Some people may think that anyone can write a book review, but writing one that helps people make an informed decision about whether a book is worth reading requires honesty, good writing, argument support, and proper description.
The following are some attributes of quality reviews. If you are someone who writes reviews or wants to be a book reviewer, these can be used as guidelines to help you write reviews that readers will appreciate. If you’re an author, look for these qualities in potential reviewers so you can determine if you want the person to read and write about your book.
Honesty: A review is worth nothing if it is not honest. If a reviewer gives each book five stars, chances are they either aren’t reading the books or are afraid of hurting the author’s feelings. Reviews should be balanced and only praise books that are well developed in their plots, have compelling stories and characters, or add new information to their field. Whether or not the reviewer is compensated for reviewing the book, the review is worthless if it is not honest. A reviewer is not to be “bought”, and someone who writes a glowing and dishonest review is doing no one any favors because their readers will no longer value their opinion and become angry that they spent time and money reading a poor book. Similarly, the reviewer who has an ax to grind and gives a book a low rating because they simply don’t like the author or the subject in general, would do better to review other books or no books at all. Bad reviews have their place; they can be a real learning experience for the author, but they can also be nicely written.
Short and clear summaries: A good book review is not a book report. It should not include a full plot summary or a chapter-by-chapter description of the book’s contents. However, you can describe enough of the plot to make people want to read on, such as stopping the summary on a cliffhanger, or you can list the main themes without going into detail. Under no circumstances should a review reveal the ending of a novel or list the concluding plots of a nonfiction work. In short, a review should never provide so much information that the reader does not feel the need to read the book because he knows exactly what it contains; A review should be like a movie trailer: a teaser to get people to read the book, while also providing enough feedback for the reader to decide if the topic is really for them.
Precision: Book reviews need to be accurate, so if you’re looking for a book reviewer, checking the accuracy of the person’s past reviews is the best way to determine if the person actually reads the books you’re reviewing. By accuracy I mean using the correct names of the characters and spelling them correctly, accurately summarizing the plot and also the importance of correct grammar and punctuation so that the reviewer appears intelligent and competent and therefore qualified to write the story. review.
Good writing: A reviewer is a writer unto himself. The person must have a good command of the English language and be able to communicate well. Writing broken sentences and having bad grammar will only make the reviewer look bad, and that will make people not understand the value of the book or value the reviewer’s opinion. A good proofreader will also have an understanding of what constitutes good writing and will be able to judge the difference between good and bad. He or she must be well-read and familiar, especially with the subject area to be reviewed, or willing to admit when a subject is outside of his or her area of expertise; if it’s the latter, he can still judge the material based on how well he was able to follow the plot. If a critic is very knowledgeable about the Middle Ages, he may be the best person to review a book on the construction of Gothic cathedrals, but he may not be the best person to review a book discussing evolution; That said, he can admit that she’s no expert on the subject, but still points out if the book informed him and he was able to follow it. It never hurts for the reviewer to add who they think would be the perfect audience or age group for the book, for example, “I think anyone interested in quantum physics would enjoy this book” or “This book is probably best suited for a young adult audience, but I think a lot of adults will also be pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it is.”
Supporting Statements: A good review will provide a basic argument (is this book good or bad, or has merit but some flaws) and then support that statement with examples, such as: “Sometimes the plot becomes unbelievable; for example, when the princess of suddenly reveals that he has the ability to become invisible and doesn’t explain how.” Citing a passage from the book will help support the claims. Quotations can be helpful for readers to get an idea of the author’s style and reading level of the work to determine if they will enjoy it. Quotation marks can be used to support a statement that the book is humorous, well-argued, or a number of other positive or negative attributes it may have. The important thing to remember is that a review is an argument, so its author has to support his argument if he’s going to convince people to read a book or not.
Visibility: Finally, a good review is visible, it will be seen by many readers. Before you spend money on a review or even give away free review copies of your books, make sure the review is posted in places readers go for book information. Those places might include the reviewer’s website or blog, online bookstores where customers will read the review, as well as print publications such as newspapers or magazines, or bookstore brochures. It’s not worth having a review if no one is going to see it. Also, as the author, be sure to ask permission to cite the review in part and in full so that you can post it on your website or at least link to it, and so that you can cite it on the back of your back. cover it and include it in your marketing pieces.
A quality review will help an author sell books and turn a reviewer into an authority that readers will come to respect and follow. Few things benefit an author more than a positive, well-written book review.
