About My Book Reviews

I do not accept unsolicited requests for reviews. As I have discussed in the past, I have been subjected to threats of physical violence from some authors. I have been targeted for vandalism on my own book listings at Amazon and elsewhere. I simply will not accept the risk anymore.

Books that are reviewed on this site come from the following:

Amazon Vine: As a member of Amazon Vine, I sometimes pick up interesting titles for review. These books are provided by the publisher to reviewers for free. The publisher has no direct contact with reviewers, however.

NetGalley: I am an approved reviewer at NetGalley.com. Publishers provide digital galley proofs of books for review. Publishers may have to pre-approve a reviewer before providing a galley, but rarely have direct contact with reviewers.

IPBA Ben Franklin Awards: As a judge for the Ben Franklin Awards, I will often review titles that have been submitted for award consideration. These titles are submitted to IPBA directly and forwarded to me. The authors/publishers have had no direct contact with me.

My Own Purchases: Books that I have purchased for my own enjoyment.

I am a tough reviewer. But I do make every effort to provide concrete examples and explanations for my opinions. I only rarely mention mundane things like typos, grammar, or spelling because I am often reviewing from advanced galley proofs that have not been through a final proofreading. Unless grammar issues fundamentally interfere with my ability to understand a book, I don’t nitpick about it. Instead, I focus on the actual content. With non-fiction, I expect authors to be able to back up their work with facts and present logical arguments. With fiction, I focus on narrative voice, character development, pacing, and plot.

If you are the author or publisher of a title I reviewed and you disapprove of my review: don’t contact me. My reviews are not written for your benefit. They are my personal opinions written for other readers. I will not discuss a review or change a review. Do not contact me over a review to argue (see first paragraph above).

If you are the author or publisher of a title I reviewed and want to use the review in your promotional materials or quote from the review, please feel free to do so. You are free to quote or reproduce the review for your own use under the following conditions:

1. Do not edit the review in such a way to imply something I did not say or to make it appear I am saying one thing when I in fact said something else.

2. Where possible, please link directly to the review here on my blog. If it is impractical to include a link, make sure to at least include my full name (Julie Ann Dawson) as the author of the review.