Virginia Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I'm looking for advice on writing book reviews. Anyone have any ideas of where to start and what I need to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 There's guide here -> http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/118-steps-for-writing-a-good-book-review/ But really, everyone is individual, and reviews can be as structured or as informal as you like, and here on the forum, there are lots of different styles, so maybe just have a look at everyone's book blogs and see which ones would suit you best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 Thanks Claire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 But really, everyone is individual, and reviews can be as structured or as informal as you like, and here on the forum, there are lots of different styles, so maybe just have a look at everyone's book blogs and see which ones would suit you best. I agree with chesilbeach, the individual styles are the best bit! I would love to be able to write witty, droll, sparkling, and thought provoking reviews, but I don't have the chutzpah!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Yep, everyone has their own style and I agree that's what makes them great! I generally avoid talking about the plot details as much as possible, and I tend to always try to comment on: the prose (is it light or dense, does it flow well, read quickly etc) the characters (good/bad, developed/not, whether they drive the story or are secondary to plot) whether the combo of writing, characters, and plot overall accomplished the apparent goal of the novel, and why/why not. I usually aim for a paragraph on each of those three main elements, and of course it is all entirely my personal opinion, I never claim to judge books objectively because that's impossible! I don't always stick to that approach either, but it's my own personal set of guidelines for making myself think about what I've just read and if I'm stuck on how to start a particular review, I try to write a wobbly blurb on each area, then flesh it out Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 Thanks guys, your suggestions are very helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I've been struggling with my own reviews a bit lately. Things I generally or sometimes write about are: - why I bought or borrowed the book or why I'm choosing to read it now (or both of these things) - the characters - the writing style and ease of reading the book - the plot twists - did I enjoy the book - anything else I might notice But I feel my reviews are getting very samey lately, and I'm sometimes not sure what to say about a book, without spoiling it. I am thinking of sometimes including some spoiler tags, so I can talk about certain plot twists. It's great reading the other posts in this thread for ideas . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Gaia - A lot of us feel that way, that discussion came up recently in (I think) in Michelle's book thread. A lot of people posted saying they feel their reviews are very samey, many of them people whose reviews I always look forward to reading, and I think we all agreed that we're simply all our own worst critics Which in itself is something worth keeping in mind when writing reviews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 Do any of you write reviews as a side line to get paid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I don't. I get paid in free books, which are sometimes advance/proof copies (when I do it for the BCF), and in terms of reviewing my own personal reading choices I do it because if I didn't I'd run around screaming my opinions at actual people rather than the void of the web I don't know anyone who gets paid for doing it, I can't imagine it's easy to make good money so with so many bloggers happy to do it for free, I really don't know anything about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolf woolf Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Do any of you write reviews as a side line to get paid? I did it, but it wasn't about books, I wrote in two small national gaming websites for about an year. The publishers sent us games to review before or during launch. My payment was keeping the games, but most were bad or average and I always sold them. There weren't any guidelines nor much organisation. I had the bad luck to enter each site as austerity loomed nearer, a lot of local gaming websites shut down then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I've never written any paid reviews, myself. I do know some bloggers and YouTubers who post reviews in exchange for the free book that they're getting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I've never been paid for a book review. Just curious, do you mean by an independent publication such as a newspaper, or being paid by a publisher/agent/author to write reviews? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I would think the only way to get paid would be to write for an independent publication. There is some debate as to whether being sent a book to review can be considered 'payment', but I personally don't see how it can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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