Empty Mirror’s Book Review Policy

Have you written a review?

If you’d like to submit a review of a nonfiction, fiction, or poetry book, please click here.

Want me to review your book?

I’m not currently accepting fiction, poetry, or memoir for review — or anything not on the list below.

I sometimes review books on these topics:

• the Beat Generation
• literary criticism, history of literary movements, biographies of writers
• Surrealism

How to submit your book for possible review:

Before sending your book, please read the policies below.

Then, email me (Denise – Empty Mirror’s editor), to see if I have an interest in reviewing your book.

How I work:

1. I like paper.
My strong preference is for printed books.

On rare occasion I accept (short) e-books, however, they usually take much longer for me to read and review than printed books.

There is a Kindle over in the corner of my office gathering dust.

2. No guarantees.
Acceptance of a review copy doesn’t guarantee a review.

(Most books I receive are reviewed, but every now and again I get a book I just don’t feel moved to, or don’t know how to, review. Or, life intervenes.)

Please note that books sent cannot be returned.

3. It’s not immediate.
There’s just one reviewer here and at least a small review backlog. (Usually, it’s not so small.) That means that I’m unable to guarantee a review on or by a certain date. It could be — and often is — several months. (That said, if you have a preference for the timing, do let us know & I’ll see if we can accommodate that.)

After I receive your book, please don’t send a flurry of emails asking about the status of the review. It takes time. Reading books and writing reviews is time-consuming and remember, I’m not getting paid for this; reviews are written on personal free time. I’ll let you know if/when the review is eventually posted!

4. It’s free.
I never accept payment for reviews – just the book itself.

(If you’re interested in purchasing advertising for your book, please get in touch.)

5. I share my true opinion.
Reviews typically focus on what I liked about the book, but if there’s something about it that that really bugs me, I’ll mention that too. However, if I strongly dislike a book, I’m less likely to publish a review at all.

I prefer to publish reviews of books I’d recommend to Empty Mirror’s readers – even if they have some flaws.

6. EM is social.
After the review is published, EM will share the link on Facebook and Twitter.

7. Size really doesn’t matter.
I review books from major publishers, small presses and self-published authors, too. I’m just looking for good work to tell Empty Mirror’s readers about, no matter who published it.

How to send items for possible review

I receive many more review requests than I can accept.

If you’d like to send books, music, or other items for review, please email us first, to see if I currently have the resources and interest to read and possibly review it. If I’m interested we’ll give you Empty Mirror’s mailing address.

When sending your query, please include a synopsis of the book, the publication date, publisher, and links to where it may be purchased.

Some tips

• How to write an excellent review query
• Contacting reviewers – tips, and what to expect