Michelle Pillow Review Team

THIS IS A REVIEW TEAM

ARC = Advanced Reading Copy (pre-final edits, pre-publication)

Make sure you can use Booksprout before applying.

Complimentary Reviewer Checklist

Download the free checklist

This sign up is for those of you interested in becoming a member of Michelle’s Review Team, a group with the purpose of reviewing books by Michelle M. Pillow and her pen names.

Must be 18 years or older to join. If you are not 18 years or older, do NOT sign up for this group.

You do not have to be in the US to join. We welcome and encourage all of Michelle’s readers. 

By joining the review team, you are NOT an “editor for” nor otherwise “working for” Michelle.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS – READ CAREFULLY

BY SIGNING UP FOR THE GROUP, YOU’RE AGREEING TO THE FOLLOWING:

The guidelines for being a Michelle M. Pillow Reviewer will be strictly enforced.

  1. Reviewers will be provided a free copy of the book(s) in exchange for honest review(s). 
  2.  We reserve the right to end someone’s participation without notice or explanation. The coordinator has the final say. We may end the review team at any time. We reserve the right to remove members who are not active. There is a large waiting list of eager review team members.
  3. You must have a Goodreads account. We also request you leave reviews at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, GooglePlay, Kobo, BookBub, and any other place you have access to.
  4. Word of mouth is priceless to an author and the life of a series, so please TELL EVERYONE about the books you love. Share links to the reviews and vendor pages. And tag Michelle online when you do!
  5. Please don’t give spoilers in the review. Let other people enjoy the book for the first time. Don’t complain about typos/edits in reviews. Remember, you might have an ARC which means it’s still going through final line edits.
  6. DON’T SHARE ARCs. Review Book downloads are tracked. You will be held accountable for the books you take. Books are individually watermarked to prevent pirating.
  7. Being a Review Team member does not guarantee you will get any and/or all books. It also doesn’t mean you will receive an entire series, or a series in the recommended reading order.
  8. Be nice and respectful to the review team staff. Michelle values their hard work. Meanies will be removed. Period.
  9. ARC copies are sent via BookFunnel or BookSprout. This is the only way to get the books. They will be available for one week and for a limited amount of download attempts. If you do not take it in that time period you will not be able to download it. 
  10. The ebook download will be a mobi (kindle) or epub (ibooks, nook, other) versions of the book. PDF and other formats will NOT be provided. For the audiobook team codes come ONLY from Audible US and UK. (DE may be coming soon)
  11. Michelle is writing in many genres. If a book or genre doesn’t appeal to you, please don’t take it for review. We will be able to see which books you take. The other genres Michelle writes should be along shortly. These terms can change without notice.

NOTICE: The terms will be changed to comply with individual vendor guidelines. Vender TOS guidelines MUST be followed, and vary per vendor.

How To Apply

Send a request through Booksprout. Make sure you have previous reviews listed so we can see.

Add the below email to your safe sender list.

Wait to be contacted (know there is a waiting list ahead of you).

ReviewTeamEmail

Review Team FAQs

Should I buy the books too?

Verified reviews on Amazon hold more weight, so please consider buying a copy of the final book for your collection. Amazon TOS must always be followed.

How many books will I get?

The amount of books offered depends on the author’s schedule. You are not guaranteed or entitled to a book. Availability will vary.

Will I get all the new releases? Will I get backlist?

The books offered depends on the author’s schedule, and contracts. No, you will not get all of the backlist. You might not get all of the new releases. Number of copies may be limited and are often first come, first serve.

Can I choose my books or genres?

Yes, but only out of the books offered. It is possible the series or genre or book you want will not be offered. It depends on the author schedule and reviewing needs. If a genre you don’t want is offered, simply don’t download the book. 

I got it for free, does this mean I can share it?

No. Let me state that again: NO NO NO

1. That would be illegal. Ebook copies sent with embedded information to prevent copyright infringement and piracy. We are able to track who pirated the copy.

