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Welcome to LM Voices!

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We are a curated collection of publication reviews run through LibroMobile, a community bookstore and writing project established in Santa Ana, California. We discuss books by writers of color, women, LGBTQ+ and nonbinary writers, undocumented and indigenous writers, and other work focused on ethnic and/or social studies and issues of community and social justice.

 

We’re proud to lift up these incredible publications and hope you will enjoy them, too.

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Submission Guidelines

LM Voices accepts submissions on a rolling basis. Please submit no more than two reviews per month. Please note, for publications by LGBTQ+ writers and people of color, preference is given to reviews by writers of shared backgrounds, but we are open to submissions by writers of all backgrounds who share our community values.

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You are welcome to pitch a potential review idea prior to writing it. However, we can't guarantee reviews will be published after a pitch is accepted.

 

We seek to support underrepresented publications. That means even though most reviews are for new works, you can still review a book, zine, or other work that wasn't recently published if it hasn't received a lot of attention. If a famous author puts out something new, that's great; it's also great to review a collection by Wanda Coleman, even though her work isn't recent. And yes, we do pay for accepted submissions!

You may submit any of the following for publication:

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  • Tiny Reviews Tiny Reviews are just that: a short but meaningful engagement with a publication (book, chapbook, zine). You can review a work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Try to summarize the plot in a sentence or two, and move onto engaging with the argument, the story, the tone/style, or whatever you think is most significant. If you don’t think the author succeeded at whatever they tried to do, or if you found a serious flaw, that’s okay, but remember that criticism should be specific and constructive; what would have made it work better? Reviews are not about whether you personally liked or connected with the book; a reader should learn from your work what they can expect to find if they choose to read the publication for themselves.

    *Tiny Reviews may be written or recorded as a video. Written reviews should be no more than 500 words; video recordings should be no longer than 5 minutes in length. $25 honorarium.
     

  • Deconstructing Academia: LibroMobile aims to bring the work of academics out into the community, where everyone can learn and benefit by it. Academic reviews should review a scholarly book or journal article and summarize its argument and context for the everyday reader. Why is this book significant? What is its main argument? What are other arguments made in this field and how does this fit in amongst them? What context did the author fail to consider? How might this work be put to use in daily context in our communities? Think about how you would explain this book to non-academic friends, but make sure you are saying something about the book and not just summarizing it.

    *Scholarly reviews should be no longer than 800 words. $40 honorarium.
     

  • Character or theme studies: These are longer than Tiny Reviews and engage with a specific element of a book. Maybe there’s a character that embodies a particular belief or tradition from the author’s culture, or there’s a theme whose emphasis was subtle but you think it really added depth to the story and you want to bring it out. These are not longer versions of the Tiny Reviews, but an opportunity for you to share knowledge or insight about one specific part of a book. Character or theme studies should still include a short summary of the plot to provide context for your argument, but focus mainly on the element of the book you’re trying to describe.

    *These reviews should be no longer than 800 words. $40 honorarium.

 

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How do I submit a review for publication? And most importantly, how do I get paid?

 

LM Voices accepts submissions on a rolling basis. For additional information, please email managing editor Erin Rubin at libromobilereviews@gmail.com. Submit button provided below.

 

Format guidelines:​

  • In the form link via our Submit Now button, upload your review in a .doc/.docx file (or .mp4 file for video). Include your name in the file name. If you do not have Microsoft Word, you can create a .doc in Microsoft Word Online or a Google doc file and send us the link. We do not accept .pdf, WordPerfect, or other alternative document types. If the video file is too big to upload into our submit form or send via email, please upload it to Google Drive and share it with libromobilereviews@gmail.com.

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We do not accept previously published work. By submitting, you agree to keep your work as an exclusive online publication with LM Voices. However, the author holds the rights to publish in print.

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How do I get paid?

  • Venmo, PayPal or you can email us if you prefer another form of payment.

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Are you a writer or publisher who wants a publication reviewed?

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