Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is BookBrowse and who owns it?
    Our mission to seek out the diamonds in the rough from the approximate 100,000 books published each year (in the USA alone), so that you can spend more time reading exceptional titles, and less on books that don't live up to your expectations.

    BookBrowse's concept is very simple but, to the best of our knowledge, unique. We combine the best features of a highly selective bookstore - hand selected and personally recommended books which you can browse at your leisure - with the best features of a newspaper book review column (except you can read the opinions of multiple reviewers not just one!) We also offer many things that you won't find in a traditional book review magazine - such as reading guides, interviews, extended author biographies and literary quizzes; plus the ability to browse for books by time period, setting and theme; find readalike suggestions from one book to another and so on.

    Click here to read a more complete description, including who we are and how BookBrowse got started and grew.



  2. What are the benefits of membership for me? Can libraries subscribe?
    Please see our join page for the benefits of membership.
    You can also give gift memberships.
    Libraries interested in subscribing so that all patrons can access, please go to our library section.


  3. Who writes the BookBrowse reviews? Can I write for you?
    BookBrowse's reviews are written by a group of experienced freelance reviewers. If you are interested in reviewing for us please visit our reviewer information form, and if you feel you meet the critieria, complete the form.



  4. Why can't I find the book I'm looking for?
    BookBrowse is an online magazine not an all encompassing database. As such we select from the best and most interesting titles and feature only these books - so that you spend less time wading through lists of so-so books and more time reading exceptional literature. Of course, we can't promise to cover every exceptional book, especially as everybody's definition of what that be is different, but we do promise that if we feature a book it is because we wholeheartedly recommend it.



  5. Does BookBrowse sell books?
    We do not, because we feel that if we did we would naturally tend towards recommending the bigger selling titles. We've got nothing against bestselling authors, and don't hesitate to recommend a well-known author when he or she publishes a particularly exceptional book but, in general, you don't need BookBrowse to tell you about these books, because you're probably already familiar with the author or will hear more than enough about the particular book from other sources. This frees us up to recommend a wider range of authors, including many unknowns before they become household names. For example BookBrowse visitors heard about books by Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code etc.) and Alexander McCall Smith (The 'No 1 Ladies Detective Agency' series) in 2001 - years ahead of the crowd!



  6. What types of books do you recommend?
    We recommend both fiction and non-fiction. The majority of books are adult fiction (novels, thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction etc.); about a quarter of the recommendations are for non-fiction titles, such as biographies, current affairs, history and science. We also recommend books for older children and teens so that if you have children, or need to select books for children, you'll have a good idea of the better quality and more interesting titles currently available.

    To see for yourself take a look at the full list of genres.



  7. Will I like the recommendations?
    If you like to read 'quality' books and enjoy reading a variety of genres you're very likely to enjoy BookBrowse. The book recommendations tend to be relatively literary, but not exclusively by any means - reading should be like a good meal - sometimes you want a great heavy casserole of a book, sometimes a light summer salad is what's needed - and you'll find both at BookBrowse.



  8. There are errors on BookBrowse, who do I tell?
    If you see something wrong please do tell us - including factual errors relating to books and authors, spelling errors, links that don't go where they should, and so forth. Although everything is carefully proofread it is inevitable that mistakes will occur and links to external sources sometimes go bad over time, factual information changes etc. So it is always appreciated when somebody takes the time to let us know so we can correct it.

    However, keep in mind that what you see as an error may be a difference between editions. For example, back when the books were first published, we received many emails from UK visitors telling us that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was the wrong title for the first J.K. Rowling book - it's not wrong, it's simply the title used in the USA. Equally, the cover of the book will often vary between the hardcover and paperback editions, and between countries.

    Also, if you encounter errors in spelling it maybe that the word is written in a version of English different to the one you are used to. For example, color vs. colour, center vs. centre, skillful vs. skilful, catalog vs. catalogue, encylopedia vs. encylycopaedia, check vs. cheque (the first is American English, the second British English). Even the syntax or grammatical structure may seem odd to you in some cases. For example the Americans say 'I dreamed', the Brits say 'I dreamt', the Americans say 'leaped', the Brits say 'leapt'. The excerpt that you will find at BookBrowse will usually be from the first published USA edition.



  9. I live outside the USA, is BookBrowse relevant to me?
    The publication dates you'll see at BookBrowse, and the book jacket covers, are for USA titles. However, visitors worldwide enjoy BookBrowse - firstly, because the great majority of the recommended books are available in other English speaking countries (although the publication dates may vary) and secondly because, to the best of our knowledge, there simply isn't another website like BookBrowse!



  10. Is BookBrowse safe for children to visit?
    There are two genre categories specifically for young people (children aged 9+ and young adults). We consider these books suitable for younger readers and would be happy for our children, of the intended age, reading them; but your standards maybe different. If you are concerned we strongly encourage you to view the books yourself first.

    If freely browsing BookBrowse (and even within the children/YA categories), it is possible children will come across a few excerpts with sexual content and some violence (there is barely a thriller worth its name which doesn't have at least one murder in the first chapter!) Having said that, by definition, they are as safe at BookBrowse as they would be if you gave them free rein in your local library or bookstore!

  11. How can I get my book reviewed by BookBrowse?
    Please see the submission guidelines which will explain how to submit a book to BookBrowse.



  12. How can I advertise on BookBrowse?
    For BookBrowse's demographics and rates, please go to our advertising page. You will need to contact BookBrowse directly for specific rates, but this provides a starting point.



  13. How many people visit BookBrowse?
    At the time of writing, BookBrowse receives about half a million unique visitors each month - not including search engine spiders and other 'non-human' traffic, which some websites include in their figures. If we were to include these the visitors stats would be about 60% higher.



  14. Can I link to BookBrowse?
    Yes, please see this page for guidelines.



  15. Can I copy information from BookBrowse?
    All information at BookBrowse is protected by copyright - either BookBrowse's or the original copyright owner's. You may print out an excerpt or reading guide for your own personal use, or to share with a small group, such as a book club, but you may not reproduce it elsewhere, online or in print, without written permission from the original copyright owner or their representative. Copyright notice.



  16. How do I contact BookBrowse?
    Full contact information, including email, telephone and mailing address are on our contact page.


  17. How do I contact an author/publisher?
    BookBrowse cannot put you in touch with, or forward messages to, authors or publishers. However, many authors have websites, and some provide an email address on their website that you can use to contact them. So your first step should be to check if the particular author has a website. If BookBrowse is aware of an author website, we link to it from the appropriate author biography page.

    The established method for contacting authors is to write to them by postal mail, c/o their publisher. You can find the publisher's address by looking in the front pages of the book or by searching online. To find a publisher online, query a good search engine such as Google. For example, type in Knopf Publishing, and one of the top results will be to Random House's website, because Knopf is an imprint of Random House; from there you'll need to find their contact page to get the mailing address. Then write your letter, stick on a stamp and send it to Author Name, c/o Publisher, Address.



  18. Can you give me advice on writing and getting published?
    Here are some resources.



  19. How can I tell if a book is a 1st edition?
    There is no easy answer to this. However, as rule for books published since WWII in the USA, the words 'First Edition' or a continuous sequence of numbers including 1 (or letters including A) will often indicate a first edition. You should also be aware that there can be multiple print runs within a first edition, and the later printings will be less valuable than the first. Also, be aware that a book may be the first edition in a particular country or from a particular publisher, but not the first edition overall, and the value of the book will vary accordingly. The only sure rule of thumb is to get the advice of an expert or become one yourself. Try the Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions.




Last updated 2013

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