Sunday, January 28, 2007

AUTHORS & PUBLISHERS

We no longer accept submissions for review.

Please read these guidelines THOROUGHLY before emailing or submitting your book for review.

PLEASE NOTE: Regrettably, we do not have the resources to answer emails about whether or not review copies have been received. If you'd like to know if your book arrived safely in our hands, please send it with delivery notification.


A
t Christian Children's Book Review (CCBR) we cover a small - but important - niche of books. All review copies need to meet the following criteria:


1. The book(s) must have a true Christian or biblical message. This may be subtle, but it must be present. Books with a "good moral" only, but no actual Christian or biblical message will not be considered for review

2.  The book(s) must be for children. (Age range: infant to teens.)

Please note that books not available to our readers directly through Amazon.com or ChristianBook.com may not be reviewed. (Books listed as "out of print" on Amazon cannot be reviewed.)

At CCBR, we far prefer print copies of books, since we test read them to children. However, we will occassionally accept galleys, .PDF files, or Kindle files.


If you are an author or self publisher, please also review the "Do's and Don'ts" section below.

If you think your book(s) meets our criteria, please email CCBR's Managing Editor, Cynthia Marcano, for details about where to send your review copies.

Here's what you can expect from us:

* If the book isn't yet released to the public, we will review it within the month after it's released.
* If the book is already available to the public, we will typically review it within four months (assuming it meets our criteria).
* Once the book is covered at Christian Children' s Book Review, we will do our best to send you a link to our review. Please feel free to quote us.


Dos & Don’ts
of Getting Your Book Reviewed

(at Christian Children’s Book Review and elsewhere)


Here are a few tips to ensure your review copies make the strongest impact, no matter where you send them.

Please don’t contact reviewers until you have actual review copies. A reviewer can’t write about your book until she actually reads it, no matter how terrific your press kit or as-yet-unpublished manuscript is.

Don’t send your book to a publication that doesn’t review the sort of book you’re trying to market. If your novel is a historical romance, don’t send it somewhere only looking at contemporary romance. Don’t imagine someone will read your book and think it’s so great they’ll print a review of it, anyway.

Don’t pester. Once you’ve sent a review copy, don’t pester the editor or reviewer. Reviewers aren’t obligated to review your book if they decide it’s not right for their readers. It can also take many months for a review to actually appear in print. At Christian Children’s Book Review, we generally get reviews up within six months (and often in much less time), but sometimes it takes longer. Too, seasonal books take precedent, so if you submit a non-Christmas book within months of Christmas, it may take even longer for a review to appear. If you just want to make sure your book arrived safely, send a pre-printed, stamped envelope saying “[Book title] arrived safely at [publication’s name].” Most reviewers will do their best to drop the postcard in the mail to you. (Remember, reviewers love books…and therefore authors! But they tend to be busy, overworked people.)

Don't send your book via registered mail. If you want to make sure it arrives, send it Priority Mail with tracking.

Don’t ask us to buy your book. You’re asking reviewers to do you a favor by promoting your book.

Don’t demand to know where the book will end up once it’s reviewed. At Christian Children’s Book Review, we either keep review copies for our own children or give them to our local library or a favorite charity.

Don’t argue. If a reviewer misstated facts, it’s fine to write a letter to the editor (or make a comment on the blog). But remember, your potential readers may come across your letter, so be professional and don’t argue with matters of opinion.

Please do follow the publisher’s guidelines. At Christian Children’s Book Review, we only review children’s books with real Christian or biblical content. Yet we often receive review copies for books not meeting these guidelines. We can’t review the book - so the author or publisher just wasted time and money.

Do make sure your book is available new through Amazon.com. This is industry standard. Most reviewers will not take the time to review your book unless they know every one of their readers can easily get their hands on it. It’s not enough that you sell the book on your personal website; many readers don’t trust personal websites.

Do
know that quality counts. If your book is full of typos or is otherwise shoddy, don’t be surprised if most reviewers won’t write about it.


Do understand that self published books face an uphill battle. Many, probably even most, reviewers won’t write about self published books. We at Christian Children’s Book Review aren’t that strict, but consider this problem carefully before you invest in self publishing.

