Kirkus Reviews

American book review magazine

"Kirkus" redirects here. For the surname, see Kirkus (surname).

Kirkus Reviews

Editor| Virginia Kirkus (1933 – July 1962)
Categories| Book reviews
Frequency| Semimonthly
Publisher| Virginia Kirkus Bookshop Service, Virginia Kirkus Service, Inc. (from 1962), and others
Kirkus Media, LLC (from 2010)
First issue| January 1933; 91 years ago (1933-01)
Country| United States
Based in| New York City, New York, U.S.
Language| English
Website| kirkusreviews.com
ISSN| 1948-7428

Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980).[1] The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City.[2] Kirkus Reviews confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature.

Kirkus Reviews, published on the first and 15th of each month, previews books before their publication. Kirkus reviews over 10,000 titles per year.[1][3]

## History[edit]

Virginia Kirkus was hired by Harper & Brothers to establish a children's book department in 1926. In 1932, the department was eliminated as an economic measure. However, within a year, Louise Raymond, the secretary Kirkus hired, had the department running again. Kirkus, however, had left and soon established her own book review service.[4] Initially, she arranged to get galley proofs of "20 or so" books in advance of their publication; almost 80 years later, the service was receiving hundreds of books weekly and reviewing about 100.[3]

Initially titled Bulletin by Kirkus' Bookshop Service from 1933 to 1954, the title was changed to Bulletin from Virginia Kirkus' Service from January 1, 1955, issue onwards, and successively shortened to Virginia Kirkus' Service with the December 15, 1964, issue, and Kirkus Service in 1967, before it attained its current title, Kirkus Reviews, with January 1, 1969, issue.[5]

In 1985, Anne Larsen was brought on as fiction editor, soon to become editor, remaining the editorial head of Kirkus until 2006 and modifying the review format and style for improved readability, concision, accuracy, and impact.

## Ownership[edit]

It was sold to The New York Review of Books in 1970 and subsequently sold by the Review to Barbara Bader and Josh Rubins, who served also as the publication's editors. In 1985, magazine consultant James B. Kobak acquired Kirkus Reviews.[6] David LeBreton bought Kirkus from Kobak in 1993.[7] BPI Communications, owned by Dutch publisher VNU, bought Kirkus from LeBreton in 1999.[8] At the end of 2009, the company announced the end of operations for Kirkus.[1]

The journal was purchased from VNU (by then renamed The Nielsen Company, or Nielson N.V.) on February 10, 2010, by businessman Herbert Simon. Terms were not disclosed. The company was thereafter renamed Kirkus Media, and book industry veteran Marc Winkelman was made publisher.[9]

## Reviewing[edit]

Kirkus Reviews has a traditional program of reviewing that does not require payment for reviews.[10] Kirkus Reviews also offers an Indie program that allows book authors to purchase, but not modify or influence, reviews that the book author can choose whether or not to publish on the Kirkus website,[11] and if published may also be published in the magazine or email newsletter based on Kirkus editor discretion.[12]

## Kirkus Prize[edit]

Main article: Kirkus Prize

In 2014, Kirkus Reviews started the Kirkus Prize, bestowing $50,000 prizes annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature.[13]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Rich, Motoko (December 11, 2009). "End of Kirkus Reviews Brings Anguish and Relief". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 29, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
2. ^ "Contact Us". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
3. ^ a b "Kirkus Reviews History". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
4. ^ Marcus, Leonard S. (2008). Minders of Make-Believe. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 104, 111. ISBN 978-0-395-67407-9.
5. ^ "Our History". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
6. ^ Dougherty, Philip H. (April 4, 1985). "Consultant Acquires Kirkus Reviews". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
7. ^ "Kirkus Reviews being acquired". Publishers Weekly. August 23, 1993. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
8. ^ "Kirkus Reviews Acquired By Publisher of Billboard". Libraryjournal.com. August 2, 1999. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
9. ^ Rich, Motoko (February 10, 2010). "Kirkus Gets a New Owner – From the N.B.A." The New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
10. ^ "I'm not self-published, but my book did not get reviewed by Kirkus prior to publication. May I purchase a review through the Indie program?". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
11. ^ "Since I'm paying for the review, will it be positive?". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
12. ^ "How does Kirkus decide which Indie reviews get published in the magazine and in the email newsletter?". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
13. ^ Colin Dwyer (September 30, 2014). "First-Ever Kirkus Prize Picks 18 Finalists : The Two-Way". NPR. Retrieved November 23, 2015.

## Sources[edit]

* "Kirkus Reviews splits from NYRB". Library Journal. Vol. 107\. June 15, 1982. p. 1164\. ISSN 0363-0277.
* "Kirkus Reviews closes". Library Journal. Vol. 135, no. 1\. January 2010. pp. 16–17.
* "Kirkus Reviews finds buyer". Library Journal. Vol. 135, no. 2\. February 2010. p. 13.

## External links[edit]

* Official website
* Media related to Kirkus Reviews at Wikimedia Commons
* Online archive at Issuu (February 1, 2011 – present)
* Kirkus Service at Library of Congress, with 4 library catalog records
* Virginia Kirkus at Library of Congress, with 7 library catalog records