FAQ
Site Information
What is book(ish) humans?
book(ish) humans is a blog for anyone who loves stories.
The ish is there for a few reasons: the obvious being that I’m a bookish person and I’m pretty sure I’m in good company. But also because not all stories are found in books: some might start there and then make their way to TV or movies (or vice versa), and others might come in the form of fanfiction.
Although I focus a lot on books, I didn’t want to limit the blog to only those, since (like humans!) there are many different types of stories and they’re all equally valid.
Who runs this blog?
I do! (S.M. Lundberg, that is.) You can check out my linked site, or my short bio here.
Can I read your blog out loud to my 5-year old?
Um. We guess you could…but don’t. We’re adults and the books we review may contain mature themes and we often write about adult things, including (but not limited to): sexual content, Chris Evans, violence, cantaloupes, drugs and alcohol, and paying the mortgage.
There will also likely be some swearing, so unless you want your child to start politely asking for some fucking milk, we recommend that readers of our blog be 18 years of age or older.
Anything else important we should know about the blog (like an FTC disclosure)?
We may receive advance reader copies (ARCs) or free review copies of books in exchange for our honest reviews. If/when we do, we’ll say so in the review. Otherwise, assume that we purchased retail copies of the works we review using quarters from our overflowing swear jars.
Many of the links to retailers on the blog are affiliate links, meaning that we earn a small commission (generally under 8%) when you buy books through those links. Some contributors might also share links to their Ko-Fi accounts or other small donation services. This helps keep our website and contributors going, so thank you if you decide to support us that way!
What are the site credits and copyright info?
The entire site is © book(ish) humans and S.M. Lundberg. Contributors reserve all rights and copyright to their original content.
Our theme is Felt by Pixelgrade. The beautiful banners you see on the home page are © Yokunen. On the site and on our social media accounts you may also see illustrated characters reading books, as well as book-themed icons; these are © Svetlana Belaya.
Your Right to Use the Site and Its Contents: This Site is only for your personal use. You may not distribute, exchange, modify, sell or transmit anything you copy from this Site, including but not limited to any text, images, audio and video, for any business, commercial or public purpose.
Requests and Submissions
Can I suggest a book to be reviewed?
Yes, you can request we review a book, whether you are its author or a reader. We love receiving book review requests, but we’re all volunteer reviewers here, so we can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to get to your book.
Please keep in mind (especially if you’re an author), that our agreeing to review your requested book isn’t an agreement to recommend it or give it a positive review, and that a DNF (did not finish) is also a kind of review. We try to be respectful of authors and the hard work it takes to write a book, but our approach to book reviews is that they are primarily for readers, not authors. We’ll be honest about whether we enjoyed a book, what we may or may not have liked about it, and whether we recommend it or don’t recommend it.
When you submit a review request (which may include an ARC or free copy of your book, if you are the author or a publisher), you’re agreeing to the condition that it’s in return for an honest review, which may or may not please you. We reserve the right to make jokes, rant, or otherwise write words that reflect our emotional response to a book, and we will not remove a review of a requested book because you don’t like or agree with it.
Why did you decline to review my book?
We will do our best to tell you if we won’t be reviewing the book you’ve requested, but for your sake and ours we reserve the right not to be specific about why. We reserve the right to decline to review any book submitted to us for any reason, but here are a few general reasons why we might not read a book you’ve suggested:
- We suspect the book is hateful or abusive toward a group of people, either intentionally or unintentionally;
- The book contains content which is a personal squick or an actual trigger for any or all of our contributors (the content of which are not up for debate or disclosure);
- We just aren’t interested in the subject matter, which isn’t in any way a a judgement of the book or its author. It’s just a matter of personal taste. We’re open to reviewing all kinds of books, but of course we each have our preferences (and those will probably change over time). You can find our favorite genres in our bios on our Contributors page if you’d like an idea of the kinds of books each of us enjoy.
Can I purchase a review or an author interview?
Nope. We read and write about books and authors for ourselves and for other readers, and we don’t think other readers would enjoy or trust our opinions if we took monetary payment from authors or publishers for reviews.
Having said that, we might be open to clearly labeled paid advertisements if that’s something you were interested in, but that would be separate from (and would not guarantee) a review of your book.
Can I become a contributor or submit a blog post?
Probably! Whether you review books regularly or every now and then, or you just wrote a one-off essay on something story-related and need somewhere to publish it, there’s probably a place for you here. Please send inquiries or sample submissions to submissions@bookishhumans.com with the subject of [Your Name]’s BH Submission. You can also submit a request to become a contributor or write a guest post here.
You’d retain ownership and control of anything you submit and you’re absolutely free to publish your writing anywhere else you wish.
Do you pay for book reviews or submissions?
Sadly, not at this time. I will encourage and provide space for affiliate links so that you can make a commission on any books readers buy through your reviews, and/or for a Ko-Fi/other monetary support site if you have one.
I firmly believe that people should be paid for their work and I value and respect your time, so if you’re a freelancer or other professional who depends on the income from your writing, for now this site probably isn’t a good fit for you.
If you’re a hobby reader/reviewer or if you want to build up your portfolio before moving into more professional spaces, definitely get in touch. 🙂
Book Reviews
What kind of books do you review?
All kinds! We’re not limited to a specific genre, but of course we each have our preferences (and even those will probably change over time). You can find our favorite genres in our bios on our Contributors page.
Do you include content or trigger warnings in your reviews?
Yes, we feel strongly that warning for potentially disturbing or triggering content is a core part of reviewing books. While we’re not perfect, we’ll do our best to include a content warning for the following kinds of content if they’re present in a book:
- Sexual assault or abuse
- Child abuse or death
- Suicide (either the act or ideation) or self-harm
- Mental illness (if it is a significant element of the book)
- Graphic descriptions of injury, illness, or medical procedures
- Violence, genocide, or depictions of war
- Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, antisemitism, islamophobia, ableism, and other kinds of discrimination.
If you come across a review that you feel is missing a content warning, please let us know! You can comment on the review or email S.M. at smlundberg@bookishhumans.com with details.
Community and Discussion Guidelines
We’d like to cultivate a kind, vibrant, and diverse community of book lovers on this blog, and we must be intentional about our actions in order to achieve this. Toward that end, in general we expect anyone who comments on the blog to:
- Treat themselves and each other with kindness and respect.
- Ask questions, share knowledge and opinions, and disagree with openness and a growth mindset.
We do moderate discussions on this blog. We will remove comments that contain any of the following:
- Bullying, name-calling, doxxing, threats, or any other harassment.
- Prejudice on the basis of race, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any like category.
- Spam, self-promotion, or other unsolicited advertising of any kind.
We reserve the right to remove comments and ban members who violate our community and discussion guidelines at our discretion and without notice. These guidelines may be updated at any time and without notice.
