I don’t do it. I stand by this and it is something that I have not wavered on. First of all, Amazon will remove a review if they suspect that it was paid for, so then you just have that review but it isn’t posted anywhere.
Because of this, I won’t start my own review website. I read a lot of books, I could spend my time writing reviews for them. Or I could spend my time writing my next book and working to promote my books through organic channels.

Quick and easy answer here folks, you’ve got to pound the pavement, drive organic reach and growth and earn those reviews.

I know there are a lot of sources out there that will charge over $100 for a review. How many books do you have to sell to make that investment back? I just don’t see how any one review could make that difference. Now if you get a genuine endorsement from a major author with a huge social media following, that can move copies of your book.

But I’m guessing most major authors aren’t putting this up for sale, you have to earn it.