Being a writer often involves more than just penning your own
books. Reading, for any writer, is a necessity since it keeps feeding the
appetite with words, stories and information. If you read then you also are probably
forming opinions of what you are reading — why not publish those opinions?
There are several benefits (and not just to you) connected to every review you
write. Every writer wants reviews (honest and hopefully good). Your name
becomes more recognizable with every review you publish. Each review is a great
practice writing session. You help the author; potential readers often focus on
well-read authors and plenty of reviews will back that up. Your comments, if
the author reads reviews (not all do) will help the author to hone skills and
perfect techniques for future books.
So how do you write an HONEST review and still maintain a positive
image? And if your review is less than a four or five star rave, how do you
avoid building resentment and possible retribution (sad to say but there are
some — a minority thank goodness) NON-professionals who might want revenge?
Finally where should you post your review? There are a few sites that reject
reviews that they consider to be “suspicious” (suspected relationship with the
author, a planted review, the author’s own review under an alias name…). If you
received a FREE book (in hopes of a review) you should disclose that in the
review. Remember that, especially if you are a writer, this review is a sample
of your talent so do your best with spelling, grammar and content. Sign the
review with your professional name (if applicable) and feel free to include “author
of…”.
First of all, a good quality book review is NOT the
school-age book report. Your review should be a minimum of five or six
sentences up to two or three (small) paragraphs. Don’t prove you read the book
by including spoilers (that totally unexpected twist that really made the
story). Write what YOU liked (or disliked) about the book; a book should be a
personal experience for every reader so keep it personal. Be honest but never
brutal; if the book was filled with typos for instance but was still a great
story say something like “a few distracting typos took away from an otherwise
terrific story”. (Always try to find something positive to say). If you didn’t
like the book because it was not your favorite genre then own up to it; despite
mostly four and five star reviews, my favorite review I received on one of my
books was only two stars — the writer stated she didn’t care for it because my
style was too much like Danielle Steel and she doesn’t care for Steel (who
happens to be one of my faves). Again, review the book from YOUR perspective,
YOUR likes and dislikes, and the impact the book had on YOU. Remember to be gentle
but always honest.
Most online retailers will post customer reviews, a few will
only post “Verified Purchases” (you had to buy the book from them). Most times
it is permissible to post your review on multiple sites (a site will usually
post if there are any limits). Read through previous reviews to make sure you are
not repeating the exact same thing, keep it original. Also check out the
rating systems on each site, the site might have a glossary of what five, four
or less stars “means”. Some great places to post reviews include Amazon, Barnes
and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, KOBO, iTunes (books), YOUR blog, Facebook, and
other blogs such as The Potpourri Parlor http://bit.ly/1znc2D8
.
Writing
Exercise: Write directions to your house from a nearby highway/train station/or
any major transit hub, but do NOT use any street names. Write the directions
using descriptions only.
Writing
Prompt: Make a list of things you look
for when choosing a book.
Challenge
Assignment: Write about the things you
liked and didn’t like in the last (up to) five books you read. Choose one of
those books and using your notes, write a review. Post it.
