Kirkus Reviews

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.{{cite book |last=Marcus |first=Leonard S. |title=Minders of Make-Believe |location=Boston |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=2008 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/mindersofmakebel00marc/page/104 104, 111] |isbn=978-0-395-67407-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mindersofmakebel00marc/page/104 }} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/about/history/ |title=Kirkus Reviews History |website=Kirkus Reviews |access-date=November 15, 2012}}

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.{{Cite web |title=Our History |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/about/history/ |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en}}

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.

Kirkus Reviews 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.{{cite news|last=Dougherty |first=Philip H. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/04/business/advertising-consultant-acquires-kirkus-reviews.html |title=Consultant Acquires Kirkus Reviews |newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 4, 1985 |access-date=November 12, 2012}} David LeBreton bought Kirkus from Kobak in 1993.{{cite web|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-13249757/kirkus-reviews-being-acquired.html |title=Kirkus Reviews being acquired |work=Publishers Weekly |date=August 23, 1993 |access-date=November 12, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521224028/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-13249757/kirkus-reviews-being-acquired.html |archive-date=May 21, 2013 }} BPI Communications, owned by Dutch publisher VNU, bought Kirkus from LeBreton in 1999.{{cite web |url=http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA156022.html |title=Kirkus Reviews Acquired By Publisher of Billboard |website=Libraryjournal.com |date=August 2, 1999 |access-date=November 12, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127185542/http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA156022.html |archive-date=January 27, 2013 }} At the end of 2009, the company announced the end of operations for Kirkus.

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.{{cite news |last=Rich |first=Motoko |date=February 10, 2010 |url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/kirkus-gets-a-new-owner-from-the-nba/?scp=1&sq=kirkus&st=cse |title=Kirkus Gets a New Owner – From the N.B.A. |newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=March 22, 2012}}

Kirkus Reviews has a traditional program of reviewing that does not require payment for reviews.{{cite web |title=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? |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/indie-reviews/ |website=Kirkus Reviews |access-date=August 5, 2021}} 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,{{cite web |title=Since I'm paying for the review, will it be positive? |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/indie-reviews/ |website=Kirkus Reviews |access-date=August 5, 2021}} and if published may also be published in the magazine or email newsletter based on Kirkus editor discretion.{{cite web |title=How does Kirkus decide which Indie reviews get published in the magazine and in the email newsletter? |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/indie-reviews/ |website=Kirkus Reviews |access-date=August 5, 2021}}

{{main|Kirkus Prize}}

In 2014, Kirkus Reviews started the Kirkus Prize, bestowing $50,000 prizes annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature.{{cite web|author=Colin Dwyer |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/09/30/352696150/book-news-first-ever-kirkus-prize-picks-18-finalists |title=First-Ever Kirkus Prize Picks 18 Finalists : The Two-Way |publisher=NPR |date=September 30, 2014 |access-date=November 23, 2015}}

{{reflist|25em }}

• {{cite news|title=Kirkus Reviews splits from NYRB|work=Library Journal|volume=107|date= June 15, 1982|page=1164|issn= 0363-0277}}
• {{cite news|title=Kirkus Reviews closes|work=Library Journal|volume= 135 |date=January 2010|issue=1|pages=16–17}}
• {{cite news|title=Kirkus Reviews finds buyer|work=Library Journal|volume= 135 |date=February 2010|issue=2|page=13}}

• {{Official website|http://www.kirkusreviews.com/}}
• {{Commons-inline}}
• [https://issuu.com/kirkus-reviews Online archive] at Issuu (February 1, 2011 – present)
• {{LCAuth|n85160215|Kirkus Service|4|}}
• {{LCAuth|nr94005545|Virginia Kirkus|7|}}

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Category:Book review magazines published in the United States

Category:Magazines established in 1933

Category:Semimonthly magazines

Category:English-language magazines

Category:Magazines published in New York City