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The power and importance of book reviews, by barnes & noble press /, october 2, 2023 at 9:15 am.

There are countless books competing for readers’ attention, which is why the power and importance of book reviews cannot be overstated. They serve as gateways to a book’s world. And offer potential readers insight into what they can expect.

Plus, book reviews are crucial for discoverability, marketing, and boosting sales. Let’s dive into why book reviews are so important, especially for indie authors, as well as explore valuable tips on how to use and solicit book reviews effectively.

The Significance of Book Reviews

1. discoverability.

In today’s digital age, discoverability is a major challenge for self-published and indie authors. With millions of books available online, how does a new book find its way into the hands of readers? This is where book reviews can play a pivotal role.

When a book receives reviews, it gains visibility. Readers searching for their next read often rely on reviews to make informed decisions. Reviews can highlight the unique qualities of a book, its genre, and its target audience. This information helps potential readers find books that align with their interests and preferences.

Furthermore, books with a substantial number of positive reviews are more likely to be recommended by algorithms on online retailers like BN.com, making them more discoverable to a wider audience.

2. Marketing

Book reviews are invaluable marketing tools. They serve as social proof of a book’s quality and worthiness. Positive reviews provide validation to potential readers that the book is worth their time and money. Authors and publishers can leverage these reviews in various marketing strategies such as:

Book Blurbs: Excerpts from positive reviews can be used as book blurbs on the cover and inside pages of a book. A compelling blurb can capture a reader’s attention and encourage them to explore the book further.

Author Websites and Social Media: Authors can showcase reviews on their websites and social media profiles. Sharing positive feedback from readers creates a positive online presence and fosters a sense of trust with potential readers.

Email Marketing: Book reviews can be featured in email newsletters to subscribers. This keeps the audience engaged and informed about the book’s reception.

Book Trailers and Promotional Videos: Reviews can be incorporated into book trailers and promotional videos to highlight the book’s appeal and encourage viewers to make a purchase.

3. Boosting Sales

Ultimately, the end goal of reviews is to boost sales. Positive reviews not only increase a book’s visibility and credibility but also serve as persuasive tools. When readers see that others have enjoyed a book, they are more likely to purchase it. Reviews contribute to the snowball effect of book sales, as more reviews attract more readers, which in turn leads to more reviews.

Tips for Using and Soliciting Book Reviews

1.leverage existing platforms.

There are numerous platforms where authors and publishers can encourage readers to leave reviews. Some of the most popular ones include Kirkus and the app Likewise. Be active on these platforms, engage with readers, and kindly ask for reviews when appropriate. Make sure to provide direct links to the review pages to simplify the process for readers.

2.Build Relationships with Bloggers and Reviewers

Book bloggers and professional reviewers can be powerful allies in the quest for reviews. Reach out to them, introduce your book, and politely inquire if they would be interested in reviewing it. Be respectful of their time and preferences and provide a copy of your book in a format they prefer (e.g., physical copy, eBook, audiobook).

3. Create an Advance Review Team

Before your book’s official release, assemble a group of dedicated readers who are willing to provide early reviews. This advanced review team can help generate initial buzz and establish credibility for your book. Offer them free copies and express your gratitude for their support.

4. Engage with Your Readers

Interact with your readers through social media, email newsletters, and author events. Encourage them to share their thoughts and reviews on the different online platforms and social channels. Engaging with your audience not only builds a loyal fan base but also increases the likelihood of receiving reviews.

5. Offer Incentives Responsibly

While it’s generally discouraged to offer incentives for reviews, there are ethical ways to encourage honest feedback. Consider running giveaways or contests where participants can enter by leaving a review – maybe even for a NOOK GlowLight! Always ensure that your approach aligns with the guidelines of the platform you’re using.

6. Be Patient and Gracious

Not every reader will leave a review, and not every review will be positive. It’s essential to be patient and gracious in your interactions with readers. Avoid engaging in arguments or disputes over negative reviews; instead, focus on positive feedback and use constructive criticism to improve your future work.

Truly, book reviews are indispensable for authors and publishers looking to enhance discoverability, boost marketing efforts, and increase sales. Positive reviews provide much-needed validation and visibility in an increasingly competitive literary landscape. By strategically using and soliciting reviews, authors can connect with their target audience, build their brand, and create a buzz that propels their books to success. So, if you’re a self-published author or indie publisher, don’t underestimate the power of book reviews—it’s the key to unlocking your book’s potential!

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How to Write a Book Review: Introduction

• Introduction

Steps to Write a Book Review

• Other Resources on Writing Reviews

Writing Book Reviews

Academic book reviews are helpful in enabling people to decide if they want to read a given book. A book review is not a book report, which you may hae done in elementary school. A book report describes the basic contents. Book reviews go far deeper than that. This guide will explain what an academic book review is and how to write one well.

Introduction to Writing Book Reviews

• What is a Book Review?
• Benefits of Writing Book Reviews

 What is a Book Review?

• Describes the purpose of the book
• Describes the contents of the book (subject of each chapter)
• Analyzes the approach/argument(s) of the book: Does it seem accurate? Does it make sense? Is the argument strong or weak?
• Assesses whether the book did what the author said it would do
• Suggests potential audiences for the book (pastors, students, professors, lay people) and potential uses, such as a textbook
• Based upon a careful reading of the entire book
• Uses a structured, formal, academic tone
• Most often appears in academic journals, though more informal versions may appear in magazines and blogs
• May include comparisons to other works in the same subject, e.g., if you are reviewing a book on Paul's theology, it would help to compare it briefly to another book on Paul's theology
• In an academic setting, a review assumes an academic audience

A book review requires the reviewer to read the book carefully and reflect on its contents. The review should tell a reader what the book seeks to do and offer an appraisal of how well the author(s) accomplished this goal. That is why this is a "critical" book review. You are analyzing the book, not simply describing it. A review assumes that the readers know the vocabulary of the discipline. For example, a reviewer of a book on the Gospel of Matthew could use "Q" and not need to explain it because it is assumed that the audience knows what Q is in the context of talking about the canonical gospels.

A book review does not

• Seek to be entertaining and/or engaging
• Describe your feelings regarding the book, e.g., “I loved it,” “it was terrible,” or “I disagree completely.”
• Superficial treatment similar to the blurb on the back of the book
• Offers an ad hominem (against the person) attack on the author

Here are two examples of typical academic book reviews:

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLAiFZU171223002713&site=eds-live&authtype=ip,sso&custid=s8984749

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLAi9KZ180630003303&site=eds-live&authtype=ip,sso&custid=s8984749

You may see non-academic book reviews that are more inform al or use humor but that is not appropriate for an academic book review.

Why would you write a book review? There are a few reasons.

• Meet a course requirement
• Understand a book better and grow as a scholar
• Write reviews for publications in the future, such as magazines

1. Your professor assigned it. You are probably reading this page because a professor gave you an assignment to write a review. This is straightforward. Your professor may have a specific set of requirements or directions and you need to follow those, even if they differ from what you read here. In either case, assume that your review is for a large audience. 

2. Writing a review will help you understand a book better. When you are going to write a good book review, you need to read the entire book carefully. By assigning a book review, the professor is seeking to help you understand the book better. A book review is a critical assessment of a book. “Critical” here means analytical. What did the author seek to do and how convincing was it? Your professor wants you to read the book carefully enough to explain both. A critical assessment recognizes that the status of an author/scholar is no guarantee that the book accomplishes its goal. The skill of critical assessment is valuable in all your research work, both now and after graduation.

3. You may have an opportunity in the future to write a book review for a denominational publication, a magazine like Christianity Today , a church newsletter, or in a blog post, which is very common.

So, a book review can fulfill a course requirement, make you better at critical assessment of the views of others, and create opportunities to use that skill for various publications.

Step 1: Read the book carefully.

Step 2: Write the basics.

Step 3: Fill in the details.

These steps are explained in the next tab of this research guide.

This is not for Book Reflections

If you have a (personal) reflection on a book assigned, what this guide says, besides step #1, likely does not apply to your assignment. You need to ask your professor for guidance on writing a reflection. There are two reasons.

1. A book reflection is not a standard, academic type of document. Therefore, general help based upon reading book reviews is not relevant.

2. Book reflections are heavily dependent upon exactly what a professor asks for. These frequently require comparing good and bad points of the book. That is not a feature of book reviews as such and reviews do not include your personal reflections.

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Book Reviews

• Importance of Book Reviews
• Sources for Book Reviews
• How to Write a Book Review

What is a book review and why is it important?

A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit. It can be a primary source opinion piece, summary review or scholarly review. Books can be reviewed for printed periodicals, magazines and newspapers, as school work, or for book web sites on the internet. A book review's length may vary from a single paragraph to a substantial essay . Such a review may evaluate the book on the basis of personal taste. Reviewers may use the occasion of a book review for a display of learning or to promulgate their own ideas on the topic of a fiction or non-fiction work. ( Wikipedia.org )

Why are book reviews important?

• Book Reviews and Scientist-Practitioner Currency: A Critical Lever Robert G. Jones, John Fleenor & Lynn Summers. The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist. Apr 2004. Vol. 41, No. 4; p. 22-25.
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Book Reviews

A book review addresses the subject matter of a literary work, and assesses effectiveness and value. Book reviews keep publishers and the public aware of what is being thought and written in a wide range of subjects. When a new book is issued, copies are sent to reviewers; subsequent reviews appear in literary magazines, academic journals, newspapers, and other periodicals. People everywhere depend on book reviews to direct them in their reading; many readers buy what commentators give particular attention. Competent reviewers are the best counselors for readers attempting to keep up with intellectual and aesthetic developments in the literary arts.

Scope: What a Book Review Is and Is Not

Book reviews vary widely. A review does not simply summarize book material, and should not be substituted for the original book. The purpose of a book review is to make known what a literary work purports to do and be, as a publication for both general and specialized readers. Essential components to be taken into account include concerns of subject matter and style. A review is a critical essay, a report and an analysis. Whether favorable or unfavorable in its assessment, it should seem authoritative. The reviewer's competence must be convincing and satisfying. As with any form of writing, the writer of a book review is convincing through thorough study and understanding of the material, and opinions supported by sound reasoning; the reviewer achieves reader satisfaction upon by giving justice to the subject, the book being reviewed, and connecting it with vital human concerns. A review may be limited in its scope due to length requirements, whether those are set by an instructor or an editor. How thoroughly and with respect to what aspects a book is reviewed also depends on instructor or editor preferences, or simply the attitudes and qualifications of the reviewer.

Essential Objectives

A book review should address three issues:

• Contents, or what is said in the book.
• Style, or how it is said.
• Assessment, or analysis of how true and significant the book is.

The most essential preparation for review writing is of course a complete, thoughtful reading of the book. After reading, the reviewer should have a sound, integrated idea of the book contents, and begin to develop attitudes toward style, purpose, and value. As the reviewer forms ideas for the review, certain influences and motives should be considered:

• The interests, general or special, of the readers: Are they looking to the review for an elementary, informational report? A more advanced, technical, scholarly address?
• The reviewer's own particular interests and purposes: Does the reviewer want to remain primarily a fact-finding reporter? Or are there more specialized ideas and principles of art and ideology the reviewer wants to advance?
• Contemporary social, economic, political, and aesthetic issues: Do one or more of these affect the aim or emphasis of the book review? How does the incorporation and interpretation of these issues in the book review further discussion of the book's contents and style?
• Required treatment and length requirements: What requirements for the review, emphasis and length, have been set by the instructor or editor?

Material for the Review

As the reviewer decides the scope and content of the review, there are various critical considerations to keep in mind. In addition to content and style, information about the publication and category of the book, and the author and author purpose, may be helpful with analysis. Not all material needs to be included in the final review, but the reviewer should be aware of any relevant issues.

Bibliographical Data

Bibliographical data includes the publisher, place and date of publication, and book price. This information is important for readers who want to buy the book. It may also raise questions: Is the book newly issued? Or is it being reissued? If reissued, is it only a new printing or has it been revised? If revised, what is the nature of the revision? Answers to these questions often can be found in a preface to the book by the author. Consult the front matter of the book, the title and copyright pages, for basic publication information. Often, price, publisher, and page count are listed separately at the beginning or end of a book review; this is the case with the example reviews accompanying this guide.

