The Steady Read is a fully independent website that aims to release concise summaries and unique, relatively spoiler-free reviews of books, in addition to many other types of content (see below).
This website was founded in June 2023, and has been a one-man project from the start. The Steady Read subscribes to the view that reviews are not the ultimate evaluation of a book, merely a tool to surmise the positives and negatives of a publication, alongside how worthy it is of potential reader’s time.
Subsequently, critiques published on this site aim to entice or discourage readers through concise, but still fairly in-depth, explorations of the plot, themes, writing, and general ‘good’ or ‘bad’ points of the text being discussed. Naturally, some personal opinions and jokes get thrown in there, too.
In general, literary fiction (novels, novellas, and short story collections) are The Steady Read’s core focus for reviews, and reviews are the primary content of the website. However, non-fiction, poetry collections, manga comics, and magazines are subject to occasional review and recommendation. This is all in addition to a general blog that contains guides, advice, discussions, news, condensed author biographies, and a host of other miscellaneous content related to books and the hobby of reading.
The main hope of The Steady Read is provide valuable content to loyal visitors and subscribers, as well as aspire to shape one-time visitors into returning readers. This website is a passion project and labour of love, wholly committed to proving original, man-made content.
The Founder
Hello, I’m Lewis.
I adore books, enjoy blogging, and I am the founder and mind behind The Steady Read. I am not one to talk about myself much. Whatever I do share about myself, I prefer to come out naturally through the content of this website.
As an overview, all you need to know is that I am a twenty-something male from the United Kingdom with my aforementioned enjoyment of books and blogging, alongside a growing interest in activism for nature and the environment. If you want to get to know me better, just make sure to subscribe and keep stopping by for more content.
Your viewership and any support is greatly appreciated, and I hope to reward it with consistent quality content related to every aspect of reading.
Types of Content
The Steady Read currently offers, or intends to offer, the following content:
- Book reviews and summaries
- Manga reviews and summaries
- Magazine reviews and summaries
- Tips and advice for readers or writers
- Lists (e.g. top tens)
- Monthly book hauls (when applicable)
- Weekly book showcases/recommendations
- Author spotlights and condensed biographies
- News and information regarding books or authors
- Other relevant miscellaneous topics
Posts are typically* published every 4–7 days, with reviews coming roughly once or twice a month. Only fully completed** publications will be reviewed.
Please view the website on desktop for the best experience, and make sure to subscribe, spread the word, and consider donating if you enjoy the content being produced here.
*Typically, meaning not always or consistently
**For example, manga/comics/series of works yet to release their final volume will not be reviewed
Mission
In addition to all of this, the core mission of The Steady read is to advertise and promote all things related to books, whilst providing quality content.
The belief is that all books featured on here receive some form of publicity, even if the review posted is of a more negative opinion. Readers and consumers are always free to express their opinions, both in the comments here on the website, and in general through their wallet and real-world actions. There are also other online websites and forums where opinions can be expressed, but are not related to this website.
As a reader, you may love a book that The Steady Read reviewed scathingly, and you may hate a book that has been reviewed kindly. The important thing is that we are reading, expressing opinions, discussing, and promoting authors and literature as a whole. Word of mouth goes a long way in the literary world, and hopefully this website will one day be able to provide regular, informative reviews and posts to hundreds of daily visitors.
Originality
All content on The Steady Read is original and produced by humans. For more on this, see the Anti-A.I. Commitment page.
The only content that is not under ownership of the website are copyrighted (but transformative) images and quotes from books, such as their covers used in review icons or snippets of text used for review/analysis purposes.
Accuracy
Where possible, The Steady Read endeavours to remain accurate. This means reviewing books on the content and context, ensuring any details about the book (e.g. page count, author name, year of release, characters) are truthful and correct.
Copyright
The Steady Read owns its original content, but is happy for visitors and content creators to cite anything stated on the website. Credit is appreciated, but is not entirely necessary.
However, any attempts to outright steal, impersonate, or profit from content theft, may result in reports being filed. If blatant copyright infringement of The Steady Read is not resolved, legal action may be taken.
Prohibited Content
The Steady Read does not allow sexually explicit, racist, or excessively political or violent content that may endanger anyone. This primarily concerns images here on the website, language used, and the comments under posts. Vulgar language, however, is largely permitted, and may appear in titles, body text, and comments.
When any controversial, political, or contentious topics are discussed (e.g. murder, crime, historical events), it will be in relation to a book where such things are relevant. Equally, The Steady Read is not responsible for content found within an author’s work, and therefore cannot be responsible for any resulting discomfort or disturbance that may occur from discussing such topics during a review of a book.
Viewer discretion is advised and should be taken at all times. If you wish to raise a concern, directly contact the website owner.
Clickbait & Misinformation
The Steady Read does engage in clickbait and, as part of the pledge towards accuracy, does not endeavour to mislead visitors.
The Steady Read will never make any unproven sweeping claims, nor will it ever attempt to ask for visitors’ personal information, financial details, political views, economic standing, gender, sexuality, religion, or other private details.
Any instance of misinformation or scam content (likely found in the comments) should be reported by contacting the website owner directly.
Contact
Contact is currently limited to email. For more information, see here.
Donations
The Steady Read accepts voluntary donations through a provided website form or directly through PayPal. Visitors are not expected, nor required, to donate.
Visitors who wish to support the website financially can do so here.