PubbyReviews of pubby.co

In July 2024, I found Pubby.co, a website that provides book review services. It offered a free trial that allowed authors to list their published books and receive reviews from other members through the website, so I listed my book. The service uses a point system: by reviewing other members’ books, you can accumulate points and use those points to receive reviews of your own book. I managed to review one book but soon realized that I would never be able to accumulate enough points to receive many reviews, so I stopped using the service. I do not remember ever choosing or knowingly signing up for a US$240 annual plan. In total, I received only two very short reviews through the website. (Please see the photos below.) Sometime later, I discovered that I had been charged US$240. I believed it was a one-time fee and emailed the company to complain. I told them that these were the most expensive book reviews I had ever paid for. I received a reply explaining how their service worked, but even then, I was not told that the US$240 charge would recur annually. I only recently discovered that I had been charged US$240 each year. This means that I have now paid a total of US$720 for two very short reviews. In addition, I never received a renewal notice or notification before the subsequent charges, nor did I receive any further services after the initial two reviews—not even newsletters. The most recent charge was made on July 30, 2026. I emailed the company requesting a refund for the charges from the previous two years, but I have not received a reply. I also do not know how to remove or close my account on their website. I contacted my bank and filed a dispute, but I was told that the US$240 charge from 2025 was too old to dispute, so I can no longer recover that payment through my bank. I do not know whether other writers have had a similar experience, but I wanted to share mine so that others can be aware of the recurring charges and carefully review the terms before signing up for this service. Anjela Bookworm July 27, 2024 "An amazing story. I was completely captured from the first pages. The descriptions are beautiful, and the writing style simply mesmerizing. I did find it a bit wordy in places, perhaps a little too verbose. But the narrative was just excellent. I loved the story. Very vivid images of Chinese culture and characters. I recommend it." TinkerGirl July 19, 2024 "Beautiful book, will pull at your heart strings, so have tissues ready. If you enjoyed the film Sophie's Choice, then you will love this book. A must read, keep in your collections so it can be re-read!"

Got some review but not sure if they are safe to use.

First think it says on the initial page START NOW - FREE. Click that, you can go no further until you pay $39.99 for the first month. I will never go along with any websites that lie, dont say its free if its not. Its a fraudulent statement. That tells me how trustworthy the rest of the service would be. If you cant be open or honest -dont expect many customers

When they first started, the company was great! It was less than 20 dollars a month and authors could realistically get dozens of reviews in a few months. Now, the price is almost tripled, and you get a review maybe once a year. They need to have a system in place where authors can pay to boost their books as pubby got flooded with other books and now you upload your book and it is lost in the hundreds of other books on the platform meaning nobody will find it as it is buried beneath pages and pages of books. I am not paying 30 dollars a month for 1 review a year.

I am a customer of Pubby now for almost three years and this year I have reviewed over 40 book and have recieved a total of 3 for my books. I write and explain the situation and am told that it is my fault I need to add all types of reviews, I have, change my genre. Or that the new format is getting settled people are learning to use it. In the meantime maybe your incentives for reviews are low. Maybe you don't need to keep some of the snaps ever thought of that? Before this year the service was great but I have wasted money and time this year on nothing. So dissappointing

Pubby review after actually using it — scam or legit? (long, sorry) What a great idea on paper. In practice, it's basically a 100% scam. Here's how it works: you get "points" for reading and reviewing other people's books, and you spend those points to request reviews on your own. Sounds fair until you do the math — the amount of time you sink into reading and writing reviews for strangers' books massively outweighs what you get back. I've put in hours reviewing other authors' work and gotten maybe two or three reviews on my own in return. Then there's the Amazon side of it. Even when someone does read and review your book, a big chunk of those reviews just get rejected or never show up on Amazon at all. So you did the work, Pubby says the review is "complete," and then nothing actually posts. You're just out the time. The worst part is what happens when you report it. If a review disappears or never posts, and you flag it to support, don't expect anything to actually happen. You'll get a canned response, maybe something about "Amazon policy changes," and then silence. No fix, no follow-up, no accountability. People have been stuck for weeks or months with books just sitting in a queue with zero movement. So is Pubby legitimate or a scam? I'd land somewhere in between. It's not fake in the sense that the platform exists and some people have had it work fine, especially folks who've been on it a long time and caught it before things went downhill. But for a lot of newer users right now, the experience is: pay for a subscription, do the reading/reviewing work Pubby asks of you, and then watch your own reviews get lost, rejected, or stuck indefinitely — with support either ghosting you or bouncing you between bots. If you're on the fence, I'd think hard before paying for anything beyond a trial, and even then, watch for how "free" that trial actually is.

I recently reached out to Pubby with questions about my account and a request I needed help resolving, and Ruby was the one who handled my case. From the very first email, she addressed me by name, acknowledged my specific concerns, and carefully walked through what was happening and what she could do to assist. She didn’t just send a generic response—she clarified each point, summarized the steps already taken, and made sure I understood the outcome of my request. Throughout the process, Ruby’s communication was prompt, clear, and consistently gracious. She followed up to confirm when actions had been completed, explained timelines and expectations, and did it all with a tone that felt both professional and genuinely kind. I never felt rushed or brushed off; instead, I felt heard, respected, and supported as a Pubby member. Ruby also took the initiative to pass my feedback on to the team, which reinforced my sense that Pubby actually listens to its authors and uses our experiences to improve the platform. Based on my interaction with her, I have strong confidence in Pubby’s customer support and its commitment to providing a helpful and positive experience for writers. I’m grateful for Ruby’s help and would gladly recommend Pubby to other authors looking for a responsive, author-focused service.

As an Independent writer, I've been with Pubby for over two years and have enjoyed my experience. I have gotten well over 500 reviews for each of my books. They are quick to respond to any issues I have and also welcome suggestions to improve. Pubby is continually growing, updating, and improving. I have tried a lot of websites and Pubby is by far the best as well as most affordable. Definitely give it a try.