The Book Bloggers

Blog Name: Aricia’s Gay Book Blog
Blog URL: http://ariciasgaybookblog.blogspot.com/
RSS or Atom Feed Address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AriciasGayBookBlogBlog
Owner: Aricia Gavriel

1. What motivated you to create a book review blog?
There are scores (and more) of great blogs talking about new books, but a lot of my all-time favorites are older books, titles that came out in the 1970s and 80s. These books are being lost, or at least forgotten, because very few books are reprinted these days, and reviewers don’t often talk about old books. I review new ones too, but I review old favorite novels and writers, and I always find sources and include links to where you can get a copy — often at much lower prices than you’d get new books. This should help writers who are trying to market a long backlist. Some authors working today have forgotten titles from 20 years ago. It would be so nice if their earlier work were remembered.

2. What do you find most rewarding about book reviewing?
“Saving” older books from being forgotten! In the stores (at least in Australia) you only ever see bestsellers. In online stores, you have to know what, and who, to search for … how will you stumble over something great? A review is invaluable help. But who reviews older books? I do! They’re all available from online sellers, if folks knew where to look and what to search on. This is where I come in.

3. What types of books do you review?
Right now, specifically m/m gay books, old and new. Might branch out further as time goes by. However, the plots could be anything from historicals to crime and SF — it’s the m/m content that sets them into their own category.

4. In what genre do you consider yourself to have the most expertise?
I’ve read a lot of SF and fantasy, (gay and not), but would consider myself an “expert” in the sub-sub-genre where the SF and fantasy has a gay spin.

5. Is there any type of book that you absolutely will not review?
No. I’ll review anything … but if I think it’s a bad book, I’ll say so! Not wanting to hurt people’s feelings, I therefore stick books I like — or have, so far. I don’t have a problem with erotica, but if a book is hateful about some sector of the community (gay, colored, female, pagan, handicapped, obese, homeless…), expect me to speak out about it.

6. Do you accept submissions from self-published authors?
Absolutely. Some of the best fiction being written today is coming out direct from the authors. Mainstream publishers are only in it for the bucks, and newcomers (or writers in small niches) haven’t been able to break in for many years. They have two options: self-publish or give up. I applaud writers with the courage to learn the trade from the ground floor on up and become masters of every aspect of the business from writing and editing to layout and graphic design, and marketing. (However, I sigh over those writers who publish “too soon,” with immature skills in all departments. The end product is … sad.)

7. Do you accept PDF versions or e-books for review?
I’d be glad to! So far, I’ve been able to pull all books reviewed off my own shelf. I’d have to think long and hard about buying books to review (like many people, I’m counting the pennies these days), but it a writer or publisher chose to send an ebook or PDF, I’d be delighted.

8. Can an author guest blog for you?
Yes. Right now I’m not “configured” for it, but I’d be happy to set something up.

9. Do you host book giveaways?
Would be happy to, if I had the physical stock. Regarding ebook giveaways — absolutely. This is so easy to organize via Lulu, Smashwords, Payloadz — I could even use my Box account.

10. Do you interview authors?
I haven’t had the opportunity yet, but now you mention it … it’s a fine idea.

11. Do you ever host stops on an organized book tour?
Sadly, no. I don’t have the facilities, blogging as I do out of a laptop on the corner of a busy desk in the rumpus room!

12. What is the average turnaround time for a review, from the time the book arrives in your mailbox until the review is posted?
I would guess, 2-3 weeks. I’d put priority on a book that had been sent to me, and would need time to read and post … allowing for real life to intervene and throw everything into uproar, as it always does.

13. Do you cross-post reviews to Amazon or other sites?
No. Everything I write for my blog is written afresh.

14. Will you notify an author by email when a review is posted?
If I were in contact with them, I certainly would. Most of the writers I’ve reviewed so far are “names” from 20 - 30 years ago … some of them are deceased! … but the current “names” seem to be very aware of the reviews. For example, Josh Lanyon and Mel Keegan have left comments.

