Our History

Kirkus Indie was started in 2005 when the editors wanted to expand their coverage to include the fastest growing segment in the book industry — self-publishing. To meet scale, selection, and financing challenges, Kirkus created a review service for self-publishers called Kirkus Discoveries, now Kirkus Indie. Like the original bulletin published by Virginia Kirkus, Kirkus’ program for self-publishers was an innovation in the industry. Authors could finance the review themselves and guarantee selection for review, but the books would be held to the same high standard as books published by the major houses. The program gave self-publishers the chance to earn honest critical acclaim from one of the most prestigious brands in publishing. Read the history of Kirkus Reviews >