I really wish people wouldn't chuck the word "scam" about willy-nilly, without any research.

A scam is a situation where a person or service takes your money with no intention to do as they have promised and to never deliver the service you've paid for. THAT is a scam.

Now there is a huge huge huge difference between a service that is a scam and one that does as promised (for example, send your books to their subscribers) and just doesn't deliver the desired results. And even the lack of desired results could be due to issues with the book and its categorisation.

I can CATEGORICALLY say that Reedsy is NOT a scam in ANY way, form or shape.

However, can you perhaps spend your money better than on this service? I'd say so.

Buy an ad at ENT (Ereader News Today), or Bargain Booksy. The results will not be stellar, but I think they serve the market better than Reedsy in this area. Reedsy is a kind of upwork for writers. That's their core business. However, if you pay Reedsy to put your book up wherever, they will do this. The results, however, depend on your books and how well it fits their market. There are better venues. Reedsy is NOT a scam.

 

Thank you for your suggestions.

"I can CATEGORICALLY say that Reedsy is NOT a scam in ANY way, form or shape."

Do you have experience with it? What do you base CATEGORICALLY on?

 

Do you have experience with it? What do you base CATEGORICALLY on?

To turn your original question around - what do you base your comment that it is a scam, on? Maybe you should try googling. It's hard to prove a negative (ie: that it's not a scam) but if it were, you can bet there would be complaints about it.

 

"To turn your original question around - what do you base your comment that it is a scam, on? "

It was a question, not a comment.

 

It's interesting you are looking at Reedsy's author services. I am doing a competitive market analysis on author service sites, such as the freelancer marketplace. I believe it's difficult to choose from so many editors and designers. That is the hypothesis for starting an alternative, so I'd love to get some feedback:

Do you think it's difficult to choose from among so many freelancers?
Do you think a Concierge service who brings you two ideal matches (your budget/level/location) would make it easier...?

Thank you
Jennifer, editor/author/entrepreneur

 

It's interesting you are looking at Reedsy's author services. I am doing a competitive market analysis on author service sites, such as the freelancer marketplace. I believe it's difficult to choose from so many editors and designers. That is the hypothesis for starting an alternative, so I'd love to get some feedback:

Do you think it's difficult to choose from among so many freelancers?
Do you think a Concierge service who brings you two ideal matches (your budget/level/location) would make it easier...?

Thank you
Jennifer, editor/author/entrepreneur

I'm confused. I didn't link to an author services website. And it's nothing like upwork.

"Give your book the launch that it deserves
Submit your book to our reviewers for $50 and gain exposure to thousands of readers in your genre."

IF the reviewers like what they read. That's why I asked whether it was a scam.

 

Reedsy is not a scam. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's a scam. Perhaps ask if someone has used their review serivice rather than calling them a scam.

 

Reedsy is not a scam. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's a scam. Perhaps ask if someone has used their review serivice rather than calling them a scam.

I asked a QUESTION. I did not make a comment or imply anything.

I first did a search. Reedsy did not come up. I'll try again. Maybe I messed up, I don't know.

So I asked a question.

I was lectured about word usage, and twice told that I made a thinly-veiled accusation against a reputable company.

So I asked a question.

What is wrong with people here?

UPDATE:

I searched again. Nothing about Reedsy. This is the only thread.

So please DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF INSULTING REEDSY, MAKING A 'COMMENT' OR AN ACCUSATION. I ASKED A LEGITIMATE QUESTION.

UPDATE #2

Having received no useful information here, I just looked up Reedsy on the web, to see if anyone had reviewed it.

Newsflash: not everyone in the world has heard of it. I discovered that Reedsy itself is indeed the Upwork of editing. But I provided a link which I will provide again:

https://reedsy.com/discovery

Reedsy DISCOVERY.

That was what my question was about.

If I did this again, I would have made the topic header "Reedsy Discovery" and not "Reedsy" but that doesn't excuse people who didn't follow the link I provided and who lashed out at me and who said I accused Reedsy of being a scam when I did nothing of the sort.

You're welcome.

 

I asked a QUESTION. I did not make a comment or imply anything.

I first did a search. Reedsy did not come up. I'll try again. Maybe I messed up, I don't know.

So I asked a question.

I was lectured about word usage, and twice told that I made a thinly-veiled accusation against a reputable company.

So I asked a question.

What is wrong with people here?

UPDATE:

I searched again. Nothing about Reedsy. This is the only thread.

So please DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF INSULTING REEDSY, MAKING A 'COMMENT' OR AN ACCUSATION. I ASKED A LEGITIMATE QUESTION.

UPDATE #2

Having received no useful information here, I just looked up Reedsy on the web, to see if anyone had reviewed it.

