Review Policy
What kind of books do you review?
Whatever I’m reading. That’s mostly historical fiction at the moment, but I do also read most other genres.
How do I know you’re objective?
I’m not. All reviewers, and all reviews, are subjective. You may have loathed a book I loved, and vice versa. Because opinions vary so much, I recommend reading more than one review before you decide whether or not to read a book. I post both positive and negative reviews. Some bloggers prefer not to review a book they didn’t enjoy: I respect their choice and ask them to respect mine.
When I review a book negatively, I always try to link to a more positive review. If you have written a favourable review of the book in question, you are very welcome to leave a comment linking your review. Equally, if you didn’t enjoy a book I liked, you are welcome to say so. It all adds to the debate.
You gave a bad review to my book/my friend’s book/a book I loved, and I’m upset.
I’m sorry you’re upset. Please try to understand that no personal attack on you or on the author is intended.
But she’s a brilliant author.
I’m afraid that’s a matter of opinion.
And she spent years on the book.
Microsoft spent years developing Windows Vista. It doesn’t mean I’m not entitled to find fault with it.
And her books are her babies.
I’m alarmed to hear that. She sells her books. Does she also sell her babies?
She’s crying. She may never write again because of what you said.
That’s sad to hear. If she finds criticism difficult to take I suggest she either stops reading reviews or restricts her output to family and friends. (And she might even want to be a bit selective about them).
I don’t like something you/your friend wrote.
I’m really sorry you didn’t like it, but thank you for taking the time to read it and express your opinion. Perhaps something you said will help me or my friend to improve.
How do you approach reviewing authors who are also your friends?
If an author is a close, personal, real life friend of mine, this will be made clear in the review. If I liked the book, of course I’m delighted to say so. If I didn’t like it, in this case I do prefer not to review at all. However, it shouldn’t be assumed that if I didn’t review a friend’s book, I didn’t like it – I don’t review all the books I read.
Do you finish every book you review?
Not always. If I haven’t finished the book, I will state this clearly in the review, and try to explain why I didn’t want to finish the book. I will not count any book I didn’t finish towards one of my challenges.
Do you accept advance review copies?
If you would like to send me a review copy of your book or your client’s book, please email me at misadventuresofmoppet[at]googlemail[dot]com.
I can’t accept everything, and in fact the number of review copies I can accept per year is relatively low. Also: you are not guaranteed a positive review – only an honest review.
That said, enquiries are always welcome, especially for women’s historical fiction which is my favourite genre. One exception: I do not accept electronic ARCs, only physical copies of the book.
Do you follow FTC guidelines for bloggers?
Yes, I do. I state in every review whether I bought the book, borrowed it from the library or a friend, was given it free of charge, found it on a park bench, or whatever. If you notice that I’ve forgotten to do this, please comment or email me saying so and I will rectify the omission.
