Why Kirkus?

As an unpublished or self-published author, it can be a relentless struggle to attract a significant amount of attention to your book or manuscript. By purchasing a Kirkus indie review, authors can have the opportunity to build some name recognition and get noticed by agents, publishers and other industry influencers. Kirkus has been an industry-trusted source for honest and accessible reviews since 1933 and has helped countless authors build credibility in the publishing realm ever since. Browse through some of our author success stories, and get a glimpse of what exactly an indie review from Kirkus can do for you.

Our indie reviews are written by qualified professionals, such as librarians, nationally published journalists, creative executives and more. While we do not guarantee positive reviews, unfavorable reviews can be taken as valuable feedback for improvements and ultimately do not have to be published on our site. With our most popular review option priced at $425, you can receive an affordable book review that could generously boost your writing career. Get started by following the steps below:

How It Works

1|
REQUEST REVIEW

Click the "Get Started" link above, select your review option and pay for your review. When you submit your order, you’ll get an email from the Kirkus Indie team confirming receipt of your request.

2|
SUBMIT MANUSCRIPT

You’ll have the option of mailing two copies of your book to our editors or uploading a PDF of your manuscript. We’ll provide detailed instructions for you after you place your order.

3|
STAND BY WHILE WE REVIEW YOUR BOOK

Upon receipt of your book or manuscript, our editor will assign your project to a qualified reviewer who will read the complete book and write a full review. Our reviewers include librarians, business executives, journalists from national publications, PhDs in religion and literature, creative executives in entertainment and publishing industries as well as other professional reviewers.

4|
DOWNLOAD REVIEW

Kirkus Indie will email you a link to your author dashboard when your review is ready. Simply click the link and download your review directly from our site.

5|
KEEP YOUR REVIEW PRIVATE OR PUBLISH IT FOR FREE ON KIRKUS.COM

You may choose to publish your review on KirkusReviews.com where it can be discovered by industry influencers, agents, publishers and consumers. If it is a negative review, you can request that it never see the light of day by simply not publishing it on our site.

About Us

85

YEARS AS A LEADING VOICE IN BOOK DISCOVERY

10k

BOOKS REVIEWED PER YEAR

2m

AVG. WEBSITE IMPRESSIONS PER MONTH

55k

KIRKUS EMAIL NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS

15k

KIRKUS REVIEWS MAGAZINE CIRCULATION

WE'VE REVIEWED THE NATION'S TOP PUBLISHERS' BOOKS SINCE 1933

Our coverage includes the big 5 houses, small presses, genre publishers & more

Review Options

Traditional Reviews

STARTING AT$425 7-9 WEEKS SELECT

1 book

250 words

Expedited option $575

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Expanded Review

STARTING AT$575 7-9 WEEKS SELECT

1 book

500 words

Expedited option $725

LEARN MORE >

Picture Book

STARTING AT$350 7-9 WEEKS SELECT

1 book

200 words

Expedited option $425

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2-Book Bundle

STARTING AT$699 14-18 WEEKS SELECT

2 books

250 words each

Expedited option $849

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3-Book Bundle

STARTING AT$999 21-27 WEEKS SELECT

3 books

250 words each

Expedited option $1149

LEARN MORE >

Review Option Details

  • Traditional Reviews - an approximately 250-300 word review that includes a general summary for context and a concise, unbiased opinion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses.

  • Longer Reviews - an approximately 500 word review that includes a general summary for context and a concise, unbiased opinion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses.

  • Children’s Book Review - an approximately 200 word review that includes a general summary for context and a concise, unbiased opinion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses. (Includes picture books)

  • Series (2 Books) - an approximately 250-300 word review for each book in the 2-book series that includes a general summary for context and a concise, unbiased opinion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses.

  • Series (3 Books) - an approximately 250-300 word review for each book in the 3-book series that includes a general summary for context and a concise, unbiased opinion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses.