My Book Review "Policy"

I enjoy reading books by Minds and indie authors when I have the time, and recommending the ones I like. 📖

Several authors have asked me to read and review their books. Unfortunately, I can't accept submissions or solicitations for reviews. I just don't have the time to read outside of the books I've already picked for myself. 

Here are some random bullet points on the subject – a “review policy” of sorts. I’m not a professional reviewer so it feels weird to have a “policy” at all. But it might help in case any Minds authors wonder why I haven’t read their books yet.

• I can’t accept requests for reviews, as stated above.
• My reading habits are erratic and very slow. It takes me 1-3 months to finish a book, unless it’s part of a series that I’m already following.
• I tend to only leave reviews for books and stories that I enjoyed reading. If I didn’t enjoy it or didn’t finish, I will not leave a star rating or review. (Note: It could still be a great book for other readers, but just not a good fit with my reading preferences.)
• I will not trade reviews for reviews. 
• I do not expect a reciprocal review from any authors whose books I’ve reviewed. Sometimes other authors review my books and sometimes the timing of that overlaps, but it’s a happy coincidence.
• I cannot commit to ARC reviews or beta reads. These are time sensitive and I wouldn’t be able to commit to finishing on time.
• I seem to prefer PG-13 type stories. (See next item.)
• I don’t enjoy reading stories with explicit sex scenes, scenes of sexual violence/assault, or stories where sex is a main theme. I don’t mind if these things are implied or off screen. I could handle it on the page when I was younger, but my reading preferences changed as I got older. (For some reason I can handle sex scenes as part of a larger story in comics and manga, but I don’t enjoy it in books.) 
• I pick books based on whim, mood, and reading preference. I like to read a sample (such as provided on Minds or personal website by the author, or in the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon). If it grabs me and the writing seems solid, I’ll purchase it. But it may still sit in my to-read list for a long time before I get to it. 😞
• Unless it’s an author I already follow, I tend to read and review books for indie authors who don’t have many reviews yet. (I know what it feels like to have stars/reviews in the single digits.)
• There are many Minds authors who I enjoy following and interacting with even if their books are outside of my reading preference. I will try to support in other ways (such as reminding posts), even if I don’t plan to read their books. Their books may catch the eye of someone else who enjoys reading that genre.
• I can’t list my genre/reading preferences here because they are a bit fluid and I don’t always understand them myself. 

I hope none of this seems too blunt but we all have our own reading preferences and we all have constraints on time. I will still try to support fellow indie authors as best I can amid work/parenting/life obligations.