BookSirens Rejected Me

 

I'm beginning to get a complex. This is the second time I've been declined by BookSirens. I didn't even make it past the application process and thus they didn't read my manuscript and find it subpar. How damn picky is this place? The site's policy is to not provide a reason for a rejection, but I emailed them nonetheless (no response yet). Perhaps the staff is so bare bones that they can't handle all the responsibilities of running a site competently, but the only way I even knew I was rejected was to log in and view my book's status. They could at least send a one-word email instead of keeping people guessing. 

Who knew that finding ARC readers would be a nearly impossible task? I've done some digging, but every time I find a recommendation for one of the other review sites, I read three condemnations of it. I finally signed up for a free account with one of them and then found multiple people saying it's "garbage". I am almost ready to cry; I'm so frustrated. There's one that wants $150.00 minimum, with no guarantees of any reviews. And that's not even the most expensive site. Reddit has a subreddit for posting ARC requests, but I'm sorry ~ that place is for basically, kids (which I define as anyone young enough to be my grandchild) and the genres are almost all "fantasy romance", whatever that is. 

Even Library Thing requires an ISBN for a book that's not even published yet, while touting its ARC reviews for pre-publication. Yes, I can upload my book to KDP and mark it as a pre-order just to get an ISBN, but still, their statement is contradictory. I found a three-year-old blog post that lists several Goodreads groups of ARC readers, and I will check out the links, but since the post is so old, who knows if the listings are still valid? (It also includes Facebook links, but I still have a modicum of pride.)

Before I embarked on this trek, I was hopelessly naive. I assumed that BookSirens would be my go-to. Their pricing doesn't break the bank and they're highly regarded. All I had to do was wait a day or two for approval. I never anticipated that they essentially hated me ~ just because I erroneously submitted a "too old" book the first time around? 

Maybe I just don't know when to throw in the towel. I'm beginning to question all the choices I've made ~ continuing to write being one of those. If nobody is going to read what I write, what is even the point? So my books can sit out there on Amazon, sinking further and further down the rankings until they disappear entirely? I'm screwed. 

There are no answers.

UPDATE:

BookSirens' response:

"You're assuming it's something wrong with your book when that is usually not the case."

Fine. Please continue to be opaque.