Let me set the record straight: I don’t pay for fake reviews. I’m not even sure how to go about doing that, although I’m aware of the practice. I also try to stay above the fray and not respond to trolls, but this particular claim, which has popped up a couple times on my latest book, is troubling enough that I can’t stay silent.I’m not sure where this accusation comes from, but it honestly makes no sense. I do not write professionally. I have another job that pays the bills. Believe it or not, I don’t make a great deal of money off of my books. I don’t write frequently enough, and I don’t move the kind of volume that’s necessary. I am fine with this, but it also doesn’t make sense to pay for reviews. I’d have to write a lot more for this to even make business sense.

It’s also strictly against the KDP Terms and Conditions. Doing so will not only get the book pulled, but the account banned. Even if it did make financial sense (which it doesn’t), it wouldn’t be worth the risk. Not with my catalogue of books at stake. And Amazon will catch you—maybe not right away, but there are more than a few stories out there of authors disappearing. Hell, I helped one such author get banned due to plagiarizing my work a while back.

Finally, I don’t need to buy reviews. I stand by the quality of my work. I write within a narrow fetish, I’ll grant that, but it’s one that many others share. I don’t love one star reviews (who does?), but I also know that what I write isn’t for everyone. If you hate a book that I write because of the plot or the characters, then that, at least, I can understand.

Coming at me with an unfounded accusation that I must be writing (or paying) for positive reviews because you don’t agree with them is just being narrow minded. If you think I’m cheating, report me, or produce some evidence.

My best advice, though, is that if you hate me and my books so much, stop reading them.