Hi! If you're reading this, you are probably interested in getting your indie book reviewed. So here's what you should know about how I review em.
A Bit About Me
I am an author myself (you can check my books out here or on this website. I am also an avid reader. I read about 125-150 books a year. I used to have a very active indie review blog, but I put it aside when I re-entered school to get my Masters in English and Creative Writing. Then, somehow, I lost the blog. So...I'm starting up again!
How I Rate Books
I use a rubric that I created to rate books, and it takes into consideration various things, such as: overall plot/readability, character development, editing, themes, etc. It boils down to me ranking with stars because that's how Amazon and Goodreads and other sites track reviews. So, to sum it up, here's how I assign stars:
Five Stars: A book I can't put down, great character development and fantastic story, very few (if any) grammatical errors, no tangents.
Four Stars: A book I can put down if I need to, but still a solid read.
Three Stars: A book that has some issues. Poor character development, tangents, story is a little flat, some grammatical errors, etc.
THREE STARS is the least I'll post on a website like Amazon or Goodreads. If I feel the story rates less than that, I will send you my review but won't post it.
If I give you less than three stars, it's because I felt the book needed more development or I just had difficulty getting through it (some books aren't for everyone) or the book was obviously not edited properly and had a lot of mistakes.
What Kind of Books am I Interested In?
I am open to all sorts of books and genres (fiction and nonfiction, adult, young adult, middle grade). I won't flat out say no to any category, although romance and erotica and anything with a lot of graphic violence aren't really my thing unless the stories are really, really well written.
Books I especially am into are any stories with travel involved (fiction or nonfiction), historical fiction, literary fiction, magical realism, contemporary fiction. I like fantasy and sci fi okay. I'd say I'm not into horror but I love Steven King, so I guess I am, a bit.
Books I am not interested in: picture books and poetry.
How Do You Request A Review?
Simple. Fill out the request form HERE and I'll get back to you!
My preference is that you either have your book published on Amazon in Kindle Unlimited OR you send me an ebook. I'd actually rather read your book via kindle unlimited or you gift me a copy through amazon. This way, when I post a review on Amazon, it'll show as a verified purchase. If not, you can send me an ebook or even a hard copy, although I prefer reading ebooks.
Where Will I Post Your Review?
I'll post on this blog, on Amazon, and on Goodreads. I'll also link my blog review to my facebook page which has 1500+ followers, and my Instagram page (which has a bit less :P). And, if you have other sites where you sell your book, I'll try to post on them too if you request, but can't guarantee it.
How Long Will It Take Me to Post Your Review?
That depends on how long the book is and how many books I have ahead of yours. I don't plan to turn down any book request (unless it's picture book or poetry) unless I start to get swamped with requests.
Do I Review Unpublished Books/Manuscripts?
No. To me, critiquing an unpublished manuscript is too close to editing work. Your book should be completely edited and published for me to review it.
I do offer editing for unpublished manuscripts. Rates are reasonable, although I currently take very few clients. If you're looking for someone to fully edit or give a critique on your unpublished manuscript, you can email me for more details at nikkibennettart@gmail.com and check out my services HERE.