In order for authors to receive a fair review, we felt that it was necessary to create a book review standard. Implementing book review standards will ensure that all elements concerning the author's book is taken into consideration, and will also remind the author that all aspects of their book inside and out are important to avid readers.
We all know that book reviews tend to be subjective more so than objective at times, due to the emotions -good or bad, that is provoked within the reader while reading a book. Because of the way a book can persuade a reader to feel a certain way, this can sometimes lead to reviews that doesn't quite represent a book from cover to cover. Although no book reviewer is the same, we hope that the KC Girlfriends Book Club Reviewers are able to give a fair and more objective review, based on what the author has presented to us, instead of a review based solely on how we felt about what was read. We also want to make sure that our reviewers are consistent when providing reviews.
Genres that the KC Girlfriends Reviewers will consider: Fiction Books - Contemporary, Christian, Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Chick Lit, Romance and some memoirs. Some of the reviewers will read Street or Urban Lit, erotica and self-help books. Please inquire before you send your book if your book falls into the Street & Urban Lit, Erotica & Self-Help Genre OR if your genre is not listed.
Authors must send a book to us in order to receive a review. We do accept eBooks (no pdf please)
Books submitted will be given to a KC Girlfriends Book Reviewer that are better suited for that particular genre in which the book is written.
Authors cannot request a specific reviewer.
Galley books, ARCs or uncorrected proofs are allowed for reviews but please be mindful that your book will be reviewed based on what was presented to us. We will not assume that corrections were made during the final draft of your book. We will state that your book is a galley, ARC or uncorrected proof at the end of our review. If you are concerned about the flaws in your book be sure that you only submit your best work to our reviewers as we are avid readers and not casual readers.
TaNisha Webb, President of the KC Girlfriends Book Club, will oversee all book reviews prior to placing them on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook. Upon request, the author can receive an emailed comment form specific to their book that is required by all reviewers to complete that offers more insight/comments per the reviewer and how the star review was decided.
All reviews good or bad will be placed on Amazon. All authors that receive a score of below 3 stars will automatically receive the reviewer's comment form. All authors are welcome to request the reviewer's comment forms regardless of their review score.
We will not promise or speculate when your book review will be posted. All KC Girlfriends Book Reviewers are reading your books at no charge to you. Book reviews will be done when time allows. Please know that book reviews given by our book club is done out of kindness, not out of obligation to the author, representative or the publishing company. Please do not expect your book review to be available right away. You may check the status of your book review 8 weeks after you have mailed your book to us. In order to check the status of your book, please reply back using the auto-reponse email that you received with the mailing address.
If you do decide to submit your book, please be sure that your book falls within the guidelines on this page BEFORE sending it to us.
top
Book Review Scores
Reviews are based on a 5 star rating scale. The book is able to earn a 0, 1/2, or 1 point within each section. The KC Girlfriend Reviewer will have 3 standard statements to choose from in each section that will earn a specific point value. Once the reviewer select the statement that best fits the book, they are asked to justify why they gave the score, good or bad. The score in each section is added together for the accumulative score (star rating). We then place the review on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook/Twitter. FACEBOOK TWITTER
Book Reviews will be based on:
Below you will find what our review process consist of in each section:
Book Presentation
What the readers can see on the exterior of a book can either compel the reader to want to pick the book up or it can make them walk on by without a second thought!
The book's presentation must be compelling enough to make the reader want to eventually purchase your book!
Book presentation is based on the title, cover, and synopsis.
Title: Should be catchy, memorable and grab the attention of the potential reader.
TaNisha Says: If you catch the reader's eye with the title, the next thing the reader should do is pull your book off the shelf to look at the cover. When a reader decides to go to the book store and purchase a book,the title is usually the only thing that we can see so it's very important that the title grabs a reader's attention.
Cover: Should be able to provide a visual synopsis of what your book is about. It's imperative that the cover is attractive without being offensive. The cover should be neat, straight to the point, relative to your book, and most of all, not look like a hot mess!
TaNisha Says: If the title and the cover is appealing to the potential reader, they should want to flip your book over and read the synopsis! Hot chicks/guys on a cover that aren't relevant to the storyline or loosely give insight to what your book is about equals a hot mess!
