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katie_83's review
5.0
How to Write a Simple Book Review
By Allyson R Abbott
5 stars!
It is so weird to be writing a review about a book that’s about writing reviews. For me I am happy with the way in which I write my reviews, I like to think that when I love a book I point out why and when I’m not sure I am considerate to the author who at the end of the days has spent ages writing it - so I really wanted to read this book to see if I could improve them in any way. What I found really useful about this book is just why reviews are so important to authors both positive and negative. I thought that the author of the book explained everything about reviewing books really well. I know it has certainly made me think about what I write and it has definitely helped me refine my reviews slightly so they are useful to the author and other readers. So if you are new to reviewing or even if you have written hundreds I would definitely recommend reading this book – it has some really great tips in there to make your reviews helpful to authors and readers alike.
By Allyson R Abbott
5 stars!
It is so weird to be writing a review about a book that’s about writing reviews. For me I am happy with the way in which I write my reviews, I like to think that when I love a book I point out why and when I’m not sure I am considerate to the author who at the end of the days has spent ages writing it - so I really wanted to read this book to see if I could improve them in any way. What I found really useful about this book is just why reviews are so important to authors both positive and negative. I thought that the author of the book explained everything about reviewing books really well. I know it has certainly made me think about what I write and it has definitely helped me refine my reviews slightly so they are useful to the author and other readers. So if you are new to reviewing or even if you have written hundreds I would definitely recommend reading this book – it has some really great tips in there to make your reviews helpful to authors and readers alike.
bwagner's review
4.0
How to Write a Simple Book Review: It's easier then you think by Allyson R. Abbott is a great resource on how to write a simple review. This book is a little different then what I normally read by this author. Her writing style still comes through and makes it easy to understand. This book is a step by step way to write an easy review that will take no time at all. Authors love reviews, good or bad, it is the feedback on their writing that makes a difference to them. This book would be helpful too all even if you already know how to write reviews. It gives you tips on how you can make your review better. One thing that I enjoyed was how this author talked about the process of what an author goes through to even get a book published. This book goes from the start of the process until the end. I highly recommend this book to everyone as it will help those who have never wrote a review and also those who are looking to improve.
angelahayes's review
5.0
5 Stars
How to Write a Simple Book Review: It’s Easier Than You Think is an incredibly interesting and helpful guide by Allyson R. Abbott. The book explains the different types of reviews, the grading/rating system, personalising reviews, why reviews are so important for authors, and all about the process of writing a review- even offering suggestions and templates to make the whole process easier. The book will help you decide what to write and how much you want to write- in a simple and easy to understand manner.
Ms. Abbot explains that reviewing books needn’t be daunting or difficult. She explains that starting of small, and as with most anything we learn, practice will make you more confident.
I found this guide to be very easy to understand, thought-provoking, informative and really helpful. I recommend this book to anyone who is passionate about books and the authors who create those books. This guide will simplify the whole reviewing process, explain the misconceptions, and give you an insight and understanding of the whole publishing/promoting/reviewing process. But ultimately, Ms. Abbott leaves you with the knowledge that a book review is an opinion, your opinion counts, and there is no right or wrong review.
Thank you, Ms. Abbott!
How to Write a Simple Book Review: It’s Easier Than You Think is an incredibly interesting and helpful guide by Allyson R. Abbott. The book explains the different types of reviews, the grading/rating system, personalising reviews, why reviews are so important for authors, and all about the process of writing a review- even offering suggestions and templates to make the whole process easier. The book will help you decide what to write and how much you want to write- in a simple and easy to understand manner.
Ms. Abbot explains that reviewing books needn’t be daunting or difficult. She explains that starting of small, and as with most anything we learn, practice will make you more confident.
I found this guide to be very easy to understand, thought-provoking, informative and really helpful. I recommend this book to anyone who is passionate about books and the authors who create those books. This guide will simplify the whole reviewing process, explain the misconceptions, and give you an insight and understanding of the whole publishing/promoting/reviewing process. But ultimately, Ms. Abbott leaves you with the knowledge that a book review is an opinion, your opinion counts, and there is no right or wrong review.
