I am currently OPEN for review requests for August onward. However, at the moment, I’m being pretty picky because I’m up to my eyeballs in books. Art History, Middle Grade, tarot decks, folk horror, and speculative fiction will all be looked upon favourably at the moment.
Books can be sent to:
Stephen Baird
Waterstones
17 Newport Crescent
Middlebrough
TS1 5UA
But please contact beforehand so we know where we both stand.
Things I am accepting
fiction: with fiction I will accept pretty much anything as I’m a very catholic reader and I’m always willing to read a new book, I do have a slight preference for speculative fiction and middle grade fiction but please don’t let that hold you back.
non-fiction: again with non-fiction I will pretty much read anything, but have a preference for nature writing, esoteric/witchcraft, travel, and art history.
tarot decks: each deck would get a use for a month with regular posts showing off the deck on social media with a review post at the end of the month.
What format I will accept
physical copy: ARC, finished paperback, hardcover, written on the back of Pizza Hut receipts.
digital copy: as close to finished copy as possible please, or at least well formatted as a poorly formatted copy usually means a DNF from me
What should you include in your review request to make it easier for both of us
- the summary
- the release date
- any relevant information (especially anything that shows why this would be a good fit for me based on what you see on my blog)
- if you have a time frame for when you expect the review to be posted, please let me know that as that will greatly influence my decision and I will have to see if we can commit to that timeline.
What happens if I accept your book/deck for review?
Before sending me a review request please understand that by accepting or receiving a book, I do not guarantee that it will be read immediately or posted on the blog immediately. I’ve got an ever growing stack of books that I want to read and a pretty busy life as well as the fact that I’m very much a mood reader. I will try my very best to read and review in a timely manner but it’s not always doable.
If the book is an ARC, I will try and publish the review on or around the release date and not before. I MAY do a Save the Date for it, in addition, if I really enjoyed it.
I also reserve the right to NOT post a review of your book should I not feel comfortable doing so. This could be because I’ve run out of time, didn’t really have anything to say about it, etc.
I do try to post my reviews on Waterstones and StoryGraph also but sometimes I DO get behind on doing that.
I will also not post a negative review on the blog so that may also be a reason you don’t see it.
What else I may do on this blog
author interviews: typically I only interview authors that I’m familiar with.
giveaways: I will only post a giveaway of a book I have read or am anticipating to read!
blog tours: Like with giveaways, I have to have interest in the book being promoted or have enjoyed it. I only do blog tours with interesting, exclusive content. I want the content to be valuable to my reader and not something copy and pasted from blog to blog.
exclusive cover reveals: With this, it has to be for an author I’ve read or a book I’m excited about. I say exclusive because I do not want to be one of 100 bloggers revealing on the same day
guest blogging: I am interested in guest blogging on OTHER blogs and I will accept guest bloggers with topics I am interested in and that are relevant to my site.
Please use the Contact Me form or email me if you are interested in having me review a book
I am not paid to blog or review. I wish I was but sadly I’m not. I’m just a reviewer that loves to read and talk to other book loving folks. So, please keep that in mind when wanting to work with me. I don’t run a tight schedule with my reading because it makes it not fun for me and I’ll only accept deadlines that I agree to first.