Classification

There are various categories, or genres, to which a book is assigned: fiction, poetry, travel and adventure, mystery, children's literature, biography, history, and contemporary thought, among others. A reviewer analyzes a book's conformity to a genre with attention to the author's approaches, methods, materials and coverage, and the outcomes of the book as to information, judgments, or interest value. For example, in her review of John D'Agata's Halls of Fame , Wendy Rawlings discusses how D'Agata experiments with the form of the essay: "If you're accustomed to reading essays organized around a clearly articulated theme and guided by a single narrative voice that signposts its intentions along the way, D'Agata's methods may frustrate. His essays are disjunctive agglomerations of excerpts from texts of all sorts (literary and otherwise), lists, transcripts from tape-recorded conversations, and, often, long passages of direct quotes from people he meets . . . Reading D'Agata's essays, I felt the strain of someone experimenting with the democratization of a form that, in America, has perhaps been colonized, or at least overpopulated by the ironic and the smug." Rawlings further compares and contrasts D'Agata's methods to those of David Foster Wallace, another contemporary writer of essays. When analyzing a writer's approach to form, some questions to consider are: How does the book differ from previous works in the same field? Has the author written previous books, in this genre or others? How has the author changed or developed? To what extent does the book being reviewed offer anything new its genre? How might it influence later works in the same genre?

Author and Author Purpose

Depending on the genre of the book, the background and purpose of the author may be relevant to the analysis of the book. Refer to the book jacket and biographical notes on the author. Further research may be helpful; read interviews, essays, and, if available, previously written biographies. In John Calderazzo's review of Ken Lamberton's Wilderness and Razor Wire , biographical data about Lamberton proves relevant: "Lamberton had an uncommon resume for someone doing serious jail time: no grinding poverty, no drugs or violence. He grew up in Arizona as an avid collector of wild things, a self-taught naturalist . . . He earned a bachelor's degree in biology, married Karen, a fellow lover of the wild, had kids, and decided to share his passions for science and nature in the public schools . . . He became infatuated with a student and, incredibly, ran off with her to Colorado. Soon someone from Mesa recognized them in Aspen and called the police." This background information provides the reason for Lamberton's incarceration as well as the basis for Calderazzo's discussion of the writer's "microscopically detailed prose" and "the single-mindedness of his gaze." The following is a list of possible biographical data about an author to reference in a review:

• Race, nationality, and origins-social, cultural, religious, economic, political, environmental.
• Training and affiliations-literary, scholastic, religious, political, etc.
• Schooling, travel, or other formative influences.
• Personal experiences-general or specific.
• Career and/or professional position.
• Other literary or scholastic works.
• Stimulus or occasion for writing.
• Special writing aids-illustrations, photographs, diagrams, etc.
• General attitude-objective/subjective, formal/informal, authoritative/speculative, etc.
• Purpose-as described in a preface or other formal statement, or in some key phrase.
• Audience-who the writer hopes will read the book.

Subject Matter

The subject of a book is what the book is about, an idea or ideas explored in the book's contents. In a nonfiction book, the subject should be fairly explicit, in the author's own words. With fiction, however, a reviewer must interpret the subject through analysis of character, setting, plot, and symbolism. A discussion of the subject of a book might begin with its title: From where did the author derive the title? What is the title's meaning or suggestiveness? Is the title an adequate heading for the contents of the book? Or is it ambiguous or false in some way? Other questions regarding the exploration of a book's subject by its author include: What areas of the subject are covered? (In fiction, areas of subject may be considered character concerns, setting, and plot.) What areas of the subject are left uncovered? Is this intentional, or the result of oversight or failure, on the author's part? To what degree is the author thorough or negligent in addressing the subject? In his review of Wilderness and Razor Wire , John Calderazzo comments that writer Ken Lamberton avoids discussion of personal motivation: "Perhaps to spare his wife further humiliation and pain, Lamberton has decided not to belabor his motive for his one act of insanity. He talks vaguely of immaturity, but that's about it . . . [T]he single-mindedness of his gaze [has] implications he either doesn't recognize or won't fully discuss . . . Fixating on the near at hand may be a necessary metaphor and an undeniable fact of prison life, a way to cope with an existence that certainly scares the hell out of me. Maybe, though, Lamberton's fierce gaze derives from something he'll always carry within him: this edgy and impulsive but obviously grateful husband who knows he's not free to teach again for a living . . ."

The contents of a book revolve around the subject, and develop one or more central ideas. For nonfiction, a reviewer analyzes how well the contents of a book address the central idea, the strength or weakness of supporting ideas, and the relevancy of collateral ideas or implications. In fiction, themes develop through character, setting, and plot; a reviewer evaluates the relative success or lack thereof of these fictional elements. Think about these questions: What is the setting, or place and time, of the story? Does the setting reflect or contrast with characters and plot? Are characters fully or minimally developed? Does character development increase or deteriorate as the action proceeds? Is the plot sequenced chronologically, or otherwise? Does tension build or deflate as the story progresses? Note how David Milofsky discusses the effectiveness of the contents of Reynolds Price's Noble Norfleet : "Although there are spots of lyricism-and for the first third of the book, Price's narrative has the drive and tension of some of his better work-overall, Noble Norfleet sags beneath its unlikely premise and even more unlikely hero . . . It seems likely that Price was trying to say something here about the relationship between sexuality and madness, about the necessity not only of nursing others but of caring for oneself, of showing Noble as some kind of paradigm, hence his name. But, sadly, the novel succeeds in none of these aims." Remember that details about the plot and characters in a book are revealed by the reviewer only to support the purpose of the review. Certainly, a review should not give away a book's ending, nor should it be a simple summary of events and characters. The reviewer's job is not only to report highlights but also to respond to the ideas and techniques evident in the book.

Style refers to how an author relates content through writing. This is an important aspect of a book to review. While initially reading the book, and in any subsequent reads, a reviewer should mark passages of particular resonance and reflection of the author's style. These passages help the reviewer form ideas as to whether or not the style is effective in conveying content, and pleasing to the reader. One or more of these passages may be cited within the review itself in order to both exemplify the author's style and provide basis for the reviewer's response. The following is excerpted from Wendy Rawlings' discussion of John D'Agata's poetic, associative essay-writing style in Halls of Fame: "Juxtaposing so many voices and kinds of language . . . can allow the reader to create exciting associative links between texts and ideas, but it can also, when overused, begin to feel somewhat arbitrary. In the book's title essay, for instance, single sentences and sentence fragments form choppy narratives composed of statements that seem, at times, cruelly separated from each other by the portentous silence of white space. This narrative strategy prevails throughout most of the twenty-four sections of the essay, and as a result, the sentences take on a stilted self-importance, like a poem written by someone as yet unschooled in enjambment." A passage from the essay follows this description. When responding to a literary work, consider these aspects of style:

• Logical and reasoned (objective), or imagined and emotional (subjective).
• Dramatic and gripping, or pedestrian and level.
• Epic and far-reaching, or lyrical and infused with personal poetic emotion.
• Solemn and serious, or comic and entertaining.
• Spiritual or vulgar or both.
• Formal, or familiar, informal.
• Simple, or complex.
• Broad, or specific.
• Abstract, or concrete.
• Direct, or implicational.
• Figurative, or literal.
• Use of detail, sense appeal-the look, sound, smell, taste, feel.
• Balance, parallelism, and contrast of exposition, scene, and dialogue.
• Allusions, quotations, aphorisms, etc.
• To the subject.
• To the purpose of the author.
• To the reader.

Form and Technique

An author carefully chooses the form and various writing techniques to use to develop ideas. A book reviewer decides whether or not these choices are appropriate and effective. Do certain techniques aid or impede the author's purpose? What passages from the book best exemplify these techniques?

Form and Technique in Nonfiction

• Use of source material and authority.
• Use of definition; illustrations and examples; comparison and contrast; cause and effect.
• Use of generalization and subsequent conclusions.
• Tone; authority; approach to subject and audience.
• Degree of convincingness.
• Worth of proposal; practicality; need.
• Comparison with other possible policies.
• Costs or difficulties involved.
• Ultimate promise, solution, or plan
• Methods of deduction or induction.
• Synthesis; formation of separate elements into a coherent whole.
• Syllogism; major premise, minor premise, and conclusion.
• Dialectics; arrival at truth through conversation involving question and answer.
• Casuistry; determination of right and wrong by applying generalized ethics principles.
• Fallacy; begging the question, ignoring the question, etc.

Form and Technique in Fiction

• Dominant impression; vividness of final impression.
• Selection of details to support a single effect.
• Appeal to sight, sound, smell, taste, and feel; imagery.
• Directness; implication and suggestion.
• Point of view; first, second, third; limited or omniscient.
• Establishment of setting.
• Smoothness of transitions in time sequence.
• Use of flashback.
• How presented or introduced.
• Motivations; sources for feeling and/or drives to action.
• How described; direct or implied; revealed through description or dialogue.
• Purposes; heroic or villainous; tragic inner flaws; revealing traits.
• How credible and consistent.
• Opening situation and/or conflict.
• Obstacles and complications.
• Tension and suspense.
• Turning point, or climax.
• Resolution.
• Degree of inventiveness and/or plausibility.
• Final philosophy or view of life derived from characters and action.

Depending on the author's purpose, a book's realism, or truth to life, may need assessment. If a book of fiction is meant to be realistic fiction-is it? Is it logical, natural, plausible? To what extent does the author rely on coincidence or accident to propel the plot? Is there adequate evidence of character motivation? Or a lack of sufficient urges and drives? Is the story infused with a quality of normalcy, or abnormality? Remember, if a book of fiction is to be successful according to a reviewer, it is not necessarily realistic fiction; a book's realism, or lack thereof, need be addressed by a reviewer only as it compares to the author's intention for the story. See here how David Milofsky addresses the realism of William Trevor's novel The Story of Lucy Gault : "It seems unlikely, to say the least, that longtime residents of a place (going back several generations, we're told) would cut off contact so completely as the Gaults do, but, of course, if this isn't the case there would be no novel. Similarly, it's hard to believe that the lawyer wouldn't be able to contrive a way to contact the absent parents . . . It's a tribute to Trevor's genius that these objections are largely overridden and storytelling takes over."

Form and Technique in Poetry

• Received (given) forms; sonnet, quatrain, villanelle, sestina, haiku, etc.
• Free verse forms.
• Lyric; narrative; dramatic; prose; ballad (folk, literary, popular).
• Point of view; persona or apparently personal.
• Dramatic monologue.
• Tone; irony, satire, etc.
• Intensity, atmosphere, mood.
• Concrete or abstract.
• Denotation, connotation, implication.
• Vulgar, colloquial/informal, formal.
• Syntax, or sentence structure.
• Amount and type of sensory detail.
• Metaphor; simile; personification; allusion.
• Synesthesia; describing a sense impression using words that normally describe another.
• Hyperbole or understatement.
• Metonymy; substituting one word/phrase for another, closely associated word/phrase.
• Synecdoche; using a part to refer to the whole, or the whole to refer to a part.
• Alliteration; repetition of an initial sound in two or more words of a phrase.
• Assonance (repetition of vowels) and/or consonance (repetition of consonants).
• Onomatopoeia; using a word that is defined through both its sound and meaning.
• Euphony (smooth, pleasant sound) vs. cacophony (rough, harsh sound).
• Rhythm (pattern of beats in a stream of sound)-appeals t
• The line; end-stopped (self-enclosed) or enjambed.
• Feet; iambs, trochees, anapests, dactylics, etc.
• Meter; mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, hexa-, etc.
• Repetition.
• Rhyme (corresponding terminal sounds)-appeals t
• True; words sound nearly identical and rhyme on one stressed syllable.
• Slant (near/off); words do not exactly rhyme, but almost rhyme.
• End rhyme (at end of line) and/or internal rhyme (similar sounds within one line).
• Masculine (lines end w/ stressed syllable); feminine (lines end w/ unstressed syllable).

View of Life

It is common for an author to express a view of life through ideas and themes developed in a book. A reviewer identifies and comments on the author's stance. Does the book hold to and/or further develop views apparent in past works? Or make a new statement? Below is a list of popular attitudes, or schools of thought:

• Idealism-emphasis on enduring spirituality as opposed to transient values of materialism.
• Romanticism-focus on emotion and imagination as freedom from the strictly logical.
• Classicism-intellectuality; dominance of the whole over its parts, and form over impulse.
• Realism-adherence to actualities, the logistics of everyday life; objectivity.
• Impressionism-intuition; sense responses to aesthetic objects.
• Naturalism-humans as part of nature; adaption to external environment.