Thank you, Ms. Abbott!
kirchersmiles's review
5.0
How To Write a Simple Book Review: It’s easier than you think by Allyson R. Abbott
5 Stars
I just recently began writing reviews for the millions of books I read, and I'm ashamed to say that there are so many I've read and never reviewed, this I need to fix. I was scared at first and have written some I'm sure were not the greatest but have gotten better I think with practice. This book was great and gave many helpful tips and was very easy to follow and understand. I learned a lot more about the importance of a review for authors and really anything that I've bought online. The outlines she gives you for making your own charts that would be really easy to go through while reading were great. I've tried the taking notes approach but it's so hard sometimes to know what is important to a story until you've reached the end and then you realize you read something you find important and can't remember where in the book it was.
She gives lists of great sights to visit and I am really glad I read this book and I will be taking a lot of what she wrote and using it in my own reviews. She makes you realize it's important to create your own style and there's no wrong way to do it. I will also be looking up everything else she has written as I really liked her writing style. I recommend this book to anyone that wants a little more insight to reviews or someone that has never written one...it's a fantastic place to start.
5 Stars
I just recently began writing reviews for the millions of books I read, and I'm ashamed to say that there are so many I've read and never reviewed, this I need to fix. I was scared at first and have written some I'm sure were not the greatest but have gotten better I think with practice. This book was great and gave many helpful tips and was very easy to follow and understand. I learned a lot more about the importance of a review for authors and really anything that I've bought online. The outlines she gives you for making your own charts that would be really easy to go through while reading were great. I've tried the taking notes approach but it's so hard sometimes to know what is important to a story until you've reached the end and then you realize you read something you find important and can't remember where in the book it was.
She gives lists of great sights to visit and I am really glad I read this book and I will be taking a lot of what she wrote and using it in my own reviews. She makes you realize it's important to create your own style and there's no wrong way to do it. I will also be looking up everything else she has written as I really liked her writing style. I recommend this book to anyone that wants a little more insight to reviews or someone that has never written one...it's a fantastic place to start.
bec_sherman's review
4.0
This was a quick easy to read book about how to write book reviews.
I write reviews regularly and wanted to see if I was doing okay with mine and get some tips to make it easier - sometimes I find them hard!
I found the book helpful. I liked how it explained the purpose of reviews and why we should leave them but it was geared more towards those who haven’t reviewed before.
Some of the recommendations seemed a bit time consuming but the examples of reviews were great! I recommend the book for those new to writing reviews.
I write reviews regularly and wanted to see if I was doing okay with mine and get some tips to make it easier - sometimes I find them hard!
I found the book helpful. I liked how it explained the purpose of reviews and why we should leave them but it was geared more towards those who haven’t reviewed before.
Some of the recommendations seemed a bit time consuming but the examples of reviews were great! I recommend the book for those new to writing reviews.
literary_lioness's review
5.0
Great Reference for Book Reviewers
I was looking for a book that would help me write more professional reviews. I came across this book and not only did it give me pointers on how to write a review, but how to be consistent with them!
Allyson Abbot broke down the review process and laid it out for the reviewer. Her templates are formatted well and worded for anyone to easily understand. I was quickly able to make my own templates based of her recommendations. I was also intrigued to learn why these reviews are so important and to see it from an authors point of view.
I would highly recommend this book to any book lover. Let’s get to helping authors and readers alike!
I was looking for a book that would help me write more professional reviews. I came across this book and not only did it give me pointers on how to write a review, but how to be consistent with them!
Allyson Abbot broke down the review process and laid it out for the reviewer. Her templates are formatted well and worded for anyone to easily understand. I was quickly able to make my own templates based of her recommendations. I was also intrigued to learn why these reviews are so important and to see it from an authors point of view.
