Book Reviews

Charlotte Lit has launched a new book review feature that will be distributed through our blog and newsletter.

In this feature, we’ll run capsule (300–400 words) reviews of new or recently released books for adult audiences by authors in our immediate community — meaning: current Lit members; graduates of our Labs; faculty; and past and present contributors to Litmosphere: Journal of Charlotte Lit.

AUTHORS: Please query us at reviews@charlottelit.org about a possible review of your book, noting your connection to Charlotte Lit. Include a short description (3–4 sentences) of the book that may be circulated to potential reviewers. We’ll consider the following for reviews: novels, novellas, short story collections, poetry collections, chapbooks (poetry and prose), memoirs, and essay collections. If your book is a match for us, we’ll request an ARC (PDFs are best), the cover, and a press release (if you have one). We’ll do our best to match your book with a reviewer, but we can’t guarantee we’ll be able to secure a review for every book submitted.

REVIEWERS: Please email us at reviews@charlottelit.org to be added to our reviewing list for possible assignments or to query us about a new or recent book you’d like to review by an author in our literary orbit (please, no best friends or spouses reviewing each other!). Tell us if you’re able to review fiction, nonfiction, and/or poetry. You should be familiar with the craft elements of the genre you want to review; so if you’re a novelist who doesn’t read poetry, you aren’t a good choice to review poetry collections.

We can’t accept unsolicited reviews and we aren’t able to compensate reviewers. If you write reviews for us, your clips could help you get assignments from other (sometimes paying) review venues; they’ll also give you the satisfying feeling of being a good literary citizen.

All reviews must conform to the style guidelines laid out below. Reviews must be your original work, with quotations clearly indicated. Please do not copy or paraphrase publisher blurbs or other reviews, and don’t use AI to generate your review. Never write a review if you haven’t read the book in full.

At the time we assign your review, we’ll provide a deadline, but if you have trouble meeting it, just let us know. If you start reading and find you have a conflict of interest or another issue that would prevent you from reviewing it, please contact us within a week so we can offer it to another reviewer. We reserve the right to edit your reviews lightly for space, clarity, or grammatical correctness, but we’ll contact you for approval of any major change.

Style Guidelines for Writing Reviews

1. General

300–400 words maximum (3–4 paragraphs)

12 pt type, double spaced (in either Word or Pages; no PDFs, please)

At the beginning of your review, please provide bibliographic details on the book using the template. Please consult the publisher’s website or Amazon to find this information if it’s not included on your review copy or in the press release. TEMPLATE: Title, Author, Publisher, Publication Year, List Price, format (hc, pb, or ebook), number of pages, ISBN (or ASIN, if an ISBN isn’t provided), and where this book falls in the writer’s bibliography (e.g., their first or their tenth).

All reviews must include both description (about 30 percent) and critical commentary (about 70 percent). Include your name at the end of the review. Check for typos and grammar errors before emailing your finished pieces to reviews@charlottelit.org.

2. Fiction

For novels and novellas, the first paragraph should give a sense of the book — e.g., genre, protagonist, setting and time period, and just enough plot without giving spoilers. In subsequent paragraphs, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the work. Be as constructive as possible, avoiding the extremes of gushing and panning. Don’t be afraid to call out craft problems when you see them, and back up any critique with examples. (Maybe the setting isn’t fleshed out, or there are historical anachronisms.)

For fiction collections (full-length or flash stories), highlight several pieces that are strong and for each, briefly discuss why. If a story is weaker, give us a sense of why it falls short. How does the collection hold together as a whole?

For both novels and collections, use brief quotes sparingly and only to highlight an important point.

3. Creative Nonfiction

For memoir, the first paragraph should give a sense of the scope of the book — what is being chronicled and by whom (e.g., the writer’s childhood in the Civil Rights era or a time when they took care of a loved one). In subsequent paragraphs, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the work. Be as constructive as possible: Don’t gush and don’t be afraid to call out craft problems when you see them; just back up your critique with examples (e.g., the author uses too few significant details). Is there a sense of universality in the theme (in other words, will this appeal to more readers than the author’s family)?

For essay collections (full-length or flash essays), highlight individual pieces that are especially strong and for each, briefly discuss why. If an essay is weaker, give us a sense of why it falls short (e.g., it feels more like a diary entry). Is there a theme that holds the collection together, or are these disparate pieces?

For both memoirs and collections, use brief quotes sparingly and only to highlight an important point.

4. Poetry

In the first paragraph, give readers a sense of the overarching theme(s) of the collection. In subsequent paragraphs, explore the strengths and weaknesses of individual poems. Feel free to quote briefly from poems if the lines address a theme or illustrate a craft element you want to highlight. (Example: “The images are haunting, with an almost surreal quality, as in these lines from …”) End with a summation of the overall impression a reader might take from the collection as a whole.

Notes about Publication and Rights

All reviews will be published online at the Charlotte Lit blog and distributed through our newsletter. You retain the copyright to your reviews. However, if you post your review elsewhere, we would appreciate your giving credit to Charlotte Lit as the original source. In addition, please do not post reviews of your assigned titles on other sites (such as GoodReads or Amazon) until the reviews have first appeared on our blog.

Finally, the review copies we send you (either hard copy or digital) are yours to keep as a “thank you” for your valued contribution to Charlotte Lit and the literary community.