Hollywood Book Review vs. Pacific Book Review: Sister Sites Compared

Here's something most authors don't realize when comparing Hollywood Book Review and Pacific Book Review: they're the same company. Hollywood Book Reviews is a division of Pacific Book Review, both founded by Nicole Sorkin. Same team, same office, same pricing structure.

So why do both exist? And should you use one, both, or neither?

The Relationship Between These Two Services

Pacific Book Review came first. Hollywood Book Reviews was created as a sister site so authors could get a second review from a "different" outlet. Pacific Book Review's own website explicitly recommends Hollywood Book Reviews for a second review, and they offer a Dual Book Bundle ($645) that includes reviews from both.

The reviews are written by different reviewers, so you will get two distinct perspectives. But the editorial process, pricing, and business operations are unified.

Pricing Comparison

Package	Pacific Book Review	Hollywood Book Reviews	City Book Review
Standard Review	$350	$350	$199
Express Review	$395	$395	$349 (3-5 weeks)
Premium/Ultimate	$495	$495	N/A
Standard Turnaround	5-7 weeks	5-7 weeks	6-8 weeks
Express Turnaround	3 weeks	3 weeks	3-5 weeks
Review Length	400-600 words	400-600 words	350+ words
Press Release Included	Ultimate only ($495)	Ultimate only ($495)	No
Author Interview	Ultimate only	Ultimate only	No
Free Submission	No	No	Yes (40% acceptance)
Publication Outlets	1 site	1 site	9 regional sites

The pricing between Pacific and Hollywood is identical because they're the same operation. City Book Review's entry point is $151 less than either service's Standard tier.

What You Actually Get

Both Pacific and Hollywood deliver 400-600 word reviews, which is respectably long. Reviews are posted on their respective websites and linked to your Amazon listing. The Express and Ultimate tiers add marketing extras: social media distribution, press releases, author interviews, and newsletter features.

Pacific Book Review is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and has received "Honoring Excellence" and "Best Websites for Authors" awards from the Association of Independent Authors. Hollywood Book Reviews positions itself around the film/TV adaptation angle, though it reviews all genres.

City Book Review publishes across 9 named regional publications (San Francisco Book Review, Manhattan Book Review, etc.) with schema markup and AI search optimization. Different model, different distribution approach.

The Film/TV Angle: Real or Marketing?

Hollywood Book Review's branding suggests a connection to the entertainment industry. The name implies your book might get noticed by producers or agents looking for adaptable material. The site talks about "books that hold the power to go beyond the page."

In practice, a review on hollywoodbookreviews.com isn't going to get your book optioned. Film and TV rights are secured through literary agents, entertainment lawyers, and direct pitching. A book review, regardless of the outlet's name, isn't part of that pipeline.

The Tier Breakdown: What Each Package Actually Includes

Standard ($350): A 400-600 word review published on the site. A tear sheet (PDF of the published review). Eligibility for Book of the Month selection.

Express ($395): Everything in Standard, plus faster turnaround (3 weeks vs. 5-7 weeks), Amazon linking, social media promotion, and newsletter inclusion. Eligible for Starred Reviews.

Ultimate ($495): Everything in Express, plus a professionally written press release with distribution, an exclusive author interview, an author spotlight feature, and featured newsletter placement.

The jump from Standard to Express ($45) buys you speed and social media promotion. Reasonable value if your launch timeline is tight. The jump from Express to Ultimate ($100) buys you a press release and interview. Press release writing from a dedicated PR service would cost $200-500 separately, so there's genuine value in the bundle.

Should You Use Both Pacific and Hollywood?

The Dual Bundle ($645) gives you reviews from both sites at a bundled discount. Two reviews from two outlets gives you more quotable material and more online presence.

The counter-argument: since both outlets are owned by the same company, industry professionals who know that may view the two reviews as less credible than reviews from genuinely independent outlets. Two reviews from a single company carry less weight than two reviews from unrelated services.

If you want two reviews, you'll get better credibility from choosing two genuinely independent services.

How They Compare to the Broader Market

At $350 for a standard review, both services sit between the budget tier (Readers' Favorite at free/$59, Self-Publishing Review at $99) and the premium tier (BlueInk at $445, Kirkus at $450, Clarion at $579). The 400-600 word review length is competitive with Clarion and longer than Kirkus.

What's missing compared to premium services is trade distribution. BlueInk distributes through Ingram and Booklist. Clarion distributes through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and Bowker. Neither Pacific nor Hollywood offers comparable trade channel distribution.

City Book Review at $199 also doesn't offer trade distribution, but it compensates with multi-outlet publication across 9 regional sites and SEO optimization designed for AI search indexing.

The Review Quality Assessment

Both Pacific and Hollywood produce 400-600 word reviews, which is a competitive length. For context, Kirkus writes 250-300 words and charges $450. Clarion writes 400-600 words and charges $579. At $350, these services offer similar or better length at a lower price.

The quality of the writing varies. Both sites publish reviews that range from genuinely insightful to fairly generic. Some reviews demonstrate real engagement with the material. Others read like competent book reports: accurate but not illuminating.

Some authors have questioned the editorial independence of reviews from these sites. Both services have received criticism for reviews that lean heavily positive. A review service that rarely publishes critical reviews can lose credibility with industry professionals.

The Bottom Line

Hollywood Book Review and Pacific Book Review are the same company with identical pricing. Choosing between them is essentially a branding decision; there's no practical difference. City Book Review at $199 offers a lower entry price with multi-outlet regional publication. The bundled marketing extras (press release, interview) at the $495 Ultimate tier are unique among these three services.