In response to Wilderness and Razor Wire , John Calderazzo discusses the importance of nature in Ken Lamberton's life and writing: "[I]n the prison of his days (to paraphrase W. H. Auden), Lamberton is helped . . . by nature, by the winds and dust and sweet-smelling raindrops that blow down from the nearby mountains, which he sees framed in barbed wire. This is nature unbound, not just out there beyond the walls but slipping in through the bars, swirling around his cell, penetrating even his skin . . . [Swallows] migrate, then return to raise new young in their mud-packed homes, lending solace-and spice-to the impossibly slow turning of the seasons . . . The swallows and many other break-ins from the natural world are also resources of rehabilitation, which Lamberton says is absent from all other aspects of prison life." If comparisons are to be made between a book being reviewed and its predecessors, a reviewer should be familiar with the basic forms and techniques prevalent in works expressing similar viewpoints. Further research and reading are necessary for the reviewer to form intelligent analysis of views of life expressed through writing.

Value and Significance

Often a book review comments on the significance of a new work. This value may be measured in relation to other books in the same genre, works addressing the same subject matter, past and contemporary authors with a similar style, and/or previous works by the same author. In his review of William Trevor's The Story of Lucy Gault , David Milofsky compares the novel to Trevor's past works, and comments on its place in literature in general: "[Trevor]'s been called the Irish Chekhov, but that's not really adequate, since Chekhov never really wrote novels. The truth is that Trevor is sui generis, in a class by himself. While his stories (collected a few years ago in an omnibus volume) are brilliant, novels like The Old Boys and Felicia's Journey are lasting contributions to our literature. He's a literary treasure and never less than interesting reading . . . The Story of Lucy Gault may not be the most accomplished novel of Trevor's distinguished career, but that still places it far beyond most of the fiction that will be written in English this year. It's highly recommended reading." Value is also determined by the universality of application-how and to whom the work applies. Are the book's contents of universal interest? Or does the subject matter limit the book's appeal to a narrow field of individuals? Determining the value and significance of a book depends largely on the knowledge and subjectivity of the reviewer; familiarity with comparable books and authors is required to draw conclusions of this nature.

A book's format, or physical make-up, reflects the ideas of both its author and its publisher. A book reviewer might mention characteristics of format, in relation to suitability and aesthetics. Is the book's size convenient? Is the binding durable? Is the print type legible? Do illustrations, diagrams, and maps, if any, aid the reader's understanding of the material? Is the index correct and complete? Are bibliographies and reference lists present? In response to artwork present in Ken Lamberton's Wilderness and Razor Wire , John Calderazzo comments on both the exactness of the drawings and the possible meaning of this detail-orientedness to Lamberton's life: "[J]ournal entries and small essays [are] complemented by drawings of tarantulas, conenose beetles, horned lizards, and other desert creatures in almost photo-realistic close-up. This is why I suggested that Lamberton may not find himself any closer to 'nature' when he's finally free. How can he get more intimate? . . . All of his drawings, in fact, are rendered in extreme close-up, like visual infatuations writ large. Nothing seems to exist in the distance, which makes me wonder if anything ever does for Lamberton, or ever will."

Planning and Writing

A book review should meet the requirements of any good composition. Clarity, correctness, readability, and interest are very important. A review should give its readers not only an understanding of the reviewer's intellectual response to a book but also an awareness of the basis for this response, through example and analysis. Specific passages from the book are used to exemplify the reviewer's points regarding elements of style, form, and technique. There is no strict pattern for writing book reviews. Guiding the book reviewer's writing process, however, are the three essential objectives of relating what is said in the book, how it is said, and how true and significant it is. As with the planning of a composition, make a list of possible material to use in the review-ideas, responses, information, examples. Study this material to decide what to include in the book review and what proves extraneous. Put the items to include in a suitable order-for instance, from greater to lesser importance. Once the material is organized, a controlling idea for the review emerges; this controlling idea may form the topic sentence of the review, and provides guidance for achieving coherence and focus throughout. Use the topic sentence, in varied forms, in the beginning and end of the review. Once the book reviewer has chosen the proper and adequate material, organized this material effectively, and decided on the main idea and focus to be developed, it is time to write the review.

Like writing the introduction of a composition, there several possible strategies to use for beginning a book review. One type of strategic beginning is prompt definition-assigning meaning to terms in the title of the book, for example, or giving the scope of the review as it relates to the subject and the reviewer's response to the book. Another effective approach is to highlight the origins and past history of the subject treated in the book; this technique may also be used to introduce ideas about genre, style, or view of life, depending on what the reviewer has chosen as the focus of the review. A statement of exclusion shows what will not be addressed in a review and focuses attention on what really will be discussed. At the beginning of his review of Reynold Price's Noble Norfleet , David Milofsky uses a comparison between Price's newest novel and his previous works: "It would be nice to report that Reynolds Price, the distinguished author of more than thirty books, including A Long and Happy Life and Surface of Earth , has added significantly to his oeuvre with his new novel, but such is not the case. Not by a long shot." A reviewer might also quickly catch reader attention by appealing to human interest-perhaps a personal reference or brief anecdote. The anecdote should connect to or exemplify the main focus of the book review. Note the anecdotal technique Wendy Rawlings uses in the introduction of her review of John D'Agata's Halls of Fame : "While on a recent trip to England, I witnessed a cultural exchange that struck me as emblematic of John D'Agata's book of essays, Halls of Fame . An American friend who has spent the past year tolerating a chilly flat in a London suburb for the sake of his British fiancée wanted me to guess the height of the World's Largest Pencil. 'I don't know-eight, nine feet tall?' I said. 'See? See? I knew it!' my friend shouted. He explained that when asked the same question, an English friend had guessed the height of the world's largest pencil to be 'perhaps a foot high, or two.' His modest expectations compared to my great ones (I could not but visualize the World's Largest Pencil as at least a foot taller than an NBA All-Star) represented to my friend something essential about the differences between British and American sensibilities."

Development

The primary focus of a book review is supplied in the beginning paragraph. After this main idea is established, it needs to be developed and justified. Using an organized list of material, the reviewer details the reasons behind the response to the book. References to past history, causes and effects, comparisons and contrasts, and specific passages from the book help illustrate and exemplify this main idea. Personal philosophy and moralization should be kept to a minimum, if included at all; the reader of a book review is interested in unbiased, thoughtful, reasonable, and well-developed ideas pertaining to the book in question. The bulk of a review consists of the development of the reviewer's main idea, the response to the book and the reasons for it. In each of the example reviews that accompany this guide, the reviewers develop their ideas through references to comparable past and contemporary works, analysis of aspects of form and technique, and inclusion of notable passages from the books being reviewed.

Conclusions

The conclusion reflects the focus of the rest of the review, and leaves the reader with a clearly articulated, well-justified final assessment. A restatement of the topic sentence is better than a cursory inspection of less important matters like book format and mechanical make-up. Main emphasis should remain primarily on the qualities and materials of the book being reviewed. At the end of Wendy Rawlings' review of John D'Agata's Halls of Fame , Rawlings summarizes previously stated ideas: "When D'Agata doesn't find the balance, the lyricism borrowed from poetry seems not quite, yet, to fit. I don't wish for D'Agata to join the legions of the smug and ironic, but at certain moments, I begin to wish for authorial presence that will assert itself less forcefully in terms of the arrangement of words on the page, which are often blasted into squadrons separated by asterisks, white space, or unhelpful section headings, and more forcefully on the level of the sentence, as D'Agata does in 'Notes toward the making of a whole human being . . . ,' a five-page essay composed of a single, breathtakingly constructed sentence." The conclusion statement cements the reviewer's recommendation, or lack thereof, of the book. Clearly, this is David Milofsky's aim in the conclusion of his review of Reynold Price's Noble Norfleet : "Even with a failure, it is interesting to read as accomplished a writer as Price, but his new novel cannot be recommended on any other grounds." The final sentence of a review should be both memorable and thought-provoking to the reader. As at the end of John Calderazzo's review of Ken Lamberton's Wilderness and Razor Wire , this final thought might be put in the form of a question: "[R]eading about Lamberton's flawed but exhilarating life makes me wonder about temptation and impetuousness. In light of losing everything, how many of us are still tempted to pursue, just once, some nearby object of desire? And will this constant risk be the prison of all of our days, our lives a landscape of wilderness and razor wire?"

Reviewing Specific Types of Books

The type of book being reviewed raises special considerations as to how to approach the review. Information specific to the categories of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry can be found under the "Form and Technique" heading of this guide. Below are further questions to consider, based on a book's category:

• Does the book give a full-length picture of the subject? Focus on only a portion of life?
• What phases of the subject's life receive greatest space? Is there justification for this?
• What is the point of view of the author?
• Are idiosyncrasies and weaknesses omitted? Treated adequately? Overplayed?
• Does the author endeavor to get at hidden motives?
• What important new facts about the subject's life are revealed in the book?
• Is the subject of the biography still living?
• What source materials were used in the preparation of the book?
• What training has the author had for this kind of work?
• What particular historical period does the book address?
• Is the accound given in broad outline, or in detail?
• Is the style that of reportorial writing, or is there an effort at interpretation?
• Is emphasis on traditional matter, like wars, kings, etc.? Or is it a social history?
• Are dates used extensively and/or intelligently?
• Is the book likely to be out of date soon? Or is it intended to stand the test of time?
• Are maps, illustrations, charts, etc., helpful to the reader?
• o Who is the author, and what right does he/she have to be writing on the subject? o What contributions to knowledge and understanding are made by the book?
• Is the author credible? What is the author's purpose for writing the book?
• Does the book contribute to knowledge of geography, government, folklore, etc.?
• Does the book have news value?
• How effective are plot, pace, style, and characterization? Strengths? Weaknesses?
• Is the ending worthwhile? Predictable?
• o Children's Literature
• o What is the age/interest group for which the book is intended?
• o What is the overall experience/feeling of reading the book?
• o Is the book illustrated? How? By whom?

Publication

There is a good market for the newcomer in book reviewing. Many editors, including those of big-name magazines, do not like to use the same reviewer too often, and this means unknown, unpublished reviewers have good opportunities to break into the field. Send query letters to editors to find out what their publication needs are. Try smaller, special-interest publications first (ethnic, feminist, religious, etc.); if the reviewer has knowledge or affiliation relevant to the publication, it may increase the chances of a positive response from the editor. Stay current with new books, and read other book reviews. Once an assignment for a review is given, produce timely, quality work, specific to requirements set by the editor. Build publication credits with a variety of periodicals; pursue possibilities of starting a regular column for a single newspaper or magazine. Book reviewing is not generally a highly profitable venture, but money can be made, depending on a reviewer's qualifications, reputation, and dedication to the field.

Cress, Janell. (2003). Book Reviews. Writing@CSU . Colorado State University. https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=49

How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide

WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

Traditionally, book reviews are evaluations of a recently published book in any genre. Usually, around the 500 to 700-word mark, they briefly describe a text’s main elements while appraising the work’s strengths and weaknesses. Published book reviews can appear in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. They provide the reader with an overview of the book itself and indicate whether or not the reviewer would recommend the book to the reader.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A BOOK REVIEW?

There was a time when book reviews were a regular appearance in every quality newspaper and many periodicals. They were essential elements in whether or not a book would sell well. A review from a heavyweight critic could often be the deciding factor in whether a book became a bestseller or a damp squib. In the last few decades, however, the book review’s influence has waned considerably, with many potential book buyers preferring to consult customer reviews on Amazon, or sites like Goodreads, before buying. As a result, book review’s appearance in newspapers, journals, and digital media has become less frequent.

WHY BOTHER TEACHING STUDENTS TO WRITE BOOK REVIEWS AT ALL?

Even in the heyday of the book review’s influence, few students who learned the craft of writing a book review became literary critics! The real value of crafting a well-written book review for a student does not lie in their ability to impact book sales. Understanding how to produce a well-written book review helps students to:

●     Engage critically with a text

●     Critically evaluate a text

●     Respond personally to a range of different writing genres

●     Improve their own reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Not to Be Confused with a Book Report!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REVIEW AND A BOOK REPORT?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are clear differences in both the purpose and the format of the two genres. Generally speaking, book reports aim to give a more detailed outline of what occurs in a book. A book report on a work of fiction will tend to give a comprehensive account of the characters, major plot lines, and themes in the book. Book reports are usually written around the K-12 age range, while book reviews tend not to be undertaken by those at the younger end of this age range due to the need for the higher-level critical skills required in writing them. At their highest expression, book reviews are written at the college level and by professional critics.

