Book reviewers wanted | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

meanmistermustard said
Questions (this isn’t me applying, just querying). 

• How long is the time from getting the book to submitting the review (roughly speaking – obviously it will depend on the size of the book)?
• Does the individual get a say in the book they review or will one just turn up on the doorstep and that’s it? Obviously the individual cannot submit the books they want to review (ity’s not a shopping or wish list) but he/she wouldnt want to get stuck reading a book they have no interest in – even if it does have a Beatle link/theme?
• Is it allowable to try reviewing a book and then depending on how the individual finds it decline from doing another? 
• Will any individual who takes up the option of book reviewing be able to seek feedback on the review before it is submitted for publication?

Hi, good questions. I’ll answer them one by one.

• Publishers normally send stuff out 6-8 weeks before publication. If that’s the case it’s very helpful to have something published before the book comes out. Occasionally authors just want a bit of publicity for something that’s been out for a while, so the pressure’s off. I guess I’ll work with whoever’s reviewing a book and try to set some deadlines. It’s not normally the end of the world if a review is published a few days after a book’s release, but a month or more is probably a little too late.
• I’m not interested in giving people books they’d struggle to write about. What I might do is use this thread to say: “I’ve been offered X Title by Y Author. Does anyone want it?” It makes no sense to pair a Beatles graphic novel with someone who hates the genre. I would hope people only put themselves forward if they were serious about reviewing something – it’s bad form to be sent review copies and not to deliver, which is why I’ve been declining all book requests lately.
• Of course! It’s not a job, I’m not asking anyone to sign a contract requiring a certain number of articles. See above: I’ll ask around and see who’s interested before passing on details to publishers.
• Feedback from me? Sure. Actually, that’s a good point. I guess I should reserve the right to edit and amend as appropriate. That doesn’t mean I’ll butcher anyone’s work, but I will sub-edit it for grammar/structure if necessary. Happy to chat to people individually about this.

Also, in terms of copyright, you’d be granting me a non-exclusive licence to use your words on this site (non-exclusive means you can publish it elsewhere too if you like) in perpetuity. I’m not one for legal docs so I don’t want to get into contracts and terms, but in short: you’d write a book review which I’d publish in my Books section. You get to keep the book. That’s about it.

If anyone else has questions please let me know.