shouldiuse.io

Categories

VERDICT

Should I use Dear Author?

None listed - dearauthor.com

Skip. Dear Author is a free romance book review blog, not software — there is nothing to buy, deploy, or integrate. Readers and authors seeking review coverage can use it directly; anyone shopping for a tool should stop here.

Confidence

High. Based on 40+ public sources; all describe a romance book review blog, not a purchasable product.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo product evidence
  • Feature depthIt is a blog
  • Support qualityNo vendor support exists
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Reader access

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Romance readers seeking editorial reviews
  • Authors seeking book coverage and publicity

Not for

  • Anyone shopping for software — it is a blog
  • Teams wanting a CRM, database, or workflow tool
  • Buyers comparing pricing tiers — there are none
  • Non-romance readers; coverage skews romance and paranormal

Gotchas - check before you buy

low

Site funds itself with advertising; free reading is the trade-off

low

No security page found in sources

low

Authors must follow a published review policy before requesting coverage

low

No support SLAs — it is an editorial blog, not a vendor

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Long-running site, active since at least 2006
  • Free to readers, funded by advertising
  • Published review policy guides author submissions
  • Cited in academic studies of online book reviewing

Cons

  • Not a software product — nothing to buy or deploy
  • No security page published
  • Coverage skews romance, historical, paranormal genres
  • Sued by publisher Ellora's Cave in 2014

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/02/2026 - 8 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x3review x2security x1news x2

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, ad-supported reading
  • Ease of use. No product evidence
  • Feature depth. It is a blog
  • Support quality. No vendor support exists
  • Security posture: 2/5. No security page found
  • $0 Price Free to read, ad-supported
  • 2006 Active since Early WordPress-era posts
  • Romance Focus Historical, contemporary, paranormal reviews

Pricing

Reader access

$0

  • Ad-supported browsing
  • Reviews, essays, book club posts

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Romance readers on Reddit debate where to weigh reviews, often defaulting to Goodreads over blogs like Dear Author.

“I mostly browse Goodreads”
Reddit, r/RomanceBooks
Full analysis

Based on 40+ public sources; all describe a romance book review blog, not a purchasable product.

Not a product — Dear Author is a free, ad-supported romance book review blog. Nothing to buy.

Methodology

Based on 40+ public sources; all describe a romance book review blog, not a purchasable product.

Sources

  1. Dear Author – Romance, Historical, Contemporarydearauthor.com
    official
  2. Review Policydearauthor.com
    official
  3. Dear Author WordPress archive (2006)dearauthor.wordpress.com
    official
  4. UPDATED: Ellora's Cave Sues Dear Authorsmartbitchestrashybooks.com
    news
  5. Security page (not found)dearauthor.com
    security
  6. How much weight do you put on Goodreads/Amazon reviews?reddit.com
    review
  7. Examining the participatory culture of online book reviewingjournals.sagepub.com
    review
  8. Creating Your Book Marketing Plan Using the Dear Author Letternewshelves.com
    news

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