Newsflash: not everyone in the world has heard of it. I discovered that Reedsy itself is indeed the Upwork of editing. But I provided a link which I will provide again:

Discover weekly, the best new books

Reedsy DISCOVERY.

That was what my question was about.

If I did this again, I would have made the topic header "Reedsy Discovery" and not "Reedsy" but that doesn't excuse people who didn't follow the link I provided and who lashed out at me and who said I accused Reedsy of being a scam when I did nothing of the sort.

You're welcome.

Hi, I'm not a writer, but I start my book illustration journey on Reedsy, and the book that I worked the cover on displayed on Reedsy Discovery. After that it's doing great, and have great reviews in amazon and also goodreads. I know my client doesn't engage with bookclub or publicist to promote her first book, so yeah...I can say it's working.

My advice is you can try Reedsy Discovery, but it will works better if you also hire a publicist for your book.

I offer custom book cover service, message me if you need!

 

I asked a QUESTION. I did not make a comment or imply anything.

I first did a search. Reedsy did not come up. I'll try again. Maybe I messed up, I don't know.

So I asked a question.

I was lectured about word usage, and twice told that I made a thinly-veiled accusation against a reputable company.

So I asked a question.

What is wrong with people here?

UPDATE:

I searched again. Nothing about Reedsy. This is the only thread.

So please DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF INSULTING REEDSY, MAKING A 'COMMENT' OR AN ACCUSATION. I ASKED A LEGITIMATE QUESTION.

UPDATE #2

Having received no useful information here, I just looked up Reedsy on the web, to see if anyone had reviewed it.

Newsflash: not everyone in the world has heard of it. I discovered that Reedsy itself is indeed the Upwork of editing. But I provided a link which I will provide again:

https://reedsy.com/discovery

Reedsy DISCOVERY.

That was what my question was about.

If I did this again, I would have made the topic header "Reedsy Discovery" and not "Reedsy" but that doesn't excuse people who didn't follow the link I provided and who lashed out at me and who said I accused Reedsy of being a scam when I did nothing of the sort.

You're welcome.

Maybe the word scam needs to be treated with the same aversion for troll.

It's far too easy to accuse someone of being a scammer with no proof. But it taints the discussion until it's no longer recognizable or beneficial.

And yes, Mary, you did implicitly accuse (imply) Reedsy of being a (possible) scammer. Just because you didn't state it categorically, you cast doubt in the form of an "innocent question". That's just disingenuous.

Surely you know on the internet that is a real hot button issue right now. If not, then as a writer, you should know the power of words.

 

I've used them to write parts of my book in Nov. but haven't used their Fee services... as of yet.
I might use their service when I finish my current book, never a problem

Oh and as far as I can see...She asked a question, and it's a question I've asked many times in the same way...  "Scam or not"  it isn't a negative against Reedsy... It's a question that was asked in a place that is supposed to be a safe place for writers to talk...ask questions..recommendations etc..,    So Lighten Up...jeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

As I read the comments, my thoughts were that a lot of people hadn't enjoyed their coffee yet today. I got the message that you only asked a question. Don't know why others didn't either. Don't worry about it and spend more time on Youtube. 

 

You can change the topic of a thread when you edit the original post.

"Is [service] a scam" is a really good thing to google. If it's a scam, there will be results. If not, there won't be any. In fact, a search like that should be mandatory before you hand over money to any service.

I reiterate that you're probably better off buying some promos on second-tier promo sites like ENT and Bargain Booksy.

 

I really wish people wouldn't chuck the word "scam" about willy-nilly, without any research.

A scam is a situation where a person or service takes your money with no intention to do as they have promised and to never deliver the service you've paid for. THAT is a scam.

Now there is a huge huge huge difference between a service that is a scam and one that does as promised (for example, send your books to their subscribers) and just doesn't deliver the desired results. And even the lack of desired results could be due to issues with the book and its categorisation.

I can CATEGORICALLY say that Reedsy is NOT a scam in ANY way, form or shape.

However, can you perhaps spend your money better than on this service? I'd say so.

Buy an ad at ENT (Ereader News Today), or Bargain Booksy. The results will not be stellar, but I think they serve the market better than Reedsy in this area. Reedsy is a kind of upwork for writers. That's their core business. However, if you pay Reedsy to put your book up wherever, they will do this. The results, however, depend on your books and how well it fits their market. There are better venues. Reedsy is NOT a scam.

This ^^^^^

 

Reedsy isn't a scam - they're essentially middlemen, a short-cut to services for people who don't have the experience, or the time, or the energy, to seek them out themselves. But they're not a charity, and obviously they take their cut for saving writers that time and effort.

