The Pros And Cons Of Using Pubby For Self-Published Authors

Is Pubby worth it for self-published authors and publishers? Here is a look at the pros and cons of using Pubby to build social proof as a self-published author.

Jan 13, 2024

Are you a publisher or a self-published author on Amazon? I have been testing out Pubby for a couple of weeks now. Here are my thoughts on the pros and cons of Pubby for self-published authors.

What Is Pubby?

Pubby is a platform that can help self-published authors and publishers get more book reviews. It allows a one-week free trial. After that, a writer or publisher must choose the premium option.

Pubby is a strategy that authors and publishers can use to generate more reviews for book(s). But is it worth it?

Here is a look at the pros and cons of using Pubby to get more reviews for my book as a self-published author.

What Is Social Proof?

Social proof is a marketing strategy showing user reviews and feedback. It is often done with a rating of one to five stars. Testimonials are another type of social proof.

Customers can then give feedback about a business, restaurant, book, etc. Yelp is a typical example of this. Amazon reviews are another. Pubby is a service that allows self-published authors to build up social proof for their books on Amazon.

What Are Other Authors Saying?

According to Site Jabber, Pubby.co has a 3.44-star rating. Some problems with Pubby are that reviews are often generic, paraphrases of other reviews, or a book summary. This is a consequence of Pubby's lack of quality control. There is no guarantee that someone will read the book before leaving a review. Others have stated that they have lost the ability to leave reviews on their Amazon account associated with Pubby despite following the rules. There have also been complaints that you must always track and share the reviews you leave with the Pubby team, even though it is their job to verify the reviews.

The pros that some of the reviewers say is that Pubby allows reviewers to purchase a copy of the book. It will then appear as a “verified purchase” on Amazon. You can receive reviews. The problem is that an author will not know whether the reader read their book. It is only a way to boost numbers.

Overall, there are more generally negative reviews about Pubby than positive. That has been my experience, too.

Source: Pubby, The Backend of the Site for Authors

Pros Of Pubby

It is a way for self-published authors to get Amazon reviews that meet Amazon’s terms and conditions.
It is priced competitively to similar review sites.
Excellent customer support team.
Pubby validates reviews that have been published.
It has an option for authors to let readers use Kindle Unlimited or to purchase the book.

Cons Of Pubby

It takes time. You must read a book, write a review, and wait for approval.
Vague guidance for the maximum number of reviews left each week.
Requires a Kindle Unlimited subscription for optimal use.
Inconsistent approval of your review of other author’s books. This results in authors losing the Snaps (credits) to get more readers for their book.
It works best as a strategy to supplement another review site. If you do the maximum number of reviews, Amazon will likely mark your account as spam for the amount of reviews you leave.
An author must read multiple books to get enough Snaps for a few reviews each month.
Unclear the maximum number of books to read without your account being blocked or marked as suspect by Amazon (my experience).
Have to purchase books priced from $0.99 to $4.99 to earn Snaps faster.
Mixes authors and reviewers. The two should be distinct since they have different incentives.
There is no way to keep track of the number of reviews you have left each week to ensure you follow Amazon’s terms and conditions.

My Review

It is easy to set up. An author only needs to fill out their questions. An author can then upload the PDF version of their book. Pubby allows authors to link to the Kindle. An author can then choose if they want reviews to read and leave reviews by reading the PDF, Kindle Unlimited, or purchasing a digital copy of the book. The entire process takes about ten to twenty minutes to complete. The author must then wait for Pubby to approve the book. Approval can take up to three days.

The biggest problem I encountered with Pubby after a while is that it allows authors to write reviews. The categories between author and reviewer should be distinct. Authors want to get as many reviews as they can to have their books rating average out to a good rating (hopefully). In contrast, the reviewer's job is to leave an honest review. Pubby misaligns the incentives of both parties to its detriment.

It could be a valuable tool if Pubby could resolve this issue and slightly adjust its business model. In the meantime, it is best used as an add-on to finding ways to get book reviews other ways on Amazon.

My Rating

After using Pubby for just over a month, my final rating of Pubby is a C. That is in line with the overall ratings from others about Pubby.

Solutions

The best solution is to build a following through an email list. Build an audience on the social media platforms that work for you. As a writer, direct that audience to purchase your book. The true fans will likely leave positive reviews. The other people who are on the fence about you may buy it and may or may not leave a review if they read the book.

Ultimately, it is best to maintain as much control as you can over your product or service. An email list is the best way to connect with people since you control the email list.

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Summary

Pubby can help new authors get book reviews on Amazon and build social proof. The core problem with the service is that there are no quality controls to ensure the reviews are general. Earning Snaps to find reviewers can also become a headache for authors. Overall, Pubby receives a C+.

Have you used Pubby? Have you ever used a book review site? What are other strategies for self-published authors to build social proof? Let us know in the comments below!