Pubby

This is the message one receives if you have an issue…"Hi! Our support team rarely answers questions live. Our entire team is made of native English-speakers based in the United States. Thank you for allowing them to enjoy work-life balance!"

Pubby. Co has a solid concept in theory. The idea of exchanging book reviews through a credit system is appealing for authors and readers. However, the execution is deeply flawed. The platform is plagued with technical issues, and the support team is almost nonexistent. When problems arise and you try to escalate them, you often receive automated responses instead of real help. The review verification system is unreliable, and users are now being penalized for reviews they've already completed simply because the system fails to detect them. Snaps (credits) are deducted unfairly, and you're forced to manually prove your Amazon reviews over and over again. It's become more hassle than it's worth. Unless they completely overhaul the platform, it's best to look for alternatives. I've cancelled my subscription after they couldn't get it together. It just kept getting worse.

I only used pubby a few months before Amazon banned my account and deleted all my reviews. Apparently using pubby violates Amazon guidelines. Not only is my Amazon account now banned, pubby refuses to refund any of the $240 they charged me for a full year in advance even though I'm only a few months into my subscription because they said it's past 30 days from the charge. Don't do it, not worth it!

So, the fee is $25 USD/month. Then you need to review others' books to earn snaps (typically in the 1000 point range). You can then use those snap points to get your books reviewed (typically in the 1200-1500 point range). So, doing the math, you usually need to review three books for every two reviews you receive.

A little pricey, but if you get reviews, all good, right?

The issue is twofold. The first is, the reviews tend often be generic. The readers are doing fast scans, then tossing down reviews that will namecheck the main character, but only give general info about the book. I've also had two supposedly different reviewers leave startlingly similar reviews with the exact same title on each. So, that's the first issue...but at least your review count is going up.

Or...is it?

Because here's my biggest issue: A full 25% of the reviews I received were subsequently pulled by Amazon (and, weirdly, they were usually the good ones, where some thought had gone into the review). What can be done about this? Well, Pubby allows you to report the issue and get your snaps back...but they only allow 10 refunds per YEAR. I blew through my ten refunds in a MONTH, due to three reviewers who had done between two and three reviews of different books, and, of course, when one disappears by the reviewer, they all do. I tried to preserve my refunds by sending a message through their "handy" chat feature that claims a response will come within a couple of days. Almost a week later, I got a cut-and-paste response to use the refund feature. And now, barely a month in, I will not be able to report a review disappearance, or get those roughly 1400 points back...for a year. Assuming the pace continues, that means, in a year, I'd likely see another 100 reviews disappear, losing me about 130,000 points. So...that means they'd get about 130-150 other books reviewed by me for free.

This is a ripoff. Do NOT use Pubby.

I have been using this platform for a long time. Unfortunately, it has really dropped in quality. I often have to fight with their support because they can't find a review. And their support doesn't seem to contact you for days. Obtaining reviews is spotty. I will sometimes go weeks waiting for a single review (with 10+ requested). Their filtering is problematic and the site is painfully slow. The people who use the platform are great -- and I love the idea. I just wish they put more energy into the quality of the experience.

The idea of a review exchange is a good one, but the Pubby platform doesn't get it right. For starters, paying $25 a month and ALSO having to read and review books is too pricey. And it's not just me--I did get reviews, and usually quickly after I posted for them, but they were... bad. And not bad as in low stars, bad as in the quality of the review itself. One person literally used "My Review" as the subject line, like he was writing a book report. More than once, I could tell the person didn't read my book at all, and was just regurgitating details from the back cover blurb in between insincere praise. These reviewers were all authors trying to get reviews on their own books, after all, not readers looking to review books, so they didn't. On one of my Kindle Unlimited review listings I literally could see in my KU pages read that the person read 13 pages and then wrote their review. This was all bad enough, but then the assortment of books available on the platform to read and review started to dwindle to the point that I couldn't find anything I wanted to review so I couldn't earn reviews for my own books. Plus, seeing the books available, I could tell none of THOSE authors were the right audience to be reviewing my books anyway. It could be a great concept if it were managed better, but instead it just felt like a way of buying fake reviews while also having to do a bunch of work to get them on top of the payment.