Synopsis: Should be relevant to the story. It is the snapshot of what your book is suppose to be about. Anytime the reader has to re-read the synopsis, in order to verify that they are indeed reading the same book that they purchase is a serious issue! Giving way too much information can also make a reader put your book back! Why read a book if you already know everything that happens based on the synopsis? Synopses are supposed make the reader anticipate what will happen in the book and should pretty much seal the deal on that book purchase!
TaNisha Says: There is nothing worse than to have to flip to the back cover multiply times because you feel that the book doesn't remotely match the synopsis. The synopsis is one of the things that made us want to purchase the book in the first place. Avid readers can walk away feeling cheated out of their money when the author doesn't deliver!
top
Book Price
The price of your book can make or break your book sales. Overpriced books are becoming a serious issue. It is the responsibility of the author to do the research to make sure their books are priced accordingly, regardless if the book is self-published or has gone through a traditional publisher. Bottom line: If the reader can't afford your book, we won't patronize you!
TaNisha Says: If the title, cover, and synopsis are great...the only thing that can stop the potential reader from purchasing your book is the price! Trust me...if an avid reader has to choose between paying $20 for a paperback book by a new or underexposed author and $20 for a hardcover book by one of their favorite authors...you will lose every time! Also paying $15 for a paperback book that's not even REMOTELY close to 200 pages should be a crime! It's not even a novel at this point...it's a novella!
Character Development
Characters need to be well developed, believable and/or easy to relate to. Characters should not be forgettable or so complicated that they simply don't make sense. Also, your supporting characters should do just that...support the main characters and storyline.
TaNisha Says: Avid readers love to feel emotions towards characters i.e. love, hate, empathy, lust etc. But if we walk away without feeling anything about the characters, it's basically because they were forgettable or the storyline was weak!
top
Storyline
Your storyline should be believable and relevant to the synopsis offered. The book should offer a smooth transition between one scene to the next. Sub storyline(s) should be relevant to the main story. Your story should offer a beginning, middle, and ending, regardless if you intend for the book to be a part of a sequel or a stand alone. Most of all, your story should make sense. There is such a thing as having weak characters and a strong storyline and vice versa.
TaNisha Says: Storylines do not have to be so complicated that they are hard to follow. Avid readers simply want a good book that they can either relate to or can capture their complete attention. Take us out of our everyday lives and into your character's lives without confusing us!
top
Editing
Limited grammatical errors are appreciated. Do not try to use words that doesn't represent your writing level or compliment your storyline. Readers will not be impressed with words that simply do not fit the flow of the book or have to think too hard to try to figure out what you really meant to say; it can also be very distracting to a reader if they need a dictionary to decipher words! Word context is also important. We shouldn't see the word "to" when you really meant to use the word "too". Using accurate historical references is also important.
We would highly recommend that each author pay to have their book edited. You should also research the type of editing services available and be sure you know what you are paying for. It is also wise to go back and re-read your book after you have paid for editing services. At the end of the day...it's your name on the front of the book...not the editor's name. Make sure that your book represents you well! Remember, there is a huge difference between an avid and casual reader. What a casual reader will overlook an avid reader probably will not!
TaNisha Says: There is nothing worse than to get your hands on a great book with grammatical errors throughout. Reading should be enjoyable from the beginning to the end....not frustrating because you're trying to piece the story together due to misspelled words, words used out of context or badly formed sentences!
Readers are not always that forgiving and may not give you a second chance...especially when we've paid money for a book that isn't up to publishing standards...so represent yourself well!
top
All Rights Reserved: The KC Girlfriends Book Club Reviewers Form was developed by and for the exclusive use of the KC Girlfriends Book Club Reviewers. If you are interested in utilizing this form please contact TaNisha Webb for the template and written permission. Book clubs or reviewers wanting to use this review model will be bound by an agreement to not change any portions of the review template, keep the original name of the review , credit the review template to it's rightful owner in all published reviews, and to also use the review template for what it was originally created for. This form can not be used, reproduced, copied or sampled from without the written consent of the owner, TaNisha Webb.
