Book Consideration Policy

Due to high volume, my book reviewing has slowed and I am now focused mainly on my columns for Ms. Magazine, both on the website via a monthly series “Ms. Feminist Know-It-All,” and in print, via the “Bookmarks” column included in each issue. I’m also the book review editor for the Coordinating Council for Women in History and the publisher of Resources for Gender and Women’s Studies: A Feminist Review, so I consider, coordinate, and write reviews for these outlets as well as being a freelancer for hire.

My goal is to celebrate and amplify the voices of women and other writers from historically excluded populations. More information about this is listed below.

Please read this policy thoroughly before contacting me.

Please note: I am continuously accepting ARCs, galleys, finished copies, catalogs, and emails about forthcoming titles. My receipt of monographs in any format does not guarantee I will read, review, include them on lists, or recommend them. Due to the large number of titles I receive, it is not possible for me to contact each sender with a confirmation of receipt.

Books I’ll consider:

  • Books written or edited by women, femmes, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, gender-nonconforming, gender-expansive, trans men, or trans women authors.
  • Writers, characters, and topics from historically excluded populations and underrepresented and/or underserved communities are preferred. This includes but is not limited to Black women; Indigenous women; APIDA women; Latinx women; women of color; women from the Global South; lesbian, bi, queer, or asexual women; intersex individuals; women with disabilities; women from rural communities; sex workers; women living in poverty; single mothers; fat women; justice-involved women; neurodivergent women.
  • Currently, I will only consider books written by men if the authors are trans men, men of color, or men of other historically excluded populations, and then, only rarely.
  • Fiction or nonfiction, adult or YA (see genres below).
  • Debut titles and titles from indie publishers are encouraged; self-published titles will be considered as long as they have been professionally edited.
  • Please note that in addition to Ms., I regularly consider titles for a journal published via my library office, Resources for Gender and Women’s Studies: A Feminist Review, for the Coordinating Council for Women in History, and for other academic journals and popular press outlets. There may be times when your book may be a better fit for one of these outlets; I will let you know this upon receipt of your request.

Preferred genres:

  • Literary and genre fiction including contemporary, historical, speculative, thrillers/horror, and graphic novels.
  • Nonfiction including gender and women’s studies; women’s history; biographies/memoirs; current events; LGBT/queer topics; spirituality (think: Buddhism, mindfulness); libraries; leadership; women’s and girls’ development, education, or empowerment; Global South.
  • Poetry.

What I don’t consider:

  • Romance, middle grade or picturebooks, westerns, self-help, marriage, clinical medicine, Christian, Manga.
  • Self-published books that have not been professionally edited.

Formats: I prefer physical copies (ARCs or finished) or ebooks for Kindle. PDFs are not preferred but I make exceptions, especially during COVID. I have NetGalley and Edelweiss accounts.

I am continuously accepting ARCs, galleys, finished copies, catalogs, and emails about forthcoming titles. My receipt of monographs in any format does not guarantee I will read, review, include it on lists, or recommend it. Due to the large number of titles I receive, it is not possible for me to contact each sender with a confirmation of receipt.

For individual title email requests, please include:

  • Book title, author, and genre.
  • Brief synopsis (no spoilers!).
  • Publisher information. If self-published, please indicate who has edited your work.
  • Release date.
  • Any review timeline preference.
  • Links to Goodreads, Amazon, author website, publisher website, or other.
  • Other relevant information explaining why the title fits my scope (see above).

What you can expect:

  • Reviews and lists will be thoroughly researched, reflectively written, and meticulously edited. Because I am very particular about the reviews I write, they take time. I write high-quality reviews which are often between 600 and 1400 words; brief reviews are between 300 and 600 words. I do not pump out low-quality, short reviews with typos or other errors just to get out as many as possible. Brief or long, I focus on quality over quantity – this is what makes my reviews stand out and why you want me to write one for your book. 
  • All reviews and lists contain my own opinions and are written honestly, respectfully, and constructively. Most of my reviews contain both positive and constructive elements.
  • My rating system is as follows: Not Recommended, Optional, Recommended, Highly Recommended, and Essential.
  • The review will include the book cover, title, author, pages, series (where applicable), publisher, and release date.
  • Also included will be a variety of links such as author page or interviews, publisher page, booksellers, or other reviews.
  • Please contact me if you have questions. I normally will not run my reviews past you in advance of posting them, unless we have a prior agreement to do so, but I will try to alert the author, publisher, etc. that it has posted. This is usually via a tag on social media and/or email.
  • Reviews will be posted with the appropriate outlet, on my website, and usually on Goodreads, Amazon, and NetGalley (as applicable). I advertise my reviews on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Other available services (contact me for fees and/or with other ideas):

  • Author interviews.
  • Articles to your blog or site.
  • Proofreading and editing.
  • I am VERY selective about accepting guest posts on my site (I have yet to actually accept one); spammy, form letter requests will be deleted without reply.

The fine print:

  • I am continuously accepting ARCs, galleys, finished copies, catalogs, and emails about forthcoming titles. My receipt of monographs in any format does not guarantee I will read, review, include it on lists, or recommend it. Due to the large number of titles I receive, it is not possible for me to contact each sender with a confirmation of receipt.
  • Your sending and/or my receiving your request or book does not guarantee that I will read, consider, include or review it immediately (or at all). I try my best to consider books promptly with publication dates in mind but there are simply more books out there than I can reasonably handle with a full-time job!
  • By sending a review request to me, you are acknowledging that my review may be negative or contain negative elements.
  • I reserve the right to refuse any request for any reason.
  • I reserve the right to read and consider any books by any writer, even if not included above.