About Open Shelf Reviews
Open Shelf Reviews was built on two straightforward premises: There's a genuine need for more reviews because there are so many books. And professional book reviews should be available for more authors.
For decades, reviews have been a primary way librarians, educators, booksellers, and readers discover new titles. The books that get reviewed get found. Open Shelf Reviews exists to make that process accessible to independent authors, small presses, and publishers who want their work evaluated by professionals. They want their books in front of people who matter.
Our Mission
Every book deserves an opportunity for an honest evaluation.
Our mission is to provide credible, independent book evaluations that help authors and publishers gain visibility while supporting the work of librarians, educators, booksellers, and readers who rely on professional reviews to guide discovery.
Our Review Process
Every title submitted to Open Shelf Reviews is assigned to a credentialed reviewer who evaluates the work against established editorial standards. Reviews are written independently. They may be positive, mixed, or critical. That is what makes them worth having.
Every submission receives a completed review. Authors and publishers then decide what to do with it. If they choose to publish, the review appears on Open Shelf Reviews. If they choose to keep it private, the evaluation remains theirs alone, useful for revision, marketing, or internal planning.
All reviews published on Open Shelf Reviews are identified as paid reviews. That transparency is not a disclaimer. It is the foundation of the service.
Our Editorial Board
Open Shelf is supported by an editorial board of experienced, qualified reviewers drawn from library, education, and publishing communities. Every reviewer is a working professional with subject expertise. Reviews reflect the reviewer's independent assessment. No submission is guaranteed a favorable review, and that is by design. The value of a review is in its credibility.
A New Publication from a Trusted Review Resource
Open Shelf Reviews is from the same family of companies that is home to Library Journal, School Library Journal, The Horn Book, and Junior Library Guild. The company has served librarians, educators, and other publishing professionals for generations. Open Shelf Reviews builds on that foundation with its own editorial process, its own review program, and its own commitment to helping books find their readers. It's an independent review platform for the world of indie authors, presses, and others.