Do be sure to include your contact information with the review copy, even if you’ve contacted the reviewer before. (Contact information should include a snail mail and email address.) This makes it easy for reviewers to follow up with questions - and send you a copy of the published review.

Do encourage future reviews. Make it easy for reviewers to contact you by always sending a business card (or some other piece of paper with all your contact info on it) along with your review copies. Include your latest catalog, too, and email the reviewer with press releases for your company’s newest titles.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Please review The Dopple Ganger Chronicles by G.P. Taylor, published by Tyndale. Thanks.

Erin said...

Hi there! I did review the second volume. Here is the link http://ccbreview.blogspot.com/search?q=doppleganger+chronicles, so check it out! You can use the search feature (top left of blog) to type in a title or key phrase if you want to find something. :) Let me know what you think of the review.

Erin

Lynn Bennett said...

I've made this request before, but I'd like to ask again for the inclusion of number of pages in your bibliographic information for the books you review. Thanks.

Proverbs Thirty One Woman said...

Lynn, thank you for the suggestion. Look for this change in the future!

Patrick said...

"The Hunger Game" by Suzanne Collins is popular with many teens; it would be good to read a Christian review of that novel.

Anonymous said...

April J. Young's book "To Be A Warrior, A Story of Battle" is a great read for the 9-12 audience. It deals with Spiritual Armor as found in Ephesians. Fabulous allegory!

Anonymous said...

Hi - just got sent the link to your site by my sister after she found your comments/reviews of the Magic Treehouse series matched my own :)
I did a quick search and didn't find any mention of a series I really enjoyed (I'm a fantasy/sci-fiction reader) - Donita K. Paul's DragonKeeper Chronicles. I found the 5 books in this series well written and imaginative and, while not explicitly stated, their theme is clearly Christian. I did find some aspects a bit confusing theologically (Is Wulder God? If so, is Palladin Jesus?), but I felt the overall message was a good one and, with the lack of well-written Christian fantasy, it's worth spreading the word.

Erin said...

I will be ordering the first couple books in the DragonKeeper series from the library this week! Thanks for the suggestion! Erin

Janine said...

Have you reviewed the Andrew Lost series? Thank you for your comments about the Magic Tree House series. They were very helpful in our decision.

Anonymous said...

Do you mind if I put a link to your site on my church library web page? I really appreciate your reviews and want to encourage other moms to get quality books for their kids. Thanks, Carol the librarian

Tanya said...

Carol: Please do! In our green menu bar at the top, you'll find a link for "freebies." We have bookmarks there that you can download, print and have available for friends or library members, too. THANKS for sharing us with others! :)

Sonya said...

Please review "Fashioned by Faith" by Rachel Lee Carter. It's one for teen girls (actually any woman)about the importance of modesty...comes out in May, but the author (model and former Mrs. NC) spoke at the church librarian conference at Ridgecrest (NC), and we were able to purchase books before the official review date, so you may have to wait until May to get it from Amazon. Definitely worth reviewing and getting the word out about it!

Tanya said...

Sonya: Thanks for the heads-up about "Fashioned by Faith." Is it possible you could get us a review copy? Or suggest to the author that she send us one? THANKS!!

Sonya said...

I don't have access to the author, but I found her ministry's website/contact info: http://www.modelingchrist.com/contact.html

Anonymous said...

Can you review "Mommy Whispers" by Jenny Lee Sulpizio? It's a really sweet book about a mother and daughter, and the power of prayer.

Proverbs Thirty One Woman said...

Anonymous, we'll look into it!

Jenny Sulpizio said...

Kristina,

I can provide you a review copy if you would like...just let me know and thanks!

Jenny Lee Sulpizio,
Author of "Mommy Whispers"
www.jennysulpizio.com

Proverbs Thirty One Woman said...

Authors and publishers who wish to submit books for possible review should contact us through the email address provided in the above post. Thank you!

Charity Tennis Tournament said...

My son's new favorite book is "For you, my child, I prayed" by Lisa Shoch. He asks me to read it first thing every morning. I think he loves the message that I have prayed for him throughout his whole life and he loves the childlike illustrations. I just wanted to share in case you were looking for more books to review.

leigh ann said...

