Reviewer Vacancies

Can You Write Book Reviews?

We are constantly looking for those unusual people who can write a good book review.

What we're looking for...

People who love reading and who get excited about books. People who just can't wait to tell everyone all about the great novel they've just read. People who understand that the reader wants to know what the reviewer thinks about the book and not just what's written on the back cover. People who can write in a knowledgeable but conversational tone, akin to a good quality blog post. Students: please note that this isn't the place for essays; it's a place that approaches reading for fun. We're sharing recommendations and discrecommendations, not trying to impress anyone with our lit crit skills.

We offer two ways to 'get your name in lights'. Some people would love to see their review up on the screen, but don't really want to continue with us on a long-term basis. That's fine. Just tell us up-front that's what you have in mind, but please don't say that you'd like further books if that's going to be a problem for you. Send us your review as explained in How to Apply… and we'll see if it meets our standards.

On the other hand, some people love the idea of getting books which they can review. If that's what you have in mind just tell us that you'd like to continue reviewing for us.

Most of the publishers from whom we accept books are based in the UK and so we're sorry, but if you don't live in the UK, we won't consider you. Also, we've had problems both sending and receiving emails via Hotmail and we're sorry that we're no longer able to accept reviewers who only supply a Hotmail address.

How to apply...

Write an original review of a book that you know well and that you'd be happy for us to publish on Bookbag. It doesn't matter if you loved it or loathed it, but we'd prefer a book we haven't already reviewed. Include an idea of the plot, but make the bulk of what you write your opinion of it. The ideal length is 500-800 words, but it's not a deal-breaker. Use the review format which you'll find here and please check your grammar and spelling!

We'd also like to see the titles of your five favourite books - in no particular order - please.

Use the contact us link and put 'I'd like to be a book reviewer' in the subject line. Put your review in the body of the email rather than as an attachment, please.

And here's what we offer:

We have excellent connections with many of the major publishing houses and with some of the smaller independent publishers. We're sent hundreds of books every month, all of them crying out to be reviewed. You'll get a preview of books up to two or three months before they're actually published.

If you're accepted onto our panel, and after you've had a review for the first book we send you accepted, you'll be free to choose books from those on offer. You should only ask for books that you think you'd enjoy. You can take books when it suits you and according to your own schedule, not ours. Once you have the book, we want you to send the review within a fortnight and when the review is completed, the book is yours to do with as you wish. The books we send ARE review copies. They're usually of the same quality as a book you would buy in a shop, but quite often you may receive an uncorrected proof copy, which you can't resell.

So, which book are you going to tell us about?