Submission Guidelines
Kirkus Reviews receives between 100 and 200 titles per day, a volume that makes quick decisions necessary on the part of the editors. The following guidelines should clarify the steps you should take to get your titles into the right hands at the right time. (Guidelines for apps follow those for books.)
BOOKS
Kirkus Reviews does not review books that have already been published. (Go to Kirkus Indie for those review opportunities.) Kirkus does, however, consider any previously unpublished, but already contracted, titles that are submitted in finished, galley or manuscript form (finished books or galleys preferred) at least 3-4 months before publication date.
As soon as a book is reviewed—almost always, this will be 2-3 months before its publication date—the publisher is notified of the issue date. In turn, we require two copies of the finished book when available.
WHAT WE REVIEW:
There are a few hard and fast rules. By and large, we review all new adult hardcover or original trade-paperback fiction, general-audience nonfiction and children's and teen books. Beyond that, editors make individual judgments based on factors having to do with merit or potential interest.
Kirkus Reviews does NOT review books in the categories listed below. (Kirkus Indie, however, does. Go to Kirkus Indie for more information.)
WHEN SUBMITTING YOUR GALLEY (TWO COPIES) FOR REVIEW:
It is important that you include certain standard information—price, publication date (the more exact, the better), ISBN, page count, etc.—as well as a brief description of the book and some particulars about the author.
Please note that we require 2 copies of every submission. If we do not receive 2 copies of each submission in the same package, the book will be passed over automatically.
ADULT FICTION to:
Elaine Szewczyk
Kirkus Reviews
1133 Broadway, Suite 406
New York, NY 10010
ADULT NONFICTION to:
Eric Liebetrau
Kirkus Reviews
479 Old Carolina Court
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
CHILDREN'S AND TEEN to:
Vicky Smith
Kirkus Reviews
108 Stillman St.
South Portland, ME 04106
APPS
Kirkus began reviewing children's-book apps for the iPad at the end of 2010 and has recently made the decision to expand its coverage to book apps for adults. We apply the same rigorous standards to apps that we have done to books since 1933. Feel free to browse our recent app reviews to get a sense of our approach.
In evaluating an app submission for review, we prioritize those apps that leverage the tablet technology in a way that significantly enhances or expands the reading experience. We consider both adaptations of already-published books and original material in our selection.
In order to consider an app for review, we need two iPad developer codes, one for the editor and one for the reviewer. Send these codes to our app coordinator at apps@kirkusreviews.com, along with author, illustrator, developer and publisher credit information. Please understand that submission of download codes neither guarantees a review nor implies any further consultation with you as to the content of the review.
