This review of “On His Own Terms” was posted on Amazon November 26, 2020.

On His Terms takes us beyond the secret intimacies that make up life into the journey on the land itself. We not only learn about the struggle of Delone’s life, but the range of vibrant and knowledgeable information about the landscape of his journey. Through dialog the author creates vibrant, deeply human characters and the result is an interesting and moving novel.

Geneva Barnett wanted to review my book. Send her a free copy, she said, but don’t respond in the public forum. Please contact her via email.

This is the fourth such request I’ve gotten this weekend. It’s a scam.

Like every independent book publisher, I have to compete with the 10,000 new book titles published every year. It’s a challenge, so when someone offers to review my book, please contact them, the temptation is to respond immediately, and breathe a sigh of relief that my masterpiece is finally getting the notice it deserves.

But there is a catch. I’ve been publishing for a few years. I know that legitimate book reviews start with someone buying the book, reading, it, then feeling compelled to write a review. They don’t start with “Give me a free copy, and I’ll write a review.”

But Geneva, definitely not her real name, isn’t just trying to scam a free read. If I were to respond, I would soon find that she has 10,000 people following her reviews, they all fall into my target audience and I will soon shoot to the top of the Amazon sales charts. There will, however, be a small fee for such stellar results.

Geneva will have to look elsewhere for clients.