Book Review Policies (Amazon.com)

Book Review Policy (Amazon.com) concerns:

I have had questions or assumptions from authors who submit their book to Amy's Bookshelf Reviews for review, especially when it comes to what is thought to be the ever-changing book review policy on amazon.com. I contacted amazon.com directly about their policy, since it is not very clear on their help page. I make sure that all of my reviews comply with their policy and have never had an instance (that I know of) where any of my reviews were removed from amazon for not abiding by their rules.

For "non-verified" purchases (and this is basically the books that are provided to me directly by the author) (and it accounts for 90% of the books that I review), amazon allows up to 5 reviews of a non-verified purchase each week (Sunday-Sunday).

I also comply with the rules by adding a (truthful) statement to each of my review that it's unbiased and honest.

For it to be a "verified" purchase on amazon, the book must have been "bought" directly on amazon. This includes FREE purchases or those given as "gifts" or when a book is bought by a gift card (provided by the author). I don't have a KU account, but as an author I participate in the KU (Kindle Unlimited) program. KU "purchases" do NOT count as "verified".

As a reviewer, I do not purchase books from requesting authors. I receive books in return for an honest review. If the author wants the book to be purchased, they can make the book "FREE" or send the purchase as a gift or provide a gift card.

I hope this clears things up for authors who have or are thinking of having their book reviewed by me.

If you have submitted a book for review, and there is an upcoming FREE special, even though I have your book that was sent by you, let me know, and I'll "purchase" it so it can be a verified purchase.

Any questions, just ask me (

). If you have questions about amazon.com's policy, you can read their guidelines here http://www.amazon.com/review-guidelines/

This message has been posted on my blog, via direct email, and on Facebook. The link to this post on my blog has been tweeted on Twitter #ABSR #ReviewPolicy.

Amy Shannon Amy's Bookshelf Reviews