Effective May 2011, Library Journal will consider for review original (i.e., previously unpublished) novel-length romance ebooks. We will eventually widen our scope to include novel-length e-originals in other popular genre fiction, as well as novellas and original nonfiction works. Simultaneous print/ebook romance titles are not eligible, though we will accept romance e-originals that will subsequently spin off print editions.

LJ will use NetGalley to give our editors and select reviewers access to e-galleys of romance e-originals. (Please continue to submit physical galleys for all other subject areas per our regular guidelines.) While we recognize that ebooks call for tighter production schedules, we aim to review them as far in advance of publication as possible so that our subscribers can efficiently purchase access to titles and integrate them into their collections. Lead time will inevitably shrink, but we’d like to preserve it to ensure that libraries can provide the highest level of customer service.

Following the guidelines below does not guarantee a review, but doing so will increase the likelihood of prepublication exposure in LJ’s print and online forums (e.g., Prepub Alert, e-newsletters, and Xpress Reviews). Although most U.S. public libraries buy access to ebooks through OverDrive, LJ will consider works not available in that channel based on popular appeal and regional and national collection development needs.

E-originals selected for review will run online as Xpress Reviews and, in most cases, in the print Romance column, which publishes six times a year (February 15, April 15, June 15, August 15, October 15, and December 15).

To track the status of your e-original submissions, you must sign up for our free Review Alert, which lists which titles are being covered in a given print issue 30 days before that issue publishes. The Review Alert also includes books recently evaluated in Xpress Reviews and highlighted in our free e-newsletter BookSmack!

Please respect the privacy and objectivity of our reviewers; to communicate important changes to manuscripts or bibliographic data, contact LJ directly at egalleys@mediasourceinc.com.

If you have any questions about these guidelines, please email LJ Book Review Editor Heather McCormack at hmccormack@mediasourceinc.com.

Guidelines for E-Originals:

• E-galleys should ideally be uploaded to NetGalley at least two months prior to publication date; our editors and their reviewers assigned particular galleys require a minimum of 60 days of access to e-galleys to account for production schedules, delays, and life emergencies.
• Publishers must alert LJ that the e-galley is available via email to this address: egalleys@mediasourceinc.com.
• That email must contain an open NetGalley widget to grant LJ auto-approved access to that title. The widget should not be associated with a particular email address, since multiple LJ editors/reviewers will need access. (For help with the widget, contact support@netgalley.com.)
• That email should also contain the following title information:
• Title, subtitle, author, publisher/imprint, publication date, page count, ISBN(s), price(s), e-formats, vendors, and if there are illustrations, photographs, an index, a glossary, a bibliography, or any special features that enrich the reading experience. If the book is part of a series, indicate the series name along with the volume/book number.
• Concise, accurate catalog copy about a title’s plot, scope, author, and marketing plan. Questions we often ask ourselves while assigning that you should answer in advance: Is the book in question a debut? Will it have library-targeted marketing and include reading group guides? Have any of the author’s previous titles hit a best-sellers list or won awards? Is this a midlist author you’re hoping to break out?
• Emphasis for seasonal lead titles. When making our review decisions, we take into account how much push a publisher is giving a book, so talk to us. What are your hopes for a title? How does it build up an author’s oeuvre or expand the genre?
• As stated above, prepublication reviews are our goal, but we will consider works published within the last three months that hold special significance for library collections.
• Human relationships remain important in the digital age. Besides signing up for our Review Alert, consider arranging face-to-face meetings with our Book Review editors. This will help us familiarize ourselves with your output and give you a better sense of the kind of books we like to cover.
• Take the time to talk to librarians at trade shows and on social media because they buy boatloads of books and grow readers.