Review Policy
Last updated August 23, 2026
At the present time, I am OPEN to queries for reviews of books written by human beings. I am not interested in reading or reviewing books that used AI in any part of their creation. This includes books that were brainstormed, outlined, drafted, revised, or edited using AI tools, as well as books with cover art created with AI tools. Please do not waste my time by trying to pass off these books as your own creations, justifying your use of AI tools, or believing that your book is an exception because I didn’t specifically call out how you used AI tools in the above list.
I prefer to review speculative fiction books. I have a special love for anthologies, short story collections, and historical fantasy/alternate history. I occasionally review graphic novels, though I am more selective regarding these. I am willing to review books with explicit content, but am not interested in reviewing erotica or most romance novels. I am happy to review books from new authors and traditionally underrepresented authors.
Please send a query describing your book, when it was published or will be published, by whom (press name or self-published), and any other relevant details to historythatneverwas@gmail.com. If your book has explicit content, I appreciate receiving content notes as well, and I will often ask for clarifying details on these, as I have a few things I cannot read.
If I am interested, I will ask for a review copy for consideration. I read ebooks in almost all instances, though I prefer physical copies for graphic novels. (Any physical copies of books I receive for review consideration will often be donated to a Little Free Library after I’ve read them, giving your book a chance to reach additional readers. The primary LFL in my neighborhood is adjacent to an elementary school, so I vet the books I drop off there based on whether I would have shared it with my younger family members when they were children.)
Books reviewed on History That Never Was are sometimes given to me by the author or publisher for review consideration, and are noted as such when this is the case. Otherwise, books reviewed are often rewards from Kickstarters I have backed or books I have purchased.