PublishersWeekly.com
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy a subscription if you work in publishing . PW is the trade's paper of record for news, reviews, and bestseller lists.
New check
Comparison
PublishersWeekly.com vs Kirkus Reviews
PublishersWeekly.com and Kirkus Reviews both land on Depends.
Kirkus Reviews
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Only worth it if you have a real marketing budget, need library/bookseller credibility, and can accept a possibly harsh verdict.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Publishing industry professionals | Authors with real marketing budgets |
| Who it's not for | Self-published authors expecting a review for their fee | First-time authors on tight budgets |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.11 | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | No evidence in sources reviewed | Trustpilot and BBB complaints about service |
| Public sentiment | Author forums are split: PW carries real prestige, but its paid review-consideration model draws criticism and reviews for submitted books appear rare.⁸ | Opinions split sharply: some authors prize the credibility and rave about their reviews, but many self-published authors call the paid service overpriced with poor return.15 |
| Biggest gotcha | Payment buys review consideration only; most submitted books never get reviewed² | Paying does not guarantee a positive review; many indies got harsh verdicts |
Pick PublishersWeekly.com when
- Publishing industry professionals
- Librarians and booksellers tracking reviews
- Editors and agents following deal news
- Writers tracking bestseller lists
When PublishersWeekly.com is not a fit
- 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
Pick Kirkus Reviews when
- Authors with real marketing budgets
- Self-pubs chasing library credibility
- Libraries and publishers curating titles
When Kirkus Reviews is not a fit
- First-time authors on tight budgets
- Anyone expecting reviews to drive sales
- Authors who cannot risk a harsh verdict
- Small presses wanting guaranteed coverage
Sources
- Publishers Weekly homepagepublishersweekly.comofficial
- Submission Fee for PW Review Considerationpublishersweekly.comofficial
- PW Select (BookLife)booklife.comofficial
- PW Reviews FAQsbooklife.comofficial
- PW JobZone Details and Pricingpublishersweekly.comofficial
- PW Magazine Customer Servicepublishersweekly.comofficial
- Free Email Newsletterspublishersweekly.comofficial
- Reddit, r/books on Publishers Weeklyreddit.comreview
- KBoards thread on PW BookLife reviewskboards.comreview
review
- SSL Labs test for publishersweekly.comssllabs.comsecurity
- Publishers Weekly security pagepublishersweekly.comsecurity
- Publishers Weekly . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgnews
review
- Kirkus reviews are a really bad dealreddit.comreview
- Kirkus Reviews Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.comreview