They did not apply the credits (called Snaps) I earned for reviewing other Amazon products to my account (even after I submitted proof that my reviews went live). So, in essence, the Pubby service is of no value since you need to earn Snaps in order to use the platform...Then they automatically charged a $240 yearly subscription that I am quite certain I didn't authorize. Crickets from customer support. Triple thumbs down.

Pubby poses as a legitimate website for authors/publishers to get reviews, but here is what is truly is...an expensive and time-consuming way to get what boils down to paid reviews. I can get reviews through them, but their subscription fee is high, and even then...there is no guarantee the reader is actually reading the book. I've received reviews where it is quite clear that the reader id not read the book because they literally copied features about my book from the website word for word.

Second, if you are trying to read/review books for other authors on there, you are at the mercy of Amazon to post the review as a "verified purchase" since you have actually paid money to purchase the book in Kindle format...the problem is, Amazon doesn't always stamp reviews with "Verified Purchase." I have gone round and round with Pubby about this and they are not helpful. They insist on a "detailed receipt"...which again, Amazon does not always provide a detailed receipt for book purchases, particularly when purchasing more than one book at a time, they lump the receipt into a total and Pubby will not accept that.

And now, the site has gotten soooo slow, it takes forever to load. I may still use them for our authors (I work for a publisher) but I'm sticking to only reviewing free of Kindle Unlimited books, verified reviews are just getting too costly and they don't take the side of the people actually paying for the books and reading them.

To be honest, this site was once a great place to get reviews for our authors, but it has become a place where you are truly paying for reviews.

In my situation they closed my account without reason, stating I was leaving generic reviews. What I was doing, was leaving honest reviews an horrible books. In my opinion, Pubby only wants you to leave positive reviews on all titles and they don't seem to care at all about "authentic" reviews.

I was tricked by a fake influencer promoting this service who got a referral fee for me signing up. Don't be tempted and get tricked into believing some of the fake reviews you see from influencers who are paid and have a financial gain to make you sign up for this service as they get a referral fee from Pubby. Therefore, it is in their best interest to hide the bad things and only promote good things. Avoid doing business with them at all costs.

This organization is fraudulent and bullies its customers. They falsely claim that everything is unlimited, which is a complete lie. First, they restrict how often you can leave a review. Then, they claim they are increasing the limit, but it never happens. It doesn't even reset every 24 hours. For example, if you finish your last assignment on a Friday or Saturday, you'd expect it to reset in 24 hours so you can start early on Monday, but that's not the case. The cycle repeats from the time you start the first book. So, if you read a book on Monday and use up your 10 assignments later that week, you can't start the next assignment until the exact time you started on Monday. The same applies to Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on, using the time you started on those corresponding days from the previous week. You have to wait until the exact time you started the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on. They lie—nothing is unlimited.

There are numerous other caps that limit it. Another cap is how snaps are given to you and how you use them, which also limits how much you can earn in return. They mislead you into believing it is unlimited, but it is not. Don't fall for this lie.

They claim to be in compliance with Amazon's terms and conditions, but they are not. Many reviews get removed a few days after they are left, and many don't even get posted. Additionally, they have broken and violated numerous laws.

I also had an issue with Bruce, who was caught red-handed in a scheme incorrectly charging me. I was told he took care of the overcharges. I didn't realize his scheme until months later when I noticed he started charging me a higher rate than what the monthly subscription was supposed to be. When I asked nicely to resolve this issue, he refused and said I should have caught him earlier. How could I have known when I believed Bruce, who promised to have corrected the billing error? He left the chat after that while I was still typing. He intentionally charged me more and when he was caught this was his behavior. If there really was an error, Bruce had the chance to make it right when I went on chat. Instead of resolving the issue, he stole all my snaps and banned my account saying its bad for bad language when I was nothing but professional about the incident and giving him the chance to make it right. This behavior by Bruce is not only unprofessional but it is 100% proof of his illegal activity. If it was an innocent mistake, he could have made it right instead of acting the way he acted and then banning my account and stealing my snaps. Now I realize this was all a scheme to steal money and overcharge me. I have heard numerous customers claim of similar situations and then Bruce retaliates and harms them by leaving fake reviews. Stay away from this crook.

