Kirkus ReviewsReviews of kirkusreviews.com

I want to echo the comments of many others. Kirkus will deliver a thoughtful, honest review of your book in a timely fashion. The customer service is great, especially when wending your way through the website and download niceties. I have received some very positive reviews, and one not so positive, on books ranging from Random House to self-published, and I would never write a book without having Kirkus review it.

I wish I had read more comments online before spending $674 on a Kirkus review. I naively assumed that for that amount of money I would receive a discerning analysis that at worst would yield a quotation or two that could be used to market the book. That's not what happened. Like others, I received a vacuous summary that read more like a book report written by a lazy high school student--who sprinkled in a few quotations to demonstrate they had "read" the book--than a professional review. While the "review" was not negative, there was no critical engagement and not one sentence worth quoting or one positive comment about a book that has been praised elsewhere. The only hint at criticism was a peevish complaint that the book is too long and there are too many deaths--six over a period of fifty years. In my experience it is evident that Kirkus does not offer a service commensurate with the cost of a review and that it takes advantage of the good faith of people who have put a lot of time and effort into their work. A brief examination of comments online supports the perception that the reviewers are unqualified, even apathetic, readers looking to pick up a little extra income who are not governed by uniform standards or professional oversight. You may have written a very good book, but don't believe the reviewers at Kirkus will make the effort to read your work carefully or write a few words to acknowledge that.

Excellent service with great communication and outstanding return on investment. And I'm not exaggerating. I felt that the review I received for my hybrid (indie) published book, ARE BISEXUALS JUST GREEDY? was very fair and accurate. I loved how the reviewer had paid great attention to detail in my book, and included complimenting my talented illustrator. It also had a note of questioning if one chapter could've been a deeper dive, which added to the authenticity in the review. Furthermore, since the review was published whenever I've had questions or need help, my points of contact Paola and Leah have been quick to respond with warm replies. Thank you.

I thought Amy and Ky were exceptionally responsive, kind, on their games and terrific at guiding me for the best ad experience. I needed to pivot on a couple of things and Ky made that seamless with the design. Amy and I had a very detailed conversation about which ads and formats would be best, and she was entirely generous with her time and expertise. Plus, I just like both of them immensely. It's such a pleasure--and a rarity--to work with people who can immediately adjust, who deliver with grace and timeliness, and you are w pleasure to talk to. BRAVA, you two!!

The editorial assistants were exceptionally helpful... The reviewer captured the essence of my writing, truly understood my work, and grasped what I am trying to do. First-rate and top-notch service at all levels of this company! I couldn't be more impressed by their professionalism and high-quality standards...

Writing speaking my truth has been my biggest blessing that I have accomplished it took me about a year and a half to put it all together I was really scared to tell the world my story but as soon as it came out I was able to breathe a sigh of relief and I hope people from all walks of life can relate to my story and always speak their truth.

Don't waste your money, especially if you are an author of color.

Over five hundred dollars--a hundred dollars a sentence---for a review a barely-schooled teenager could have written, and maybe did! A superficial plot summary, followed by five careless, ambivalent comments about characterization. No mention in those facile notes of the story, the nuances, the implications, the psychology, or --really, anything. It would have received a D minus grade in any literary class. Not even as good as a copy of a Cliff notes. Utter waste of money, and the customer service response was: We're not going to read your complaint anyway, so Up yours!