Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What type of books do you review?
  2. What type of films do you review?
  3. What distinguishes THE COLUMBIA REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILM?
  4. Who may submit a book or a film for review?
  5. Are there length limits on submissions?
  6. Are there other exceptions?
  7. How long will the review process take?
  8. Do you rate books or films?
  9. Do you provide any other services in addition to reviews?
  10. What about marketing and PR?
  11. May a review be copied and reproduced for promotional purposes?
  12. Do you accept submissions only electronically?
  13. Where will the review be published?
  14. Do you offer a preferred position or higher placement spot for certain reviews?
  15. Do you review books or films from other countries?
  16. Why do you charge a Submission Fee?
  17. Why do you require payment of the Submission Fee prior to the review?
  18. Is payment only received online?
  19. Do you guarantee a positive review?
  20. What if I don’t like the review?
  21. Do you offer editorial input?
  22. Do you share email addresses with others?
  23. What information do you rely on in writing a review?
  24. What if your question has not been addressed here?
  25. Ready to launch a review?
    1. What types of books do you review?
      We review fiction, non-fiction, children and poetry books, including traditionally published books, indie books, and self-published book.
    2. What type of films do you review?
      We review feature films, shorts, documentaries, and TV movies.
    3. What distinguishes THE COLUMBIA REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILM?
      As a quality publication, we aspire to deliver an essential service for book readers and filmgoers while supporting the work of writers, agents, publishers,directors and producers. Our reviews are aimed to garner respect in the global marketplace. Reviews may be reprinted and utilized for all promotional purposes with credit to “The Columbia Review of Books & Film.”
    4. Who may submit a book or a film for review?
      The Columbia Review accepts submissions from authors, writers, agents, publishers, directors and producers. The process is straightforward and simple. Visit the Submissions page for more information.
    5. Are there length limits on submissions?
      For a book longer than 100,000 words or a film longer than 130 minutes, fees are determined on a case by case basis. Visit the Submissions page for more information.
    6. Are there other exceptions?
      No. Our reviewers have a wide variety of interests. Books accepted include fiction, non-fiction, children and poetry. Films include feature films, shorts, documentaries and TV.
    7. How long will the review process take?
      We aim to complete the review within one to two weeks of submission. Once the review is published, you may notify us of any errors or comments and we will endeavor to make the appropriate corrections, if any.
    8. Do you rate books or films?
      No. In our opinion, ratings are too subjective, superficial and unreliable. By definition, ratings of books or films with a system of stars or numbers purports to provide a grade in comparison to all other works in the genre—which is impossible to do. Consequently, ratings are inherently based on reviewers’ preconceived opinions, prejudices and personal tastes. Therefore, we feel that ratings are neither useful nor fair. Rather, we aim to provide a substantive, informative and fair reviews.
    9. Do you provide any other services in addition to reviews?
      THE COLUMBIA REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILM is exclusively a review publication. We do not sell other services or charge fees for any add-on features. We aspire to quality, objectivity, and utmost fairness in a level playing field for all creative works.
    10. What about marketing and PR?
      Reviews published may be quoted (with attribution to “The Columbia Review of Books & Film”) for all marketing and PR purposes, including press releases, media communications, advertising, social media, blurbs, etc.
    11. May a review be copied and reproduced for promotional purposes?
      Yes, with attribution to “The Columbia Review of Books & Film.”
    12. Do you accept submissions only electronically?
      For reasons of efficiency and quality, we only accept digital submissions.
    13. Where will the review be published?
      Each review is published online at www.thecolumbiareview.com. Once a review is published, we reserve the right to remove it from the site at any time for any or no reason.
    14. Do you offer a preferred position or higher placement spot for certain reviews?
      In line with our commitment to fairness, each review is published in similar manner. We do occasionally select certain books or film reviews to be featured on the Home page due to their artistic or social interest for our readers, but there is no additional fees or payments for such placement, which is wholly discretionary.
    15. Do you review books or films from other countries?
      We accept all types of books and films in the English language (or English subtitles, for foreign films) that are intended for a public audience. Books accepted include fiction, non-fiction, children and poetry. Films include feature films, shorts, documentaries and TV movies.
    16. Why do you charge a Processing Fee?
      There are substantial costs in operating an online publication, including web hosting, maintenance, updates to the site, labor costs for writers and editors, and promotion of the site in order to connect with passionate readers and filmgoers. While we publish unpaid reviews of books and films that attract our editors’ attention, we also accept submissions from the creative community, and for those we charge a modest processing fee to cover the magazine’s expenses.
    17. Why do you require payment of the Processing Fee prior to the review?
      As discussed above, the fee receipts are necessary for the continued existence of the publication. Therefore, we do not begin the review process until payment has been made. All payments are final and non-refundable. See more information at the Submissions page and Terms of Use.
    18. Is payment only received online?
      Yes. We require payment through PayPal. Please note that PayPal payment can be made by a member or a one-time guest. Online payment helps us achieve the efficiency we aspire to.
    19. Do you guarantee a positive review?
      While we cannot guarantee that the review will be wholly complimentary, our team is dedicated to providing a fair review that’s informative, substantive and respectful of the incredibly hard efforts that go into creative works. The reviews offer fair descriptions of the works and may point out strengths and unique elements, add relevant information about the creators and any other facts that would be of value to readers. Our mission is not to print meaningless praise or mean-spirited criticism. Rather, we strive to inform in a manner that is fair-minded and reliable.
    20. What if I don’t like the review?
      While our experience shows that our reviews (in whole or in part) are found to be fair and useful for marketing purposes, the person making the submission may ask us to remove the review from the site. And even though we cannot repeat the review process for free or provide refunds, it is our goal to resolve any disagreement in an amicable and respectful manner.
    21. Do you offer editorial input?
      Our reviewers write reviews based on the assumption that the submitted books and films to be in a fully edited and final form that either have been released to the public, or are suitable for publication, of high quality and free of editorial errors.
    22. Do you share email addresses with others?
      No. We do not share email addresses with others. While we cannot guarantee that a security breach will never happen, our site is maintained by a large web-hosting company and we depend on it for top-notch security and protection.
    23. What information do you rely on in writing a review?
      In addition to the content, we rely on the responses provided to us as part of the submission. We do not engage in independent fact-finding of any kind.
    24. What if your question has not been addressed here?
      Feel free to contact us at: editor@thecolumbiareview.com
    25. Ready to launch a review?
      Visit the Submissions page for more information.