Book Review Guidelines

We're looking for book reviews, profiles of/interviews with writers, and intriguing essays on books, writing and publishing. New fiction, nonfiction and comics are all of interest; genre fiction is not so much. Before writing anything, please pitch interim books editor, James Norton (jrnorton at flakmag dot com). For inspiration, visit our books page or archives.

As might be expected, the first step to executing a book review is to acquire a new title that merits critical evaluation. It's best to find hardcover books published over the last 1-3 months, but if the topic is exceptional, exceptions can be made. If you have doubt about the suitability of your choice, check with Patrick (intern1 at flakmag dot com).

Once you have the book, read it. Reading the whole book is recommended. Your review should then be written with brevity, wit and clarity. Your review should address the quality and type of writing style used by the author, and make comparisons to other authors or works that may be better known, in an effort to give your reader opportunities to understand the book without having read it. Obviously, don't give away too much plot.

Reviews of all lengths are welcome, provided that they sustain a coherent argument throughout, and (optimally) contain at least one link to outside content. Also make sure tp include a link for the publisher, and one for the title itself if you can find it.