The book review. It's an interesting subject to be the focus of an article for writers, for several reasons.

Firstly, I've seen first-hand the devastation caused by a bad book review. For an author who has given their heart and soul to a work of fiction for months or years, a negative review is like a personal assault. After all, authors rarely write a book without caring whether people like it or not. You write it, you polish it - often you perform major surgery at the request of an editor - and you eagerly await its release to the world, hoping it will be hugely popular and sell many thousands of copies. A bad review can seem like the end of the world.

Secondly, some writers make extra income through book reviews. Are there things they need to learn about book reviewing? What should they be taking into consideration when they analyse someone else's work? If you love to read and love to write, can you make a full-time income from book reviewing?

1. Your Reaction to the Book Review

The first thing you have to know is that book reviewing is subjective. A good book review should most certainly TRY to be objective, but not all book reviewers understand exactly what it is they should be looking for. Many read every book they review through glasses tinted with their own likes and dislikes, and if the latest offering doesn't 'fit' - bam! the hapless author gets a hatchet job.

If your book gets a bad review, then by all means shed a tear or two or kick the cupboards, then get over it and read the review again. Put on YOUR objective hat (here's your chance to prove you are a bigger person than the reviewer) and start analysing. Look for evidence that the author of the review allowed personal tastes get in the way; look for any positive points; look for hurtful-but-true comments.

It is tempting to take the attitude that the whole review was written when its author was having a bad day, or that they just don't like your kind of book. That may well be true. However, if you dismiss every negative comment you are losing an opportunity to grow as a writer. Remember that the reviewer may have the same reaction to your book as many other readers. Furthermore, if they constantly review books, they are in a good position to compare your book to others in the genre. You can't pass up this opportunity to get an informed response to your book.

So: what is the reviewer really saying? Jot down what they liked and what they didn't like. If they liked nothing about the book, then try to read/get hold of other informed reviews as well, to compare reactions. (If more than one review is largely negative or lukewarm, then you may have some work to do.)

Bottom line: There are reviewers out there who are closet sociopaths. They love to stick the knife in; often wrapping their reviews with humour (at the expense of the author) or their own opinions about what they like/don't like. However, many reviewers take their work seriously and are very much aware of the author's feelings. They understand the reviewer's job (which is NOT to be kind about every book in case the author gets upset) and they take into account the intended readership as well as plot, style and technique. YOUR job as an author is to take what is constructive out of a review, and apply what you learn. You are a professional.

2. Making Money as a Book Reviewer

If you love to read, and you love to write, can you combine the two and make a career out of book reviewing? Unfortunately, if you want to earn a regular wage, the answer to that is 'probably not'. As you can imagine, most periodicals don't consider book reviews to be a vital part of their daily/weekly/monthly lineup. Nor do most of them have much spare cash to allot to book reviews.

In addition, to be a good book reviewer you need to be able to do more than 'love to read and love to write'. You have to be able to construct a book review that is fair to the author and to the reader. Most people who read your review will be readers, and your comments may influence their decision to buy. You can't be too kind about a poorly-written book, because after they'e been stung once, readers will no longer trust your judgement.

You may be able to earn a small return from reviewing books, but there are other benefits. When you review books regularly, and do a good job, you: 

• have a regular source of the latest books that you don't have to pay for 
  
• learn more about what makes a good 'read', and can apply this knowledge to your own writing 
  
• learn how to interpret what other reviewers really mean, because you struggle yourself with ways to let the reader know the book's weak points without being too blunt or unkind 
  
• develop a relationship with the reading public, editors and publishers

All of this may be more valuable to you than a full-time income from reviewing.

3. "I Want to Be a Book Reviewer, or Understand More About What Goes Into a Book Review - What Next?"

If your interest has been sparked, then your next step should probably be to obtain a copy of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing by Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards.

This was an award-winning finalist in the "Business: Writing & Publishing" category of the National Best Books 2008 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News. At $5.95 USD for the downloadable PDF version (you can use PayPal) this is a great investment for your writer's library even if you don't want to write reviews on a regular basis yourself. It was written not only for aspiring or established reviewers, but - I quote - "for anybody - authors, publishers, readers, booksellers, librarians or publicists - who want to become more informed about the value, purpose and effectiveness of reviews."

The various chapters cover aspects of book reviewing such as the keys to being a good reviewer, how to read critically and use a star system for rating books, the difference between pre-publication and post-publication reviews, the signs of an amateur, the feelings of an author, dealing with editors, authors, publishers and publicists, what's in it for the reviewer, and the influence of book reviews. It also tells you where and how to start posting book reviews, where to find online reviews, and how to start your own book review site. (The authors say: "If you're good at it, you can end up with a high-traffic site that is well-known among readers and respected by authors, publishers and publicists." That's got to be good news for a writer!)

Overall, the book is well-organised and has valuable insights into your responsbility as a reviewer as well as examples of how to phrase your reviews to show the reader the good/bad points of the book without being too negative. There's even a chapter on what to do if the book is terrible! The emphasis on how to write and publish carefully-structured and thoughtful reviews regardless of the book's length, type or genre should give heart to hard-working authors. (You might even want to make your point by buying a copy for that reviewer who savaged your book...)

Buy or read more about The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing here:

http://www.twilighttimesbooks.com/ttb_booklist.html#SlipperyArt

copyright (c) Marg McAlister 2009