I would highly recommend this book to any book lover. Let’s get to helping authors and readers alike!
oldmotherwinter's review
4.0
“It’s easier than you think!”
I, like other people, think of writing a book review as something that is pretty daunting. It always takes me back to high school English and college courses, yikes. All the classes I took that required a book review, every teacher wanted it to be done in a different way. This made it very hard to pinpoint what exactly was a book review and what it consisted of. The confusion I felt lead me to shy away from doing reviews that weren’t a requirement even though I still had a longing to review books I read for fun.
Thank ghosts I found this book. Allyson R. Abbott’s writing is easy to follow and isn’t confusing in any way. She manages to take away the anxiety that book reviews can bring. She is very knowledgeable in different ways to write a review, platforms that reviews can be published on, and ways to organize thoughts. Her writing is genuine and personable leaving the feeling that she really does care about helping people become comfortable in their writing. This is further shown by her giving websites she can be reached to answer any further questions you have.
There were a lot of things that I thought were done really well in this book. Abbott included the different types of reviews and what they consisted of giving the reader to see what best suited their personality. She included an example of a template that would help with organizing thoughts and questions. Something that I really appreciated was she added dates of when information was obtained in the reading. The only relatively negative thing that I would say is that some areas seemed repetitive. I mainly noticed it in the first three chapters when the subject of indie writers or the importance of writing a review was being discussed. This doesn’t take away from the book or the knowledge that is learned from it.
Overall, I’m very happy that I found this book. It took the process of writing book reviews and made them feel easy to do. I no longer feel intimidated of writing reviews and also feel more prepared for the task. This is a great book for anyone who has never written a review or has written a couple but could use some guidance.
I, like other people, think of writing a book review as something that is pretty daunting. It always takes me back to high school English and college courses, yikes. All the classes I took that required a book review, every teacher wanted it to be done in a different way. This made it very hard to pinpoint what exactly was a book review and what it consisted of. The confusion I felt lead me to shy away from doing reviews that weren’t a requirement even though I still had a longing to review books I read for fun.
Thank ghosts I found this book. Allyson R. Abbott’s writing is easy to follow and isn’t confusing in any way. She manages to take away the anxiety that book reviews can bring. She is very knowledgeable in different ways to write a review, platforms that reviews can be published on, and ways to organize thoughts. Her writing is genuine and personable leaving the feeling that she really does care about helping people become comfortable in their writing. This is further shown by her giving websites she can be reached to answer any further questions you have.
There were a lot of things that I thought were done really well in this book. Abbott included the different types of reviews and what they consisted of giving the reader to see what best suited their personality. She included an example of a template that would help with organizing thoughts and questions. Something that I really appreciated was she added dates of when information was obtained in the reading. The only relatively negative thing that I would say is that some areas seemed repetitive. I mainly noticed it in the first three chapters when the subject of indie writers or the importance of writing a review was being discussed. This doesn’t take away from the book or the knowledge that is learned from it.
Overall, I’m very happy that I found this book. It took the process of writing book reviews and made them feel easy to do. I no longer feel intimidated of writing reviews and also feel more prepared for the task. This is a great book for anyone who has never written a review or has written a couple but could use some guidance.
susie77's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.25
Things I've learnt from the book :
• It is very simple and uncomplicated
to write a book review.
• A review can be written by literally anybody, no particular knowledge or intelligence is
required beforehand.
• A review can be any length from one word upwards and need only take a couple of minutes at
the very least.
• Reviews are a huge factor in how well a book sells, and taking a couple of minutes to write a
review makes a big difference to an author.
• A review of any length, good or bad is extremely valuable to an author and better than no
review at all as Amazon uses an algorithm for the number of reviews a book has.
• It is important to write an honest review, even if it is critical. Positive criticism is helpful to
the author for future writings, and helps other readers in making the decision of whether to
buy a book.