15. Do you have any specific requirements for review submission?
My blog is called “Aricia’s Gay Book Blog,” which gives you a line on what I review — and who my readers are. So long as a book has a m/m facet to it somewhere, that’s fine. I’ve reviewed books in every genre, from historicals to SF and fantasy, plus biography. I haven’t looked at non-fiction yet, but I’ll get around to it.

16. Where can authors submit review queries and to whom should they be addressed?
Contact me (Aricia Gavriel) either via the blog, or at ariciagavriel [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

I’m a voracious reader from way back, and have been a “proofie” or proofreader for Mel Keegan and DreamCraft since 2003 (which perhaps qualifies me as a reviewer). I don’t have any personal aspirations to be a novelist but I’m enjoying the living daylights out of blogging, and I post every couple of days. The blog is still a “start-up,” it’s been online only since 11/29/08, but already I have numerous regular readers in all parts of the world — including China, Malaysia and the Middle East! — and to my surprise, I score very highly on the Google searches. All very gratifying.

Blog Name: Poisoned Rationality
Blog URL: http://lastexilewords.blogspot.com
Blog Owner: Lexie

1. What motivated you to create a book review blog?
I needed a way to not only keep track of what I was reading, but also to speak my opinion as honestly as I could about a variety of books. I review for a site as well, but the site is limited to Romance books 6 months or older. Since I tend to read a lot of older books or fantasy, I wanted somewhere to talk about those as well.

2. What do you find most rewarding about book reviewing?
Reading the books and maybe helping someone’s opinions. I try to be detailed about what issues I felt had arisen in the books I read, though that leads to spoilers occasionally. I try to keep major plot spoilers out of the reviews though. Whenever I read reviews I would always get a general idea of how the reviewer felt, but then when reading the book I’d think ‘Doesn’t anyone else find it aggrevating that the male lead’s age has changed twice?’ because its those sorts of nitpicks that bother me and possibly others. Better to be forewarned and forearmed as they say.

3. What types of books do you review? 
Urban fantasy, high fantasy, young adult, Regency Romance, Time Travel Romance, Star Trek (TnG, DS9, Mirror Universe), Anthologies, Science Fiction Romance, and Dark Fantasy. I also read mysteries, regular fiction and historical fiction, but only if the premise sparks my interest.

4. In what genre do you consider yourself to have the most expertise?
Fantasy or Regency, since those are my main two reading categories. I’m branching into Urban Fantasy a lot more lately and manga/Japanese Light Novels are also a large category for me.

5. Is there any type of book that you absolutely will not review?
I try to avoid erotic romances–my younger (16) sister tends to read a lot of the books I get for her school’s newspaper. Horror along the lines of Stephen King or John Saul is a definite never as well as most auto-biographies/memoir sort of books. Hard Science Fiction is a hit or miss for me as is contemporary romance, inspirational romance and teen ‘drama’ books (like Gossip Girl or Clique).

6. Do you accept submissions from self-published authors?
Yes, see no reason not to.

7. Do you accept PDF versions or e-books for review?
I do, but they tend to take longer for me to review because a) I can’t stand staring at my computer screen for more then a hour at most and b) I don’t have a printer to print the book out to read at my leisure.

8. Can an author guest blog for you?
That would have to be negociated between myself and the author. Since my blog is pretty much all about my interests and fandoms, the author would have to understand that their guest blog would have to fit within those parameters.

9. Do you host book giveaways?
As of right now I am a poor college student who babysits on the side to earn gas/bill money. In the future, if I get a better job, maybe, but right not I can’t economically do that.

10. Do you interview authors?
Haven’t done it before, but I love to e-mail authors and ask them questions so I can’t see it being any different right?

11. Do you ever host stops on an organized book tour?
Never even seen a book tour, so I’d have to say not.

12. What is the average turnaround time for a review, from the time the book arrives in your mailbox until the review is posted?
For print books anywhere from two days to a month, depending on personal life, mood and length of the book. Like I said above e-books take longer and tend to be closer to two months depending on length.

13. Do you cross-post reviews to Amazon or other sites?
No, only because Amazon has dealt me unfairly in the past when I try to post my honest opinion about books. Plus since they require you to purchase the book now its even harder.

