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PublishersWeekly.com Review

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Should I use PublishersWeekly.com?

Publishers Weekly is the international news website of book publishing and bookselling including business news, reviews, bestseller lists, commentaries and more. - publishersweekly.com

· 1 month ago

Buy a subscription if you work in publishing — PW is the trade's paper of record for news, reviews, and bestseller lists. Don't pay the $9+ submission fee as a self-published author expecting a review; payment buys consideration, not coverage.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 13 public sources

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo evidence in sources reviewed
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo evidence in sources reviewed
  • Security posture

Pricing

starts at $9

PW review submission

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
PW Select (via BookLife)fee-based; price not shown in sources
Site subscriptionnot published in sources reviewed

Best for

  • Publishing industry professionals
  • Librarians and booksellers tracking reviews
  • Editors and agents following deal news
  • Writers tracking bestseller lists

Not for

  • Self-published authors expecting a review for their fee
  • Anyone wanting a guaranteed marketing asset — reviews aren't promised
  • Casual readers hunting book recommendations — it's a trade publication
  • Buyers expecting software — this is a news site, not a tool

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Payment buys review consideration only; most submitted books never get reviewed

medium

Paid review consideration is controversial; some author communities view it skeptically

low

PW JobZone job listings are paid, priced on a published schedule

low

Some site content is gated; free newsletters are the main freebie

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Industry-standard publishing news, reviews, and bestseller lists
  • Deep review coverage including children's and YA books
  • PW JobZone offers dedicated publishing job listings
  • Free email newsletters available
  • PW Select gives self-published books review consideration

Cons

  • Paid review consideration does not guarantee a review
  • Paid review model draws criticism from authors
  • Author forums report few submitted books earn reviews
  • Full site access requires a subscription

Sources & method

- 13 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x7review x3security x2news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • starts at $9

    Starting price

  • 13

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Standard read for pros; poor odds for paying authors
  • Ease of use. No evidence in sources reviewed
  • Feature depth: 4/5. News, reviews, bestseller lists, jobs, self-pub program
  • Support quality. No evidence in sources reviewed
  • Security posture: 4/5. SSL configured; no breaches found in sources
  • 1872 Founded Long-running trade publication
  • $9 Starting price PW review submission fee
  • Yes Free tier Free email newsletters
  • PWxyz, LLC Owner Per Wikipedia

Pricing

PW review submission

starts at $9

  • Review consideration for submitted books
  • No guarantee of a review

PW Select (via BookLife)

fee-based; price not shown in sources

  • Submit self-published book for review consideration
  • Listing in PW Select announcements

Site subscription

not published in sources reviewed

  • Full access to PublishersWeekly.com content

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Author forums are split: PW carries real prestige, but its paid review-consideration model draws criticism and reviews for submitted books appear rare.

Full analysis

Based on 13 public sources

Trade-press standard for publishing pros; authors paying $9+ for review consideration are buying a gamble, not a review.

Methodology

Based on 13 public sources

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Publishers Weekly homepagepublishersweekly.com
    official
  2. Submission Fee for PW Review Considerationpublishersweekly.com
    official
  3. PW Select (BookLife)booklife.com
    official
  4. PW Reviews FAQsbooklife.com
    official
  5. PW JobZone Details and Pricingpublishersweekly.com
    official
  6. PW Magazine Customer Servicepublishersweekly.com
    official
  7. Free Email Newsletterspublishersweekly.com
    official
  8. Reddit, r/books on Publishers Weeklyreddit.com
    review
  9. KBoards thread on PW BookLife reviewskboards.com
    review
  10. Writercon Facebook thread on paid review considerationfacebook.com
    review
  11. SSL Labs test for publishersweekly.comssllabs.com
    security
  12. Publishers Weekly security pagepublishersweekly.com
    security
  13. Publishers Weekly — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news

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