The Artisanal Writer: Book Reviews Free Tip Jar Option

The Artisanal Writer is an online magazine that explores the craft and practice of writing. We are accepting original, previously unpublished, unbiased Book Reviews, year-round from Canadian American and International writers, writing in English.

Normally, we publish Book Reviews of 1000 - 2000 words. Do not submit reviews shorter than 1000 words. If your piece runs a little longer, no problem, check back with us using the form below.

To ensure reviews are independent, reviewers must declare conflicts of interest (friends, family, employees, co-workers) and must confirm that they are at arm’s length from the writer or publisher and/or material reviewed. Make sure the book you are reviewing was published in Canada or the US within the last 12 months. Look here for the Submission Guidelines for Book Reviews. Look here at previously published book reviews.

Please send in PDF, OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format including a word count at the top of the document.

While we do accept simultaneous submissions, if your work is accepted for publication elsewhere, please let us know immediately. We do not accept translations or work that has been previously published in any form, print or online.

Make sure the text is single-spaced (unless spacing is used for artistic effect); use a 12-point font, in Calibri or Times New Roman font. Attach a document in PDF, OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF format only. Please proofread your work carefully for grammar, spelling and punctuation. If you are using illustrations, place them within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end. Include your name and full contact information with each submission. Include a bio of up to 50 words with each submission.

If the Book Review is accepted for publication in the Artisanal Writer, the work will be published online under an Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) Creative Commons License and you will retain copyright to the work.

All submissions must be made in a single document adhering to the aforementioned format and guidelines via the Duosuma submission platform. We do not accept submissions in any other format. Do not email or snail mail submissions.

We are a small non-profit and are currently staffed by writers and artists who largely work on a volunteer basis. We read every submission and try to respond quickly (often within a few weeks) and writers who have not received a response within 90 days are encouraged to query regarding their manuscript’s status. Please wait to hear back from us before submitting a new unsolicited manuscript.

As a small publication, we are deeply committed to recognizing the labour of our contributors and ensuring that all accepted Book Reviews are compensated. Contributors receive a modest honorarium of $15 (CAD) per accepted review—a token of our appreciation rather than a reflection of the value of the work itself. All payments are made in Canadian dollars, and no other forms of compensation are available. Writers who are in a position to do so are warmly invited to consider donating the honorarium back to AW, helping us sustain and grow the publication.

We request an optional $5 reading and processing fee for all submissions. The fees help us pay our contributors and sustain the publication. A voluntary $10.00 fee will guarantee an expedited answer within two weeks. Paying an expedited submission fee does not increase your chances of acceptance. Still, it goes a long way to help us sustain our journal and reward our contributors and staff who work tirelessly to promote quality literary work.