Writing Good Book Reviews: by Lori Kasbeer

People often times confuse book reviews with book reports.  Book reports describe what happens in the book.  Their focus is the retelling of facts concerning plot, characters, and the main idea.  Book reviews inform readers what the book is like and whether it was enjoyable or not.  Good book reviews help increase the sale of a book. 

If you review books on your web site, be aware of the type of readers you have visiting and ask yourself if the subject matter will interest them.  For Lori’s Book Reviews the majority of my audience is women between the ages of 20 to 60.  I do have a few male readers, but it is predominately women.  Therefore books I review will cover what I believe will interest them; you won’t find me reviewing book covering war stories because that is not what my readers are looking for. 

When you are offered a book for review, remember that was something the author worked very hard for.  Honest opinion of the book should be offered, but in a respectful manner. 

Tips I found helpful when I write book reviews:

1.    READ THE BOOK. I can not stress this enough, you can not offer a fair review if you only skim the book.
2.    As you read the book write down themes or quotes that may interest readers.
3.    While writing, tell readers about the story as if you are sitting across from them discussing the book.
4.    Give the name of the author and the book several times throughout the review.
5.    Since my tag line is “Reviewing Books with a Purpose” I want to share what insight I found in the book.  How did the book bring readers closer to God?
6.    Express your honest opinion.  A review should either persuade readers to pickup the book or to avoid reading it.
7.    Don’t give any surprises away in your review.

The on going debate right now is “Do Blog Book Reviews Drive Sales?”   Anne Kingman and Michael Kindness, who are Random House sales representatives, reported that more than 30% of their readers at Books on the Nightstand have bought three to five books based on recommendations on the site and 14% have bought six or more, according to the 252 respondents to their recent reader survey. A recent survey of lit blog readers shows that 56% buy books primarily based on the influence of blogs.  I believe publishers like Thomas Nelson, Random House and Tyndale House Publishers have realized this and now offer a blogger review program.

After you have a well written review posted on your web site, be sure to email the author or publishing house and offer a link to your review.  Also post your reviews on Amazon.com or Christianbook.com to increase your exposure as a book reviewer. 

If you are interested in becoming a book reviewer here are some links to get you started:

Thomas Nelson (http://brb.thomasnelson.com/)

Tyndale House  (http://mediacenter.tyndale.com)

Lori's Book Reviews:
http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/

What about a Good Review?

We all know a good review can make or break an author's reputation.  Whether it is in film, theater or in print, what someone says about your work counts.  How do you get a good review? Write a good book.  Okay, all kidding aside, a good review can be obtained by sending your book to the correct reviewer, one who has a passion for the same type of topic as your book, or at the very least has written some reviews along the same line.  Research is a good way to find out who is reviewing books and where they are submitting their reviews for publication.

I'm at the age where I feel like I have a story for everything and this is no exception. I once was asked to review a book on a topic I truly disliked. Being an author (and a sympathetic one, I might add), I wrote the author and explained my predicament. A good rule of thumb is to ask the reviewer (if they are not professional reviewers by trade), if they are interested in reviewing your book.  I have obtained about ninety percent of  my book reviews in that way. My favorite way to obtain a review is to have someone write or email me to review their books.

Ready for another story?  When I first began writing I would send my books to practically anyone who asked. I finally learned this was a way that some people obtained free books! I soon learned after that costly mistake to ask where they were posting their reviews, and if they were professional or not.  A good blogger with a large readership can easily help your sales if they review your book.  So, choose your reviewers carefully.

What if you don't have a book? Well, if you take my premium authors' class you can be an author in as little as six months. I am currently working with students to realize their dreams. At the very least I hope you are tuning into my radio show and if you are interested in more details here is the link: http://www.writingmembership.com


This week (September 21-September 30th) I will have my writing and publishing book on sale for $5.00. If you have not picked up a copy, now is the time. This is a very limited offer! You may want to buy more than one book and gift one to a writing friend.

http://store.mediaangels.com:82/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=44&products_id=90

This week our guest blogger will be Lori Kasbeer who is a literary reviewer. I will interview her on my blog talk radio show as well as post her blog on this site later this week!