• All reviews are helpful to authors whether good or bad (positive criticism) as they like to have
feedback to know how well they are doing and to make improvements to future books.
• A bad review is better than no review. It should be written in a polite manner and a reason
given as to what was wrong with the book to help the author and other readers.
• There are benefits to writing a review for the author, reader and also for the reviewer.
• Amazon and goodreads are good places to leave a review, especially Amazon, as reviews
impact book sales.
• A lot of work and time goes into a writing a book, however, the majority of people do not
leave reviews. However, book reviews are a large factor in how well a book sells.
• Leaving a review for a book is like giving a tip to a waiter, as a way of giving back to the
author in thanks for the time and effort put in to writing a book.
I normally only rate books and do not write reviews, as I feel I have no authority to openly give my opinion on something I'm not knowledgeable about. Also, because I am new to reading again as an adult and I'm not an expert on books. However, this book has given me the confidence to realise that every single person is qualified to write a book review no matter how many books they have read, and the review would be helpful to other readers and the author. This book talks about the different book review styles available, from a simple chatty style to more detailed literary reviews.
There are lots of examples of book reviews in the book, and templates to use. I used a template in the book as a guide to writing this review and found it very useful. However, the book does explain a review can be any length from one word upwards and all reviews are valuable.
There was a lot of information in the book to help me understand the need for more book reviews. I didn't realise that the majority of people do not leave reviews and the impact this has for authors - especially for indie authors who are self-publishing and not under a publishing house, and therefore have no marketing support.
I really enjoyed this book, and read it in one sitting. I now feel confident to start writing reviews for future books, and I'm excited to go back and write reviews for books which I've read previously but not left reviews.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone who loves reading books, in particular to people who are new to writing book reviews or need some inspiration.
• It is very simple and uncomplicated
to write a book review.
• A review can be written by literally anybody, no particular knowledge or intelligence is
required beforehand.
• A review can be any length from one word upwards and need only take a couple of minutes at
the very least.
• Reviews are a huge factor in how well a book sells, and taking a couple of minutes to write a
review makes a big difference to an author.
• A review of any length, good or bad is extremely valuable to an author and better than no
review at all as Amazon uses an algorithm for the number of reviews a book has.
• It is important to write an honest review, even if it is critical. Positive criticism is helpful to
the author for future writings, and helps other readers in making the decision of whether to
buy a book.
• All reviews are helpful to authors whether good or bad (positive criticism) as they like to have
feedback to know how well they are doing and to make improvements to future books.
• A bad review is better than no review. It should be written in a polite manner and a reason
given as to what was wrong with the book to help the author and other readers.
• There are benefits to writing a review for the author, reader and also for the reviewer.
• Amazon and goodreads are good places to leave a review, especially Amazon, as reviews
impact book sales.
• A lot of work and time goes into a writing a book, however, the majority of people do not
leave reviews. However, book reviews are a large factor in how well a book sells.
• Leaving a review for a book is like giving a tip to a waiter, as a way of giving back to the
author in thanks for the time and effort put in to writing a book.
I normally only rate books and do not write reviews, as I feel I have no authority to openly give my opinion on something I'm not knowledgeable about. Also, because I am new to reading again as an adult and I'm not an expert on books. However, this book has given me the confidence to realise that every single person is qualified to write a book review no matter how many books they have read, and the review would be helpful to other readers and the author. This book talks about the different book review styles available, from a simple chatty style to more detailed literary reviews.
There are lots of examples of book reviews in the book, and templates to use. I used a template in the book as a guide to writing this review and found it very useful. However, the book does explain a review can be any length from one word upwards and all reviews are valuable.
There was a lot of information in the book to help me understand the need for more book reviews. I didn't realise that the majority of people do not leave reviews and the impact this has for authors - especially for indie authors who are self-publishing and not under a publishing house, and therefore have no marketing support.
