Reedsy Discovery (a.k.a. How to Pay $50 to Become Their Unpaid Intern)
I’ve been testing out book review platforms to get more eyes on my work. One of those platforms was Reedsy Discovery. Spoiler alert: if you’ve ever wanted to pay for the privilege of becoming a part-time, unpaid Reedsy street team member, buckle up. This one’s for you.
The Reedsy Setup
Let’s break it down.
Reedsy is free to join, but it costs $50 to list your book for review. That sounds simple enough — except it’s like paying an entry fee to a party where no one shows up, the DJ’s asleep, and someone hands you a clipboard and says, “Cool, now you go find the guests.”
To their credit, Reedsy doesn’t promise fluff. They pride themselves on “honest, independent reviews.” And to be fair, the reviews I finally got were detailed, thoughtful, and well-written — like something you’d see in Publishers Weekly. But getting those reviews? That’s where the wheels come off.
The Reedsy Hustle
I listed two books. Weeks went by. Crickets. Eventually, I was internet-stalking reviewers like it was a job — hunting down LinkedIn profiles, sending DMs, doing everything short of showing up at their house with muffins. A few responded… and then asked for more money. One quoted $100. That’s on top of the $50 I already paid Reedsy. Surprise! Apparently, “independent” means “independent contractor looking for Venmo.”
I didn’t cough up the extra cash, but I did spend my time (which is also money, but less politely invoiced) digging through their graveyard of inactive reviewers. Some hadn’t posted in years. Others had literally never reviewed a book, but still had active profiles. It’s like joining a gym and finding out the “trainers” are cardboard cutouts. This whole thing reminded me of dating apps that claim “millions of singles,” but somehow everyone lives three states away and hasn’t logged in since Obama was president.
The Reedsy Visibility Illusion
Eventually, I landed a review. Great, right?
Except when I Googled it — nothing.
I searched Come As You Are: Five Years Later G. Scott Graham Reedsy.
Three pages of results. Nada. Zip. The reviewer’s social feed post showed up, but the actual review page? Nowhere to be found.
What’s the point of a well-written review if nobody can find it?
The Amazon Letdown
So the review must at least show up on Amazon under the “Editorial Reviews” section, right?
Nope. Not unless you post it there yourself via your Amazon Author Page. My reviewer told me they’d post it to Amazon — and they did. But it landed in the general review section, right alongside every other review from every other reader. It didn’t stand out. It didn’t have any special visibility. And because they got the book for free through Reedsy, it didn’t have the “Verified Purchase” tag either.
They also said they’d post the review on Goodreads… but that never happened.
Reedsy’s “Upvote” Game
Even within Reedsy’s own universe, you don’t get exposure unless you become a salesperson for Reedsy — asking your friends and family to join just so they can upvote your book. Congratulations! You just paid money to become a door-to-door salesman for a platform that profits off your labor. Would you like to add a Tupperware party to your book launch?
You get pressured to spam your network to get promoted on the Reedsy site. And if you fall for it, your friends immediately start receiving marketing emails about editing services, design packages, and general literary “enhancements.” Because nothing says friendship like roping your entire network into someone else’s funnel.
The Better $50
Honestly? For that same $50, I could temporarily drop the price of my book to 99 cents, message 50 people in my network, and say, “Hey, grab this while it’s cheap.” Then I could raise the price back up and, like Reedsy would’ve wanted me to anyway, pester them for action but instead of going on Reedsy to upvote, they could go on Amazon directly and write a one sentence review. If only half of them left one, I’d still come out ahead — with 25 reviews for $50. That’s 25 reviews for the same price Reedsy charges to maybe get you one. Plus, they all get the “verified purchase” label. But hey, maybe Reedsy’s still the genius move, right?
And Then Comes the Spam
And speaking of spam — Reedsy loves it. Once you join, your inbox turns into their personal billboard. Need a cover designer? They’ve got ten. Want to “increase your odds” of getting reviewed? Buy an editing package! Never mind that you’re already $50 in the hole. They’re just getting started.
Let’s Recap The Reedsy Discovery Joyride
- You pay Reedsy $50.
- You do all the work to get a review.
- You might get asked to pay even more.
- Your review ends up buried on a site Google doesn’t even acknowledge.
- It doesn’t go to Amazon’s Editorial Review section unless you paste it there yourself
- If posted by the reviewer to Amazon, it’s lumped in with general reviews — unverified, unremarkable.
- You get pressured to spam your own network just to get visibility.
- And Reedsy turns around and spams you with upsell after upsell.
Reedsy Discovery Rating: ZERO STARS
The only thing “discovered” on Reedsy Discovery was how much time and money I could waste for the honor of doing their marketing for them. The reviews I got were solid — but the system that delivered it? Broken, manipulative, and misleading.
If you’re looking for real value and discoverability, don’t list your book here. Unless your dream is to pay for a participation trophy and become Reedsy’s MLM rep — then sure. Knock yourself out.
