I am not a professional critic, nor a professional journalist, therefore most of the books I review here at vestige.org are paid for from my own pocket. In the past I have accepted review copies directly from authors, publishers, and publicists, and am perfectly willing to do so now (more than willing, in fact—positively enthusiastic). If you fall into one of those categories and have a book that you would like reviewed, this page is where you can learn what you can expect from me, and what I expect from you. I've done my best below to anticipate your questions, but if there's something you want to know that I haven't covered here, or need something clarified, drop me a line. If you have a book you think I should review, send a query to august@vestige.org.
- What sort of books do you accept?
- Do you review self-published work?
- Do you accept unsolicited review copies?
- Do you guarantee a review of every book you receive?
- What can you guarantee about the review?
- When will the review be posted?
- Can I see the review before you post it?
- What if I don't like the review?
- I've sent you a book to review. Can I send you other promotional materials (aside from books), or give your contact information to others with things to promote?
1. What sort of books do you accept?
I only review works of fiction. Mostly I deal in literary fiction, but I also review some science fiction, and in rare instances fantasy or mysteries. Under no circumstances will I accept poetry or non-fiction for review. I enjoy poetry, but do not feel qualified to review it. Sending me a book of poetry will be a waste of a review copy. Sending me non-fiction will be a bigger waste; I not only feel unqualified to review it, but rarely find it interesting or satisfying.
2. Do you review self-published work?
I do not. The publishing industry is flawed at best, yet I still believe that it's important for a work to have passed the gatekeeper of an editor before it reaches my door. Perhaps it's short-sighted of me, but I prefer to know that someone, somewhere, other than the author him or herself has agreed that the work in question is worth putting money behind. Please do not attempt to convince me otherwise.
3. Do you accept unsolicited review copies?
If you have sent me books to review in the past, either at my request or yours, then feel free to send me as many unsolicited books as you like. I do not, however, guarantee a timely review (or indeed, any review at all) of books that arrive at my door unsolicited. See my next answer for details.
4. Do you guarantee a review of every book you receive?
Yes and no. I guarantee that I will review every book that I have specifically requested from you. Likewise if you offer me a particular book and I then accept it. If you send me unsolicited review copies (ie. books that I have not specifically agreed to accept), I cannot guarantee that I will review it. I am but one man, and I have a day job and friends and hobbies and all sorts of wonderful things that occupy my time other than reviewing books. I also have a lot of books that I have paid for and want to read; they are a higher priority for me than books I did not ask for or agree to review in advance. I may review such books, I simply reserve the right not to.
5. What can you guarantee about the review?
I guarantee only that the review will be fair, honest, and at least two hundred and fifty words in length. Reviews are normally longer than two hundred and fifty words, but not always. I will link to either the publisher's or author's website (but not both). I will post a small image of the book's cover along with the review. The review will be posted to the vestige.org index page and remain there for a reasonable period of time. The review will also remain in the site's archives for a resonable period of time. What constitues "a resonable period of time" is solely at my discretion. Under no circumstances will I guarantee a positive review.
6. When will the review be posted?
This can vary greatly. Any book that I requested or agreed to review will be added to my stack (the books I own but have yet to read, with books I plan to read soon on the top, and books I plan to read much later at the bottom—learn more) on or near the top, depending on when it arrives and how many other review copies arrived ahead of it. At the end of every review I post, I declare the title of the next book I will review. If your review copy is the only one I have, then it will be the next book reviewed, after the book that had already been declared at the time it reaches me. For example, at the time I'm writing this, I have declared that Diane Schoemperlen's At A Loss for Words will be the next book I review. If your book arrives before that review has been posted, then it will be the book reviewed after At A Loss for Words. If yours is not the only review copy in my possession, then it will be reviewed in the order it arrived (if it arrived third, then I will review two books ahead of it, after At A Loss for Words, and so on).
7. Can I see the review before you post it?
No.
8. What if I don't like the review?
As I said before, I do not guarantee positive reviews. I do my best to be fair and honest. This should go without saying, but my inbox tells me otherwise: a negative review should not be looked at as a personal slight. I don't know you, and have no opinion of you one way or the other. Not all books are for all people, and I wish you the best of luck with other critics and with whatever projects are ahead of you. If you still feel strongly about it, you're welcome to leave a comment on the site (though I don't recommend it), or yell at me in a private email (you wouldn't be the first). It won't alter my opinion, but I suppose it might make you feel better.
9. I've sent you a book to review. Can I send you other promotional materials (aside from books), or give your contact information to others with things to promote?
Absolutely not. I don't care what your particular boilerplate might say, by accepting review copies of books from you I in no way authorize you to send me promotional materials other than review copies of books (or queries for same). Under no circumstances are you authorized to release my contact details to anyone, for any reason, ever.