2. You will often be getting ARCS. Please don’t share those. It’s just not cool.

What If I Find a Typo in the ARC?

Sometimes you will receive offers to do an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) that has yet to go through final edits. (That’s the price of seeing it before everyone else 😉 )

If you find an error, please let the Michelle Pillow Team know so they can pass it along to the author. Also, remember, when leaving a review after reading an ARC: Review the story only (not the editing), as the final version for the public will have gone through several more rounds of edits.

Email to us. Seriously, editors are only human. 

I signed up, why can’t I get in? Do you take everyone?

No. We do not take everyone. There could be several factors: Space in the group is limited and you are most likely placed on a waiting list. Or you didn’t fill out your form correctly when trying to sign up. Or cyberspace ate your submission.

Not everyone who applies will automatically be a group member. Facebook, Real Name, Amazon Name, Goodreads and blog pages will be checked to verify you are a real reader. The more information you give us to verify you the better!

What if I’m a team member but I don’t have time to review a particular book? 

Downloads are tracked so we’ll know if you have it or not, so we can pull reviews or not. Just wait for the next one. Also, review copies are often ARCs and you should just go ahead and wait for the final shiny version.

What if I review a Michelle book that wasn’t through the review team?

Awesome! We’d still love to hear about it. Michelle often pulls quotes from her team to use, so submit it at the submission form links when you do your other books!

Does Michelle do anything with the review quotes?

YES! You will often see review team member quotes on Michelle’s ads, book pages, website, etc. She loves that you take time to review for her and loves sharing them.

Where should I post the reviews?

Everywhere! Amazon.com and Goodreads is incredibly helpful to the author, as are all vendors where you shop for books: Nook, Kobo, Apple Books, GooglePlay, Bookbub. If you see a place you can talk about it, please share. 

Be sure to tag Michelle’s FB author page, The Reader Group, her Twitter, any blogs and social media pages you have or belong to (please respect their rules). Michelle needs the help of her team to spread the word about her books, so please share away!!

Have a favorite site you’d like to see Michelle listed on? Email us and let us know!

STEP BY STEP GUIDE ON HOW TO LEAVE REVIEWS AT EACH SITE: 

Alessandra Torre Guide with Screenshots – How to leave a review at each vendor.

What else?

Don’t have an Amazon Account? You can set one up here for Free: Amazon.comLooking for Michelle on Amazon: Author Page

Don’t have a Goodreads Account? You can set one up here for Free: https://www.goodreads.com/Looking for Michelle on GR: https://www.goodreads.com/Michelle_Pillow

Review links will be turned in on a google doc form, not in emails. Make sure you can access Google Forms. (Don’t know how? A google search will help.) If you don’t put it in the form, we won’t know its reviewed. The link to the form will be provided when you receive your the review request. It’s the easiest way for us to pull quotes from you!

Book notices will be sent via an automated system. Currently BookFunnel ONLY. A download link will be provided. MOBI and EPUB only. No other formats will be available. Links to leaving the review will be inside the book, and in the email.

Review team members will need to know where their download files are saved.You will need to know where your device/computer stores downloads as there is a limit to ONE download attempt per person. No technical support will be provided, sorry. The group is simply too large for us to attempt tech support for everyone and there are too many other factors which make us horrible IT.

UPDATE: Book Funnel, the service we use to track and distribute the books, does provide tech support for the downloading phase. Simply press the “Help” button on the download page if you have issues.

ARC (Advance Reading Copies) – Review team members occasionally get books early, before they are through all of the final line edits. If you happen to see a typo, we ask that you email us and take into the account you received an ARC when writing your review. 

Don’t share review links. You only get one. If you share it, you lose it. Review books are embedded with your information by the distribution company for anti-piracy, so don’t share. Instead, encourage others to join the team! 

The files will be available for a limited time from the day they are sent. No more. If you miss out on a download, wait for the next opportunity.

Do not request books. Everyone is offered the same book at the same time. However, the author always appreciated if you review a copy you purchased that wasn’t on the review team offerings. Books are offered as they are made available to the review team.

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