I responded that a purchased review probably wouldn’t be necessary because the nonfiction book  should generate trade magazine reviews. In addition, those industry reviews will carry more clout with the book’s target audience than a purchased review from a generic book review publication or site.

Her thinking reflected a question I’m getting a lot from authors, but the question is usually very specific: “Should I buy a review from Kirkus?”

The answer is, “It depends.”

Oh, the places you’ll go!

Kirkus Reviews is a widely respected source of book reviews. A good review from Kirkus can help launch a book and an author’s career.

Kirkus offers two types of reviews: Kirkus traditional reviews, and Kirkus Indie reviews. The traditional reviews are available for books submitted by publishers that don’t charge authors to produce their books. There is no charge for a Kirkus traditional review, but there’s also no guarantee that a book will be reviewed or that the author will like the review. Any “traditional” review is published whether it’s flattering or not.

Unpublished and self-published authors can purchase a Kirkus Indie review for $425 ( the review is done in seven to nine weeks) or $575 for express service (the review is done in four to six weeks). The fee guarantees an honest review. In addition:

• If you don’t like the review, nobody needs to know about it – Kirkus won’t publish it.
• If you like it and decide to make it public, rather than private, Kirkus publishes it on its website and you can use the review in all of your marketing efforts.
• If you like it and make it public, Kirkus also shares the review with its licensees, including Google, BN.com, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and others. In addition, Kirkus editors will consider it for publication in Kirkus Reviews magazine.

There are many stories of self-published authors who benefited from a good Kirkus Indie review. Darcie Chan, author of the highly publicized The Mill River Recluse e-book is one; the Wall Street Journal outlined how her success as a self-published author led to offers from traditional publishers. The Kirkus website quotes Chan as saying, “Kirkus’ review of The Mill River Recluse played an important role in encouraging readers to take a chance on a first novel by an unknown author.”

“It can launch a career,” says Karen Schechner, senior indie editor at Kirkus Reviews. “We’ve seen case study after case study of authors who’ve gotten a positive review and then were signed by agents and publishers; sold the foreign rights to their work; or went on to Kindle or, in at least one case, New York Times bestseller-dom.” 

How do you decide?

The risk is fairly minimal – the cost of the review, which, granted, for many, is a lot of money – but the rewards can be substantial. So how do you decide if it’s a good opportunity for you or a waste of money?

1. If the review cost will drain your marketing budget, skip it. 

“A budget of about $500 isn’t really enough to launch a full marketing campaign, but if that’s all the author is able to spend, she might want to use it for something that she doesn’t come with any surprises, e.g., promotional materials or advertising,” Schechnersays.

2. Be honest with yourself about your book’s quality.

Nobody – not Kirkus, not your cube mate, not your mother – will give you a glowing review if it’s a bad book. (Okay, maybe your mother will. Maybe.)

As Schechner puts it, “Getting a great review from Kirkus Reviews or any other publication is the easiest thing to understand and one of the hardest things to do: Write an excellent book. How? Read widely. Take the books you love and reverse engineer them to see how they’re constructed. Write often, listen to feedback, and revise. Hire an editor!”

It really is about quality. That’s why when my self-published Book Marketing 101 student Teresa Villegas asked me what I thought about paying for a Kirkus Indie review, I encouraged her to take the chance. Her children’s book about children conceived with donor help, How We Became a Family, is as good as anything you’ll see coming out of a traditional publisher.

3. Understand that there’s no formula for getting a good review.

One book category or genre isn’t likely to generate favorable reviews more than another.

“The only pattern is that reviewers appreciate books that are well-written and maintain the standards of their genre or artfully break the rules,” Schechner says. “Every genre has a fair chance at a positive review. Our reviewers choose the genres they’re familiar with and enjoy, and Indie editors carefully match books and reviewers.”

Answer these questions

Which brings us back to the title question: Should you buy a Kirkus review?

Answer these questions:

• Can you afford to lose the fee if you don’t like your book’s review and decide not to publish it?
• Is your book professionally edited?
• Does your book look, feel, and read like a traditionally published book?
• Have you had outside validation that it’s a good read?

If you can answer “yes” to these questions, it could be worth the risk. If you answer “no” to most of them, I’d discourage you from spending the money until you can get more “yes” answers.

Have you paid for a book review? Were you satisfied with the outcome?