I also pointed out a major glitch where the activity wasn't showing. They told me their developer confirmed there was nothing wrong. After showing them numerous screenshots, rather than investigating it further, Bruce tried to bully me and close the case instead of being thankful that I pointed out the glitch. This issue has never been resolved to this date.

The list can go on. It is not worth dealing with Bruce. Action needs to be taken against Bruce and this fraudulent organization. Their headquarters is in an apartment in the Bronx, New York:
1135 226th Dr Apt 2D, Bronx, New York, *******. Kristen Forbes, founder and customer support, you should be ashamed of how you allow your team to treat their customers. Let's keep in mind it is the customers who keep you in business and keep your scheme going. Who knows if there is even a Bruce or if it was you disguised as Bruce in chat.

Action needs to be taken against Bruce and this fraudulent organization. Stay Away At All Costs!

I had a hold on my Amazon account, so my book purchases were not going through. When the problem was fixed, I emailed the receipts to Pubby. They still will not give me the 3500 snaps I earned. I am a senior citizen, but I have not received any assistance in this matter. The customer service at Pubby Co is zero. Treating customers like dirt should not be a part of this service. Just Sad

When you talk to this people they seem to think that they are making a favour to you. Really rude people. It seems they do not care about the bussiness. Not helpful at all. Not recomended.

Pubby is one of the worst sites I have dealt with; if you are not happy with something and you offer suggestions that don't fit their way of doing things, they won't listen to your feedback and send you emails that are not pertinent to what you're trying to say. They won't listen to you. They will keep telling you they are the only review site compliant with Amazon (I wonder if I should ask Amazon this directly, as it is still a review-swapping site). They also always have to have the last word- paying customers are never right in their eyes; they are.
They charged me more than I needed to at the beginning—first, it was over $30 per month. Then, when I tried to leave, the site said, "Are you sure?" and offered a cheaper rate of $11. None of the support team offered me this, and I would have still been paying $30 had I not tried to leave. The cheaper rate enticed me to stay, but I wish I hadn't.
There are no incentives for authors to write decent reviews for each other with a reasonable word count (whether positive or negative, I might add), and you could find your book raked over the coals by some angry, wound-up grouch who decides to have a nasty old whinge about it that day—beware! There is constructive criticism and plain nastiness—trust me, you don't want the latter!
It is authors reviewing each other's work- essentially, many authors want to get swaps as quickly as possible to get as many reviews as possible, so this doesn't always guarantee quality reviews. One review I received just said 'Enjoyable'. Ha! I had just bought a book and given it a great review, and that was what I got when I used my snaps. Amazon removed it, too, of course.
I played the game as well as I could, always leaving well-thought-out and considerate reviews, but unfortunately, I didn't always receive that. I imagine someone reading this may think it is because I have bad books, but I am a graphic designer. I have contacts who are editors- I am incredibly fussy with my work and never put something out I am not 100% happy with, and I am sure it meets industry standards.
There are fabulous, genuine people on Pubby who are willing to write great reviews, but they are rare. I do not recommend this site (especially to headstrong authors who may want to challenge crap systems- you will be put in your place!), but if you are willing to risk it… good luck.

I canceled before my trial ends in a few days because they stopped me from getting reviews. I reviewed a book and started reviewing another book, only to find the get reviews button on my account deactivated because they cannot verify that I did any reviews. They told me to contact "support" to get the hold removed, but there is NO SUPPORT. I contacted "support" earlier in the trial and received nothing more than an out of office email and no answer for my issue. This is a sham and not worth the few reviews you can get with the service. I found a really good free book and one on Kindle Unlimited to review, but this is more of a platform for people who want to SELL their book AND get a review in the process. Each user will give a review, as you expect reviews in return, but I'm not buying books JUST to review them. I'd rather set up some social media account, give the book away for free, and ask for an honest review than pay these jokers one red cent for this nonsense. If you are thinking of using this system, don't. Pubby will purposefully waste your trial time by preventing you from really using the service. On top of that, you will NEVER get any real customer support for your money; save it or spend it elsewhere. Pubby is a ten on a one to ten BS scale.