14. Will you notify an author by email when a review is posted?
If they’d like. Since all my reviews have been about relatively older books so far, don’t see any reason to. I’ll send them a copy of the review before I post it, if they would like even so that we can discuss any problems I might have had and I can adjust my review accordingly.

15. Do you have any specific requirements for review submission?
Please e-mail me first with a synopsis or back cover blurb, as well as the genre/page count/publication date/etc. If there is a time sensitivity for the review, let me know that as well so that I know to read that before a book that isn’t due for another 3 months. If the book is part of a series please also mention that, as well as if its first in the series or if I should bone up on the other books first.

16. Where can authors submit review queries and to whom should they be addressed? 
Lexie at Lexie.Cenni (at) gmail.com I check my mail on a daily (if not every five hour) basis except when I’m babysitting.

Blog Name: 52 Books and 52 Weeks
Blog URL: http://52booksand52weeks.blogspot.com
RSS or Atom Feed Address: feed://52booksand52weeks.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
Blog Owner: Ellie
1. What motivated you to create a book review blog?
I have loved reading my whole life, and I also love blogging, and after I realized tons of people have book blogs, why not combine the two?

2. What do you find most rewarding about book reviewing?
Being part of a community and finding out about all these awesome new books!

3. What types of books do you review?
* YA
* Adult
* Historical Fiction
* Romance
* Chick Lit
* Realistic Fiction
* Pretty much everything except non-fiction

4. In what genre do you consider yourself to have the most expertise?
YA/Teen

5. Is there any type of book that you absolutely will not review?
Horror or Harlequin Romance

6. Do you accept submissions from self-published authors?
Yes

7. Do you accept PDF versions or e-books for review?
I’ll consider it.

8. Can an author guest blog for you?
I haven’t yet, but I’m open to it!

9. Do you host book giveaways?
Again, I haven’t but am totally open to that and willing.

10. Do you interview authors?
Not yet but I would like to.

11. Do you ever host stops on an organized book tour?
I haven’t but I would.

12. What is the average turnaround time for a review, from the time the book arrives in your mailbox until the review is posted?
Around 2 weeks to 6 weeks; if you need a review earlier and tell me, I will do my best to oblige.

13. Do you cross-post reviews to Amazon or other sites?
Sometimes.

14. Will you notify an author by email when a review is posted?
If they ask me to.

15. Do you have any specific requirements for review submission?
Please include a detailed description of the book including genre, intended age group, and the official release date..
Please also state what you are looking for, when you want the review by, previous books that you have written (if any) and anything else important.

16. Where can authors submit review queries and to whom should they be addressed?
Queries can be sent to Ellie at my52booksand52weeks AT yahoo DOT com, or you can comment/follow my blog at http://52booksand52weeks.blogspot.com and indicate that you are interested in sending me a copy of your book. Thanks!

Blog Name: OCD, vampires, and rants, oh my! (Also known as Genre Reviews.)
Blog URL: http://community.livejournal.com/genrereviews/
RSS or Atom Feed Address: http://community.livejournal.com/genrereviews/data/rss
Blog Owners: Anna and Sarah

1. What motivated you to create a book review blog?
The love of reading and book discussion. We’re sick, sick people who enjoy dissecting what we’ve just read and spouting off opinions, so it just made sense to start a book blog.

2. What do you find most rewarding about book reviewing?
Every so often, someone mentions how they found just the perfect book through one of our reviews, which is really what the book blog labour of love is all about, isn’t it?

3. What types of books do you review?
There are four genres we specialize in: fantasy, science fiction, horror, and romance. There tend to be a lot of line-blurring between the genres, so it just made sense to do the four of them together. (Think urban fantasy or paranormal romance, which both often have elements of all four genres.) We take YA fiction, erotica, alternate history, anthologies, LGBT, and some chick lit, as well as the standards in the genres.

4. In what genre do you consider yourself to have the most expertise?
Well, since there are two of us, there are two different answers to this one. Anna’s been reading fantasy forever, and the same could be said of Sarah and horror. Of course, the branching out happened back in high school, so we’ve got a pretty broad background in that reading thing.

5. Is there any type of book that you absolutely will not review?
We try to stick pretty close to genre fiction, hence the name. So anything outside of those genres isn’t something we’d put up on the blog.