Just about anyone who's ever been to an indie or self-publishing event has met Reedsy's Ricardo, AKA Spanish Jesus, because he makes a point of turning up to as many as he can and reaching out to the author community.

I don't use Reedsy myself, because doing absolutely everything myself is kind of part of the fun for me, but you can't fault the guy's work ethic, and the effort he's put in to take some of the confusion out of the self-publishing process for beginners and the non tech-savvy.

 

A thank you to the folks who understood where I was coming from, and saw that a question is a question.

To Patty, who gave alternate suggestions, thank you.

To the person who wrote this: "And yes, Mary, you did implicitly accuse (imply) Reedsy of being a (possible) scammer. Just because you didn't state it categorically, you cast doubt in the form of an "innocent question". That's just disingenuous. "


edited, PM if you have questions -- Ann

 

Reedsy might be expensive but it's definitely not a scam.

 

The question was taken issue with because it was loaded with a negative term. If someone new moves in next door, you wouldn't ask "Murderer or not?" and then wonder why people thought you were implying the next-door neighbour was a dangerous criminal. Scam is a pretty loaded term, and it's jumping to an extreme when you're really wondering what the efficacy of a service is.

Regarding Reedsy, it's not the Upwork of editing. Reedsy has standards that many/most professionals can't meet, either because of an arbitrary standard or just because they aren't experienced enough. They also have minimums in place, I believe, so there's no race-to-the-bottom mentality among its workers. And, of course, it's not just for editing.

I have not heard great things about Reedsy Discovery, however. If you have a healthy marketing budget it won't hurt to give it a try, but if you're trying to maximize results you're better off going with something else. Discovery's effectiveness is based on group voting, which is inherently limited by luck, timing, and the actions of the first few voters. A handful of negative votes (in this case, non-votes) can sink your campaign and remove your title from contention (in regards to being viewable as a highlighted title). If you luck into a successful campaign, awesome! But what are the chances of that? IMO, not great. But this is not a firsthand anecdote and is based off of secondhand reports.

 

I just searched for 'reedsy reviews' without the quotes and found that there are quite a few reviews, haven't read them though.

 

Hey Mary, sorry the question and thread go a bit bent, but your words do have power. You might not like it if one of the new posts said "Mary's latest novel - Sucks? or worth reading?"  A much better title/post would be "Anybody read Mary's latest novel?" Right?

 

Hey Mary, sorry the question and thread go a bit bent, but your words do have power. You might not like it if one of the new posts said "Mary's latest novel - Sucks? or worth reading?" A much better title/post would be "Anybody read Mary's latest novel?" Right?

I wouldn't mind if someone wrote "sucks or worth reading" about my book. At least they're talking about me.

I modified the post name, but for the final time, I'm not ashamed of asking whether something's a scam. They're all over the place. So, scam or not, stays.

I'm a blunt, no bullshit type. Tough if people don't like it.

As for this: "The question was taken issue with because it was loaded with a negative term. If someone new moves in next door, you wouldn't ask "Murderer or not?""

That's an absurd comparison, but if the doorbell said, "C. Manson," I would certainly ask. I know he's dead, but I'd make sure.

 

"That's an absurd comparison, but if the doorbell said, "C. Manson," I would certainly ask. I know he's dead, but I'd make sure."

LOL

 

As for this: "The question was taken issue with because it was loaded with a negative term. If someone new moves in next door, you wouldn't ask "Murderer or not?""

That's an absurd comparison, but if the doorbell said, "C. Manson," I would certainly ask. I know he's dead, but I'd make sure.

This addition does not make sense, unless Reedsy is translated to White Van Speaker Scamsy or iTunes Gift Card Scamsy in your language. The premise of the comparison is that an extreme is jumped to where it isn't warranted. Adding a caveat to the comparison where you'd ask the question if the subject's name matched up with a known extreme only confirms that you weren't just "asking a question," as that then implies you think Reedsy shares characteristics with a scam.

I don't see why "being blunt" means one is incapable of acknowledging poor word choice.

 

I'm a blunt, no [bullcrap] type. Tough if people don't like it.

That really goes both ways. If you don't care that people might be offended by how you say something, you don't really have a lot of room to complain when they take offence. Nor should you expect them to care if you don't like what they have to say.

 

 

This addition does not make sense, unless Reedsy is translated to White Van Speaker Scamsy or iTunes Gift Card Scamsy in your language. The premise of the comparison is that an extreme is jumped to where it isn't warranted. Adding a caveat to the comparison where you'd ask the question if the subject's name matched up with a known extreme only confirms that you weren't just "asking a question," as that then implies you think Reedsy shares characteristics with a scam.

I don't see why "being blunt" means one is incapable of acknowledging poor word choice.

You're welcome.