A number of the reviewers for websites who often review my books have disappeared for one reason or another, so yesterday I contacted a number of the reviewers listed on the HWA data base, because I have three books out this year. I received this response from Clayton Bye of Chase Enterprises:
"Hello Greg,
I do, in fact, review. However, I have taken the stand that professional reviewers
should be paid for their time. After a discussion with my staff it was decided that the
new fee for reviewing adult books would be $100, regardless of length. We don't expect
authors to pay this, but agents, publicists, publishers and self-publishers are fair
game. Please see our submission rules: http://horror.thedeepening.com/submssio
Clayton Bye Author, What I Found in the Dark
Editor-in-Chief, The Deepening
Publisher, Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road
My Amazon Author Page
Homepage
eStore
Wordpress
Facebook
Goodreads
Linked-in
Twitter
Klout
Chase Enterprises
Box 2922
Kenora ON P9N 1B2
Canada"
Don't you respect someone who "takes a stand" but considers publishers, agents, and publicists "fair game"? Corporations are people, my friends, and money makes the world go around. Needless to say, there's a big difference between being a legitimate book reviewer who is paid by a magazine, website or blog, or someone who runs any of those platforms, and running a book review service which charges money for reviews.
I visited The Deepening website which Bye runs and sure enough, the terms of his service are laid bare. There's nothing illegal about it, but it does endeavor to lure unsuspecting authors who are desperate to be reviewed and don't understand the publishing business (Bye understands it all too well).
Look at the list of outlets Bye and his "staff" review books on: there isn't a magazine or or real review website on the list, just platforms made available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection. Horror writers should consider themselves lucky, too, because most of the reviewers at The Deepening specialize in reviewing horror: Bye, Sylvia Cochran, Kathy Foust, and Amanda Haury. Here's how Bryce presents his credentials:
"5. Clayton Bye is the Editor-in-Chief for The Deepening. He loves to read and write.
Horror is one of his great passions, and he will read your book cover-to-cover. Then,
using his knowledge of horror, Clayton will report exactly what his experience was like:
good, bad or indifferent. CLAYTON BYE, HORROR REVIEWS"
You know you're getting your money's worth when a reviewer reads your book cover-to-cover! And look, he even has a testimonial:
"Clayton honestly reviews books and is, in my opinion, a reviewer readers can trust. He
doesn’t hedge. He reviews the work as he sees it, good or bad. If you’re looking for a
guaranteed “good review,” you’d best know your book is great, or go elsewhere, because
The Deepening reviews “no holds barred.
–DLKeur"
Oh, well if he doesn't hedge, he must be a straight shooter. The richest part of all this (and using a monetary reference as an adjective seems entirely appropriate) is that Bye is an author, too - and a publisher! He does it all. Here's his bio on his Amazon author page:
Clayton Bye has been writing and publishing since 1994. Owner of his own multifaceted
company, Chase Enterprises, Mr. Bye is the author of 9 books, as well as 100's of reviews,
and a multitude of internet short stories, poems and articles.
Editor-in-Chief of The Deepening, a well respected and oft visited review company, Mr.
Bye is a voracious reader and the proud promoter of his talented reviewing team.
In December of 2011, Mr. Bye published an anthology of short stories called Writers on the
Wrong Side of the Road. These are very different stories from talented authors around the
world. The book was released under his new imprint Chase Enterprises Publishing. A trade
paperback 312 pages long, Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road is also available in Kindle
format.
Endorsements:
"Clayton Bye is one of the most prolific and talented writers I know. He is an eloquent
poet, insightful critic, imaginative novelist, and a self-help expert. The sheer volume of
his work makes me dizzy, and he seems comfortable in all genres. From his compelling
collection of short stories and essays to fiction winners like "The Sorcerer's Key" and
inspirational works like "How To Get What You Want From Life" and "Getting Clear," he
seems to find more hours in a day than most writers find in a week. He makes you think,
touches your heart, and fights the good fight with his pen as his sword. You can number me
among his great admirers."
- Timothy Fleming, Author
I'm not going to look up Mr. Timothy Fleming's credentials, I'll take him at his word that he's an "Author." God, this is awesome. If you've ever wanted to know how to make a living as an author, this is it.
