Once Upon A Romance's Reviewer FQA's

Yes, in a manner of speaking, you are. You get to keep all the books you review, some of which may be autographed. After waiting 30 days after the release date, you are free to loan out, trade at a bookstore or, of course, keep your copy.

A further benefit once your review is posted; permission is given to authors and publishers to use review quotes in their publicity campaigns and on their web pages. You never know when something you wrote could be quoted on a book cover, website, or other promotional materials.

What type of books does OUAR review?

We review most romance genres, general fiction, women’s fiction, mysteries, young adult, and from time to time biographies. We’ve even had the occasion to review cookbooks.

For the foreseeable future, we do not review erotic(a)/romantica or gay/lesbian books.

Are you looking for reviewers to review a particular genre?

Not necessarily. With some regularity most genres are available for review, though in any given month there could be more or less of one genre or another.

As that is the case we would appreciate some flexibility in your preferred genres.

What are you looking for in a review?

Honest yet fair reviews. We want the review to reflect your feelings and thoughts.

The author’s feelings must also be taken into consideration. Never be cruel, never use profanities.

When summarizing be brief yet thorough without giving away key plot points or endings. Readers want to know…did you laugh our loud; were your heartstrings touched; at any time did the plot have you "on the edge of your seat"…?

How long do you expect the reviews to be?

While we don’t want to stifle anyone’s creativity, reviews should be fairly short yet informative.

In general, word count should be between 250-500 words. There are exceptions such as reviewing a short story, or an intricately detailed book.

Do you require your reviewers to read a certain number of books per month?

To help create a rapport between you and the reader, allowing them to get to know you and your voice, we request you read/review a minimum of 2 books per month.

Of course we, and the readers who trust OUAR’s thoughts and viewpoints, would welcome more than 2 reviews a month if your schedule allows.

Is there a turnaround time for the book(s) to be read and the review written?

Some reviews are used in a variety of promotions. As this is the case, and in all fairness to the author/publisher/publicist we ask that a book be read/reviewed within 4 weeks.

From time to time there may be exceptions to this, but we do strive to stick to this timeframe.

Do you edit the reviews?

At first; the review coordinator will go over the first couple of reviews to ensure you’ve met OUAR’s standards of formatting and content.

Once you’re both comfortable with your review only the occasional grammatical edit will be made as the reviews are posted as is.

The reviewer is responsible for any normal editing, such as wording, sentence/paragraph structure and spell checking.

Are International reviewers welcome?

Yes! However, due to rising postage costs and overseas shipping time we can only offer e-books.

Does OUAR have a rating scale?

Yes. We choose to rate the overall book as well as sexual content, language (profanity/slang) and violent content.

We would ask that you be as accurate as possible with your interpretation of the rating scale. Readers appreciate your honest portrayal of the book you’re presenting to them.

OUAR never wants to falsify any reviews as we strive to be fair and somewhat kind in our ratings. We believe there are redeeming qualities in most books. So while we never tell you how to rate a book, we limit the one (1) ratings, using them sparingly when reviewing.

View OUAR’s Rating Scale.

What do I need to do to become a member of your Review team?

Browse OUAR’s current reviews to get a sense of our style. You’ll notice we maintain a particular format and content giving the authors and readers a fair and equitable review while keeping the high quality and ethics which OUAR is committed to uphold.

Submit 2 sample reviews to the Review Coordinator, one for a book you enjoyed and one you didn’t find quite as enjoyable, and fill out and submit the Reviewer’s Information Form.

You cannot be considered without the review coordinator and/or editor-in-chief reading your sample reviews.

Reviewer’s Information Form.

Email the Review Coordinator.

Thank you for taking the time to consider joining the OUAR review team!
We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Do you love to read as much as we do? Inquire about joining the review team!

Question not answered? Please feel free to contact us. We may add your question to the FAQ’s!

DISCLAIMER: There is a certain standard we strive to set with each book reviewed. Quality and integrity is a must. Please understand that it’s quite possible OUAR’s "personality" may not be a good fit for you, and perhaps your "voice and personality" may not be a good fit for OUAR. For this reason, you may not be eligible as an OUAR reviewer.

Note: All reviews written for the OUAR site are not to be used for/on any other review website. An exception to this, as stated above, is permission given to authors and publishers to quote from your review.

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