6. Do you accept submissions from self-published authors?
Yes, absolutely!

7. Do you accept PDF versions or e-books for review?
Yes, yes we do.

8. Can an author guest blog for you?
Sure! If any author is interested, just zip over an e-mail to let us know what you’d like to talk about.

9. Do you host book giveaways?
Yes! We love giving away books.

10. Do you interview authors?
We haven’t yet, but would be willing.

11. Do you ever host stops on an organized book tour?
It’s not something we’ve done, but it’s something we’d consider.

12. What is the average turnaround time for a review, from the time the book arrives in your mailbox until the review is posted?
It varies, depending on how many books we have in queue and who’s doing the review. Most of the time we try to have a review up within two weeks of receiving the book.

13. Do you cross-post reviews to Amazon or other sites?
Shorter versions of reviews are cross-posted to appropriate livejournal communities with links to the full thing.

14. Will you notify an author by email when a review is posted?
If the author has sent the book, yes. If the book is something we’ve picked up on our own, not usually.

15. Do you have any specific requirements for review submission?
Just that it should fall into one (or more) of the genres: science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance. And, uh, if you’re contacting us through e-mail, please make sure your spam filters allow us to e-mail you back!

16. Where can authors submit review queries and to whom should they be addressed?
Queries can be sent to us through genrereviews AT gmail DOT com or through a livejournal private message, if you have an account.

Blog Name: Anna’s Book Blog
Blog URL: http://annavivian.blogspot.com/
RSS or Atom Feed Address: http://annavivian.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss
Blog Owner: Anna Lemkau

1. What motivated you to create a book review blog?
I originally started doing reviews on my blog at MySpace, but then found that blogger had way more to offer so I decided to just do a blog that concentrated on reviews, books, & authors. Also I love books and I just want to get my thoughts out there and hear what everybody else thinks of the books. Plus I love to help promote authors and their books.

2. What do you find most rewarding about book reviewing?
It’s nice to get my thoughts on a book out there. But what is most rewarding is helping to the promote the author and getting the word out about the genre.

3. What types of books do you review?
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Historical Romance, Fantasy, Erotica, Science Fiction, Futuristic, Young Adult.

4. In what genre do you consider yourself to have the most expertise?
Paranormal Romance

5. Is there any type of book that you absolutely will not review?
Contemporary Romance, Inspirational and Westerns

6. Do you accept submissions from self-published authors?
Yes.

7. Do you accept PDF versions or e-books for review?
Yes, I’m addicted to e-books. So I’m definitely up to doing reviews on them.

8. Can an author guest blog for you?
I haven’t done it yet, but I’d be open to it.

9. Do you host book giveaways?
Yes, I do. I run contests every few months or so.

10. Do you interview authors?
I haven’t yet, but I’m open to the idea.

11. Do you ever host stops on an organized book tour?
I haven’t before.

12. What is the average turnaround time for a review, from the time the book arrives in your mailbox until the review is posted?
If the book is an ARC …once I have the book in my had it’ll take me 4 to 7 days. But if it’s just a regular book on my reading list, It can take longer depending on what else I’m reading.

13. Do you cross-post reviews to Amazon or other sites?
Yes. Amazon, Barnes & Noble and several other Book sites

14. Will you notify an author by email when a review is posted?
Yes, I make sure to get a hold of them through email or MySpace. Sometimes they find the review before I get an chance to notify them.

15. Do you have any specific requirements for review submission?
Just that it be one of the genre’s I read.

16. Where can authors submit review queries and to whom should they be addressed?
darkhunters76 AT msn DOT com, Anna

Blog Name: Kay’s Bookshelf
Blog URL: http://www.kaysbookshelf.com/
RSS or Atom Feed Address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/KaysBookshelf
Blog Owner: me my name is Andreea but online I go by Kay
1. What motivated you to create a book review blog?
I am a very very passionate reader, and as such I have read lots and lots of books over time. After a while I have begun to notice how I don’t remember anything (or very little) about many of the books I knew I’d read. Very annoying. So I started this blog as a way to keep a detailed track of what I read