Learn how to write a book review step by step with our complete guide for students and teachers by familiarizing yourself with the structure and features.

BOOK REVIEW STRUCTURE

ANALYZE Evaluate the book with a critical mind.

THOROUGHNESS The whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. Review the book as a WHOLE.

COMPARE Where appropriate compare to similar texts and genres.

THUMBS UP OR DOWN? You are going to have to inevitably recommend or reject this book to potential readers.

BE CONSISTENT Take a stance and stick with it throughout your review.

FEATURES OF A BOOK REVIEW

PAST TENSE You are writing about a book you have already read.

EMOTIVE LANGUAGE Whatever your stance or opinion be passionate about it. Your audience will thank you for it.

VOICE Both active and passive voice are used in recounts.

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ELEMENTS OF A BOOK REVIEW

As with any of the writing genres we teach our students, a book review can be helpfully explained in terms of criteria. While there is much to the ‘art’ of writing, there is also, thankfully, a lot of the nuts and bolts that can be listed too. Have students consider the following elements before writing:

●     Title: Often, the title of the book review will correspond to the title of the text itself, but there may also be some examination of the title’s relevance. How does it fit into the purpose of the work as a whole? Does it convey a message or reveal larger themes explored within the work?

●     Author: Within the book review, there may be some discussion of who the author is and what they have written before, especially if it relates to the current work being reviewed. There may be some mention of the author’s style and what they are best known for. If the author has received any awards or prizes, this may also be mentioned within the body of the review.

●     Genre: A book review will identify the genre that the book belongs to, whether fiction or nonfiction, poetry, romance, science-fiction, history etc. The genre will likely tie in, too with who the intended audience for the book is and what the overall purpose of the work is.

●     Book Jacket / Cover: Often, a book’s cover will contain artwork that is worthy of comment. It may contain interesting details related to the text that contribute to, or detract from, the work as a whole.

●     Structure: The book’s structure will often be heavily informed by its genre. Have students examine how the book is organized before writing their review. Does it contain a preface from a guest editor, for example? Is it written in sections or chapters? Does it have a table of contents, index, glossary etc.? While all these details may not make it into the review itself, looking at how the book is structured may reveal some interesting aspects.

●     Publisher and Price: A book review will usually contain details of who publishes the book and its cost. A review will often provide details of where the book is available too.

BOOK REVIEW KEY ELEMENTS

As students read and engage with the work they will review, they will develop a sense of the shape their review will take. This will begin with the summary. Encourage students to take notes during the reading of the work that will help them in writing the summary that will form an essential part of their review. Aspects of the book they may wish to take notes on in a work of fiction may include:

●     Characters: Who are the main characters? What are their motivations? Are they convincingly drawn? Or are they empathetic characters?

●     Themes: What are the main themes of the work? Are there recurring motifs in the work? Is the exploration of the themes deep or surface only?

●     Style: What are the key aspects of the writer’s style? How does it fit into the wider literary world?

●     Plot: What is the story’s main catalyst? What happens in the rising action? What are the story’s subplots? 

A book review will generally begin with a short summary of the work itself. However, it is important not to give too much away, remind students – no spoilers, please! For nonfiction works, this may be a summary of the main arguments of the work, again, without giving too much detail away. In a work of fiction, a book review will often summarise up to the rising action of the piece without going beyond to reveal too much!

The summary should also provide some orientation for the reader. Given the nature of the purpose of a review, it is important that students’ consider their intended audience in the writing of their review. Readers will most likely not have read the book in question and will require some orientation. This is often achieved through introductions to the main characters, themes, primary arguments etc. This will help the reader to gauge whether or not the book is of interest to them.

Once your student has summarized the work, it is time to ‘review’ in earnest. At this point, the student should begin to detail their own opinion of the book. To do this well they should:

i. Make It Personal

Often when teaching essay writing we will talk to our students about the importance of climbing up and down the ladder of abstraction. Just as it is helpful to explore large, more abstract concepts in an essay by bringing it down to Earth, in a book review, it is important that students can relate the characters, themes, ideas etc to their own lives.

Book reviews are meant to be subjective. They are opinion pieces, and opinions grow out of our experiences of life. Encourage students to link the work they are writing about to their own personal life within the body of the review. By making this personal connection to the work, students contextualize their opinions for the readers and help them to understand whether the book will be of interest to them or not in the process.

ii. Make It Universal

Just as it is important to climb down the ladder of abstraction to show how the work relates to individual life, it is important to climb upwards on the ladder too. Students should endeavor to show how the ideas explored in the book relate to the wider world. The may be in the form of the universality of the underlying themes in a work of fiction or, for example, the international implications for arguments expressed in a work of nonfiction.

iii. Support Opinions with Evidence

A book review is a subjective piece of writing by its very nature. However, just because it is subjective does not mean that opinions do not need to be justified. Make sure students understand how to back up their opinions with various forms of evidence, for example, quotations, statistics, and the use of primary and secondary sources.

EDIT AND REVISE YOUR BOOK REVIEW

As with any writing genre, encourage students to polish things up with review and revision at the end. Encourage them to proofread and check for accurate spelling throughout, with particular attention to the author’s name, character names, publisher etc. 

It is good practice too for students to double-check their use of evidence. Are statements supported? Are the statistics used correctly? Are the quotations from the text accurate? Mistakes such as these uncorrected can do great damage to the value of a book review as they can undermine the reader’s confidence in the writer’s judgement.

The discipline of writing book reviews offers students opportunities to develop their writing skills and exercise their critical faculties. Book reviews can be valuable standalone activities or serve as a part of a series of activities engaging with a central text. They can also serve as an effective springboard into later discussion work based on the ideas and issues explored in a particular book. Though the book review does not hold the sway it once did in the mind’s of the reading public, it still serves as an effective teaching tool in our classrooms today.

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BOOK REVIEW GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (TEMPLATE)

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Book and Movie review writing examples (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of book reviews.  Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail.  Please take a moment to both read the movie or book review in detail but also the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the key elements of writing a text review

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of book review writing.

We would recommend reading the example either a year above and below, as well as the grade you are currently working with to gain a broader appreciation of this text type .

BOOK REVIEW VIDEO TUTORIALS

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Contributor Bio

Helen vendler, more online by helen vendler.

• In Memoriam: Stratis Haviaras (1935–2020)

On Book Reviewing

By helen vendler.

On December 6, 1990, Harvard professor and eminent literary critic Helen Vendler gave a talk on book reviewing. Somehow the text of this talk found its way into a copy of Erato/Harvard Book Review , where it was discovered twenty-six years later by a Harvard Review staff member who was packing up boxes to send to the University Archives. We are delighted to be able to share these notes and hope you enjoy Professor Vendler’s insights into the duties of a book reviewer.

Writing a book review is a difficult task: it requires us to describe an object that is invisible, to recreate it for someone who has never seen it.

Who is the reader of a review? It is someone coming for the first time to a work—often a work that no one knows very much about. The reviewer needs to know something about the readers: are they experts in the field, interested amateurs, the general public that doesn’t know much about the field or the particular work? Am I writing for my optometrist, my dentist, my taxi driver? What can I assume about them? What do they need to know in order to read my review? One can think about two classes of readers: those who read the review because they think they will want to read the book, and those who read the review because they know they won’t want to read it. Reviewers must be mindful of both groups as they write.

Reviewers are responsible for selecting the important elements of a book and explaining their importance. Though they must be as inclusive as possible, reviewers must learn not to report everything; they must compress. Deftness will help—the insertion of a qualifying phrase, an aside, will set the scene or reveal a trait of character. Try to tuck things into the body of the review; use lists if they will help. Try reducing chapters, even whole books, to a sentence. Then take that reduced statement and decide how to expand it. Remember that publishers set a page limit, and use that limit to help yourself select the central issue, the significant details, the quotations. The first draft is almost always too long; learn to cut without destroying the work.

Where to begin the review: in the Garden of Eden, the English Civil War, or the first lines of Paradise Lost ? “Where do you put in your wedge?” It is useful to think of the development curve of the book. How does it move from A to B, from preface to concluding chapter? Following this curve may help plan the shape of the review.

Reviewers can plot the curve in part by making extracts. Isolate passages that you might want to quote because they illustrate the best and worst characteristics of the book. Compile an anthology, a mini-book. Then reread the quotations. Why did they attract you? What do they illustrate? Which can you use to start the review or to end it? Which will you use to illuminate what points?

What are the desiderata: what would we want or expect to learn from this book? What does the book claim to do? What do we find? Were we disappointed? We can trace for ourselves the curve of expectation and match it to the jagged line of reality, sometimes above, sometimes below that curve. Does the book exceed our expectations or disappoint? Does it make us irritable? How shall we measure or explain the difference between promise and performance?

A review has three main parts: a description of the book, an evaluation, and a defense of the evaluation. Fitting those parts together will vary from review to review.

The first task is to describe, to produce a taxonomy of the book: what kind of book is it? Reviewers should describe the whole and its parts economically. Give readers the big picture, then focus on one piece. Use comparisons and contrasts to give readers a sense of the whole work without describing it in excessive detail. “Unlike Jane Austen, this author …. ”

In most books there’s a slough of despond waiting to trap reviewers: a chapter they don’t want to discuss. (Often this is because the author didn’t much like writing that chapter.) Be fair to the author; recognize the “flabby connective tissue,” but don’t let that weakness overwhelm the book or the review.

Turning to the evaluation of the book, reviewers ask about its context. How does it fit into its era, its nation, the ideological patterns of which it is a witness? Situate the book. How is the topic under discussion seen nowadays; does this book fit the paradigm or does it propose a new model? Ask about its ancestors and about what books it might generate. Books make other books happen. What would we like to see next? What evidence, devices does it use; does it use them well?

These questions reveal the reviewer’s criteria as well as the nature of the book. What framework does the reviewer use to measure the book? What are the standards, the measures by which the curve of expectation was drawn?

There’s one ethical rule for reviewers: read every word, including every footnote, the index, the bibliography, the captions of the pictures. And another rule: don’t review what you don’t feel competent to review.

Writing a book review is like giving oneself a mini-seminar. One has to know an enormous amount about the matter of the book to understand it and be properly critical. Preparing to write is a process of self-education; it involves experience and self-awareness. Critics who are too young haven’t read enough; those who are too old may have lost touch with the center of a generation.

Published on May 24, 2016

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Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

• Annotated Bibliography
• Analyzing a Scholarly Journal Article
• Group Presentations
• Dealing with Nervousness
• Using Visual Aids
• Grading Someone Else's Paper
• Types of Structured Group Activities
• Group Project Survival Skills
• Leading a Class Discussion
• Multiple Book Review Essay
• Reviewing Collected Works
• Writing a Case Analysis Paper
• Writing a Case Study
• About Informed Consent
• Writing Field Notes
• Writing a Policy Memo
• Writing a Reflective Paper
• Writing a Research Proposal
• Generative AI and Writing
• Acknowledgments

A book review is a thorough description, critical analysis, and/or evaluation of the quality, meaning, and significance of a book, often written in relation to prior research on the topic. Reviews generally range from 500-2000 words, but may be longer or shorter depends on several factors: the length and complexity of the book being reviewed, the overall purpose of the review, and whether the review examines two or more books that focus on the same topic. Professors assign book reviews as practice in carefully analyzing complex scholarly texts and to assess your ability to effectively synthesize research so that you reach an informed perspective about the topic being covered.

There are two general approaches to reviewing a book:

• Descriptive review: Presents the content and structure of a book as objectively as possible, describing essential information about a book's purpose and authority. This is done by stating the perceived aims and purposes of the study, often incorporating passages quoted from the text that highlight key elements of the work. Additionally, there may be some indication of the reading level and anticipated audience.
• Critical review: Describes and evaluates the book in relation to accepted literary and historical standards and supports this evaluation with evidence from the text and, in most cases, in contrast to and in comparison with the research of others. It should include a statement about what the author has tried to do, evaluates how well you believe the author has succeeded in meeting the objectives of the study, and presents evidence to support this assessment. For most course assignments, your professor will want you to write this type of review.

Book Reviews. Writing Center. University of New Hampshire; Book Reviews: How to Write a Book Review. Writing and Style Guides. Libraries. Dalhousie University; Kindle, Peter A. "Teaching Students to Write Book Reviews." Contemporary Rural Social Work 7 (2015): 135-141; Erwin, R. W. “Reviewing Books for Scholarly Journals.” In Writing and Publishing for Academic Authors . Joseph M. Moxley and Todd Taylor. 2 nd edition. (Lanham, MD: Rowan and Littlefield, 1997), pp. 83-90.

