Review Requests

Book Reviews

NB I’m not accepting any additional books onto my review list for the foreseeable future.

See my Bedside Table for a list of recent reviews and what I’m currently reading.

Submissions

PLEASE NOTE: I have several sources of review books to choose from. Although I generally accept review requests from authors I’m already familiar with, as you’ll see from the top of the page, I am not accepting anything else for the foreseeable future. Having said that, if you feel you have the necessary strength of character to withstand a likely refusal, feel free to ask, but even if I agree to review, you’ll have a long wait.

Be sure you’re happy to have my honest opinion before requesting a review, since needless flattery and sycophancy are not my style.

If you would like to submit your book for review, you must follow these guidelines – failure to do so will result in your submission being ignored.

Be Warned!

If your book has multiple spelling mistakes, poor punctuation, is badly written or crammed with clichés – I might not get past the first chapter.

If your book starts off well, then turns to crap, I reserve the right not to finish it. In which case (obviously), no review.

Formats

I read ebooks and paperbacks. Although I’m a cash-strapped writer, I now buy every book I review, but if your book seems inordinately pricey, I probably won’t buy it.

I Will Read:

Mystery, Thriller and Suspense
Psychological/Horror
Historical
Contemporary
Young Adult
Children’s Books (now reviewed at Colin Garrow Books)
Crime/Legal
Fantasy – though I’m very choosy!
Short Stories
Stage Plays
Sci-Fi – think John Wyndham, PD James, Anthony Burgess, Jasper Fforde, Margaret Atwood.
Non-Fiction – various, though mainly crime-related (historic murder cases), as well as anything Victorian.

I Will NOT Read:

Romance
Erotica
Anything involving Werewolves, Zombies or Vampires (except my pal Jacky Dahlhaus, and Stephen King, obviously)
Anything overtly Religious
Anything overtly Homophobic, Racist or Misogynistic

I do occasionally make exceptions to the above, but not often.

Contact Me

Contact me via email at – hello (@) colingarrow.org – and in the body of your email (ie no attachments, except cover image), please include:

Title of book
Author or pen name
Approximate word/page count
Cover image to use in the review
The ‘blurb’ or teaser
Link to buy/download the book
Link(s) to the author’s website/blog
NB Please ensure books have sampling enabled – if I can’t access the first couple of pages, I won’t consider reviewing it.

Thank you

Wherever possible I will post reviews on my Blog, Goodreads and Amazon and (if applicable) Smashwords, Kobo etc.

I reply to all emails, though if times are tough it may take a while to get back to you. Unlike some reviewers, I will let you know if I want to review your book [NB this only applies to individual emails, not mass mailouts]. And finally, if I read your book but don’t write a review, I’ll tell you why. In this case, I won’t be surprised if I don’t hear from you again (criticism can be hard to take).

Affiliates

I no longer use affiliate links in book reviews, so if you click on review links I won’t earn a penny, but if one of my reviews inspires you to buy a book, then that’s great. After all, authors are nothing without book-buyers.

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