2. What do you find most rewarding about book reviewing?
Well, the very reason I started this blog in English was the fact that this way it could reach a wider audience. I’m quite happy when I see people looking for various book-related things and finding the answers on my blog. I love receiving comments or questions about the books reviewed. And, of course, I love the fact that everything is written down so whenever I need to know something about a particular book I can just look it up

3. What types of books do you review?
Um… anything? Never tried graphic novels though. Besides that I don’t initially shrink away from anything. I have given up a couple of books I didn’t like enough to keep reading until the end though. However right now no particular type comes to mind that would make me say “no” without even opening the book. My favorites are historical fiction and everything related to time-travel, but I have been positively surprised by at least one book of any genre, so I’m fairly open to anything coming along.

4. In what genre do you consider yourself to have the most expertise?
Fiction. I don’t know, I read about anything that comes my way, I don’t think I’ve preferred any genre over another over time. I may go through a period when I feel like reading only this or only that, but all in all I don’t think I’ve preferred anything in particular for long stretches of time.

5. Is there any type of book that you absolutely will not review?
Nothing comes to mind.

6. Do you accept submissions from self-published authors?
I don’t see why not. I enjoy a good book regardless on who published it.

7. Do you accept PDF versions or e-books for review?
Of course, I love e-books, my to-be-read pile is now a huge folder on my laptop. A brilliant thing storage-wise

8. Can an author guest blog for you?
I’m sorry but no. It’s my very very personal blog and I’d like it to stay this way (personal as in it expresses my own opinions not, of course, as in I write in it about me only )

9. Do you host book giveaways?
Never thought about it. It would be a bit hard though given that I mainly read e-books

10. Do you interview authors?
Never thought about it either. I mean I did once, when I had a huge question related to Audrey Niffenegger’s Time Traveler’s Wife, but I couldn’t think for the life of me of more questions than the one actually bothering me. Plus I ended up postponing it indefinitely anyway.

11. Do you ever host stops on an organized book tour?
Never had the chance. To be honest I’m not actually sure I even know what that is (I do have an idea, of course, but I’m not sure about the details)

12. What is the average turnaround time for a review, from the time the book arrives in your mailbox until the review is posted?
I usually start reading the book that very day and post the review the very day I finish it. Also I usually try to get it done within a week at the most.

13. Do you cross-post reviews to Amazon or other sites?
One more thing I didn’t actually think about.

14. Will you notify an author by email when a review is posted?
Always and absolutely. Plus I keep my breath until his/her answer arrives.

15. Do you have any specific requirements for review submission?
Nothing comes to mind. No.

16. Where can authors submit review queries and to whom should they be addressed?
The email address is groovyblog AT gmail DOT com. The name is either Andreea or Kay.

Blog Name: Inkweaver Review
Blog URL: http://inkweaver-review.blogspot.com
RSS or Atom Feed Address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/InkweaverReview
Blog Owner: Nathan P.

1. What motivated you to create a book review blog?
I started Inkweaver Review because I read an immense amount of literature, along the lines of a 500 books a year, and I wanted to tell the world about my favorite books.  In addition, as a writer myself I like the opportunity that reviewing gives me to look at books from a professional point of view and analyse the techniques that popular writers use.

2. What do you find most rewarding about book reviewing?
I find it most rewarding to be able to tell other people about the books I am reading.  Some people come back to tell me what a great book it was that I recommended to them and that just makes my day.  In addition, book review blogging is a practical niche that lends itself well to a successful blog.

3. What types of books do you review?
Mostly I review young adult and junior fiction novels, though I have been known to branch out into adult books and non-fiction.  Recently I have also been reviewing online web novels for aspiring writers.

4. In what genre do you consider yourself to have the most expertise?
I consider myself to be an expert in books for the preteen and teenage audiences.

5. Is there any type of book that you absolutely will not review?
You will never find a review on Inkweaver Review of any book that is overly violent or sexually explicit.  Anything that you wouldn’t want a tween reading shouldn’t show up on my blog.

6. Do you accept submissions from self-published authors?
Yes, please send me anything you can.  I love to read.

7. Do you accept PDF versions or e-books for review?
I prefer PDF submissions, but any e-book format would be good.

8. Can an author guest blog for you?
Certainly, guest bloggers are welcome to submit their posts through my contact form.

