the room with them.

QUESTION: How do you handle deep point of view between characters?

I don't think I really give it much thought. If it works well, then it's a good technique.

3. A. Which characters did you like the most in Chill Factor? Why?

I liked Scott the best. He seemed like he was trying to do the best he could with a horrible situation.

B. Which characters did you like the least in Chill Factor? Why?

I thought every male character except for Scott was awful. Dutch and Wes were both abusive. Ben was passive-aggressive. William was a nasty little weasel.

4. Throughout Chill Factor, we’re not positive if Ben is a good guy or a bad guy. Have you ever put your readers on this roller coaster ride, tricking them into thinking a good character might be bad, or vice versa? And what techniques did you use?

I've written characters who were somewhat ambiguous. I never start out with any particular technique in mind. My characters are pushy jerks who write themselves.

5. As a fellow asthma sufferer, it was nice to see that as part of the heroine's character development and nicer to see that it didn't stop her from being depicted as strong. Too often asthma and allergy sufferers are portrayed as weak.

QUESTIONS: What other characteristics often make a character seem weak? What other characters have overcome weaknesses to be portrayed as strong?

I really don't feel that Lilly was a strong character. The line about her "not wanting to play the feminist card" made me say "oh boy, here we go" early on in the book. I have asthma, and I found it rather insulting that the author used Lilly's condition as a plot point to make her "need" Ben.

I was not a fan of this one. My review is here.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3240905259?book_show_action=false#_=_

Wordy Thursday + Ornery Reviews: Chill Factor

Genre: 
Romantic Suspense

Rating:
Two of Five Stars for Goodreads and Audible

Disclosure:
This is a duplicate of my review of this product on Goodreads.

If readers purchase a copy of the book through the above link, I make a small commission from Amazon. The book isn't so bad that I refuse to link to it, it just was not my cup of tea. If you like tawdry thrillers, you might enjoy it.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and if I had taken a shot every time I found myself blurting out "oh, for Chuck's sake," (what I actually said rhymed with Chuck) or "ew," I would have been unconscious on the couch oozing alcohol out of my pores. 

It became clear pretty early in the game that this book was not going to be high on my list of favorites. Every one of the male characters aside from Scott, the eighteen-year-old high school senior and long-suffering son of the school's abusive athletic director, was odious. Ben was a passive-aggressive mysterious hunk. Dutch was a macho cop with anger issues. Wes was a military wannabe and an abusive husband and father. William, the pharmacist, was a creepy little weasel.  

These characters sound interesting, but they were tropes. From the moment that Lilly decides that she "shouldn't play the feminist card," I knew it was going to be one of THOSE books where the "strong, independent" female character learns that she needs a man to complete her. Most of the story's sex scenes were cringy because I can't stand it when women give in to passive-aggressive macho men. 

I finished listening to the book because I was curious who the killer was, and I have to admit, it was someone I didn't expect. Still, the ending seemed forced. Overall, I was not impressed.

Ornery Owl

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