Although primarily focussed on genre fiction (science-fiction, fantasy, and horror), Beauty in Ruins is a reflection of my rather diverse (and sometimes unusual) literary tastes. There may be occasions where the occasional serial killer, SWAT team, old-fashioned spy, or high-tech assassin may commandeer the shelves, just as there are likely to be times when the odd palaeontologist, archaeologist, or historian will politely demand my undivided attention.
If you’re curious as to what other genres or subjects I might read, I suggest checking out my Goodreads shelves. You’ll immediately notice the deliberate absence of faith-based fiction, religious themes, YA fiction, romance novels, poetry, self-help books, and how-to books. These are subjects that do not appeal to me in any fashion, so please keep that in mind when considering whether or not Beauty in Ruins might be a good place to review your book. I should also point out that while I don’t read or review them often, I have no objections to QUILTBAG characters or themes, and have no problem with adult or erotic content, so long as it’s all within the context of a good genre story.
Finally, while I am always open to small-press and self-published titles, please ensure your book is professionally edited and ready for the world – nothing kills the narrative flow quite like the desire for a red pen, an eraser, and a backspace key.
Please note, while I will likely never close myself off entirely to new requests, I do have a heavy schedule already in place for the first few months of 2013, so please don't take it personally if I am unable to add your title to the towering TBR pile.
FORMATS
If the book sounds good and catches my interest, I can be extremely flexible when it comes to format. I do about 75% of my reading electronically on my Sony Reader, which means I can work with most formats, and can even convert Kindle titles (provided they are DRM free). Paperback titles are great, either in pocket or trade editions, and I’ll even take in the occasional hardcover if I’m really excited about the read.
TIMELINES
Unless I have committed to a book-tour or a pre-release review, I generally can’t make any promises as to how long it will take me to get a review posted. I try to read my review copies within a month of receipt, but please keep in mind that I am balancing a career, a family, my own writing, and the frequent need to abandon civilization for a good hike.
RATING SYSTEM
You will notice the absence of a rating system here at Beauty in Ruins – that is another deliberate omission on my part. While I will bow to the demands of convention and assign a rating when posting to sites like Goodreads, Amazon, and Chapters-Indigo, I find stars rather arbitrary and somewhat limiting. As a reader, I’m more interested in what aspects of a book did or did not work for the reviewer, what appealed to them, and what kept them from feeling truly engaged. I often find that the character or theme that caused a reviewer to assign 2 stars instead of 3 is exactly what would compel me to give the book a read.
As a professional, I do strive to keep my reviews fair, honest, and well-balanced. As such, if a review title is so completely atrocious that I cannot say anything positive about it, I will politely decline the opportunity for a review. If it’s a book on which I wasted my own hard-earned money . . . well, that’s a completely different story.
REQUESTS
Publishers - please feel free to contact me directly (bob [dot] beautyinruins [at] gmail [dot] com).
Authors/Publicists - if you are interested in requesting a review, please complete the form below:
If you encounter any issues with the form above, feel free to email me: bob(dot)beautyinruins(at)gmail(dot)com
One final word of advice – few things kill my interest quite like comparisons to other books or authors so, if you are submitting a review request, please tell me what your book is about, not what it’s like or who your writing will remind me of.
Thanks,
Bob