How to Approach Writing Your Review

NOTE:   Since most course assignments require that you write a critical rather than descriptive book review, the following information about preparing to write and developing the structure and style of reviews focuses on this approach.

I.  Common Features

While book reviews vary in tone, subject, and style, they share some common features. These include:

• A review gives the reader a concise summary of the content . This includes a description of the research topic and scope of analysis as well as an overview of the book's overall perspective, argument, and purpose.
• A review offers a critical assessment of the content in relation to other studies on the same topic . This involves documenting your reactions to the work under review--what strikes you as noteworthy or important, whether or not the arguments made by the author(s) were effective or persuasive, and how the work enhanced your understanding of the research problem under investigation.
• In addition to analyzing a book's strengths and weaknesses, a scholarly review often recommends whether or not readers would value the work for its authenticity and overall quality . This measure of quality includes both the author's ideas and arguments and covers practical issues, such as, readability and language, organization and layout, indexing, and, if needed, the use of non-textual elements .

To maintain your focus, always keep in mind that most assignments ask you to discuss a book's treatment of its topic, not the topic itself . Your key sentences should say, "This book shows...,” "The study demonstrates...," or “The author argues...," rather than "This happened...” or “This is the case....”

II.  Developing a Critical Assessment Strategy

There is no definitive methodological approach to writing a book review in the social sciences, although it is necessary that you think critically about the research problem under investigation before you begin to write. Therefore, writing a book review is a three-step process: 1) carefully taking notes as you read the text; 2) developing an argument about the value of the work under consideration; and, 3) clearly articulating that argument as you write an organized and well-supported assessment of the work.

A useful strategy in preparing to write a review is to list a set of questions that should be answered as you read the book [remember to note the page numbers so you can refer back to the text!]. The specific questions to ask yourself will depend upon the type of book you are reviewing. For example, a book that is presenting original research about a topic may require a different set of questions to ask yourself than a work where the author is offering a personal critique of an existing policy or issue.

Here are some sample questions that can help you think critically about the book:

• Thesis or Argument . What is the central thesis—or main argument—of the book? If the author wanted you to get one main idea from the book, what would it be? How does it compare or contrast to the world that you know or have experienced? What has the book accomplished? Is the argument clearly stated and does the research support this?
• Topic . What exactly is the subject or topic of the book? Is it clearly articulated? Does the author cover the subject adequately? Does the author cover all aspects of the subject in a balanced fashion? Can you detect any biases? What type of approach has the author adopted to explore the research problem [e.g., topical, analytical, chronological, descriptive]?
• Evidence . How does the author support their argument? What evidence does the author use to prove their point? Is the evidence based on an appropriate application of the method chosen to gather information? Do you find that evidence convincing? Why or why not? Does any of the author's information [or conclusions] conflict with other books you've read, courses you've taken, or just previous assumptions you had about the research problem?
• Structure . How does the author structure their argument? Does it follow a logical order of analysis? What are the parts that make up the whole? Does the argument make sense to you? Does it persuade you? Why or why not?
• Take-aways . How has this book helped you understand the research problem? Would you recommend the book to others? Why or why not?

Beyond the content of the book, you may also consider some information about the author and the general presentation of information. Question to ask may include:

• The Author: Who is the author? The nationality, political persuasion, education, intellectual interests, personal history, and historical context may provide crucial details about how a work takes shape. Does it matter, for example, that the author is affiliated with a particular organization? What difference would it make if the author participated in the events they wrote about? What other topics has the author written about? Does this work build on prior research or does it represent a new or unique area of research?
• The Presentation: What is the book's genre? Out of what discipline does it emerge? Does it conform to or depart from the conventions of its genre? These questions can provide a historical or other contextual standard upon which to base your evaluations. If you are reviewing the first book ever written on the subject, it will be important for your readers to know this. Keep in mind, though, that declarative statements about being the “first,” the "best," or the "only" book of its kind can be a risky unless you're absolutely certain because your professor [presumably] has a much better understanding of the overall research literature.

NOTE: Most critical book reviews examine a topic in relation to prior research. A good strategy for identifying this prior research is to examine sources the author(s) cited in the chapters introducing the research problem and, of course, any review of the literature. However, you should not assume that the author's references to prior research is authoritative or complete. If any works related to the topic have been excluded, your assessment of the book should note this . Be sure to consult with a librarian to ensure that any additional studies are located beyond what has been cited by the author(s).

Book Reviews. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Book Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Hartley, James. "Reading and Writing Book Reviews Across the Disciplines." Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 57 (July 2006): 1194–1207;   Motta-Roth, D. “Discourse Analysis and Academic Book Reviews: A Study of Text and Disciplinary Cultures.”  In Genre Studies in English for Academic Purposes . Fortanet Gómez, Inmaculada  et  al., editors. (Castellò de la Plana: Publicacions de la Universitat Jaume I, 1998), pp. 29-45. Writing a Book Review. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Writing Book Reviews. Writing Tutorial Services, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Indiana University; Suárez, Lorena and Ana I. Moreno. “The Rhetorical Structure of Academic Journal Book Reviews: A Cross-linguistic and Cross-disciplinary Approach .” In Asociación Europea de Lenguas para Fines Específicos, María del Carmen Pérez Llantada Auría, Ramón Plo Alastrué, and Claus Peter Neumann. Actas del V Congreso Internacional AELFE/Proceedings of the 5th International AELFE Conference . Zaragoza: Universidad de Zaragoza, 2006.

Structure and Writing Style

I.  Bibliographic Information

Bibliographic information refers to the essential elements of a work if you were to cite it in a paper [i.e., author, title, date of publication, etc.]. Provide the essential information about the book using the writing style [e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago] preferred by your professor or used by the discipline of your major . Depending on how your professor wants you to organize your review, the bibliographic information represents the heading of your review. In general, it would look like this:

[Complete title of book. Author or authors. Place of publication. Publisher. Date of publication. Number of pages before first chapter, often in Roman numerals. Total number of pages]. The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle over American History . By Jill Lepore. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2010. xii, 207 pp.)

Reviewed by [your full name].

II.  Scope/Purpose/Content

Begin your review by telling the reader not only the overarching concern of the book in its entirety [the subject area] but also what the author's particular point of view is on that subject [the thesis statement]. If you cannot find an adequate statement in the author's own words or if you find that the thesis statement is not well-developed, then you will have to compose your own introductory thesis statement that does cover all the material. This statement should be no more than one paragraph and must be succinctly stated, accurate, and unbiased.

If you find it difficult to discern the overall aims and objectives of the book [and, be sure to point this out in your review if you determine that this is a deficiency], you may arrive at an understanding of the book's overall purpose by assessing the following:

• Scan the table of contents because it can help you understand how the book was organized and will aid in determining the author's main ideas and how they were developed [e.g., chronologically, topically, historically, etc.].
• Why did the author write on this subject rather than on some other subject?
• From what point of view is the work written?
• Was the author trying to give information, to explain something technical, or to convince the reader of a belief’s validity by dramatizing it in action?
• What is the general field or genre, and how does the book fit into it? If necessary, review related literature from other books and journal articles to familiarize yourself with the field.
• Who is the intended audience?
• What is the author's style? Is it formal or informal? You can evaluate the quality of the writing style by noting some of the following standards: coherence, clarity, originality, forcefulness, accurate use of technical words, conciseness, fullness of development, and fluidity [i.e., quality of the narrative flow].
• How did the book affect you? Were there any prior assumptions you had about the subject that were changed, abandoned, or reinforced after reading the book? How is the book related to your own personal beliefs or assumptions? What personal experiences have you had related to the subject that affirm or challenge underlying assumptions?
• How well has the book achieved the goal(s) set forth in the preface, introduction, and/or foreword?
• Would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not?

III.  Note the Method

Support your remarks with specific references to text and quotations that help to illustrate the literary method used to state the research problem, describe the research design, and analyze the findings. In general, authors tend to use the following literary methods, exclusively or in combination.

• Description : The author depicts scenes and events by giving specific details that appeal to the five senses, or to the reader’s imagination. The description presents background and setting. Its primary purpose is to help the reader realize, through as many details as possible, the way persons, places, and things are situated within the phenomenon being described.
• Narration : The author tells the story of a series of events, usually thematically or in chronological order. In general, the emphasis in scholarly books is on narration of the events. Narration tells what has happened and, in some cases, using this method to forecast what could happen in the future. Its primary purpose is to draw the reader into a story and create a contextual framework for understanding the research problem.
• Exposition : The author uses explanation and analysis to present a subject or to clarify an idea. Exposition presents the facts about a subject or an issue clearly and as impartially as possible. Its primary purpose is to describe and explain, to document for the historical record an event or phenomenon.
• Argument : The author uses techniques of persuasion to establish understanding of a particular truth, often in the form of addressing a research question, or to convince the reader of its falsity. The overall aim is to persuade the reader to believe something and perhaps to act on that belief. Argument takes sides on an issue and aims to convince the reader that the author's position is valid, logical, and/or reasonable.

IV.  Critically Evaluate the Contents

Critical comments should form the bulk of your book review . State whether or not you feel the author's treatment of the subject matter is appropriate for the intended audience. Ask yourself:

• Has the purpose of the book been achieved?
• What contributions does the book make to the field?
• Is the treatment of the subject matter objective or at least balanced in describing all sides of a debate?
• Are there facts and evidence that have been omitted?
• What kinds of data, if any, are used to support the author's thesis statement?
• Can the same data be interpreted to explain alternate outcomes?
• Is the writing style clear and effective?
• Does the book raise important or provocative issues or topics for discussion?
• Does the book bring attention to the need for further research?
• What has been left out?

Support your evaluation with evidence from the text and, when possible, state the book's quality in relation to other scholarly sources. If relevant, note of the book's format, such as, layout, binding, typography, etc. Are there tables, charts, maps, illustrations, text boxes, photographs, or other non-textual elements? Do they aid in understanding the text? Describing this is particularly important in books that contain a lot of non-textual elements.

NOTE:   It is important to carefully distinguish your views from those of the author so as not to confuse your reader. Be clear when you are describing an author's point of view versus expressing your own.

V.  Examine the Front Matter and Back Matter

Front matter refers to any content before the first chapter of the book. Back matter refers to any information included after the final chapter of the book . Front matter is most often numbered separately from the rest of the text in lower case Roman numerals [i.e. i - xi ]. Critical commentary about front or back matter is generally only necessary if you believe there is something that diminishes the overall quality of the work [e.g., the indexing is poor] or there is something that is particularly helpful in understanding the book's contents [e.g., foreword places the book in an important context].

Front matter that may be considered for evaluation when reviewing its overall quality:

• Table of contents -- is it clear? Is it detailed or general? Does it reflect the true contents of the book? Does it help in understanding a logical sequence of content?
• Author biography -- also found as back matter, the biography of author(s) can be useful in determining the authority of the writer and whether the book builds on prior research or represents new research. In scholarly reviews, noting the author's affiliation and prior publications can be a factor in helping the reader determine the overall validity of the work [i.e., are they associated with a research center devoted to studying the problem under investigation].
• Foreword -- the purpose of a foreword is to introduce the reader to the author and the content of the book, and to help establish credibility for both. A foreword may not contribute any additional information about the book's subject matter, but rather, serves as a means of validating the book's existence. In these cases, the foreword is often written by a leading scholar or expert who endorses the book's contributions to advancing research about the topic. Later editions of a book sometimes have a new foreword prepended [appearing before an older foreword, if there was one], which may be included to explain how the latest edition differs from previous editions. These are most often written by the author.
• Acknowledgements -- scholarly studies in the social sciences often take many years to write, so authors frequently acknowledge the help and support of others in getting their research published. This can be as innocuous as acknowledging the author's family or the publisher. However, an author may acknowledge prominent scholars or subject experts, staff at key research centers, people who curate important archival collections, or organizations that funded the research. In these particular cases, it may be worth noting these sources of support in your review, particularly if the funding organization is biased or its mission is to promote a particular agenda.
• Preface -- generally describes the genesis, purpose, limitations, and scope of the book and may include acknowledgments of indebtedness to people who have helped the author complete the study. Is the preface helpful in understanding the study? Does it provide an effective framework for understanding what's to follow?
• Chronology -- also may be found as back matter, a chronology is generally included to highlight key events related to the subject of the book. Do the entries contribute to the overall work? Is it detailed or very general?
• List of non-textual elements -- a book that contains numerous charts, photographs, maps, tables, etc. will often list these items after the table of contents in the order that they appear in the text. Is this useful?