We all know that book reviews tend to be subjective more so than objective at times, due to the emotions -good or bad, that is provoked within the reader while reading a book. Because of the way a book can persuade a reader to feel a certain way, this can sometimes lead to reviews that doesn't quite represent a book from cover to cover. Although no book reviewer is the same, we hope that the KC Girlfriends Book Club Reviewers are able to give a fair and more objective review, based on what the author has presented to us, instead of a review based solely on how we felt about what was read. We also want to make sure that our reviewers are consistent when providing reviews.
Genres that the KC Girlfriends Reviewers will consider: Fiction Books - Contemporary, Christian, Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Chick Lit, Romance and some memoirs. Some of the reviewers will read Street or Urban Lit, erotica and self-help books. Please inquire before you send your book if your book falls into the Street & Urban Lit, Erotica & Self-Help Genre OR if your genre is not listed.
Authors must send a book to us in order to receive a review. We do accept eBooks (no pdf please)
Books submitted will be given to a KC Girlfriends Book Reviewer that are better suited for that particular genre in which the book is written.
Authors cannot request a specific reviewer.
Galley books, ARCs or uncorrected proofs are allowed for reviews but please be mindful that your book will be reviewed based on what was presented to us. We will not assume that corrections were made during the final draft of your book. We will state that your book is a galley, ARC or uncorrected proof at the end of our review. If you are concerned about the flaws in your book be sure that you only submit your best work to our reviewers as we are avid readers and not casual readers.
TaNisha Webb, President of the KC Girlfriends Book Club, will oversee all book reviews prior to placing them on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook. Upon request, the author can receive an emailed comment form specific to their book that is required by all reviewers to complete that offers more insight/comments per the reviewer and how the star review was decided.
All reviews good or bad will be placed on Amazon. All authors that receive a score of below 3 stars will automatically receive the reviewer's comment form. All authors are welcome to request the reviewer's comment forms regardless of their review score.
We will not promise or speculate when your book review will be posted. All KC Girlfriends Book Reviewers are reading your books at no charge to you. Book reviews will be done when time allows. Please know that book reviews given by our book club is done out of kindness, not out of obligation to the author, representative or the publishing company. Please do not expect your book review to be available right away. You may check the status of your book review 8 weeks after you have mailed your book to us. In order to check the status of your book, please reply back using the auto-reponse email that you received with the mailing address.
If you do decide to submit your book, please be sure that your book falls within the guidelines on this page BEFORE sending it to us.
top
Book Review Scores
Reviews are based on a 5 star rating scale. The book is able to earn a 0, 1/2, or 1 point within each section. The KC Girlfriend Reviewer will have 3 standard statements to choose from in each section that will earn a specific point value. Once the reviewer select the statement that best fits the book, they are asked to justify why they gave the score, good or bad. The score in each section is added together for the accumulative score (star rating). We then place the review on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook/Twitter. FACEBOOK TWITTER
Book Reviews will be based on:
- Book Presentation
- Book Price
- Character Development
- Storyline
- Editing
Below you will find what our review process consist of in each section:
Book Presentation
What the readers can see on the exterior of a book can either compel the reader to want to pick the book up or it can make them walk on by without a second thought!
The book's presentation must be compelling enough to make the reader want to eventually purchase your book!
Book presentation is based on the title, cover, and synopsis.
Title: Should be catchy, memorable and grab the attention of the potential reader.
TaNisha Says: If you catch the reader's eye with the title, the next thing the reader should do is pull your book off the shelf to look at the cover. When a reader decides to go to the book store and purchase a book,the title is usually the only thing that we can see so it's very important that the title grabs a reader's attention.
Cover: Should be able to provide a visual synopsis of what your book is about. It's imperative that the cover is attractive without being offensive. The cover should be neat, straight to the point, relative to your book, and most of all, not look like a hot mess!
TaNisha Says: If the title and the cover is appealing to the potential reader, they should want to flip your book over and read the synopsis! Hot chicks/guys on a cover that aren't relevant to the storyline or loosely give insight to what your book is about equals a hot mess!
Synopsis: Should be relevant to the story. It is the snapshot of what your book is suppose to be about. Anytime the reader has to re-read the synopsis, in order to verify that they are indeed reading the same book that they purchase is a serious issue! Giving way too much information can also make a reader put your book back! Why read a book if you already know everything that happens based on the synopsis? Synopses are supposed make the reader anticipate what will happen in the book and should pretty much seal the deal on that book purchase!
