Reviews

Before you get too excited… sorry, but I don’t do book reviews (I’ve listed some below who do). I do get asked quite a lot, it’s so flattering and I hate saying “no”, but I just don’t have the time. I struggle to read the books I have already (despite just buying a Kindle Touch).

I am however happy to review short stories of up to 2,500 words. Little compensation perhaps but an opportunity if you’re a short story writer. I started on Saturday 11th January (with one I’d read) and called Short Story Saturdays. I keep the reviews short (no point in having it longer than the story!) then have a quick biography of the author (you), if you’d like to provide one, a photo or two (again optional) and links to your website and if appropriate, where people can buy your book/s – in other words the same sort of thing as listed at the bottom of any of the guest interviews, spotlights etc.

So, if you have a story you’d like me to read and don’t mind ‘firm but fair’ do email me. If you’re feeling braver, I also in-depth critique fiction of ideally up to 1,000 (I can go up to 2,000) for my Podcast.

Philip Ellis reviewed Chris Hamilton-Emery’s ‘101 Ways to Make Poems Sell‘ on the 26th March and will be returning with a review of Sage Cohen’s book ‘Writing the Life Poetic‘ on 21st May – details on the Post-weekend Poetry page.

I’ve listed the reviews of my eBooks on the Books – mine page and that is all of them, honestly, I’ve not left out any bad ones (for instance, there are two 1* for Feeding The Father on Goodreads ). I do have a 3* for April’s Fool for being scant on detail, which made me laugh as someone else (in YouWriteOn) had said there was too much. But that’s the great thing about writing fiction, different things please different people.

Book reviews sites include: http://abookishlibraria.blogspot.co.uk, http://bookersatz.blogspot.com, http://bookriot.com/review-policy, www.fantasybookreview.co.uk, http://www.lovereading.co.uk,  http://www.allreaders.com,  http://www.bookreview.com,  http://www.rtbookreviews.com,  http://www.spaghettibookclub.org (children’s), www.raintaxi.com, http://www.reviewcentre.com, http://silent-airports.blogspot.com (Carlo Kamchis hosts the book review section of Laissez Faire), and Stormi at http://writesthoughts.blogspot.com. I’ll add more here as I find them.

Below, thanks to Delin Colón, is a list of some book reviewers based in the US. You can mail a copy of your book, a press release, and complete sales sheet to:

• The Wall Street Journal, Eric Gibson, Leisure & Arts Features Editor, 200 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10281
• Alternative Press Review, Columbia Alternative Library, PO Box 1446, Columbia MD 65205-1446
• American Press Service & Features Syndicate, PO Box 917, Van Nuys, CA 91408
• American Book Review Unit for Contemporary Literature, Campus Box 4241, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4241
• Book Talk JL Syndicate, 399 NW 10th Court, Boca Raton, FL 33486
• Kirkus Reviews, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
• Newspaper Enterprise Association, 200 Madison Avenue, Floor 4, New York, NY 10016
• The New York Times Book Review, 229 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036
• Publishers Weekly, 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010
• Los Angeles Times Magazine, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053
• Foreword Magazine, Alex Moore, Managing Editor, 129 1/2 East Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49684
• Small Press Review, P.O. Box 100, Paradise, CA 95967
• James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review, 278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575 (http://www.midwestbookreview.com/get_rev.htm)
• Book Review Editor, Library Journal, 360 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10010
• Hollywood Inside Syndicate, Attn: John Austin, P.O. Box 49957, Los Angeles, CA 90049-0957 (non-fiction only)

I was going to add some from the Writer’s & Artist’s Yearbook, Writer’s Handbook and Writer’s Market but looked in their listings (under reviews and book reviewers, and there weren’t any!).