What does this mean for those with books already on our TBR list? We are trying as hard as possible to clear our list before the end of July, however, we do foresee that we won’t get every book read and reviewed. Authors who have sent an ecopy of your book, I’m sorry but if we haven’t reviewed your book by the end of July then we won’t be reviewing it – We will contact you to let you know. Those that have sent physical books, if we haven’t reviewed the book by the end of July then we will get to the book as soon as possible but the review will just be placed on Amazon and Goodreads.

The blog will remain online for at least another year after it has closed on 31st July and that once that year is up we will hopefully migrate the context to a free WordPress site so that people can still read the reviews, interviews, guest posts, etc.

For the next two months it is business as usual, though we have stopped doing promotional posts, giveaways, cover reveals (except for one pending), guest posts, taking part in blog tours, etc and our writing tips and interviews are full until we close.

We would like to thank everyone who has worked with us over the last 7.5 years and also to our readers who made reviewing worthwhile. We hope if we return in September with a new format that you will continue to read our reviews and that authors/publishers will still be happy to work with us. Thanks for reading.

Whispering Stories is committed to providing professional, 100% honest, spoiler free, unbiased book reviews for FREE. We review fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books. Please read the information below before submitting a review request as it will explain the genres we don’t review and the formats we do, as well as explain how to request a review. Please be aware that we are based in the UK.

Genres that we DO NOT review:-

– Erotica
– Religion & Spirituality
– Self-Help/Medical
– Autobiography/Biography/Memoir
– Business
– Text Books
– Poetry
– Horror
– Sequels (unless we have reviewed the previous book)
– Middle-Grade (we temporarily can’t review these)

Formats we DO NOT accept:-

– Audio Books
– Netgalley Widgets
– Edelweiss Widgets
– Direct to Kindle
– epubs
– Amazon Direct or Gift Certs
– .doc files
– Password Protected PDFs
– Watermarked PDFs (They are hard to read)
– Blog Tour Requests

Please Take Note:-

– We only review physical copies of non-fiction books – We prefer physical copies of children’s picture books, however, we will accept PDFs for those with 32 pages or less.

Whispering Stories is one of my favourite book blogs. Stacey, who runs it, is always charming and helpful, and her reviews of my books have really helped in my promotional efforts. With a reviewing team she’s able to offer a wider range of services to authors; their reviews are always honest, insightful and constructive, and every effort is made to get them out as soon as possible. Most impressed! – Terry Tyler, author of Megacity

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Having now had my book, Backstories reviewed by over 100 reviewers, I am beginning to understand that reviewers are as varied as writers. Some are hopeless, many are okay, having a range of strengths and weaknesses, but only a special few are strong in all areas. Stacey and her team are very much in this latter category.

They reviewed Backstories for me in March, 2021, and I would summarise my experience as follows:
– The content of the review was outstanding. It was abundantly clear that the book had been both properly read and reflected upon by someone with a sensitive understanding of character, plot and dramatic tension. It was, in fact, a piece of literature in its own right, providing me with several juicy little quotes.
– The review was beautifully and effectively presented, including links to all purchase sites. It was also typo-free – which sadly is far rarer than it should be.
– The organisation and planning was impeccable. The review appeared precisely as and when agreed.
– The reviewer was socially skilled and a pleasure to interact with.
– Their reach is impressive. The review was not simply posted on Whispering Stories, (with their substantial following). It was also tweeted and retweeted to over 100,000 people – garnering genuine interest and numerous sales, as well as being posted on Amazon and Goodreads.

In summary: Whispering Stories are strong on literary understanding, strong on presentation, strong on organisation and planning, and socially skilled with both broad and deep marketing reach and impressive persistence in disseminating their message.

For these reasons I would place them comfortably in the top ten reviewers on Twitter. If you can possibly persuade them to look at your work, then I would strongly advise them to do so. Only one note of warning, you will get an honest review, so if your book isn’t quite up to it, they‘ll tell you. – Simon Van Der Velde, author of Backstories

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I was so lucky that Stacey joined the blog tour of my recent release ‘Shadows Over the Spanish Sun.’ Not only was her review thoughtful and beautifully written, she had captured the atmosphere of my story and understood everything I had tried so hard to achieve. She posted her reviews to all the social media sites and I believe has brought many new readers to my door. Thank you to Stacey I would give Whispering Stories 5 stars and more!!!! – Caroline Montague, author of Shadows Over the Spanish Sun

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Reviews really help to highlight a book’s profile. I was delighted with the review from Whispering stories who took part in one of my Book Tours. The reviewer offered the reader a perfect glimpse into the book, with just the right amount of information, and provided a perfect summary which I have quoted often since. They also went on to feature an author interview for me and were totally professional and courteous. Thank you Whispering Stories for helping to get my book out there. – Sheryl Browne, author of My Husband’s Girlfriend

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When I release a new book, I look forward to seeing my reviews from Whispering Stories. Their writing is always insightful and accurate, creative and concise. They don’t just copy the blurb of the book, but add their own understanding of my novel and their reaction to my writing. Their reviews are always a joy to read. – M J Lee, author of DI Ridpath Crime Thriller Series

How to request a review – Firstly, make sure you have read the information above regarding the genres we do not review. Then, email Stacey at stacey@whisperingstories.com entering ‘Review Request’ in the subject header.

Formats Accepted:-

-Mobi File
-Non-Password Protected PDFs
-Physical Books (UK address provided on request)

Include:-

– Title
– Author
– Genre
– Page Count
– Release Date
– Blurb (short synopsis)
– Whether single/dual/multi POV
– Whether part of a series
– Edited or unedited copy
– Format availability: Mobi file, PDF or Physical Copy.

Do Not:-

– Request more than one book at a time
– Send a copy of your book until you have an answer
– Send press releases as attachments
– Offer us your book in a format we do not accept
– Ask us to take part in blog tours.

Once you have submitted your request it can take a few days to receive a response. We endeavour to reply to everyone who has contacted us, whether with an acceptance or a refusal.

Please be aware that any subsequent books you wish us to review still have to go through the same review request procedures.

Meet the Reviewers

You can also check out our Top Ten Tips for requesting a review.

Unfortunately, we can not accept every book that we receive a request for. The decision to refuse a book is never a personal one, though our decision is final. If you wish to contact us again in the future, with the same book, please leave at least three months between review requests.

If we can not review your book, we will let you know. Please do not ask us to justify why we declined your book.

Once you have received an email of acceptance to review your book you will be sent the relevant information regarding what happens next.

Your book will be placed onto our ‘To Be Read’ (TBR) list and will be read and reviewed as soon as we possibly can. Although we have quite a few reviewers on the site we also get a lot of review requests so there is always going to be a wait. The wait can be anything from a few weeks to a few months. If your book hasn’t been chosen by a reviewer after six months, unfortunately we will remove it from our list and let you know.

Please do not keep on emailing to ask where your book is on the list. We understand you are anxious to receive your review but we will get to it as soon as we can.

The review will contain a star rating. We no longer place 1 or 2-star ratings on the blog. If we rate your book this low or ‘Do Not Finish’ (DNF) your book, we will remove your book from our list and contact you to let you know that we will not be able to review it. If you have sent us a physical book, unless it is an arc copy we will give it to charity, we can not return it to you.

Once the review has been posted and a star rating has been given we will not alter that information, so please do not ask us to up our rating. Remember the review is for readers and is our personal opinion.