9. Do you host book giveaways?
No, not at this time.

10. Do you interview authors?
Not yet, but I am planning to start doing interviews in the near future.  You are free to submit an interview request through my contact form.

11. Do you ever host stops on an organized book tour?
No.

12. What is the average turnaround time for a review, from the time the book arrives in your mailbox until the review is posted?
I review most books within a week or two.

13. Do you cross-post reviews to Amazon or other sites? 
Not usually.  Some of my reviews have been cross syndicated through Reuters.com and even at the Washington Post website, but these only represent perhaps 1% of my reviews.

14. Will you notify an author by email when a review is posted?
Always.

15. Do you have any specific requirements for review submission?
Send me an ebook PDF version of the book through my contact form.

16. Where can authors submit review queries and to whom should they be addressed?
You can send your review queries to me at my contact form.  Address them to Inkweaver Review.

Blog Name: Bitten by Books
Blog URL: http://bittenbybooks.com
RSS or Atom Feed Address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/BittenByBooks
Blog Owner: Rachel Smith - Mood Ring Media

1. What motivated you to create a book review blog?
I was reading about 4-6 books per week, and really needed a way to get all the thoughts about the books out of my head to concentrate on more books.

2. What do you find most rewarding about book reviewing?
The best thing about reviewing is when somebody can relate to a storyline or click with it and decide they want to purchase the book based on that review. The other really cool thing is that when this happens it supports authors of all levels in their genre.

3. What types of books do you review?
Anything in the paranormal fiction genre. This includes YA and kids, adult content, GLBT, romance, urban fantasy

4. In what genre do you consider yourself to have the most expertise?
Paranormal Fiction

5. Is there any type of book that you absolutely will not review?
Anything that promotes hatred, bigotry or intolerance of race, gender or religion.

6. Do you accept submissions from self-published authors?
Yes

7. Do you accept PDF versions or e-books for review?
Yes

8. Can an author guest blog for you?
Yes

9. Do you host book giveaways?
Yes, every week

10. Do you interview authors?
Yes

11. Do you ever host stops on an organized book tour?
Yes

12. What is the average turnaround time for a review, from the time the book arrives in your mailbox until the review is posted?
Our site says to allow 8-12 weeks, but typically about 8 weeks is the max.

13. Do you cross-post reviews to Amazon or other sites?
Yes

14. Will you notify an author by email when a review is posted?
Yes

15. Do you have any specific requirements for review submission?
Yes, authors can read our terms of review here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?page_id=3

16. Where can authors submit review queries and to whom should they be addressed?
After an author has read our terms of review and decides to move forward they can use our contact page
http://bittenbybooks.com/?page_id=20 to request a review of their book. We will then send them the required information for each submission.

Other information:
The focus of the Bitten by Books website is to provide book reviews for all types of paranormal fiction, urban fantasy and horror. Our team of over 30 reviewers share an avid love of all things paranormal and of course of books! You may see an occasional fantasy or Sci-fi review as well, as sometimes authors overlap genres or the genres incorporate one another. Bitten by Books prides itself on offering our readers honest book reviews, author interviews, interesting guest blog spots and fun contests. Whether you love paperback books or e-books, make http://bittenbybooks.com your only stop for all things in the paranormal fiction genre.

Blog Name: The Pod People
Blog URL: www.podpeep.blogspot.com
RSS or Atom Feed Address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/kFgF
Blog Owner: Emily Veinglory

1. What motivated you to create a book review blog?
Emily Veinglory: As a reader I knew that there were good self-published books out there, but that it was rather hard to find them amongst the sheer number of titles being produced. Also, at that time, there were very few sites reviewing self-published books, and so I decided to start my own site. Originally this was a fixed website, but later, we moved over to a blog format. We are also the longest-standing Self-publishing focused review site and we are about to reach our 100th review.

2. What do you find most rewarding about book reviewing?
Emily Veinglory: I enjoy reading diverse books, and when I discover a something great, I want to share that with as many people as possible. Good books should be read, and good authors should be recognized — no matter what format or publishing model they use.

Cheryl Anne Gardner: Helping Indie authors get their books noticed and providing the in-depth critical review that, for self-published authors, is so difficult to obtain.

Chris Gerrib: I get a chance to read books I’d never hear about, as well as provide exposure and advice to other authors.

3. What types of books do you review?
Cheryl Anne Gardner: I like pretty much anything, as long at it fits within the gothic/dark romanticism literary style. I like deep psychological drama, boundary pushing themes, erotica is ok, hard hitting social satire, sexual comedy, poetry … basically I like deviant and damaged characters – that is a must — so any genre is fine as long as I get that.

Chris Gerrib: Science fiction, history (history is the raw material of science fiction), mysteries, selected non-fiction. Occasionally I’ll review a straight or “literary” novel.

Emily Veinglory: The reviewers select their own books, so authors can query regardless of the genre of their book. I personally am more likely to select a book that is clever, quirky, or transgressive. I also tend to prefer romance, erotica, comic books, art books, vampire fiction with a twist, gay themes, and themed poetry volumes.

4. In what genre do you consider yourself to have the most expertise?
Chris Gerrib: Science Fiction

Emily Veinglory: Erotic romance, some areas of non-fiction and gay fiction.

Cheryl Anne Gardner: Literary Novellas, Short Story Collections, and Horror.

5. Is there any type of book that you absolutely will not review?
Emily Veinglory: Not so far, but there are some genres that are so counter to my tastes that I would be very unlikely to select them.

Cheryl Anne Gardner: Children’s Books, Memoirs, Harlequin-style romance, Political books, and Self-help books. I don’t review genre fiction too much unless it falls in line with the deviant and damaged character prerequisite.

Chris Gerrib: I’m not interested in self-help books or poetry. The “true inspirational story,” while nice, usually doesn’t appeal to me either.

6. Do you accept submissions from self-published authors?
Primarily, we review only Self-published authors, but we have been known on occasion to review the micro or small press book.

7. Do you accept PDF versions or e-books for review?
PDFs and e-books tend to expedite the process, but we accept it all, including web-published html. Yes, we will go to your site and review the work.

8. Can an author guest blog for you?
We don’t offer guest blog spots, however, if an author has been reviewed by us favourably, they may apply to join team by emailing us a query at: podpeep at gmail dot com

9. Do you host book giveaways?
Once a Month – Free Book Friday, on the last Friday of each month. Since we do a great deal of e-books and PDFs, we don’t generally have a lot of inventory to give away.

10. Do you interview authors?
Yes. We have a My Story column. Any author who has been reviewed by us may request an interview and a My Story questionnaire by emailing us at: podpeep at gmail dot com

11. Do you ever host stops on an organized book tour?
No.

12. What is the average turnaround time for a review, from the time the book arrives in your mailbox until the review is posted?
Normally 2 weeks. When we are really swamped, and all reviewers have a full plate, it can take 4-6 weeks on some occasions.

13. Do you cross-post reviews to Amazon or other sites?
At this time, we do not. Our reviews tend to be lengthy and long on the critical analysis. Amazon is not the appropriate venue for that. If the book is available on Amazon, Chris will cross-post his review to www.tcm-ca.com. But an author may feel free to submit excerpts of our reviews directly to their Amazon product page so that the excerpt lists in the editorial section of the product information – See Amazon for guidance. Authors may also use our reviews wholly or in part, providing that the Blog and the reviewer are accredited.

14. Will you notify an author by email when a review is posted?
We try to notify the author in advance of the review posting.

15. Do you have any specific requirements for review submission?
A press release or a short query letter with a paragraph or two synopsis of the work is a must. Links to the author’s website and/or a preview site is also appreciated.

16. Where can authors submit review queries and to whom should they be addressed?
Podpeep at gmail dot com No name needed, we have a queue to assign books, and the reviewers, as they are available, choose from the queue and contact the author or PR company directly.

Blog Name: Savvy Verse & Wit
Blog URL: http://savvyverseandwit.blogspot.com
RSS or Atom Feed Address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/SavvyVerseWit
Blog Owner: Serena M. Agusto-Cox

1. What motivated you to create a book review blog?
There was no real motivation to create a book review blog; it simply evolved over time. I was reading a lot and decided to share my thoughts on those books I was reading after I checked out my friend’s book review blog, which has a lot of other things on it too. However, my site is not strictly book reviewing. I incorporate local events into the blog, writer’s tips, and writer’s conference information. I’m reviewing books with a writer’s eye, pointing out what works and what doesn’t. Not all of my reviews are positive, but I will point out what I thought worked well and what didn’t.

2. What do you find most rewarding about book reviewing?
I love the community of book reviewers; they are kind, generous, and above all honest in their reviews. I could never stand reading the reviews in the newspapers because they were stale and in some ways less-than-honest. I think each person has an opinion about a book, whether good or bad, and they should share that honest opinion with others, though professionalism must come into play to ensure authors do not feel singled out or bad-mouthed.

3. What types of books do you review?
I review a wide variety of books from mystery/suspense to paranormal and literary fiction. I review contemporary fiction, poetry, some romance (not Harlequin Romance), some chicklit, short story books, experimental, some nonfiction, travel guides, and historical novels. I’m really eclectic, but the storylines have to grab me as a reader and writer, or I won’t review it. I won’t accept any books to review that I’m not interested in. If the synopsis or other reviews have not piqued my interest, I pass on the book.

4. In what genre do you consider yourself to have the most expertise?
I’m not sure I have a particular expertise. I would love to say its poetry, but I haven’t really had a chance to review that many poetry books. It’s one of my missions to remedy that and to expose more people to the beauty and relevance of poetry today. I guess if I were to choose, I would say literary fiction, vampire fiction, and mystery/suspense.

5. Is there any type of book that you absolutely will not review?
I will not review cheesy romance novels, but I think that’s about it. I’m pretty open otherwise; see question #3 for more details.

6. Do you accept submissions from self-published authors?
I have accepted a self-published novel for review, but again, see question #3 for more detail about what prompts me to accept a book.

7. Do you accept PDF versions or e-books for review?
I don’t accept PDF versions or e-books for review currently. It takes me longer to read them because I hate staring at a computer after work hours, which is where I spend a lot of time staring at a computer screen. This could change if I purchase or receive a Kindle or like device for books in the future, but don’t count on it. I really love the feel of a book in my hands and I love the smell of the pages as I turn them while reading.

8. Can an author guest blog for you?
Naturally, though I prefer humorous anecdotes or writing/publishing related posts. But usually I’m pretty open if the author has another great suggestion.

9. Do you host book giveaways?
I do host giveaways, and I think it’s a fantastic way for authors to spread the word about their books. I prefer that the author or publisher send them out, but if they are not willing to ship internationally, I will generally foot the bill to send it out. I think reading is global and should be treated as such.

10. Do you interview authors?
I will interview authors if they are willing.

11. Do you ever host stops on an organized book tour?
I do host stops as part of organized book blog tours.

12. What is the average turnaround time for a review, from the time the book arrives in your mailbox until the review is posted?
That is dependent upon how many books I already have and how many I have obligated myself to do for a tour. It also depends upon the book, and how quickly I get involved in the plot and characters. I guess this is an evasive answer to the question. My goal would be about 2-3 months, but it could take longer.

13. Do you cross-post reviews to Amazon or other sites?
I will cross-post reviews to Amazon, Library Thing, and Good Reads; my Facebook page automatically refreshes with my latest book review posts as well.

14. Will you notify an author by email when a review is posted?
I will notify authors when their reviews are posted and include a link. The same goes for their reviews and guest posts.

15. Do you have any specific requirements for review submission?
Requirements are these:

1. Address the query to Serena or “Dear Reviewer,” something personalized; not dear editor or other nonsensical choices.
2. Provide me with a synopsis that pops and gets me interested in either the plot or characters
3. If there are review deadline requirements, provide those in the email query.
4. Let me know if you are interested in a guest post, interview, giveaway, or all three.
5. Do not expect a positive review; I only guarantee honest opinions about the writing style, characterization, plot, and other writing techniques and devices that keep readers reading.

16. Where can authors submit review queries and to whom should they be addressed?
Send queries to Savvy Verse and Wit

Address the query to Serena or Dear Reviewer