FAQ

Standard shipping costs within the United States begin at $6.99 for a single item and increase by 50 cents with each additional item. For international orders (excluding Canada), only priority shipping is available. Cost varies by region.  

Yes, we offer bulk discounts on orders of 25 copies or more. Please email thecriticalreader1@gmail.com for rates.\r

If you wish to receive a refund, unwanted items must be mailed within 14 days of receipt, in new (resalable) condition and preferably with the original packaging. Books that have been used or written in are not accepted for returns.

Please note that we are unable to make guarantees regarding score improvement and do not offer refunds based on failure to achieve particular goals. 

Over the next few months, updated versions of several Critical Reader guides are projected to be released.

Late October 2024: 

• The Complete Guide to ACT® Reading, 2nd Edition

The book will be aligned with the 2024-25 Official Guide and will also include, for the first time, an index of Official Guide Reading questions, grouped by category.

Early January 2025 (exact date TBD):

•  SAT® Vocabulary: A New Approach

This will be the 3rd edition and will include detailed definitions/discussions of all 250+ words as well as additional exercises. It will also place a stronger emphasis on learning high-frequency words in terms of categories/topics and in relation to one another, as opposed to memorizing straight-up definitions.

• The Ultimate Guide to SAT® Grammar & The Critical Reader: The Complete Guide to SAT® Reading

Indexes of Official College Board Reading and Writing questions will be added to the respective guides (currently available for download via the Books page).

The reading book will feature about a dozen pages of new material; in the grammar book, some material will be reworked slightly in order to be more precisely aligned with dSAT.

We are exploring the possibility of creating electronic versions of Critical Reader guides; however, we are currently in the preliminary stages of doing so and do not yet know when such versions, if created, might be available. At this time, we unfortunately cannot distribute books electronically for copyright reasons. Please be aware that we take copyright violations very seriously; anyone who is discovered to have distributed our books illicitly over the Internet may face serious legal and financial consequences. If you are offered an electronic version of one of our books, we ask that you contact us so that we can have the illegal content removed as quickly as possible.

Please check the Errata page to see whether it is covered. If you do not see it listed, please email us with the page, the question number, and a brief description of the problem. Make sure to include the edition number of the book. If there is an error, we will do our best to address it as quickly as possible.

You can use The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar to study for ACT English, but you should also purchase the ACT Supplement. Likewise, The Complete Guide to ACT English can be used to study the grammar and rhetoric topics tested on the SAT Writing and Language Test; however, this book does not include cover graph/chart questions. No SAT supplement is currently available.\r\n\r\nThere is far less overlap in the Reading sections, and we very strongly recommend that you purchase the appropriate book for either the SAT or the ACT

The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar includes extensive explanations as well as practice questions. The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar Workbook consists of six full-length Writing and Language practice tests accompanied by explanations designed to reinforce the content and strategies presented in the grammar book.

The SAT and ACT grammar books were published before the respective reading books and have undergone more updates. As a result, the grammar books have higher edition numbers than the reading books.

While there is a fair amount of crossover between the paper-based exam and the digital version, there are also some very important differences in terms of content and format. We strongly recommend that you use the 2023 editions (6th edition Grammar; 5th edition, Reading) as they are directly aligned with the specifications of the digital test. 

Erica is available for short-term consulting and coaching for tutors and teachers. See the Consulting page for more information.

Because of the demands of writing and publishing, Erica is no longer available for regular SAT/ACT tutoring. We recommend the following tutors and companies, which use various Critical Reader materials and methods.

• 3RPrep, Ambridge, PA, and online.
• The Fluency Factory, Cohasset, MA, and online.
•  Kay Tutoring, Minneapolis, MN, and online.
•  PrepWright, Charlotte, NC. 
• Stellar Scores, Seattle, WA, and online. 
• Veridian Prep, Greenwich, CT, and online.
• Vince Kotchian Test Prep, San Diego, CA, and online.

Although we may occasionally post an article by a tutor or teacher with whom we have an established relationship, we do not accept unsolicited guest posts, advertisements, or requests to post links.

Erica does sometimes work with aspiring independent (test-prep/non-fiction) authors, in which case regular consulting rates apply. We strongly suggest that you read this article before requesting a session.

If you are interested in publishing with The Critical Reader, please consult our submission guidelines before sending a proposal.

The Critical Reader does not consider unsolicited partnership offers with individuals or companies.

The Critical Reader does not offer “white-label” material that can be branded under a separate company’s name or included on external test-preparation websites.

We provide classroom-use licenses for a maximum of 10% of a given title, at a rate of 25 cents/page. If you wish to use larger amounts of Critical Reader material in a classroom setting or test-prep program (online or in-person), you must purchase complete books (bulk discounts available) or have students purchase them directly.

The incorporation of copyrighted Critical Reader material into any program, free or paid, print or online, without attribution is strictly prohibited. In addition, please note that unauthorized digitization and/or electronic distribution of our books constitutes copyright infringement.

If you are a publisher or educational organization interested in serving as an international distributor, or in requiring international reprint/translation rights, for Critical Reader books, please contact us with your company information along with a description of the territory your sales would cover. Rates and minimum print runs vary significantly depending on the size of your market and whether you are seeking exclusive distribution rights for your country or region.