Book Review Policy

Update:  I am not accepting books for review at this time.  I am behind in my reviews and am suspending accepting more until I can catch up.  

If you have a book you would like me to review, please read the FAQ before telling me about your book.

How much do you charge for a book feature?

I don’t charge, because I don’t do book features.  Do not misunderstand me.  I’m not against the concept of taking in advertising.  Blogging is a lot more work than I originally thought, and I’m not against getting paid for it.  However, paying me to display your ad and paying me to potentially lie are two different things.  My readership isn’t made up of compulsive shoppers (well, maybe some, but that’s not why they are here).  It’s made up of people raising autistic children who are reaching out to others for advice, inspiration, and understanding.  I’m just not ever going to lie or embellish to them about the quality or usefulness of information contained in a book.  That would be about as awful as accepting money to recommend them a terrible doctor. So I won’t give my good opinion about anything that hasn’t earned it.  What I will do is accept some books in consideration for honest review.

What kind of books do you accept for review?  I am most interested in nonfiction and children’s books related to autism spectrum disorders and possibly – depending on the usefulness for all special-needs parents – other special needs books as well.  Since I am somewhat of a sentimental writer, it might surprise you to know that I don’t read a lot of literary fiction on special needs.  I think it is because I feel dizzy enough from the roller coaster I’m on that I don’t want to take on anybody else’s.  I am interested in autism information, therapy, biography and autobiography, picture books, theories, etc.  I am not interested in anti-vaccine or otherwise controversial autism theories and treatments.  Been there, done that.  Changed my mind entirely.  Vaccinate your children.

Do you accept e-books and audiobooks?    I will accept e-books that I am interested in.  I will not accept audiobooks.  This is not because I don’t think they are wonderful, but my commute to work is less than one minute, so it would take ages to finish such a book.  Between teaching, raising a family, and blogging, I simply don’t have ages.

What should I do before making a request?  I think you should know who my readership is.  You can do this by taking the time to read through some posts as well as reader comments and getting a feel for who we are.  That will let you know if this blog is a good fit for both of us.

What if I don’t hear from you?  Well, if you’ve read “11 Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a Special-Needs Mom”, you’ll know that I am not comfortable with confrontation.  In that situation, I’m most likely to feel enormous guilt for thinking about saying no that I would convince myself to change my mind, overextend myself, and wake up in the middle of the night worrying about procrastination.  Since I want to remain honest, I will have to avoid guilt-inducing contact.  It doesn’t mean that your book isn’t wonderful, but I read what to calls to me like everyone else.

What if you don’t like the book?  I’m kind of discriminating in what I choose to read.  By the time your book has made it past acceptance, it’s a good bet I’ll like it.  Still, my review is my honest opinion, and I’m not going to lie.  I will feel just awful about it, and I might eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, but I’ll send you a nice email and decline to review it.  I have no desire to waste any of my readers’ time sharing information about a book I think they shouldn’t read, nor do I have any desire to harm a perfectly nice author’s sales.  Unless you’re a jerk or advocating shock therapy.  Then I might review it after all.

Where will your review be posted?  I will post the review here and as status updates in my Facebook account.  I might put it on Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest,  Stumbleupon, or Amazon if I really like it.

When will your review be posted?  I cannot guarantee a review-by date.  I have a life, and I’m not getting paid for this.  It sounds harsh, but it’s just the truth.  I will try to post a review within two weeks of receipt of picture books – longer for nonfiction.  I will email you should there be a delay.

How do I submit a book for review?  Send an email to flappinessis@gmail.com.  Tell me about your book.  And please link the website, if you have one.  (Which you should, these days.  It’s kind of wacky not to.)

What will you do with my book when you are finished?  I’ll probably host a giveaway to my readers and share the love, assuming the winner won’t get upset over a lightly used copy.  If it is an e-book, I will encourage you to contribute another free e-book copy for the purpose of a giveaway.

Will you review apps designed to assist special needs children?  Um, maybe?  If it wasn’t a big hassle to get it downloaded, etc., I’d consider it.

Will you accept other things, such as toys, technology, etc. for review?  Not likely.  I’ve done it before and for some great products. But I always fret about how that is perceived.  There is some controversy to accepting free stuff for review (the possibility of it influencing the review) that I haven’t quite worked out my thoughts on this yet.  Please, mom bloggers, do not interpret this as criticism.  We all have a different blogging style, and this keeps me more comfortable in my own skin.  At this time, I can’t imagine anyone getting overly upset about receiving and giving away free books, so I’m happy to offer giveaways on free books should you ask.  Then again, I’m a librarian, so I’m probably biased.  😉

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