Review Policy
Privacy Policy
Giveaway Policy
Please note: Once Upon a Bookcase does not accept written content from freelancers. Please do not contact me offering free written content.
Review Policy:
UPDATED on 27/03/17.
- I'm perfectly happy for publishers or publicists to contact me about reviewing books or to request a guest post/interview/giveaway - but please familiarise yourself with the genres I review before contacting me.
- I do not wish to be contacted by authors unless I already have an established relationship with them.
- Books I am willing to consider for review:
- YA fiction of any genre - I have a particular interest in books dealing with the topics of sex, body image, mental health, and with diverse (LGBTQ, POC, disabled, mental illness, etc) characters, and #ownvoices novels.
- Women's fiction/contemporary romance.
- Adult fantasy novels - such as urban fantasy and paranormal romance.
- Feminist non-fiction - YA or adult (From 04/06/16, all non-fiction pertaining to feminism, sexism, or memoirs will be reviewed and discussed on my lifestyle blog, Jo's Scribbles.)
- Picture books.
- I am not a fan of other non-fiction, or historical or erotic fiction.
- Although I may on occasion review novels from other genres, I'd rather not receive requests to review any other genres but those stated.
- I may decline your request to review a book.
- I do not wish to receive unsolicited review copies, due to my towering TBR pile. I only wish to review books I have been contacted about regarding a possible review or have requested myself. Therefore, I do not wish to be added to any publisher automatic send-out review mailing lists, but do feel free to email me about specific books. Books that I receive without a prior email are highly unlikely to be reviewed.
- If you send me a review request for a book in the middle of a series, please be aware I may request the previous books if I've yet to start it. I understand you may not be able to provide them, but I cannot review a book in the middle of a series I am yet to read.
- I do not accept books to review from self-published authors or indie/small publishing houses.
- I may not review every book I receive. After a few years of trying to read every book I've been sent to review, I have now decided I am not going to force myself through a book I am just not enjoying. I will email to let you know if I won't be reviewing a book.
- I cannot guarantee my reviews will be positive, but they will be honest and fair.
- Any ARCs/review copies I receive may be reviewed after publication. I do not review to deadline, due to my towering TBR pile and time constraints. I'm a mood reader; I read the books I want to read when I want to read them - otherwise I find I get no enjoyment from the books I'm reading. Not reviewing for publication also keeps my content fresh compared to other blogs, and pressure off of me. It also means the book is being discussed and highlighted again at a later date, when discussion on other blogs may have died down. It's win-win.
- When reviewing, I include: a summary/blurb, my thoughts, an image of the cover, who published the book, when it is/was published, a link to the author's website, a link to the book on Goodreads, and a link to buy it on Wordery.
- I don't normally give major spoilers. However, if spoilers are given, clear warning will be given and they will be hidden, and there will be a button to click to view. If a book is in the middle of a series, spoilers of previous books are unavoidable, but a clear warning will be at the very beginning of the review.
- Reviews will also be posted on Goodreads, Bookbridgr and Amazon.
- Books will be sent to my address, in the UK.
- Review Policy is subject to change. If any changes are made, I will Tweet about it.
- You can contact me by email at onceuponabookcase[at]googlemail[dot]com
Further information:
- Any emails I receive that I would respond to with a negative will no longer receive a response. This means emails sent about review copies, author interviews/guest posts, or blog tours that I'm not interested in will no longer be replied to with a "Thank you, but no thank you."
- I am no longer posting about author or book news on my blog. I may tweet about things I think my readers will be interested in, and if so, I will let you know.
- I will be taking part in very few blog tours, if any.
Privacy Policy:
UPDATED on 10/09/18.
Here on Once Upon a Bookcase, your safety is taken very seriously. The privacy policy in the link below is affective 28th May 2018 and outlines the types of personal information received and collected by onceuponabookcase.co.uk and how it is used.
Privacy Policy
The privacy policy linked to in the button above is created by Iubenda.com. As part of the free service, the button contains a tracker. Read Iubenda's Privacy Policy.
Here are a few other things I wish to make you aware of.
Cookie Consent
I have created a cookie consent banner through Insites.com. As part of the free service, it includes a tracker. Insites is a registered trademark of Silktide Ltd. Read Silktide's Privacy Policy.