Writers beware.
"Hello Greg,
I do, in fact, review. However, I have taken the stand that professional reviewers
should be paid for their time. After a discussion with my staff it was decided that the
new fee for reviewing adult books would be $100, regardless of length. We don't expect
authors to pay this, but agents, publicists, publishers and self-publishers are fair
game. Please see our submission rules: http://horror.thedeepening.com/submssio
Clayton Bye Author, What I Found in the Dark
Editor-in-Chief, The Deepening
Publisher, Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road
My Amazon Author Page
Homepage
eStore
Wordpress
Goodreads
Linked-in
Klout
Chase Enterprises
Box 2922
Kenora ON P9N 1B2
Canada"
Don't you respect someone who "takes a stand" but considers publishers, agents, and publicists "fair game"? Corporations are people, my friends, and money makes the world go around. Needless to say, there's a big difference between being a legitimate book reviewer who is paid by a magazine, website or blog, or someone who runs any of those platforms, and running a book review service which charges money for reviews.
I visited The Deepening website which Bye runs and sure enough, the terms of his service are laid bare. There's nothing illegal about it, but it does endeavor to lure unsuspecting authors who are desperate to be reviewed and don't understand the publishing business (Bye understands it all too well).
Look at the list of outlets Bye and his "staff" review books on: there isn't a magazine or or real review website on the list, just platforms made available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection. Horror writers should consider themselves lucky, too, because most of the reviewers at The Deepening specialize in reviewing horror: Bye, Sylvia Cochran, Kathy Foust, and Amanda Haury. Here's how Bryce presents his credentials:
"5. Clayton Bye is the Editor-in-Chief for The Deepening. He loves to read and write.
Horror is one of his great passions, and he will read your book cover-to-cover. Then,
using his knowledge of horror, Clayton will report exactly what his experience was like:
good, bad or indifferent. CLAYTON BYE, HORROR REVIEWS"
You know you're getting your money's worth when a reviewer reads your book cover-to-cover! And look, he even has a testimonial:
"Clayton honestly reviews books and is, in my opinion, a reviewer readers can trust. He
doesn’t hedge. He reviews the work as he sees it, good or bad. If you’re looking for a
guaranteed “good review,” you’d best know your book is great, or go elsewhere, because
The Deepening reviews “no holds barred.
–DLKeur"
Oh, well if he doesn't hedge, he must be a straight shooter. The richest part of all this (and using a monetary reference as an adjective seems entirely appropriate) is that Bye is an author, too - and a publisher! He does it all. Here's his bio on his Amazon author page:
Clayton Bye has been writing and publishing since 1994. Owner of his own multifaceted
company, Chase Enterprises, Mr. Bye is the author of 9 books, as well as 100's of reviews,
and a multitude of internet short stories, poems and articles.
Editor-in-Chief of The Deepening, a well respected and oft visited review company, Mr.
Bye is a voracious reader and the proud promoter of his talented reviewing team.
In December of 2011, Mr. Bye published an anthology of short stories called Writers on the
Wrong Side of the Road. These are very different stories from talented authors around the
world. The book was released under his new imprint Chase Enterprises Publishing. A trade
paperback 312 pages long, Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road is also available in Kindle
format.
Endorsements:
"Clayton Bye is one of the most prolific and talented writers I know. He is an eloquent
poet, insightful critic, imaginative novelist, and a self-help expert. The sheer volume of
his work makes me dizzy, and he seems comfortable in all genres. From his compelling
collection of short stories and essays to fiction winners like "The Sorcerer's Key" and
inspirational works like "How To Get What You Want From Life" and "Getting Clear," he
seems to find more hours in a day than most writers find in a week. He makes you think,
touches your heart, and fights the good fight with his pen as his sword. You can number me
among his great admirers."
- Timothy Fleming, Author
I'm not going to look up Mr. Timothy Fleming's credentials, I'll take him at his word that he's an "Author." God, this is awesome. If you've ever wanted to know how to make a living as an author, this is it.
Writers beware.
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