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A review by mad_about_books
How To Write a Simple Book Review: It's easier than you think by Allyson R. Abbott
5.0
I decided to read this book for vindication… to see if I'm doing it right. Rarely have I found a book that so clearly expresses my own thoughts on a subject.
I started writing reviews on Amazon and Goodreads several years ago. I review everything that I read, and I read quite a bit. Because it is possible to get so many Kindle books at no cost, I have had the distinct pleasure of discovering some truly fine Indie authors. I still have my favorite big name authors - Stephen King, Clive Barker, Charlaine Harris, and the like - but without Kindle I would never have read some truly great books just because they weren't written by a name.
To be fair, before eBooks (and arthritis in my hands), I used to walk up and down the aisles of any bookstore just waiting for a cover to scream "check me out!" I discovered some of my favorite authors that very way.
Allyson points out the interesting fact of Indie publishing forcing writers to wear many hats, not the least of which is publicist. Some do it very well, putting heart and soul into both writing and marketing their book. She also points out that a writer can't get anywhere, no matter how hard they work at it, without readers. Yes, readers! That means you and me.
My favorite sentiment from the book is that writing a review - good, bad, or somewhere in between - is saying thank you to the author. You hated the book? Write a one star review that says why you hated it. Was it the bad spelling and punctuation? Was it terrible formatting and presentation? How is a writer to know why you gave it one star if you don't tell them. If you had that kind of problem, see if there is contact information somewhere in the book and let the author know your concerns. Be polite! Read your email six times and then read it again before you send it. Be positive! There must have been some redeeming quality that made you start, if not finish, the book.
Allyson also makes it very clear that even a one or two word review is the same as the one that is longer. It is the thank you the author needs to continue writing, the nod of appreciation for what you did or did not get from a book.
I tend to write several paragraphs when I review, but I never do spoilers, and I never give away the ending. This applies mostly to writing reviews of fiction, but in some ways will apply to non-fiction as well. My motto is tantalize but never tell.
I started writing reviews on Amazon and Goodreads several years ago. I review everything that I read, and I read quite a bit. Because it is possible to get so many Kindle books at no cost, I have had the distinct pleasure of discovering some truly fine Indie authors. I still have my favorite big name authors - Stephen King, Clive Barker, Charlaine Harris, and the like - but without Kindle I would never have read some truly great books just because they weren't written by a name.
To be fair, before eBooks (and arthritis in my hands), I used to walk up and down the aisles of any bookstore just waiting for a cover to scream "check me out!" I discovered some of my favorite authors that very way.
Allyson points out the interesting fact of Indie publishing forcing writers to wear many hats, not the least of which is publicist. Some do it very well, putting heart and soul into both writing and marketing their book. She also points out that a writer can't get anywhere, no matter how hard they work at it, without readers. Yes, readers! That means you and me.
My favorite sentiment from the book is that writing a review - good, bad, or somewhere in between - is saying thank you to the author. You hated the book? Write a one star review that says why you hated it. Was it the bad spelling and punctuation? Was it terrible formatting and presentation? How is a writer to know why you gave it one star if you don't tell them. If you had that kind of problem, see if there is contact information somewhere in the book and let the author know your concerns. Be polite! Read your email six times and then read it again before you send it. Be positive! There must have been some redeeming quality that made you start, if not finish, the book.
Allyson also makes it very clear that even a one or two word review is the same as the one that is longer. It is the thank you the author needs to continue writing, the nod of appreciation for what you did or did not get from a book.
I tend to write several paragraphs when I review, but I never do spoilers, and I never give away the ending. This applies mostly to writing reviews of fiction, but in some ways will apply to non-fiction as well. My motto is tantalize but never tell.