Bloglovin'
I use a Bloglovin' widget to enable you to follow Once Upon a Bookcase via Bloglovin' and have my updates sent direct to your inbox. To do so, you must follow by entering your email address. When using the widget, Bloglovin' may collect the following metadata about you: unique identifiers, the geo-location, whether you are currently logged into Bloglovin.com, and the url of this blog, where the widget is located. Bloglovin' also tracks the page load where the widget is located and any clicks on the widget. Bloglovin' may also correlate your use of this blog with your Bloglovin profile. Do read Bloglovin''s Privacy Policy.
Stats Counter
I use Bravenet's Counter and Live Stats service to track and record visitor traffic to my blog, and provides detailed traffic reports. Bravenet uses your IP address data and a browser cookie to determine if your visit is unique, if you are a returning or a first-time visitor, and also tracks your page views. It stores some basic information for the purposes of determining site traffic. The information Bravenet stores is your location and which sites referred you to my blog, if applicable, and your IP address and host. Do read Bravenet's Privacy Policy.
InLinkz
I have used InLinkz in the past for the Retellings Reading Challenges, which required those who were participating in the challenges to provide a URL to their review post, a title, and an image from their blog. This one then create thumbnail image link on my link-up posts, linking back to their review. I no longer use InLinkz, and my account has expired, but the previous link-ups from the reading challenges can still be viewed by clicking a link provided by InLinkz on my reading challenge pages. Do read InLinkz's Privacy Policy.
Comments
The comment form for onceuponabookcase.co.uk is the inbuilt commenting form that comes with the Blogger.com blogging platform, which enables you to comment through a platform you already have an account with. To comment, you log in in through Google, LiveJournal, Wordpress, TypePad, or AIM. Doing so will show readers of your comment your username for the account you logged in with, and a link to your profile on that platform. There will also be a date and time stamp along with your comment.
Please DO NOT include personal information in any comments on my posts. You never know who is checking out my blog and can see your information. If any personal information is posted in the comments, I will delete the comment for your own safety - but I can't guaruntee that it will be deleted before someone else has seen it. Because of this, so you're not using your own/full name, I suggest using a Blogger or Google ID to create an online persona.
Giveaways
Occasionally I run or host giveaways for books on onceuponabookcase.co.uk or via Twitter.
For Giveaways on Once Upon a Bookcase
When I run giveaways on onceuponabookcase.co.uk, I use Rafflecopter.com to create a giveaway widget. Rafflecopter.com requires entrants to log in to the entrant form through either Facebook Connect or entering their name and an email address (more on how to enter a giveaway here). All giveaways will include terms and conditions, and a link to this privacy policy.
Entrants gain entries through the Rafflecopter widget by completing tasks; some compulsory, others not. Generally, the tasks I use are to follow me and/or authors of the books bring given away, commenting on the giveaway post or a related post, and following my blog on Bloglovin'. The tasks included in a giveaway may differ depending on the giveaway. All giveaway information will be collected via Rafflecopter.com - Rafflecopter.com gives me direct access to the entrants' name, email, IP address, timestamp, and how they entered. This information is required for the following reasons.
- Name and email - To contact the entrant(s) who have won. Email is also used to verify entries.
- IP address - Rafflecopter.com uses the IP address to determine location. A location is required to verify entrants are from the location giveaways are open to. The IP address is also used to verify entries.
- Timestamp - To verify entries.
- How entrant entered - To verify entries.
If you are under 16 years old and wish to enter, please ask your parent or guardian to enter for you. I have no way of checking age, so I am expecting you all to be honest, please.
After a giveaway is over, winner(s) are randomly picked through Rafflecopter.com. When a winner(s) is/are picked, it will be announced in the original giveaway post through the Rafflecopter.com widget. I will email the winner - whose email address(es) I have access to through Rafflecopter.com - informing them that they have won, and requesting their mailing address(es) for the purpose of mailing the prize(s) to them.
Sometimes I host giveaway on behalf of publishers of PR companies/freelancers. In these cases, the mailing address(es) of the winner(s) will need to be passed on to my contact so they can mail the prize(s) to the winner(s). In my email informing the winner(s) they have won, I will reiterate that which will be mentioned in the giveaway's terms and conditions - that mailling address(es) will need to be passed on to my contacts for the purposes of mailing the prize(s) and request consent to do so.
