Kirkus ReviewsReviews of kirkusreviews.com

I rarely write negative reviews, but my experience with Kirkus Reviews was deeply disappointing. The reviewer clearly did not read my book properly and based a central criticism on a fundamental misunderstanding of a concept explained explicitly in the text. Because this misrepresentation directly affects the credibility of the work, I submitted a detailed and carefully documented complaint pointing out the factual errors. The response from Kirkus was extremely underwhelming. After providing a thorough explanation and supporting references, the only change made to the review was the modification of two words. The substantive error and misleading framing remained untouched. More concerning was the overall lack of responsiveness and professionalism throughout the process. When authors pay for a review service, the minimum expectation is that the book is read attentively and that legitimate factual corrections are handled seriously. In its current form, the service simply does not justify the price. Authors should be aware that even clear factual inaccuracies may not be meaningfully addressed once a review is published. Afterwards they try to sell you for thousands of dollars in promotional services. I'm not moving forward with any of it, due to the poor quality of the review.

overpriced ($425–$450 per review) with inconsistent quality, possible AI use, superficial reads, and little sales impact. Some report poor customer service or unqualified reviewers.

Very Disappointing Getting an AI Review :( As an indie author, I paid to have my book reviewed by Kirkus, not necessarily expecting glowing praise, but certainly hoping for a thoughtful critique. I waited the 9 weeks it took and today received my review which I can say with about 97% certainty... was written by AI. I'm a little heartbroken. I put my faith in a very trusted company to give me an unbiased review from a reader in my genre. The first line of my review? "A collection of short stories about people and rain." There are several other AI indicators throughout the review (I work with AI, so see them often). I'm quite upset, my $600 CDN bought me something I could have gotten in 10 seconds from ChatGPT for free. Actually, the chatgpt review was more insightful.

3 house work and free time

It is clear that the reviewer had no interest or knowledge of the subject matter while Kirkus Reviews claims the reviewer has a strong interest. When I asked what kind of book the reviewer reads and reviews, Katarina Yeager provided irrelevant information and then said that the information I was requesting was private. I was not asking for private information. When I pointed out a statement in the review indicated the reviewer had no knowledge of the subject, she erased the statement. Kirkus Reviews uses the same methods of duplicity as the people described in the book!! A big swindle. It appears that the review you get depends on if the reviewer happens to be interested in or have the aptitude for the subject matter. In my case that was clearly not the case. They were not honest about it. It's a case of how Clausewitz said it 200 years ago: Few people attempt or are able to understand complex conflict situations and most are not interested in doing so. They want a simple situation, which is not reality. And that is why they get fooled. And get manipulated. For any scam to succeed, the scammer has to establish trust so he/she can disarm the victim when it is time to strike. Kirkus reviews has that down too. They exhibit all the acts of deception discussed in the book that their reviewer does not think is riveting reading. They know it all already and are using it. In addition, as Timothy Levine points out in Duped, for deception to be effective it has to be infrequent. Kirkus appears to have that in their menu of deception as well. They are very thorough and expert in this area.

I don't have experience but I can

Here’s a short funny story for you (about 250 words): --- Last Sunday, Ali decided he was finally going to impress his neighbors by cooking a “masterpiece.” He put on his mom’s apron—which had pink flowers and the words “Kiss the Cook”—and announced loudly, “Today, I become a chef!” The plan was simple: make biryani. The problem? Ali had never cooked anything more complicated than instant noodles. First, he added rice. Then he added more rice. And then, just to be safe, he added even more rice. By the time he was done, the pot looked like a rice mountain. Next, he threw in all the spices he could find: red chili powder, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, and—by mistake—chocolate powder. “Chef’s secret ingredient,” he whispered proudly. As the biryani bubbled, smoke started filling the kitchen. The neighbors, smelling something strange, rushed over. “What’s burning?” asked Uncle Kareem. Ali opened the lid dramatically. A cloud of steam shot out like a volcano. The rice had swelled so much it was crawling out of the pot, like it had a life of its own. The neighbors stared in shock. Then, little Bilal pointed at the pot and screamed, “It’s attacking!” Everyone ran outside. Finally, Ali’s mom came home, looked at the kitchen disaster, and sighed. “Next time, just stick to noodles.” The neighbors laughed for weeks, and Ali earned a new title in the street: “The Biryani Monster.” ---

Kirkus Reviews is a scam. The reviewer does not read your book. He or she skims it, decides whether they like it based on their own opinion and then writes a review that demonstrates clearly that they didn't bother to read the book. Don't use them.