I really enjoyed this book, and read it in one sitting. I now feel confident to start writing reviews for future books, and I'm excited to go back and write reviews for books which I've read previously but not left reviews.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone who loves reading books, in particular to people who are new to writing book reviews or need some inspiration.
wulfwyn's review
4.0
The Book Does Make It Easy
I picked up this book because I try to leave reviews on the books I read. If life is going at rocket speed I may just leave a star rating with the intention of a later review. Even though I have written a few reviews I frequently feel that my review could be better. I believe we are constantly learning and everything can be improved upon. This book offers a lot of help in writing reviews. I think it is aimed at those who never write reviews or a beginner. I am neither but I found a lot of good information in the book. I especially am fond of the templates and examples that were toward the end. The one thing I didn't care for, (it is what lead to the minus star), is the author repeatedly stating that reviews need to be written. This could be because I already understand that. I tried making allowances as I do think her intended audience are those readers who never thought to leave a review. However after a bit I started feeling like I was being beaten up over it. I am certain that was not the intention of the author but it did begin to feel that way. If you are looking for some guidance on how to write reviews I would still recommend this book. The information is worth it. With the exception of the repeated badgering for reviewing, the author writes with a helpful and knowledgeable attitude. The examples and templates are easy to follow and, I thought, very helpful.
I picked up this book because I try to leave reviews on the books I read. If life is going at rocket speed I may just leave a star rating with the intention of a later review. Even though I have written a few reviews I frequently feel that my review could be better. I believe we are constantly learning and everything can be improved upon. This book offers a lot of help in writing reviews. I think it is aimed at those who never write reviews or a beginner. I am neither but I found a lot of good information in the book. I especially am fond of the templates and examples that were toward the end. The one thing I didn't care for, (it is what lead to the minus star), is the author repeatedly stating that reviews need to be written. This could be because I already understand that. I tried making allowances as I do think her intended audience are those readers who never thought to leave a review. However after a bit I started feeling like I was being beaten up over it. I am certain that was not the intention of the author but it did begin to feel that way. If you are looking for some guidance on how to write reviews I would still recommend this book. The information is worth it. With the exception of the repeated badgering for reviewing, the author writes with a helpful and knowledgeable attitude. The examples and templates are easy to follow and, I thought, very helpful.
alyson7's review
4.0
Allyson R. Abbott’s book presents a quick overview on how to write a book review, why you should write a book review, and the different types of book reviews. I am always looking for ways to improve my reviewing skills especially since I have a book blog devoting to reviewing books. How to Write a Simple Book Review made me reflect upon the way I write reviews. When I first began blogging, I figured that I would need to write 500 words for my review to be worthwhile to read. Sometimes, I would have to force words and ideas out of my head in order to reach my desired word count. After reading Abbott’s book, I realize that a quality review is not in the word count, a quality review is based on how helpful the review is to the author and to fellow readers.
When I write reviews, I tend to imagine that the author will not see my review, or that once their book is published, authors wouldn’t have much of an interest in how their book is received. I should’ve realized as an aspiring author myself, this is simply not true (for the most part). Writing a review is a form of feedback to tell the author why their book was worth reading (and not just readers who might want to read the book). My perspective shifted greatly when considering the impact a reviewer could have.
I am so glad that I came upon Abbott’s book, and I would recommend it to all book reviewers on Goodreads and especially to those who have their own book review blog.
* I received a copy of How to Write a Simple Book Review by Allyson R. Abbott from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *
When I write reviews, I tend to imagine that the author will not see my review, or that once their book is published, authors wouldn’t have much of an interest in how their book is received. I should’ve realized as an aspiring author myself, this is simply not true (for the most part). Writing a review is a form of feedback to tell the author why their book was worth reading (and not just readers who might want to read the book). My perspective shifted greatly when considering the impact a reviewer could have.
I am so glad that I came upon Abbott’s book, and I would recommend it to all book reviewers on Goodreads and especially to those who have their own book review blog.
* I received a copy of How to Write a Simple Book Review by Allyson R. Abbott from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *