UPDATED 3/1/10: I am not an especially fast reader, and I have a family, a full-time job, and other responsibilities unrelated to book blogging. In order to fulfill the review obligations I already have pending, I will only accept a limited number of new review offers – please read on to find out more about the sort of books I’ll consider accepting. Thank you for your understanding.
My goal is to post book reviews here at least once a week, on average. I began this blog as a means of recording and remembering the books I read. Authors and publicists are welcome to contact me at 3.rsblog AT Gmail DOT com if they would like their books considered for reading and reviewing here. I also continue to purchase, read, and review books for my own enjoyment.
Some things you should know about my book-review policy:
- I review every book I read, including books that I purchase for myself. If your book doesn’t sound like something I would enjoy reading if I chose it on my own, it’s most likely that I will politely decline your book offer up front, rather than accept a free book and not review it.
- I occasionally participate in book blog tours in addition to posting independent reviews.
- If I don’t respond to your offer, please consider it declined, and please don’t take it personally – I may just be swamped at the time!
EXCEPTION for UNSOLICITED BOOKS and ARCs: I do not consider books that are sent to me without prior discussion “accepted for review.” If I did not request your book or discuss it with you via e-mail, AND it is not a book that interests me upon inspection, I will feel NO obligation to read and review it! However, I will attempt to find another interested reviewer and pass the book on to her or him (at my own expense).
- Accepting your book offer does not guarantee a rave review, but it does mean that I will review it as fairly as possible, like it or not.
- In most cases, it will probably be at least a couple of months before I get around to reading and reviewing your book, and I will let you know this in our e-mail exchanges. If the review book is an ARC, I will make my best effort to read it and post my review close to the actual publication date.
- I disclose the source of the book within my review; this is a way of acknowledging and thanking the provider, and in alignment with the Blog With Integrity disclosure principles and FTC regulations.
- I include a “buy the book” link in my reviews, which goes through my own Amazon Associates account.
- I cross-post/link my reviews on LibraryThing, where all of my books are listed.
- I participate in the Weekly Geeks review-link exchange. Other bloggers are free to link to my reviews of books they are reviewing, and I will include links to other bloggers’ reviews in my own book-review posts.
- If you are contacting me about a book I have mentioned in one of my Sunday Salon posts (“New to the Wishlist”), I’m already interested in it and will be very likely to accept your offer of a review copy.
Some things you should know about my reading habits:
- My reading choices are primarily driven by story and subject matter.
- I am primarily a general-fiction reader who prefers novels that doesn’t fall squarely into the conventions of one genre or another.
- Memoirs are my preferred nonfiction category, but again, the story has to interest me.
- I do not normally read or review e-books*, audiobooks or children’s books. I will occasionally, but not often, read books targeted for the YA market, romances, horror, self-help, or books marketed as “inspirational.” Having said that, you are always welcome to make me an offer anyway – perhaps your book will be one that sways me off my beaten path! *Re: E-BOOKS: Although I do own an e-book reader, I am reserving it for personal use and am not reviewing e-books at this time. If this changes, I will revise this section of the policy.
Some things you should know about my blog:
- I have been posting here regularly since March 2007, originally under a Blogspot URL. I acquired the custom domain http://www.3rsblog.com in July 2008.
- I have a growing subscriber and readership base; feed subscriptions have increased from under 100 to over 500 during the past 18 months. Over the same period, this blog has averaged an estimated 17,000+ hits and 1700+ pageviews per month, and has a Google PageRank of 4.
- This blog will consider author guest posts, but does not do author interviews.
Thank you for your interest, and if you have questions or want to mention a book to me, please contact me at 3.rsblog AT Gmail DOT com.
