How to submit for review

Guidelines for submissions

Please read these guidelines completely before requesting a review. Then use the link below to go to the submissions form. Please note that our reviewers are to be considered your "reading audience." They are not professional editors. However, they do read the publications and will give you their honest and fair assessment of what they read.

IMPORTANT NOTICE : Effective immediately, due to the overwhelming amount of submissions and high costs of processing, our policies have changed. We will accept books and ARCs/manuscripts for free reviews, however, we are limiting the number of free reviews we will give each week. Do not fill out the submission form for a free review of an adult book. Submissions for free reviews must be sent to our office. Please read guidelines below.

We are accepting publications for “express review” including publicity packages. (For special rates for publicists/publishers [not self-publishers] contact us.)

We are accepting children's and teen/young adults books (no e-books) for free reviews and posting on Reader Views Kids. Please complete form - link below. However, we do strongly suggest you consider an express review. We have a lot of books in the system to be reviewed and the kids are doing the best they can to review them. It may be quite some time before it gets picked out for review. The guidelines below apply.

For a breakdown of services available please see Review Services.

The other option is to enter your book (copyright 2008) into our literary awards program. All books will receive a critique and most will receive a review, however, we can't promise when this will happen. We will attempt to have the book reviewed/judged soon after we receive it. Keep in mind, the sooner you apply into the award program, the sooner we will be able to process it. Leaving it to the last minute (November/December) will delay your ciritque/review.

Read before you submit a book, manuscript, galley, e-book, audio CD or DVD for review

  • We prefer items be available on amazon.com along with cover image and description. We will accept items that are not on amazon, however, please see below for items not listed on Amazon.com. We do not accept pdf or other e-mail versions of hard copy items unless the publication is an e-book only.
  • We will consider reviewing books, manuscripts, galleys, e-books, audio CDs and DVDs.
  • Due to the overwhelming submissions of adult publications we receive, title must be published within 2007 and 2008 or have a future pub date in 2009 (for manuscripts and galleys.) If you are re-publishing with a current date we will consider reviewing the title. Please indicate new publish date in the comments section of the submission form. We may consider earlier publications if an Express Review package is purchased.
  • We will consider all children's/teen's/young adult books, regardless of publication date. However, we do prefer to review more recent books (no e-books please.) We make an effort to have kid's books reviewed by kids. Our kids website may be seen on: www.readerviewskids.com.
  • There is no guarantee we will review your title. Send submission form for an express review or for a children's review as query only. Or, you may send the children's books to the address below.
  • We do not review graphic pornographic material, racist themes, or textbooks. We will consider reviewing erotica and GLBT.
  • We only review items in the English language.
  • All items sent for review become the property of the reviewer from Reader Views. Your publication will not be returned. In most cases the reviewer keeps the publication, especially if it is autographed to them, or donates it to a library or nonprofit organization.
  • Galleys, ARCs and manuscripts will be considered.
  • If your manuscript is accepted please be sure it is spiral bound or held together with fasteners. Please do not send a box of loose sheets to the reviewer.
  • If you are requesting a review of an e-book please send a submission form. Do not send it with your submission form. If your e-book is accepted for review we will send you the e-mail address of the reviewer to which you will send in e-book format.
  • Our reviewers are avid readers, who are volunteers, that give personal opinions of what they read. Please consider them as your reading audience. They will give their own honest and fair assessment of your work.
  • The tear sheet of your review will be sent to you from Reader Views in pdf.  Please do not ask the reviewer to send the review directly to you. Doing so may cancel your review.
  • Do not contact the reviewers regarding referrals to publishers/agents or any other publishing or reviewing concerns. Doing so may void your review. If you have any questions please contact Reader Views.
  • Please do not contact us asking we received your book. We highly recommend that you receive a tracking number from the service you use to send the book to the reviewer. This way you will know if and when your book is received. Also, you may check the pending list to see if your book was accepted. Please note it may take a week or two before it ends up on the list. If a reviewer picks your book to review, it will be moved to the coming soon list. If no one picks your book within 90 days it will be donated to a charity. To prevent this, we highly recommend an Express Review.
  • If you requested an Express Review or have a kids book accepted for review, please do not ask us to contact your publisher or publicist to request the book for review. You are requesting a review from us and it is your responsibility to get the book to the reviewer in a timely manner. Your submission is suject to being cancelled if you ask us to request your book. We will also cancel the submission request if the book is not received by the reviewer (in the case of an Express Review or a kids review) within two weeks of requesting it. Our reviewers are on a reviewing schedule and if your book misses the queue, it will not be reviewed.
  • Read tips on getting your title accepted for review and what to do after accepted. Listen to interview with Irene Watson about tips on getting reviews.
  • Once your book is accepted for a free review it goes on the pending list. (List for the kids books is here.) We have a lot of books in the system that have been approved for review and the reviewers have the option of which books they want to review. If your book is not chosen within 90 days of posting, it will be removed. If your book is chosen by a reviewer it goes on the coming soon list. (List for the kids books is here.) Due to the overwhelming amount of books we receive for review, we highly recommend an Express Review. We guarantee you will receive a review within 2 weeks of receipt of book by the reviewer.

What do you get?

  • In the basic package you will receive a review - tear sheet will be provided. You can use the review in whole or excerpts with credit given to the reviewer and Reader Views.
  • A review posted on readerviews.com(or www.readerviewskids.com) indefinately.
  • A review posted on amazon.com and on Reader Views weblog. For more perks see Review Services.

Items not listed on Amazon

  • There is a $10.00 advertising fee for each book, audio CD, or DVD that is not listed on Amazon. The fee covers linking to the author's storefront. You are not purchasing a review, nor does paying the fee guarantee a good review. If you have more than one book, or you have an e-book, please contact us for special provisions.
  • Payment must be made at the time the title is sent to the reviewer. Do not send it before. You only pay if your item will be reviewed. Payment may be made through PayPal or check/money order here.
  • Advertising fee will cover lifetime listing of the title on Reader Views. The listing will only be removed when you ask to have it removed.
  • A link will be created from the review on readerviews.com to storefront for the item.

How to submit for a review

Ready to ask for review? For an express review or for a kids book review go to the submission form. Fill out the form and submit it. That starts the process.

If you are seeking a free review for an adult book, please send your publication to:

Reader Views
Review Request
7101 Hwy 71 W #200
Austin, TX 78735

Please Note: Be sure to include your contact information, including an email address. The request must be in publication form (book, galley, ARC, CD, DVD.) Do not send us your sell sheets and/or press release suggesting we review your book. We will not respond. If you just send us your publication and not include your contact information, it will automatically go into the "donate" pile. Also, please purchase a tracking number so you know we received your book. We do not have the staff or funds to search our records to see if we received your book for a free review.

What happens after you submit for a review

After we receive your submission form for an express review or a kids review we will consider the title for review and let you know of our decision. If we accept your title for review you will be notified who to send your book to.  Be sure you sign up for review updates.  

If you are mailing your book for review, we will post it on the pending review page. If it is chosen for review it will be moved to the coming soon. If it disappears from the pending page and isn't on the coming soon page, this will indicate that your book was not chosen for a review. For the kids reviews, see pending and coming soon lists.

What else do I need to know?

It's possible your book will qualify for the Annual Literary Awards. Check out the guidelines.

Interested but can't afford the publicity package right now? Ask about our payment plan. Please don't let budget challenges delay the publicity of your book. We are here to help you! We can easily come up with a payment plan.

We get hundreds of books for review each month and we need to keep our system in place. These guidelines are to help us provide a service for you in an efficient manner. Please help us by following the guidelines.