Back matter that may be considered for evaluation when reviewing its overall quality:

• Afterword -- this is a short, reflective piece written by the author that takes the form of a concluding section, final commentary, or closing statement. It is worth mentioning in a review if it contributes information about the purpose of the book, gives a call to action, summarizes key recommendations or next steps, or asks the reader to consider key points made in the book.
• Appendix -- is the supplementary material in the appendix or appendices well organized? Do they relate to the contents or appear superfluous? Does it contain any essential information that would have been more appropriately integrated into the text?
• Index -- are there separate indexes for names and subjects or one integrated index. Is the indexing thorough and accurate? Are elements used, such as, bold or italic fonts to help identify specific places in the book? Does the index include "see also" references to direct you to related topics?
• Glossary of Terms -- are the definitions clearly written? Is the glossary comprehensive or are there key terms missing? Are any terms or concepts mentioned in the text not included that should have been?
• Endnotes -- examine any endnotes as you read from chapter to chapter. Do they provide important additional information? Do they clarify or extend points made in the body of the text? Should any notes have been better integrated into the text rather than separated? Do the same if the author uses footnotes.
• Bibliography/References/Further Readings -- review any bibliography, list of references to sources, and/or further readings the author may have included. What kinds of sources appear [e.g., primary or secondary, recent or old, scholarly or popular, etc.]? How does the author make use of them? Be sure to note important omissions of sources that you believe should have been utilized, including important digital resources or archival collections.

VI.  Summarize and Comment

State your general conclusions briefly and succinctly. Pay particular attention to the author's concluding chapter and/or afterword. Is the summary convincing? List the principal topics, and briefly summarize the author’s ideas about these topics, main points, and conclusions. If appropriate and to help clarify your overall evaluation, use specific references to text and quotations to support your statements. If your thesis has been well argued, the conclusion should follow naturally. It can include a final assessment or simply restate your thesis. Do not introduce new information in the conclusion. If you've compared the book to any other works or used other sources in writing the review, be sure to cite them at the end of your book review in the same writing style as your bibliographic heading of the book.

Book Reviews. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Book Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Gastel, Barbara. "Special Books Section: A Strategy for Reviewing Books for Journals." BioScience 41 (October 1991): 635-637; Hartley, James. "Reading and Writing Book Reviews Across the Disciplines." Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 57 (July 2006): 1194–1207; Lee, Alexander D., Bart N. Green, Claire D. Johnson, and Julie Nyquist. "How to Write a Scholarly Book Review for Publication in a Peer-reviewed Journal: A Review of the Literature." Journal of Chiropractic Education 24 (2010): 57-69; Nicolaisen, Jeppe. "The Scholarliness of Published Peer Reviews: A Bibliometric Study of Book Reviews in Selected Social Science Fields." Research Evaluation 11 (2002): 129-140;.Procter, Margaret. The Book Review or Article Critique. The Lab Report. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Reading a Book to Review It. The Writer’s Handbook. Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison; Scarnecchia, David L. "Writing Book Reviews for the Journal Of Range Management and Rangelands." Rangeland Ecology and Management 57 (2004): 418-421; Simon, Linda. "The Pleasures of Book Reviewing." Journal of Scholarly Publishing 27 (1996): 240-241; Writing a Book Review. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Writing Book Reviews. Writing Tutorial Services, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Indiana University.

Writing Tip

Always Read the Foreword and/or the Preface

If they are included in the front matter, a good place for understanding a book's overall purpose, organization, contributions to further understanding of the research problem, and relationship to other studies is to read the preface and the foreword. The foreword may be written by someone other than the author or editor and can be a person who is famous or who has name recognition within the discipline. A foreword is often included to add credibility to the work.

The preface is usually an introductory essay written by the author or editor. It is intended to describe the book's overall purpose, arrangement, scope, and overall contributions to the literature. When reviewing the book, it can be useful to critically evaluate whether the goals set forth in the foreword and/or preface were actually achieved. At the very least, they can establish a foundation for understanding a study's scope and purpose as well as its significance in contributing new knowledge.

Distinguishing between a Foreword, a Preface, and an Introduction . Book Creation Learning Center. Greenleaf Book Group, 2019.

Locating Book Reviews

There are several databases the USC Libraries subscribes to that include the full-text or citations to book reviews. Short, descriptive reviews can also be found at book-related online sites such as Amazon , although it's not always obvious who has written them and may actually be created by the publisher. The following databases provide comprehensive access to scholarly, full-text book reviews:

• ProQuest [1983-present]
• Book Review Digest Retrospective [1905-1982]

Some Language for Evaluating Texts

It can be challenging to find the proper vocabulary from which to discuss and evaluate a book. Here is a list of some active verbs for referring to texts and ideas that you might find useful:

• account for
• demonstrate
• distinguish
• investigate

Examples of usage

• "The evidence indicates that..."
• "This work assesses the effect of..."
• "The author identifies three key reasons for..."
• "This book questions the view that..."
• "This work challenges assumptions about...."

Paquot, Magali. Academic Keyword List. Centre for English Corpus Linguistics. Université Catholique de Louvain.

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The Importance of Book Reviews to Authors and Readers

• August 25, 2023

Table of Contents:

Reasons why book reviews are important, 1- engages readers:, 2- increasing credibility and visibility:, 3- word-of-mouth marketing:, 4- enhances writing skills:, 5- authentic feedback and improvement:, 6- decision-making for readers:, 7- increases sales:, 8- the power of negative reviews:, 9- helps in brand building:, the future of book reviews, digital platforms:, user-generated reviews:, multimedia book reviews:, customized book suggestions:, conclusion:.

Book Reviews are important for writers and readers in literature, which is huge and growing constantly. They are a way for the author and the reader to talk to each other and give each other important information about the quality, effect, and importance of a literary work.

A review is a thoughtful assessment of a text, event, item, or thing. Reviews can be about books, articles, whole genres or areas of literature, architecture, art, fashion, restaurants, policies, exhibitions, performances, etc. This paper will be all about reviews of books. 

Book Reviews are very important in the book world. If an unknown or new author writes a book, readers need to read the reviews before they buy it. These reviews help people decide if the money they will spend on a book is worth it.

It allows people to talk about how they felt about the book. Most reviews are written to help you and other readers understand the work and decide whether to buy it. Good reviews tell others about your work and are an important part of how you sell it.  

They get people interested in your book more than a summary or introduction can. 

So, as an author, reviews are important for you to connect with your fans and get the word out about your great work.

Book Reviews are a key part of proving that an author is trustworthy. In a business with a lot of books, good reviews can show that the author is talented and that the book is worth reading. These recommendations add to how credible the author seems and how likely their work will do well.

Also, reviews can greatly affect how well-known an author is. When ranking search results, search engines like Google consider how many and how good the reviews are. Positive reviews can strengthen an author’s online profile, making them more visible and easy to find.

Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the best ways to get people to buy something. Reviews, especially ones that show excitement and satisfaction, can get people talking about books with their friends and in online groups. Good reviews make people talk about skilled authors and want to read more of their work. Word-of-mouth marketing has a spread effect that increases an author’s reach and the number of people who might want to read their books.

Now, you should know how important it is to ask your readers for feedback. It is useful and helps you greatly as you write and improve. It helps you become a well-known and famous author. 

Constructive feedback from the best book writing services in the USA helps you see your writing from a different angle and shows you where you’re doing well and where you need to improve. It keeps you going and gives you a reason to work hard.

Not all reviews are real, and trolls write some. Some reviews give you important information, and others praise your work. It would be best if you always tried to do things positively. 

It’s important to know the point of view of your target group, excluding yourself and your friends. These reviews can be helpful because they point out things that you might not notice on your own. 

Reviews are a good way for authors to get feedback. Reviews give authors a chance to grow and improve by giving them constructive advice. By looking at what readers say, writers can learn a lot about what parts of their writing work well with their audience and what parts could use some work. This feedback loop helps writers get better at what they do so that they can write even better stories in the future.

Book reviews are an important part of the decision-making process for readers. Since there are so many choices, readers often use the opinions of others to help them decide what to read. Reviews tell readers a lot about a book’s plot, writing style, character development, and general feeling, which helps them decide if it’s something they’d like to read.

By reading various reviews, readers can understand how most people feel about a book and make smart choices about which ones to spend their time and money on. Readers can use reviews to try new styles, find new authors, and dive into literary worlds that interest them.

The producers use a lot of different ways to market a book to get more people to buy it. For example, they can hire book review writing services to write good reviews or run ad campaigns on social media to make the book known. But a review can also help you a lot in making more sales. Reviews help people trust you and make it easy for them to find you. 

But if you are new to the writing community and self-publish your book, readers will not likely trust you or your writing. In this case, a good review with a summary can greatly help. Most readers want to know what the book is about, including the plot, characters, and tale, before deciding whether to buy it.

Readers’ comments make your book easy to find. And can help you move up in the search results on sites like a professional ebook writing agency in the USA . Reviews also help your search engine optimization because reviews use keywords like the book’s title, author’s name, genre, and chapter titles.

The more often these buzzwords are used in a review, the higher they appear in search results. A good review will eventually bring more people to your page, leading to a big jump in sales. But services that help you write reviews can help you reach your goal.

People usually look for good reviews, but even bad reviews can be helpful. Critiques that are honest and helpful help readers make well-rounded judgments and allow writers to improve. Negative reviews show where a book might not be as good as it could be or where readers’ hopes are unmet. By looking at these reviews, writers can see where they can improve and work to improve their work.

As an author, building your name can help you reach out to people who like your genre. Putting together a brand helps sell your book. It makes you a reliable author and gives new readers a sense of trust. It turns them into fans who can’t wait for your next book. 

You might be wondering how reviews help build your business. It’s easy to figure out. 

However, book reviewers can build your business like no one else. They talk about things like the characters, how good the writing is, or what kind of work it is. They tell people what kind of book you wrote and how you like to write, which helps you do well in that field. 

For example, if you’re a writer who knows how to write well for Sci-Fi and mystery tales, you can reach out to people who like these kinds of books. Ultimately, your audience will have more faith in your writing skills as more reviews say things that build your brand.

Several trends and new things are likely to shape the future of book reviews. Here are some possibilities:

As technology keeps improving, reviews will likely move to digital platforms more and more. Online venues like social media and stores will become the best places to share and read reviews. These platforms are easy to use and allow you to reach a larger community.

As social media and internet communities become more popular, user-generated reviews will greatly impact how reviews are written in the future. Therefore, readers will continue to share their thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms through Goodreads, Amazon, and niche book review sites. It makes reviewing more open to different points of view and a wider variety of ideas.

As technology changes, more multimedia aspects may be added to reviews. Traditional reviews could be made better by adding audio or video material. It would allow reviewers to create more engaging and interactive experiences. Video reviews, podcasts, and YouTube feeds about books may become common ways to share reviews.

As artificial intelligence and machine learning improve, customized book suggestions will get more common. Similarly, algorithms will look at each reader’s preferences, browsing habits, and social interactions to make ideas more relevant to them. It will help people find books that are like the ones they like and make reviews more useful.

Reviews of books are very important for both writers and readers. They show that an author is trustworthy, gives the author feedback on improvement, encourages word-of-mouth marketing, helps readers make decisions, and creates a space for interesting conversations. Both authors and readers can learn a lot from what book reviews say and the links they make.

So, whether you’re a writer trying to make a name for yourself in the literary world or a reader looking for your next literary adventure, it can help.

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How to Write a Book Review: Awesome Guide

A book review allows students to illustrate the author's intentions of writing the piece, as well as create a criticism of the book — as a whole. In other words, form an opinion of the author's presented ideas. Check out this guide from EssayPro — book review writing service to learn how to write a book review successfully.

What Is a Book Review?

You may prosper, “what is a book review?”. Book reviews are commonly assigned students to allow them to show a clear understanding of the novel. And to check if the students have actually read the book. The essay format is highly important for your consideration, take a look at the book review format below.

Book reviews are assigned to allow students to present their own opinion regarding the author’s ideas included in the book or passage. They are a form of literary criticism that analyzes the author’s ideas, writing techniques, and quality. A book analysis is entirely opinion-based, in relevance to the book. They are good practice for those who wish to become editors, due to the fact, editing requires a lot of criticism.

