Review Policy

About Books & Bark

Books & Bark, established 2013, boasts over 1,000 followers, and has hosted blog hops, launch events, and author interviews. I recently made the jump to Instagram and am active in the #bookstagram community. As of this writing, my account, @booksandbark, has close to 800 followers and receives high engagement on almost every post.

My favorite books are atmospheric and character-driven with solid plots (Tana French, Emily St. John Mandel, and Donna Tartt rank among my favorite authors), and I read widely across all genres, including political nonfiction/cultural commentary, science fiction, and literary fiction. Stories in all their forms interest me, and I have a particular fondness for late-’90s sitcoms (Frasier is a consistent favorite) and sci-fi dramas, including Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

I have received ARCs from publishing houses such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, HarperCollins, and Penguin Viking and am always looking to partner with publishers for author interviews and giveaways.

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Review Policy

I no longer accept review requests for books from self-published authors or small, independent presses. While I know many fantastic books come out of these methods of publishing, my time is limited and I have found that I tend to enjoy books from traditional publishing houses more.

I do not accept requests for reviews of romance. I simply do not enjoy the genre, so this policy is meant to save your time and mine.

My reviews are honest. In an ideal world, I’d love all the books I read, but unfortunately that is not the case. While I’ve discovered many new favorites through reviewing, I have also discovered many books that I am not a fan of. I want to be open and transparent with my followers and so will share if I dislike a book I’ve received for review.

I reserve the right to DNF books for review (although this rarely happens). While I rarely DNF (do not finish) books, there are some books that I struggle with and end up putting down. If this happens, I will not write a review of the book but may choose to indicate that I DNF’d the book and elaborate on why.

I don’t review books by authors or publishers who harass reviewers. While I have been lucky to have had positive experiences with all of the authors and publishers I’ve interacted with, many other book reviewers have not been so lucky. I have a zero tolerance policy for being harassed and will not accept requests from authors or publishers who engage in this kind of behavior.

Please remember that this is a hobby, not my job. Book reviewers such as myself do this on our own time on top of a full-time job/school and other obligations. We aren’t paid but do this out of love for reading and for supporting authors and publishers. Sometimes, life gets in the way and book blogging needs to take a step back. Please be patient and understanding, and I will do my part to communicate when necessary.

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Contact Information

booksandbark[at]gmail[dot]com

I accept both ebooks (formatted for Kindle) as well as physical review copies. Please email me with your review request before sending me an ARC copy. I can also accept review copies through Netgalley and Edelweiss+.