All information received through Rafflecopter.com is deleted after the winner(s) has/have been contacted. Once I have posted the prize(s) to the winner(s), or passed on the mailing address(es) to my publishing or PR company/freelance contacts, emails containing mailing addresses will be deleted. No one's mailing address will be otherwise shared or distributed in any way, not rented or sold, nor is it kept on file.
At no point will entrants be required to include their email address in the comments section. Any comment containing an email address will be deleted.
For Giveaways Hosted on Once Upon a Bookcase
On occassion, as part of a blog tour, my blog tour post will included a giveaway that I am not running. I will simply be posting the Rafflecopter code related to the giveaway in my post - again, please read the Rafflecopter.com Privacy Policy.
Every one of these giveaways will include information on who is running the giveaway - therefore who will be contacting the winner by email, and who will be posting the prize(s) (whether the blog tour organiser, or the publisher), so you know who the winner(s) will be giving their mailing address to. I have no access to your information, nor any control over how your information is controlled.
For Giveaways on Twitter
When I run giveaways on Twitter, generally people may enter by following me, and sometimes the author of the book I'm giving away, and/or the publisher publishing a book if I am hosting a giveaway for them, and Retweeting my giveaway Tweet. The giveaway Tweet will include a link to the terms and conditions of that specific giveaway on onceuponabookcase.co.uk, which will include a link to this privacy policy.
If you are under 16 years old and wish to enter, please ask your parent or guardian to enter for you. I have no way of checking age, so I am expecting you all to be honest, please.
After the giveaway is over, I use Tweet Draw on The Competition Agency, which I use to pick a random Retweet of my original giveaway Tweet. I then Quote Tweet my original giveaway Tweet, announcing the winner(s), mentioning their Twitter handle, and requesting they send me a Direct Message with their mailing address(es) for the purpose of mailing the prize(s) to them.
Sometimes I host giveaway on Twitter behalf of publishers of PR companies/freelancers. In these cases, the mailing address(es) of the winner(s) will need to be passed on to my contact so they can mail the prize(s) to the winner(s). When this is the case, instead of asking the winner(s) to Direct Message me with their mailing address, I will Direct Message the winner(s) asking them for their mailing address(es) for the purposes of mailing the prizes, and reiterate that which will be mentioned in the giveaway terms and conditions - that mailling address(es) will need to be passed on to my contacts for the purposes of mailing the prize(s) and request consent to do so.
Once I have posted the prize(s) to the winner(s), Direct Messages containing mailing addresses will be deleted. No one's mailing address will be otherwise shared or distributed in any way, not rented or sold, nor is it kept on file.
Collecting Information From Children
Once Upon a Bookcase is not aimed at children under the age of 13. I do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13.
Giveaways are open to those who are 16+. Those under 16 must ask a parent or guardian to enter on their behalf. I have no way of checking the age of entrants, so I'm expenting entrants to be honest.
If parents/guardians have any concerns about this blog or your child has provided personal information, please contact me at onceuponabookcase[at]gmail[dot]com.
For your information, you may want to check out these sites on children's online protection:
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
COPPA
You might also be interested in reading Comparitech's post, Protecting Children's Privacy Online - A Guide For Parents, Carers and Educators.
Back to the top
Giveaway/Contest Policy:
pdated on 16/05/18.
For contests using Rafflecopter:
- All giveaways are open to those 13 years of age or older.
- If you are under 16, please seek your parent or guardian's permission to enter/to enter for you.
- Prizes will be sent out as soon as the giveaway is over, so addresses will be required in the contest form.
- Winners will be announced in the Rafflecopter widget in the giveaway post.
- Winners will be notified by email once the contest is over.
- Winners must reply to said email within 48 hours, or another winner will be chosen.
- I am not responsible for any items lost in the mail.
- I hold the right to end a giveaway before its original deadline without any prior notice.
- I hold the right to disqualify any entry as I see fit.
For Twitter giveaways:
- All giveaways are open to those 13 years of age or older.
- If you are under 16, please seek your parent or guardian's permission to enter/to enter for you.
- Winners will be picked via Tweet Draw.
- Winners will be announced - and therefore, notified - in a Quote Retweet of the Giveaway Tweet.
- Winners must DM me within 48 hours with their address, or another winner will be chosen.
- I am not responsible for any items lost in the mail.
- I hold the right to end a contest before its original deadline without any prior notice.
- I hold the right to disqualify any entry as I see fit.