Book Review Template

The book review format includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.

• Introduction
• Describe the book cover and title.
• Include any subtitles at this stage.
• Include the Author’s Name.
• Write a brief description of the novel.
• Briefly introduce the main points of the body in your book review.
• Avoid mentioning any opinions at this time.
• Use about 3 quotations from the author’s novel.
• Summarize the quotations in your own words.
• Mention your own point-of-view of the quotation.
• Remember to keep every point included in its own paragraph.
• In brief, summarize the quotations.
• In brief, summarize the explanations.
• Finish with a concluding sentence.
• This can include your final opinion of the book.
• Star-Rating (Optional).

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How to Write a Book Review: Step-By-Step

Writing a book review is something that can be done with every novel. Book reviews can apply to all novels, no matter the genre. Some genres may be harder than others. On the other hand, the book review format remains the same. Take a look at these step-by-step instructions from our professional writers to learn how to write a book review in-depth.

Step 1: Planning

Create an essay outline which includes all of the main points you wish to summarise in your book analysis. Include information about the characters, details of the plot, and some other important parts of your chosen novel. Reserve a body paragraph for each point you wish to talk about.

Consider these points before writing:

• What is the plot of the book? Understanding the plot enables you to write an effective review.
• Is the plot gripping? Does the plot make you want to continue reading the novel? Did you enjoy the plot? Does it manage to grab a reader’s attention?
• Are the writing techniques used by the author effective? Does the writer imply factors in-between the lines? What are they?
• Are the characters believable? Are the characters logical? Does the book make the characters are real while reading?
• Would you recommend the book to anyone? The most important thing: would you tell others to read this book? Is it good enough? Is it bad?
• What could be better? Keep in mind the quotes that could have been presented better. Criticize the writer.

Step 2: Introduction

Presumably, you have chosen your book. To begin, mention the book title and author’s name. Talk about the cover of the book. Write a thesis statement regarding the fictitious story or non-fictional novel. Which briefly describes the quoted material in the book review.

Step 3: Body

Choose a specific chapter or scenario to summarise. Include about 3 quotes in the body. Create summaries of each quote in your own words. It is also encouraged to include your own point-of-view and the way you interpret the quote. It is highly important to have one quote per paragraph.

Step 4: Conclusion

Write a summary of the summarised quotations and explanations, included in the body paragraphs. After doing so, finish book analysis with a concluding sentence to show the bigger picture of the book. Think to yourself, “Is it worth reading?”, and answer the question in black and white. However, write in-between the lines. Avoid stating “I like/dislike this book.”

Step 5: Rate the Book (Optional)

After writing a book review, you may want to include a rating. Including a star-rating provides further insight into the quality of the book, to your readers. Book reviews with star-ratings can be more effective, compared to those which don’t. Though, this is entirely optional.

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Writing Tips

Here is the list of tips for the book review:

• A long introduction can certainly lower one’s grade: keep the beginning short. Readers don’t like to read the long introduction for any essay style.
• It is advisable to write book reviews about fiction: it is not a must. Though, reviewing fiction can be far more effective than writing about a piece of nonfiction
• Avoid Comparing: avoid comparing your chosen novel with other books you have previously read. Doing so can be confusing for the reader.
• Opinion Matters: including your own point-of-view is something that is often encouraged when writing book reviews.
• Refer to Templates: a book review template can help a student get a clearer understanding of the required writing style.
• Don’t be Afraid to Criticize: usually, your own opinion isn’t required for academic papers below Ph.D. level. On the other hand, for book reviews, there’s an exception.
• Use Positivity: include a fair amount of positive comments and criticism.
• Review The Chosen Novel: avoid making things up. Review only what is presented in the chosen book.
• Enjoyed the book? If you loved reading the book, state it. Doing so makes your book analysis more personalized.

Writing a book review is something worth thinking about. Professors commonly assign this form of an assignment to students to enable them to express a grasp of a novel. Following the book review format is highly useful for beginners, as well as reading step-by-step instructions. Writing tips is also useful for people who are new to this essay type. If you need a book review or essay, ask our book report writing services ' write paper for me ' and we'll give you a hand asap!

We also recommend that everyone read the article about essay topics . It will help broaden your horizons in writing a book review as well as other papers.

Book Review Examples

Referring to a book review example is highly useful to those who wish to get a clearer understanding of how to review a book. Take a look at our examples written by our professional writers. Click on the button to open the book review examples and feel free to use them as a reference.

Book review

Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’

Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’ is a novel aimed at youngsters. The plot, itself, is not American humor, but that of Great Britain. In terms of sarcasm, and British-related jokes. The novel illustrates a fair mix of the relationships between the human-like animals, and wildlife. The narrative acts as an important milestone in post-Victorian children’s literature.

Book Review

Dr. John’s ‘Pollution’

Dr. John’s ‘Pollution’ consists of 3 major parts. The first part is all about the polluted ocean. The second being about the pollution of the sky. The third part is an in-depth study of how humans can resolve these issues. The book is a piece of non-fiction that focuses on modern-day pollution ordeals faced by both animals and humans on Planet Earth. It also focuses on climate change, being the result of the global pollution ordeal.

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What to include in a book review, what is a book review, related articles.

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Importance of book reviews (and how to get them).

In the world of self-publishing, there is nothing more important than marketing. That’s where the importance of book reviews come in.

Book reviews inspire confidence in readers. A book listed on Amazon without a single review probably won’t get very far. It tells your potential readers that people have enjoyed your book. It also allows your readers to figure out if the book is really for them. A reader’s description of your book may appeal to other readers where your cover copy doesn’t. For example, if someone describes a book on cooking as having ‘brilliant weekday meals,’ another reader, who may be looking for weekday meal recipes, may be more inspired to pick it up, so they don’t have to risk the money on an untested book. Readers’ descriptions help to narrow in on your market, highlighting aspects of the book that your ideal readers are looking for.

Importance of Book Reviews

Review culture on the internet is enormous, and many consumers are still wary of online shopping. Customers are particularly unsure of products with no consumer reviews, including books. Stores like Kindle are full of books, and some are much better quality than others. Regular shoppers are likely to have spent money on a poorly written book before and are now more cautious about buying. But if your book has several good reviews, the buyer’s faith in your product is higher.

Reviews work excellently with the algorithms used by online stores. The more reviews you get, the more shoppers are shown your book. The more shoppers see your book, the more sales you’re going to make. If you can legitimately tap into this, you have a fantastic marketing opportunity. However, most significant bookstores have strict guidelines on how you obtain reviews, and who can leave you a review. Amazon’s review policy disallows incentivizing reviews, or for anyone who knows you or the project (i.e., an editor or cover designer), to leave you a review. The good thing about this, though, is that book reviews are (almost) free marketing, and consumer-based, word-of-mouth marketing can be hugely successful.

With those guidelines in mind, how do you obtain legitimate reviews? There are several ways:

• Netgalley: at either $450 or $849, Netgalley is far from being your cheapest option, but it does give you access to book reviewers, as well as a spot in their newsletter (on the pricier plan). Netgalley allows you to check out reviewers, including the percentage of books received that they reviewed and the kind of stats they have on their blog or social media sites. This means you can curate your reviewers more carefully, and gain more reviews on high traffic sites.
• Bloggers: approaching bloggers is another great way to source reviews, but be sure to check out both the blog and the blogger’s review policy before you contact them. It helps if you connect with the blogger first by reading some of their posts and commenting or interacting with them on social media. Make sure you pick a blog that works for your book.
• Goodreads: Goodreads is a book cataloging site that lets readers create lists and track the books and authors they like. As an author, you can create an author page, link to your website and social media, and write a blog. You can also host giveaways of your book, which may lead to reviews. Some other social networking sites for readers and writers are Litsy, LibraryThing, Storygraph, and Byzans.
• Blog Tours: another expensive option, but if you want to get eyeballs on your books, consider paying a reputable company to organize a blog tour. Blog tours usually involve several blogs hosting content relating to your book and generally a giveaway, including copies of the book. Some bloggers may be provided with a copy of your book to create content for you, possibly even a review.
• Calls to Action: leave a polite reminder to review at the end of your book. If it’s an ebook, you can also provide the link for readers to hop straight over to the review page. It helps to tell people that just a few words and a star rating can help you a great deal.

Good reviews can get more people to buy and read your book. Encourage your readers to leave reviews, but remember not to break online store guidelines.

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Why are book reviews so important?

A book review is a kind of a report, summary or opinion of a reader expressed about a book. A book review can be a one-line sentence or an entire paragraph; it can be good as well as bad, depending solely on the reader’s experience. A book review is more authentic and personal than word-of-mouth or just a five-star rating and focuses more on an individual’s reading experience and thought process. Although book reviews differ from reader to reader, based on their personal experiences, it is valuable to have a lot of reviews. 

Books are reviewed for various mediums like newspapers, magazines, blogs and so on. These reviews help in getting it noticed and reaching the maximum possible audience. 

Book reviews help authors in many ways, which makes them quite important. Mentioned below are some reasons why book reviews are important –

Resource for Readers

Now we all know that reading a book can be time-consuming at times, and it is nothing like watching a movie or listening to a podcast; also, it might get a little disappointing when the book is not what one expected it to be. 

Having a book review will save readers time and give them a sneak peek of the book. A book review conveys the genre, tone and a slight impression of the book’s quality, and it provides them familiarity with the book whilst saving time. 

Makes the book noticeable

We all are quite aware of the fact that readers don’t just invest their time in a book merely based on word of mouth or a five-star rating. It will take more than this to influence a purchase, and a book review will work as a turning point for an author and craft a path to success before it’s even published. A great review works as good publicity for authors and helps their book get noticed. 

Sets a benchmark

Book reviews help set a benchmark for an author and his work. Though all readers are entitled to their reviews, it is recommended to avoid any kind of negative review for an established writer and a fresh author. 

Book reviews raise the bar for both established and new authors and eventually bring them the right kind of readership that will help them reach the target audience.

Offer insights about the author’s book

Book reviews are the most effective way to gain insight into one’s own creation. An honest book review enables an author to receive constructive criticism and work on areas that require improvement. A positive review can boost confidence and highlight the positive aspects, whereas a negative review can help the author focus on the areas that need improvement.

Increase in Sales 

Book reviews help provide a validation that determines the worth of a book. Books with numerous reviews appear to be more popular and have higher sales than books with fewer book reviews. Human nature gets curious about popular things and about things that portray some sort of guarantee. As a result, more book reviews will improve sales. 

So, there you have it, “ Why are book reviews so important?” Don’t forget to check out our previous post on “ Things one should remember before self-publishing a book “  if you want to get your book  self-published.  Also, please share your thoughts on this post by leaving a reply in the comments section. You can also reach out to us by visiting our website  https://bfcpublications.com/ .

A book review is a kind of a report, summary or opinion of a reader expressed about a book. A book review can be a one-line sentence..

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Why Book Reviews Are Important For Authors

By BWC Team in 2022

What Are Book Reviews?

A book review is a critical assessment of a book. It usually includes a summary of the book's content, as well as the writer's opinion of it. Book reviews can be found in newspapers, magazines, and online. They are often written by professional book reviewers or eBook writing services providers, but they can also be written by regular people who have read the book .

When writing a book review, it is important to remember that the goal is to provide an objective assessment of the work. This means that personal opinions should be avoided as much as possible. Instead, focus on the book's merits and demerits. Was it well-written? Did it tell an interesting story? Was it informative? These are the types of things that should be addressed in a book review.

It is also important to remember that a book review is not the same as a book report. A book report simply summarizes the plot of the work, whereas a book review offers a critical analysis of it. Therefore, when writing a book review, it is important to offer more than just a summary of the book's contents. Instead, focus on offering a thoughtful and insightful assessment of it.

Why Are Book Reviews Important?

Writing and publishing a book is such an incredibly time-consuming, challenging process that the reviews readers leave to become the only remaining lifeline for authors. A good review can help book publishing services provider in expediting the sales, while a bad review could lead to people not buying the book or, even worse – stopping themselves from writing their own books because they believe they're not good enough.

Book reviews are important for authors because they provide that all-important feedback that tells us whether our books have connected with readers or not. Good reviews can help promote your book and encourage others to read it, while bad reviews might make people think twice about picking it up. But ultimately, both good and bad reviews are essential in helping authors to understand how their work is being received and where they can improve.

