As you know if you read my blog, I LOVE to read! If this is your first time here and you are a writer if you want me to review your book or novella, please ask! If you like my style (which you must because you just asked me to review) and your book falls into a category that I will read and review please send me your book!

So how would you feel about receiving a gift card for a review? For instance, being told, “If you review, as a thank you, we’ll send you a gift card” would you do it?

I recently received an e-mail offering giftcards to any reviewer/reader that could post their review to amazon and goodreads on a first posted, first rewarded basis. I was asked in a direct, personal e-mail if I would do this and to then post my review. Once done I should send the link and if any giftcards were left, I’d receive one.

I was going to review the book anyway, and so I agreed to do this because, hey, giftcard! I was thanked and told that once I send the link to the posted review, a gift card would be sent. I had computer problems so I gave them my review name for both sites in the original e-mail. They could’ve easily looked up my review.  So when I didn’t hear back from them for 24 hours I asked if they’d received it.  They had not and was told all the gift cards were gone. In an interesting side note, all correspondence but the one with the link to the review was received. Hmmm.  It made me a little suspicious of the whole deal, but…whatever.  So while this clearly did not work out in my favor it really made me think about this process. So what do you think? As a writer, would you attempt to gain reviews by offering a gift card or perhaps another monetary reward? As a blogger I already feel I’ve scored big when I receive a book free in the hopes I’ll give an honest, non-paid, and in my case, positive review. I just love to read! I can’t say that enough.  My review was both favorable (I happened to like this book) and non-plot revealing as are all my reviews. If I really, really dislike a book, I don’t review it. I’d rather not say something bad, because someone took a lot of time and energy to WRITE the book.  Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean other people won’t like it. In those cases, I don’t review, I don’t say anything at all.

So, when I posted my reviews first and then was told I’d receive a sweet reward I thought for sure that there was nothing wrong with this. However, the more I thought about it, I now I feel that I should take my review of this book, favorable and honest though it was, down because it wasn’t done with the best intentions on my part or theirs.  This isn’t sour grapes about not getting the gift card, but the way in which it happened made me realize that it’s probably a bad practice to take “pay” for a review. In the end I’ve decided that I want a clean conscience and will gladly accept books for review (e-books are fantastic by the way!) But I’ve decided I will no longer be tempted by those e-mails that come in offering up an enticing treat!

To those authors and bloggers out there, how do you feel about this? Is this truly an honest review if you know in advance that you are being rewarded with a sizeable gift card (and I’m not talking about the random raffle promotion) for a book review?