You know your book matters. We make sure others know it, too.

To submit your book for an editorial review, please visit our submissions page and complete the Editorial Review form. Editorial reviews are priced by word count, to account for the time required for reading, note-taking, and writing the review. 

If you’d prefer to enter the CANREADS Book Awards without an editorial review, that option is also available on the submissions page. Choosing whether or not to add a review has no impact on awards evaluation.

There will be two forms; please make sure to fill out the correct one.

Once your entry form is submitted, you’ll receive an order confirmation email with next steps to complete your submission.

An editorial review at CANREADS is a professionally written, critical assessment of a book, created by an experienced genre expert or industry professional, and published as editorial content. Reviews are funded to support the time and labour involved in reading, analysis, and writing, but they are never pay-for-play. Funding does not influence tone, outcome, or evaluation.

Unlike vanity or promotional reviews, CANREADS editorial reviews are independent and may include both strengths and areas for improvement. Whether or not an editorial review is purchased has no impact on CANREADS Book Awards evaluation.

These are not vanity reviews. Our reviewers are encouraged to provide honest, balanced assessments that emphasize a book’s strengths while remaining unbiased. Constructive criticism is included when appropriate, and no outcome or tone is ever guaranteed.

Although our reviews include usable pull quotes for marketing purposes, they are first and foremost editorial in nature. Reviews are written by carefully vetted reviewers who reflect your book’s target readership or have relevant industry experience, including avid genre readers, book influencers, former and current bookstore employees, and publishing professionals with deep market knowledge.

After your book has been reviewed, you will receive a comprehensive review via email, and it will be published on our website. Additionally, we send promotional stickers for you to place on physical copies of your book. These stickers have been shown to boost in-person sales by drawing attention and signaling credibility to potential buyers.

We do not publish them on other third-party platforms, which would conflict with platform policies. If the assigned reviewer is personally inclined, they may choose to leave a separate review on third-party platforms. We always encourage them to if they enjoyed the book.

We accept both published and soon-to-be-published books for review. However, the manuscript must be complete, as we do not review unfinished works. The book must also be set to be published within the eligible awards timeline.

Not exactly. CANREADS is not an editorial service and does not critique unfinished manuscripts. All of our offerings are intended for completed works only, or those in the final editorial stages (published or to-be-published within the year).

If your book requires extensive revisions, publishing support, or detailed manuscript development, we recommend working with a dedicated editorial service instead. We are happy to send you recommendations within our network.

We prioritize confidentiality with the utmost care. Our reviewers are bound by strict contracts to maintain full confidentiality, and many of them work in the publishing sector, fully appreciating the sensitivity of pre-publication materials. Access to your manuscript is limited exclusively to our team, who stores it securely on a locked drive, and to the single reviewer assigned to your book. All digital documents and books are deleted six months after the awards ceremony.

The review process will take 5 to 8 weeks from submission. We aim to provide thorough and timely feedback. Expedited options are available for delivery within 3 weeks.

Yes, we accept international authors and publishers for editorial reviews. The CANREADS Awards program, however, is reserved for Canadian authors or those who have resided in Canada for at least one year.

Our team of reviewers and editors brings global market expertise, offering industry-relevant insights that extend beyond Canada. While we primarily focus on the Canadian market, our reviews help international authors expand their reach and gain visibility across North America. We are committed to supporting diverse voices and helping authors engage with Canada’s literary community.

At CANREADS, we have a team of over 50 experienced reviewers with diverse backgrounds in various industries. Many hold relevant degrees and years of professional experience in literary and/or relevant fields, ensuring high-quality and insightful reviews. For example, if a book’s subject matter deals with the sciences, we usually assign a reviewer with a strong science and communications background. Authors can request a reviewer bio, however, in line with industry best practices established by leading review platforms, we do not disclose reviewer names.

We maintain reviewer anonymity to promote unbiased, candid feedback. This practice protects the professional relationships of our reviewers—many of whom are active in the publishing sector—and safeguards the integrity of the review process by preventing external influence or bias. While we encourage our reviewers to reach out to the author if they particularly enjoyed a book, this remains entirely at their discretion. Each reviewer undergoes a rigorous vetting and editorial process, and you can find examples of our published reviews on our Editorial Reviews page to see the standard of writing we expect.

Although we cannot guarantee a specific reviewer, you are welcome to indicate your preference, and we will make every effort to accommodate your request.

We reserve the right to withhold publication of a review if a book does not meet our quality standards. Our website is widely viewed by readers and industry professionals, and we are committed to maintaining a strong editorial standard in what we feature. 

If a submission contains significant issues—such as pervasive grammatical errors or readability concerns—we will still provide a constructive review, but it will not be published on the site, and you will receive a 10% refund. 

Submissions that are overtly offensive or contain hateful or discriminatory language will not be reviewed. In such cases, refunds will be issued at a prorated amount based on the extent of work already completed by the reviewer. Because each situation differs, the percentage refunded will vary according to how much of the manuscript has been read and assessed.

Context matters: language that reflects a specific historical period, character voice, or narrative framework is evaluated within its proper narrative context and does not, on its own, disqualify a book from review publication.

Refunds may be requested under the following conditions:

• Before assignment to a reviewer:
  You are eligible for a 100% refund if the request is made before your book has been assigned to a judge or reviewer.
   
• Within two weeks of submission:
  If your book has already been assigned but the request is made within two weeks of submission, you are eligible for a 50% refund.
   
• After two weeks:
  Refunds are not available once two weeks have passed, as the book will have been assigned and the judge will have begun the review process, including reading and evaluation.
   

Please note: Disagreement with a review, critique, or editorial assessment does not qualify for a refund. Reviews are independent and reflect the reviewer’s professional opinion.