Hello! Upon becoming a Dust Jacket Review member, we automatically add this book to your shelf to make it easier for you to find this help page.

In this synopsis, I'll explain how to use DJR in various ways.

***********************************
Building a Bookshelf -
Our philosophy: What you read tells a lot about you!
At DJR, you can add the books you've read to your virtual bookshelf. Just search for a book by title (at upper right). You may want to search with quotes like this -- "exact book title" -- to find the book. You should see a list of search results -- you can click on the title to end up at the book page (like this one), or you can simply click on the options icon and select "add to my bookshelf".

Shelf comments -
When you add your first book to your bookshelf, you'll notice a box pops up asking for your Shelf Comment. We are asking you to boil your reading experience down to 1-2 sentences. What do you remember most about the book? What did you take away? What were you doing when you read it?

It is fun to see what people do with only 1-2 sentences. When someone adds these comments for every book on their shelf, they combine into a narrative about their reading life.

***********************************
Writing Reviews -
We love when readers write reviews! They help other people find (or avoid) books, and reviews tell a lot about the reviewer.

There is a link to "Review this book" near the top of every book page (like this one). There's a shortcut on the left-hand margin of DJR, too; click "start a review", search for the book you would like to review, and click the title to get started.

You can insert hidden text in your book reviews -- [reveal spoiler][hide spoiler]  here's an example of hidden spoiler text . There's a note on how to hide areas of text in our review editor. You can edit your published reviews as long as no one has responded to or rated your review -- and you can disable responses/ratings if you like, which will ensure you will always have the option to edit. You can also save drafts of reviews-in-progress, in case you want to finish a review later.

***********************************

Book Excerpts -
We are always looking for excerpts that capture the spirit of a book. Some find excerpts to be a nice memory of a favorite read. Excerpts can serve as a great introduction for prospective readers, too. You can contribute your favorite excerpts to DJR -- click on the "post an excerpt" link on the left margin. You can also add your favorite excerpts for display on your profile, or you can send them to the email address or DJR username of a friend.

***********************************

Literary Folks -
If you have your own website and are a writer, blogger, agent, library, or bookseller in the literary world --- we would be happy to add a linked badge to your DJR profile and reviews. Just send an email to probadge (at) dustjacketreview (dot) com.

Also, authors are welcome to add their books to our database. You can also post your upcoming events -- like book signings, readings, etc -- in our events area. We are always on the lookout for interesting people to interview. Email us at the address above if we can help.

***********************************

Book Clubs -
We feature a shelf, calendar, and discussion forum for our DJR book clubs. Unlike most sites, our features are specifically geared towards book clubs that read books on a regular schedule:

Each book on the club shelf can be scheduled for a certain time frame. Each book also has its own set of discussion Q&A, where club members engage on a book-by-book basis. That is, for each book, club leaders post book-specific questions -- then club members can post their answers and commentary. On the club calendar, post upcoming events and notify members en masse.

To make it easier for members to discover and join book clubs, we will be integrating this feature into other areas of DJR. We also have other big plans in the works. More on this soon.


***********************************

Synopses -
What you are reading right now is a synopsis. We provide this section for each book on the site, and it can be filled with any information that might be helpful for visitors. Just like in book reviews, you can use our spoiler tag here to obscure information that prospective readers shouldn't see.

If you are logged in to DJR -- just click "edit" at upper right to revise or add information.

***********************************

Support -
Any questions, concerns, feedback: mail us - support (at) dustjacketreview (dot) com
We look forward to hearing from you. Until then, happy reading.