We interrupt our regularly scheduled activities . . .

h1 January 14th, 2007 by jules

. . . to talk briefly about a bit of business.

Soon after Eisha and I created this blog, we did a short post about how we would really rather not accept review copies from publishers and authors, since we were in this for fun. Well, we’ve changed our minds. To be perfectly frank, getting noticed by publishers, which we have, is flattering — not to mention that sometimes it’s nice to avoid being on a long holds list at the pubalic liberry (sorry, but that phrase is all that I remember from having to read The Human Comedy in high school). And, since the sole reason we do this is to aid readers in book selection, review copies will keep us a bit more in-the-know.

However, once Eisha and I started talking about whether or not to accept review copies, some ethical issues popped up for us. We then turned to some esteemed kidlitosphere bloggers to get some advice, and we quickly saw that reviewing books today is evolving so rapidly due to the world of blogs. Pretty much most people wing it when it comes to having policies regarding accepting review copies. I say that respectfully and say that to mean that there is no Standardized Formal Protocol to work off here. And before we even asked others, Eisha and I had already started composing our own policy. We just went by instinct, listed the things that we felt were important to tell publishers and authors regarding accepting review copies. That new policy is here for anyone interested in reading it.

Many thanks are in order to Liz at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy and to Betsy at A Fuse #8 Production for taking the time to answer our many questions about working with publishers (especially Liz, who sent multiple messages, each of them thoughtful and detailed). Also, thanks to Kelly at Big A little a, who was ever-so willing to answer questions for us, but then her computer, which is quite the lush, had a rough night out (seriously, what a pain for her. We thank her for being willing to answer questions, and we hope she’s having an easy time getting all her files back in order). Liz and Betsy were extremely helpful in giving Eisha and I a bit of guidance with our new-found policy. Thanks to Robin Brande for putting in a good word, too.





3 comments to “We interrupt our regularly scheduled activities . . .”

  1. Still willing if you’re still in need! My computer’s been to rehab and is currently sober 🙂


  2. I should ask you guys then what you learned about getting books from the publishers. I generally review books from my library, and once in a while have been contacted by the author or publisher to look at the book – which I usually do. But I’m also thinking of expanding into ARC territory…you know, I’ll email you later.


  3. Yes, email! I’m happy to share what I’ve learned. The policy pretty much summarizes everything we thought was important, but I’m fine with continuing the conversation in email. I think it’s fascinating how reviewing is changing because of the world of blogs, and it’s interesting to me how it all works. Email any ‘ol time.


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