Editorial consideration
Kirkus Reviews (editorial program)
Booksellers, librarians, agents, film and rights scouts, and book media
In short
Kirkus Reviews publishes short, unsigned reviews of about 10,000 books a year, written months before publication for booksellers, librarians, agents, and film scouts. Its reviews are licensed into the databases retailers and libraries order from, and a Kirkus star is widely quoted. Publishers submit a digital early copy at least four to five months before publication, and Kirkus does not accept submissions from authors here; ask your publisher whether and when it submitted. Self-published books go to the separate paid Kirkus Indie service.
Submission does not guarantee coverage. The outlet decides whether and what it publishes.
Kirkus Reviews publishes prepublication reviews of roughly 10,000 books a year for booksellers, librarians, agents, film scouts, and journalists. Reviews are unsigned, opinionated, and appear two to three months before the book comes out. The editorial program is free, selective, and publisher-driven.
Publishers submit a digital galley or ebook at least four to five months before the publication date. In most cases Kirkus wants an open widget on NetGalley or Edelweiss+ plus a PDF, sent to the relevant section editor (fiction, nonfiction, or children's and teen). Kirkus does not take submissions from authors for this program.
Books from hybrid publishers are eligible only if the publisher has a national distributor, and the publisher, not the author, must submit. Self-published and print-on-demand titles are not accepted here; those go to Kirkus Indie, which is a separate paid service. Since January 2026 Kirkus also reviews audiobooks, having bought AudioFile Magazine; see the AudioFile record for that track.
Why it may matter
Kirkus is one of the four major prepublication trade reviews, and its reviews are licensed into the databases retailers and libraries use. A Kirkus star is widely quoted, and a Kirkus pan is widely remembered. Submission does not guarantee a review, and the editors choose a fraction of what arrives.
Do not confuse this with
Kirkus runs two programs under one name, and the difference matters when you quote a review.
- Kirkus Reviews editorial program (this record): free, publisher-submitted, prepublication, and selective. Self-published and print-on-demand books are not eligible.
- Kirkus Indie: a paid service (the prices are on the Kirkus Indie record) for independent authors and publishers. A review is guaranteed to be written, the purchaser decides whether to publish it, and there are no publication-date restrictions.
Both produce a review labeled Kirkus, and the two programs are named differently on the Kirkus site. Describe a purchased review as a Kirkus Indie review, so a reader who looks it up sees what you saw.
Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 13, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.
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