Booker Talk’s Review Policy
Like every avid reader, I love opportunities to read new books and welcome requests from publishers and book tour organisers to review newly published titles.
All I ask is that you read my review policy before you contact me. I know you’re busy but this will take only a few minutes and could save you time and avoid a frustrating experience.
Genres I Review
If you’d like me to review your book please make sure that it is in a genre/sub genre that appeals to me. You can get a good feel for the books I enjoy most by taking a look at my review directory. My interests are varied but the genres I’m most likely to read are:.
- literary fiction
- fiction in translation
- historical fiction
- crime fiction/police procedurals
- classic fiction
I am particularly interested in hearing from publishers representing authors based in, or connected with my home country of Wales.
Genres I Don’t Review
- young adult
- children’s fiction
- science fiction/fantasy
- romance
- religious content
- poetry
- non-fiction
- short stories
I do not accept review requests directly from authors with whom I do not already have an established relationship. Self-published books will not be accepted for review.
Preferred Formats
– physical copy (ARC or hardcover)
– digital copies (Kindle preferred but can also accept Mobi)
– audiobooks
About My Reviews
I aim to write fair, balanced and objective reviews. Please understand that I will not write a glowing review simply because I have received a book free of charge.
If I don’t especially enjoy a book I received for review, I will explain why because followers of my blog trust me to always provide an honest opinion. If I comment on aspects I did not enjoy I will always seek to balance this with elements I did appreciate.
I do not believe anyone’s interests are served by completely negative or harsh reviews. If I decide I cannot finish the book or that I have little positive to say, I will give the author/publisher the option not to have a review published. Authors are humans and deserve to be treated with respect.
My reviews will always include a disclosure statement that my copy of the book was provided free of charge by the publishers; book tour organisers or NetGalley.
I try to post an abbreviated form of my review also on Amazon and Goodreads but sometimes I get behind on doing that.
How to Contact Me
You can send an email to bookertalk (at) gmail (dot) com. If you prefer you can also use the Contact Form here.
It will help if you include the following details:
- a brief summary of the book
- the release date
- why you think this would be a good fit for me based on what you see on my blog
- If you have a time frame for when you expect the review to be posted, please let me know that as that will significantly influence my decision.
I hope authors and their publishers will not be offended if I have to say no to a review offer. It’s not a reflection on the quality of the book – simply my way of ensuring I can honour any commitments I make.
As much as I love reading books that are hot off the press, there are only so many hours in the day that I have to read. And I’m not that fast a reader. So I limit the number of review requests I accept.
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Any thoughts on whether BLOOD MOON would appeal to you for a review? In the event you’d like to take a look at a chapter or two, I’d be pleased to send via email a mobi copy of the novel.
Thank you for your consideration.
Thanks for the offer John.I took a look at your website to learn more about the book. I don’t feel its my kind of reading however.
Thanks for getting back on this. Much appreciated.
BOOK REVIEW REQUEST
BLOOD MOON: Inspired by a true story of kidnapping, torture, extortion and murder the novel gives the reader a vivid look at true evil as well as courage and the will to live. The novel includes a Foreword by the only surviving victim of the crime and an Afterword by the private investigator who was instrumental in solving the case. There is also an addendum with pages from the original deposition given by the PI to the prosecuting and defense attorneys.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Hi Karen,
December is perfectly fine with me. Honestly, given your eclectic choice in books, I just wanted to have your views on this one. I don’t think the release date has much bearing on a book in the long run; it has to hold on its own. Would you like to send your email address to udaymukerji@gmail.com so that I can send over the first chapter to you.
Best Regards
Uday
Hi Karen,
Wanted to check with you whether you would be interested in reviewing my debut, multicultural novel, Love, Life, and Logic, published by Harvard Square Editions. It’s due out in November 2016 in both paperback and Kindle versions.
About the book:
Set in Exotic India, Singapore, and in Central Europe, Love, Life, and Logic captures the individual struggle of a young man against the seemingly unnamed, unknown, anonymous power of the universe. In a shocking revelation of his innermost thoughts, the book depicts a painful account of his emotional turmoil arising out of his own confusions and dilemmas, and his personal developments through all that.
Rohan grows up in a middle class family in a small town in Goa, India. He asks himself many life questions like we all do every day. Is our life and death an end in itself, or do they have a much deeper implication in a gigantic universal process? Is each human life also someway connected to the chain of events unfolding every day in front of our eyes? We all have different thumbprints; but why? Are we all a part of big numbers game, or does each one of us really matter?
Chased by these and many such questions, Rohan leaves his lucrative job and his family in search of the truth. The journey gets complicated when he meets Adeline, a 23-year old vivacious girl in Vienna. Love, again? That brings him back to question his failed marriage. Is marriage an end of the road for love? Do all marriages come with an expiration date?
It’s the search and the road leading to his final realization that makes this book insightful and thought-provoking.
If you have time, I can send you a copy of the eGalley (pdf) with my publisher’s press release for more info.
Im rather swamped right now Uday so doubt I would be able to get to your novel until about December. Sorry if that doesn’t meet your hopes but I would rather be honest. I also would prefer just to see a chapter or so before committing myself