TaNisha Says: There is nothing worse than to have to flip to the back cover multiply times because you feel that the book doesn't remotely match the synopsis. The synopsis is one of the things that made us want to purchase the book in the first place. Avid readers can walk away feeling cheated out of their money when the author doesn't deliver!
top
Book Price
The price of your book can make or break your book sales. Overpriced books are becoming a serious issue. It is the responsibility of the author to do the research to make sure their books are priced accordingly, regardless if the book is self-published or has gone through a traditional publisher. Bottom line: If the reader can't afford your book, we won't patronize you!
TaNisha Says: If the title, cover, and synopsis are great...the only thing that can stop the potential reader from purchasing your book is the price! Trust me...if an avid reader has to choose between paying $20 for a paperback book by a new or underexposed author and $20 for a hardcover book by one of their favorite authors...you will lose every time! Also paying $15 for a paperback book that's not even REMOTELY close to 200 pages should be a crime! It's not even a novel at this point...it's a novella!
Character Development
Characters need to be well developed, believable and/or easy to relate to. Characters should not be forgettable or so complicated that they simply don't make sense. Also, your supporting characters should do just that...support the main characters and storyline.
TaNisha Says: Avid readers love to feel emotions towards characters i.e. love, hate, empathy, lust etc. But if we walk away without feeling anything about the characters, it's basically because they were forgettable or the storyline was weak!
top
Storyline
Your storyline should be believable and relevant to the synopsis offered. The book should offer a smooth transition between one scene to the next. Sub storyline(s) should be relevant to the main story. Your story should offer a beginning, middle, and ending, regardless if you intend for the book to be a part of a sequel or a stand alone. Most of all, your story should make sense. There is such a thing as having weak characters and a strong storyline and vice versa.
TaNisha Says: Storylines do not have to be so complicated that they are hard to follow. Avid readers simply want a good book that they can either relate to or can capture their complete attention. Take us out of our everyday lives and into your character's lives without confusing us!
top
Editing
Limited grammatical errors are appreciated. Do not try to use words that doesn't represent your writing level or compliment your storyline. Readers will not be impressed with words that simply do not fit the flow of the book or have to think too hard to try to figure out what you really meant to say; it can also be very distracting to a reader if they need a dictionary to decipher words! Word context is also important. We shouldn't see the word "to" when you really meant to use the word "too". Using accurate historical references is also important.
We would highly recommend that each author pay to have their book edited. You should also research the type of editing services available and be sure you know what you are paying for. It is also wise to go back and re-read your book after you have paid for editing services. At the end of the day...it's your name on the front of the book...not the editor's name. Make sure that your book represents you well! Remember, there is a huge difference between an avid and casual reader. What a casual reader will overlook an avid reader probably will not!
TaNisha Says: There is nothing worse than to get your hands on a great book with grammatical errors throughout. Reading should be enjoyable from the beginning to the end....not frustrating because you're trying to piece the story together due to misspelled words, words used out of context or badly formed sentences!
Readers are not always that forgiving and may not give you a second chance...especially when we've paid money for a book that isn't up to publishing standards...so represent yourself well!
top
All Rights Reserved: The KC Girlfriends Book Club Reviewers Form was developed by and for the exclusive use of the KC Girlfriends Book Club Reviewers. If you are interested in utilizing this form please contact TaNisha Webb for the template and written permission. Book clubs or reviewers wanting to use this review model will be bound by an agreement to not change any portions of the review template, keep the original name of the review , credit the review template to it's rightful owner in all published reviews, and to also use the review template for what it was originally created for. This form can not be used, reproduced, copied or sampled from without the written consent of the owner, TaNisha Webb.
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PLEASE NOTE:
The KC Girlfriends Book Club Literary Retreat Wine Tour October 20-23, 2016 will be postponed until 2017 so our group is able to enjoy a trip to New York City and Washington DC September 20-26, 2016 in part to enjoy the opening of the Smithsonian African American History and Culture Museum. If your group would like more information please click here for more information. 
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