Account was suspended after a payment was taken. They refused to refund me or delete my data. Customer service is shocking. What a scam!
Update: I had to contact my bank to get my money back.

A scam run by lazy, shady, rude people. First off, it can get you banned from Amazon. So don't do it. I didn't know that because these scammers falsely represented themselves as legit. But even if you want to risk it, know that Pubby is horrible to deal with. Bruce and Co. Are too lazy to track reviews (literally their only job), so they routinely take away your earned points until you find and deliver the review yourself. I turned in only 5 stars and only on time, but I was constantly harassed about lateness or failing to complete projects. Dare complain about being mistreated and you'll be subjected to even more harassment. Lastly, many of the other "authors" are scammers too. They have AI write garbage books, intentionally misprice their offerings to cheat the point system, and have AI write your reviews, which will flag your account. What does Pubby do about all this? Absolutely nothing so long as they get their monthly $.

This company is designed to spam dishonest reviews, and they have absolutely no ethics. It is nothing short of snake oil salesman. This company charges you a subscription fee to give you nothing in return. You post a book you want reviews of then you earn snaps for giving reviews and spend snaps for requesting reviews. These reviews are posted on Amazon. Then pubby employees watch Amazon to ensure the reviews were posted. If not, they take away your snaps. Authors seek out writing as many reviews as possible to earn snaps quickly to get as many reviews as possible back. The problem is that reviewers don't actually read the books. They read summaries and other pieces of "Information you want the reviewer to know about your book" and they fake reviews. It is common for reviewers to read and write reviews on books hundreds of pages long in just two hours. It's a joke.

On the surface, it looks like this company is trying to support independent authors, but the reality is they are charging you a monthly subscription, in which they give authors nothing and authors do all the work. Pubby is as crooked as they come.

Pubby use this sentence in their Terms and Conditions to extract money from your account even when your account is closed:
"4.3 We have the right to remove users from the program for any reason and without notice, at our sole discretion, WITHOUT REFUND."
Source: https://account.pubby.co/terms.
In my case, they closed the account simply because of a review I wrote they did not like. They did not even mention they would go on to charge my credit card! This must be illegal!
They even did not allow me to use the thousands of credits I had earned from the reviews I had written.
Scandalous!

Pubby is a review service you have to pay to use. Then, you earn "snaps" by reading and reviewing other author's books.

Although this is a great way for new authors to get their books into people's hands and earn reviews on Amazon, there is no quality controls in place to ensure reviews are legit. Most of my reviews I've received are obviously generic. Many are paraphrases on the back cover blurbs, or rehashes of other reviews received. Authors can tell when someone has read their book, versus when someone purchases the ebook and writes a fake review.

The customer service is amazing. They are on top of refunding snaps for reviews done by someone who has not made a "Verified Purchase" on Amazon.

Also, starting four months ago, I have a heinous online stalker who disagreed with a review I wrote for a book she liked. She started an online campaign to try to bring me down. After one particular nasty email where she promised to beat the **** out of me if she saw me, she also promised to ruin my author career. When she changed her Amazon profile name to match mine and tried to submit a 5 star review to make it look like I was reviewing my own books, not only did Amazon block the review, but Pubby also shut it down when I reported it to them. They do a great job protecting the authors who use their service.

As for the fake reviews, I don't blame Pubby for this. It is not their job to police reviewers. I use BookRoar as well, and I have the same problem there. Authors are using both services to generate reviews for their own books and don't care about the veracity of the reviews they're writing to earn theirs.

Overall, use Pubby to get reviews for your new books, but beware, the reviews that come through may be generic and the books not actually read by the reviewer.