Hi there! I'm writing to ask you to please review "For You, My Child, I Prayed" by Lisa Shoch. It really is a wonderful Christian children's book, and my kids love it! Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Please review A for Angels: A Bible Alphabet written and illustrated by Laurie Parker! It's a gorgeous book that kids love! https://www.quailridge.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=978-1-934193-48-8

Proverbs Thirty One Woman said...

Thanks for the suggestion! We've actually reviewed "A is for Angels." You can read our review here: http://ccbreview.blogspot.com/2011/06/for-angels-bible-alphabet.html

Anonymous said...

Our family recently read Enemy Pie by Derek Munson. What a wonderful way for us to talk about loving our enemies. It was a great discussion starter for our 8th, 5th, 5th, 1st and preschool children.

Anonymous said...

Could you please review "Where the Snow Meets the Sun" written by Jessica Jingwei. It's an inspirational book for 9-12 yo kids! Book description says Seventeen year old Sunny McKibbon is twisted around her busy life that she has no time for God or Bible Study. Instead, she tackles the job of babysitting seven year old Tommy with a lisp. Because of his lisp, he's often underestimated and looked down upon, so Sunny acts like a friend to him. When the annual Christmas musical rolls around this year, both are intent on receiving the parts they want. Sunny gets hers, Tommy doesn't. Although he gets a tiny part, with barely any lines, he just grins and bears it, even though it hurts. As Sunny watches him, she is inspired by him and her faith slowly begins to peak as Christmas changes not only the decorations outside, but the hearts of two people.

http://www.amazon.com/Where-Snow-Meets-Jessica-Jingwei/dp/0987671170/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318647681&sr=1-2

Anonymous said...

Could you please review Pinky Bunny's First Day of Kindergarten? Thank you.

Anonymous said...

A really lovely "talk-about" book for little ones is The Lord's Prayer by Tim Ladwig. A line-by-line telling of the familiar prayer, it beautifully illustrates the story of a little girl who goes along with her father to help an elderly lady, and who finds that honesty is the best policy.

Tanya said...

Is this the one you mean? http://ccbreview.blogspot.com/2008/10/lords-prayer.html

Sous Chef Mom said...

Please review Born to be a Dragon. I know in the first book there are subtle Christian messages, but in the second book Blink of a Dragon, it's about the power of forgiveness.

Anonymous said...

Just found your site! Love it! I am looking for more reviews of mainstream books but with a Christian's perspective of them...I know you have a few but was wondering if you plan to do more along those lines or if you know of another site that does? I've found some regular reviews of these books but not from a Christian perspective. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Also, is there anyway you could install a search bar on this blog so it would be easier to look up titles. Thanks!

Ashley

Proverbs Thirty One Woman said...

We are trying to find a good balance between Christian and mainstream books, Anonymous. If there are particular titles you'd like to see us review, please let us know! You can also check out Focus on the Family's website for reviews of mainstream books by Christians.

Anonymous said...

Would you consider reviewing Hal Junior: The Secret Signal, by Simon Haynes. I was trying to find a review from a christian perspective and wasn't finding anything. It's tough finding good books for my 9 year old boys. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I am just curious if you guys also do reviews of ebooks published through Amazon? I apologize if this has been answered already and I have somehow overlooked it. Thanks!

Tanya said...

We do review ebooks! Also, if a book is available in an electronic version, we try to included those links and prices in addition to the traditional book formats.

Hannah said...

Hi,
Could you please review the book "The Blue Door" by Christa Kinde? I think that it's published by zondervan, so it must be good :)

Anonymous said...

Can you please review the book "Jake and the Buggy Melee" by Darryl E. Green? He spoke at my daughter's first grade class a few weeks ago here in Atlanta and we bought the book. It's outstanding. Great values including compassion, family and anti-bullying plus some solid educational pieces. AND...fun as well! Amazon.com link below. Thanks!

Mary R.

http://www.amazon.com/Jake-Buggy-Melee-Darryl-Green/dp/1938092198/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355843838&sr=1-1&keywords=jake+and+the+buggy+melee