Our standards
Payment buys a review. It never buys the verdict.
Authors and publishers pay for our reviews. These standards are how we keep them honest, and they apply to every book, including books published by Lawley Publishing.
Our six rules
The reviewer decides
Only the assigned reviewer writes and edits a review. Authors can’t edit, approve or veto it, and they don’t see it before it is published.
Blind to the package
Reviewers are never told which package was purchased, what it cost or how it was paid. A priority review is read sooner, not more kindly.
Always disclosed
Every review page states plainly that the review was commissioned by the author or publisher. The exact wording is below.
Factual corrections only
An editor reads every review before publication. Editors can approve it, or send it back to the reviewer with a note about a factual error. They cannot change the reviewer’s wording, opinion or verdict.
Critical reviews count
Every approved review is published, whatever its verdict, including “Not recommended”. A review that can only praise is not worth reading.
Conflicts declared
Kids Books with Heart is owned by the team behind Lawley Publishing. Lawley Publishing titles go only to outside reviewers and carry a conflict-of-interest notice. Read the policy.
The disclosure on every review
This statement appears at the top of every published review, word for word.
Commissioned review. Paid for by the author or publisher. The reviewer was not told which package was purchased, and the author did not see this review before it was published.
What the verdicts mean
Every review ends in one of four verdicts, shown as a small meter. They are the reviewer’s recommendation to the adults choosing books, not a score.
- Verdict: Highly recommended (4 of 4)
Exceptional for its intended readers. The reviewer recommends it without reservation.
- Verdict: Recommended (3 of 4)
A good book for its intended readers, with at most minor reservations.
- Verdict: With reservations (2 of 4)
Worth considering for some readers, with limitations that the review explains.
- Verdict: Not recommended (1 of 4)
The reviewer does not recommend it for its intended readers, and the review explains why.
Who does what
Reviewers
Read the whole book and write the review: the headline, the verdict, who the book is best for, its themes and any content notes. The words and the verdict are theirs alone.
Editors
Assign each book to a reviewer, check every review for factual accuracy, and approve it for publication. They cannot rewrite a review or change its verdict: they can only approve it or return it to the reviewer with a note about a factual error.
Authors and publishers
Submit the book, choose a package and pay. They follow progress in their dashboard and see the review when it is published, at the same moment as everyone else.
A note on ownership. Kids Books with Heart is owned by the team behind Lawley Publishing. Lawley Publishing titles are reviewed only by outside reviewers, and any review of one carries a conflict-of-interest notice. Read our conflict-of-interest policy.