Frequently Asked Questions
Is the review process the same?
Yes, and no.
Yes, you fill out the form with all the information we need, upload a copy of the book (pdf and epub preferred, though docx and mobi can be done), a thumbnail of the cover, and the buy link.
Yes, we still guarantee a fair Editorial Review, but do not guarantee a good rating.
No, in that our Rules of what we Do and Do Not accept are rock solid. At the moment, we are still providing reviews only for stories under the Romance umbrella, which is rather large when you think about it, but changes in the kinds of stories out there lately have made drawing lines an absolute necessity.
If your story is more than 50% sex scenes, we will not review it.
If your story has 3 Steam or above sex scenes with any characters under the age of 18 (this includes, but is not limited to, “day dream” or inner monologue or explanatory scenes), we will not review your book.
If you pay for a review, knowing your book does not meet those qualifications, you will not get a review, you will not get a refund, and you will be barred from submitting for a review.
I have a publishing deadline and I need a review ASAP!
We will do our best. We have limited reviewers who already have a TBR pile assigned. Usually it can be worked out, but sometimes it just cannot happen on the timeline you want. Please schedule things in advance enough that neither of us are scrambling.
Also, please read the section of the submission form about speaking to staff. In the past, language and verbal abuse has gotten ugly on the part of some authors. We understand deadlines and frustration. We are not the ones to take it out on. That will end with a lifetime ban from our services.
I did not like the review and/or rating my story got, I want a refund.
All sales are final. It’s stated clearly across our site, on the form, and in the welcome emails. Payment for the review and/or add-ons does NOT equal positive review or a high rating. Kirkus and Publishers Weekly don’t offer refunds, and to our knowledge, there isn’t one Editorial Review service which offers refunds on bad reviews.
For a non-refundable $50 fee, an author may request a second reread by a senior reviewer. The original review text will not be altered. The Star and/or Steam rating may stay the same, increase, or decrease based on the senior editor’s assessment. Payment is not a guarantee of a higher rating.
Are you going to review books written by AI?
If you follow the Rules, we review the book. Period. We don’t ask if a book was AI written, and we aren’t going to. The fighting and cancelling and doxxing and threats and ugliness that accompanies this topic is against everything we stand for. Above all, we strive to be fair and unbiased.
We are for AUTHORS who want an Editorial Review of their story. If the story is amazing or junk, we rate it accordingly. We do not ask How it was written, only IF it was well-written.
Not only that, but nearly all of us authors have had one or more of our books pirated and scraped by AI for its training to where it is almost impossible to prove something was NOT written by AI. (Totally referencing the most recent bruhaha over the author whose agent pulled the book because of an AIs say so without doing due diligence or even letting said author prove the case.)
And, we’ve all seen the reports and memes about Jane Austen and Shakespeare’s works being put into “checkers” and coming up with 98% positive for AI writing.
If you find out, 100%, that a book was written by AI, and you reviewed it, what then?
Nothing. The review stands.
Again, we review how well a story was written. Not who it was written by. Ghostwriters would fall into this category too. Someone else besides the name on the cover, wrote the story. Lawyers, keyboard warriors, and public sentiment can go all out, and in all directions.
But that doesn’t change what we thought of the story itself.
Will the RONE Awards be back?
Yes. Eventually. There are a LOT of details to work out on that. Plus, it is for a year of reviews… we kind of have to have a year’s worth finished.
Will InD’Scribe be back?
Yes. See above.