It Helps in Understanding the Readers' Desires

One of the main benefits of book reviews is that they help us to understand the desires of the readers. By reading the thoughts and opinions of others who have read the same book, we can get a sense of what aspects of the story or writing style are resonating with people and which ones are not. This can help us to either adjust our own reading experience accordingly or to be more selective in our future book choices. In either case, book reviews provide a valuable service in terms of helping us to understand the reading tastes of others.

It Helps in Increasing Sales

Book reviews are important for a couple of reasons. They help to increase sales by giving potential buyers an idea of what the book is about and whether or not it is worth their time and money. Additionally, they help to build a community around books, which can lead to more people buying and reading them.

It's important to remember that not all reviews have to be positive. In fact, some of the most helpful reviews are ones that point out flaws in a book. This can help potential buyers make an informed decision about whether or not to buy your book. Overall, book reviews are a valuable tool for both authors and readers. They help increase sales and build a community of people who love books.

It Helps in Engaging with Readers

Book reviews have been around for centuries and are one of the oldest forms of literary criticism. They provide a way for readers to engage with books and help other potential readers decide if a book is worth reading. Book reviews also offer authors feedback on their work, which can be helpful in improving their writing skills. While there are many different ways to write a book review, all reviews should include the following basic information: who wrote the book, what it is about, what you thought of it, and why others might want to read it.

It Helps in Improving Your Writing Skills

As an author, writing book reviews can help improve your writing skills. Reviews provide a constructive outlet for sharing your thoughts on books with other readers, and they can help you clarify your thoughts about the strengths and weaknesses of a book. In addition, reviewing books can help you develop a better understanding of what makes a good book and what doesn't. All of this can ultimately help you become a better writer. So if you're looking for a way to improve your writing, consider writing book reviews. It could be just what you need to take your writing to the next level.

It Helps in Brand Building

When an author publishes a book, they are essentially putting their work out there for the public to see and judge. A book review can make or break an author's career, and it is therefore important for them to actively seek out reviews from credible sources.

Many authors utilize online book review communities in order to build up a presence for their work. By having a steady stream of positive reviews on sites like Goodreads and Amazon , an author can establish their book as a quality product and build buzz for future releases. In addition, getting favorable reviews on these platforms can help an author's books rank higher in search results, making them more visible to potential readers. Thus, by writing honest and constructive book reviews, readers can not only help out their favorite authors but also play a role in the development of the literary landscape as a whole.

Benefits of Book Reviews

Authors can benefit from book reviews in a few ways. First, reviews provide feedback that can help authors improve their writing. Second, reviews can help authors connect with new readers. Finally, reviews can help authors sell more books.

Reviews provide feedback that can help authors improve their writing. If an author receives a negative review, they can use that feedback to improve their writing for future books. If an author receives a positive review, they can use that feedback to continue writing the type of books that readers enjoy. Either way, feedback from book reviews help authors create better books.

Reviews can help authors connect with new readers. When potential readers see that a book has been well-received by other readers, they are more likely to take a chance on reading it themselves. In this way, reviews act as a form of social proof and can help authors reach new audiences.

Finally, reviews can help authors sell more books. Good reviews can convince potential buyers to purchase a book, while bad reviews can dissuade them from doing so. Reviews, therefore, play an important role in the sales process and can ultimately help authors boost their income.

In conclusion, book reviews can be extremely beneficial for authors. By providing feedback, connecting with new readers, and helping to sell more books, reviews can help authors in a variety of ways.

How to Get Book Reviews For Your Book

One way to get book reviews for your book is to reach out to book bloggers, reviewers and book editing services provider. You can find a list of book bloggers and reviewers online, or you can use a site like BookLikes to find reviewers who are interested in reviewing your book. Once you've found a list of potential reviewers, reach out to them and ask if they would be interested in reviewing your book. If they are, send them a copy of your book along with a review request form.

If they are not interested in reviewing your book, thank them for their time and move on to the next reviewer on your list.

Repeat this process until you've exhausted your list of potential reviewers or you've received enough reviews for your book. Another way to get book reviews is to offer free copies of your book in exchange for an honest review. You can do this by setting up a giveaway on sites like Goodreads or by offering free copies on your website or blog. Be sure to let reviewers know that you are looking for an honest review and that they are not required to give a positive review in order to receive a free copy of your book. Getting book reviews can be a time-consuming process, but it's worth it if you want to get your book noticed by potential readers. Keep at it, and eventually, you'll start seeing your hard work pay off.

How To Sell More Books With Book Reviews?

One great way to sell more books is to get more book reviews. Reviews can help build trust and credibility with potential readers, which can lead to more sales. There are a few things you can do to increase the chances of getting more book reviews:

• Make it easy for readers to review your book. Include a link to where they can leave a review on your website or on Amazon .
• Ask friends and family members to review your book.
• Use social media to promote your book and ask people to review it.
• Run a contest or giveaway for people who review your book.
• Send out review copies of your book to influential bloggers and reviewers.
• Make sure your book is well-written and edited so that readers will be more likely to leave a positive review.
• Thank readers who take the time to review your book.

Build Credibility with Book Reviews

The more people know about your book, the better. Positive feedback from a wide audience can boost your confidence in the quality of your work and encourage you to continue writing. It also aids other writers when they see that their work has been well-received by the publishing community, suggesting that it should be added to their "to read" list. This may help promote word-of-mouth excitement and sales, leading more people to buy your book.

Overall, book reviews are an important method for establishing your authority as a writer. They have the potential to expand your audience and increase sales. So, if you want to improve your credibility, consider obtaining some book reviews.

Table of Contents

How to write book reviews, are book review writing services the best option for you, get a free quote, how to write book reviews.

When writing a book review, it is important to provide an accurate summary of the plot and characters while also offering your own opinion on the book. A good book review gives readers enough information about the book to help them decide whether or not they would enjoy reading it.

When writing a summary of the plot, be sure to include the most important events in the story. Be careful not to give away any spoilers, however. When discussing the characters, point out what you liked and didn't like about them. Did they seem realistic? Were they likable?

In your opinion, was the book well-written? Interesting? Entertaining? Be sure to back up your opinion with examples from the book. Overall, a good book review should give readers a clear idea of what the book is about and whether or not you would recommend it.

Book review writing services can be a great help when it comes to writing book reviews. They can provide you with a template to follow and can help you to make sure that your review is well written and professional.

When you are looking for a book review writing service, it is important to make sure that they have experience in writing book reviews. This will ensure that they know how to format your review correctly and that they will be able to give you the best possible advice. It is also a good idea to check out their portfolio so that you can see some of their previous work.

Another important factor to consider when choosing a book review writing service is their turnaround time. You don't want to wait weeks or even months for your review to be written, so make sure that the service you choose can provide you with a fast turnaround time. Finally, make sure that the book review writing service you choose offers customer support. This way, if you have any questions or concerns, you can contact them right away.

As a leading book writing company, Book Writing Cube offers an effective book review writing service to help authors succeed. With a team of professional and experienced writers, we deliver optimal results in no time. Our wide range of services also include book writing, editing, marketing , and publishing. We serve as your one-stop solution!

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Why It’s Important to Write a Book Review

Book Reviews , Reading | 6 comments

She shrugged. “I don’t know, I’ve thought about it, but what would I say?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “What you just told me!”

Her worry is that what she has to say about a book would mean little and isn’t worth posting. That’s what I used to think as well. I never reviewed books or items or restaurants or anything. I read other people’s reviews of course, but never posted my own. I assumed what I had to say didn’t matter.

But I was wrong – because it DOES matter. It matters to the maker of that product, the owner of the restaurant, the author, musician, and the consumer. Reviews are so important.

How often do you see a book on Amazon or Goodreads and check out the reviews, good and bad, on a book? Even if you don’t go as far as read them – you probably make a point to look at the “stars”. It’s consumer nature to want an idea of what we are buying before we buy it.

Writing book reviews are great for four reasons:

Helpful for authors

Like I said, reviews are HUGE for authors. They can truly make or break an author. Reviews help an author with exposure, gaining an audience, credibility with readers and publishing professionals, and sales.

Helpful for consumers

Reviews give consumers better information to help make a decision to buy or not to buy. “Is it worth it?” is the question we ask, sub-or un-consciously, and with reviews we can answer this with more confidence. Sometimes reviews may even be half good, half bad, and we may just decide to buy it for ourselves to decide anyway. Often times we want to be able to answer the other question: “What am I getting myself into?”

Chance to process the book

Writing a review is like journaling about your day – it allows you to reflect (on the book) and how you felt about it; what you liked, didn’t like, what you are walking away with. On top of that, it can help you let the book go so you are ready to move on to another one. How often do you find yourself caught up after a really great book and not ready to start another because of it? I found reviewing books helped me refresh for a new read.

Embrace your tastes

Reviewing can teach you a lot about yourself as well. You may begin to see patterns – what you like and don’t like in a book. What to stay away from, and what to try more of. It can help focus your tastes and in turn provide for a better reading experience.

Reviews can mean everything, especially in the age of self-publishing. Every single review counts.  If you like an author, help them out – post a review!

What other reasons are there to review books? Do you write (and read) reviews yourself?

This is so ironic! Yesterday, my Windy Lindy blog (on my website) was titled, “The Importance of Writing Book Reviews.” The blog posted on my Amazon author page and Goodreads, and I posted it on my Facebook author page as well. Readers–even our family and friends–just don’t seem to understand how important it is for indie authors to have their books reviewed…

That is pretty funny! It really is important and I hope the more it’s talked about, the more word spreads and we can help out authors everywhere!

Linda Lee, your post touched a nerve. Before the explosion of Amazon Kindle, online publishers and indie authors we got our book reviews from the NY times, Publisher’s Weekly, the Life Style Sections of our local newspapers. The ordinary reader did not get ARCs–that was a jealously guarded perk of Reviewers. The ordinary reader was not expected, nor asked to write a review. If a reader liked a book, word of mouth moved it. I wrote category romance novels, still do–no matter what they’re labeled. The books had a shelf life between yogurt and ice cream; remainders were stripped every thirty days to make room for the next set. Because books can now hover in the cyberworld until the sun burns out or the Rapture–which ever comes last–writing reviews has become a subindustry in the universe of ebooks. Amazon encourages it, because it sells books–or not. Up until a year ago when I first entered the ebook market the only electronic device I was familiar with was my ATM card. Now, my publisher expects me to do something called branding (cows or Tide?), Facebook, Tweet, You Tube, Pinterest and Goodread; also submit ARC, epub and Mobi copies to review sites, have a webpage, maintain a blog, do on-line interviews, and wave at every ebook romance reader cruising cyberspace. This may be wrong-headed thinking, but I don’t want to put my readers to work promoting my books. It’s enough that she buys them, enjoys them and returns for another title–so I’m not going to ask her to write a review–a royalty check is my review. On the other side of the coin–I buy books–hundreds of them a year. I often write a review, not because I know an author or was asked ti write it and I post on Goodreads–my Internet word-of-mouth. I’m new to the on-line writer’s community. I’m in a few on-line Kindle author’s discussion groups. Over the past month I’ve been asked to review about 150 books. Buy them. Read them. Write a Review. Catch: I’m told if I don’t like the book, don’t write a review. Only post four and five star reviews. Excuse me? That’s not how it works–especially after I’ve spent my money. Listen, I’m saving for Botox injections, I’m gonna be annoyed if the book did not live up to the cover and the blurb. So, I’m declining to do reviews–unless I discover a book/writer on my own.

…and this is the reason why people shouldn’t write reviews: “This book should not be designated Christian reading. The first few pages are filled with cussing. I get enough of this in every day life and don’t need to read it.”

This person read the first three pages of my novel ‘I am the Local Atheist’, stopped reading because of swearing, and decided to write a 1-star review warning people. I don’t mind letting people know that the reviewer doesn’t think it should be labeled ‘A Christian Novel’ and the reasons for that, but I do mind if that judgement is made on only the first 3 pages – I mean, that is even less than the full sample: did she even download the book? I know that she didn’t pay for the novel, because I can account for all my sales!

It seems pretty unfair considering the reviewer has no idea what happens thoughout the rest of the novel. Sadly my book has been dragged down to 3-stars from it’s previous 4-star rating, and does anyone even stop to look at books on a 3-star rating?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Unfortunately, this happens to authors more often than we wish to admit. I see this sort of issue come up often, but one thing to keep in mind is that every reader comes to the table with their own bias. It’s all subjective, which is why sometimes bad reviews can spark conversation with other reviewers OR a reader may decide to read the book and see for themselves. If every reader begins to say the same thing, then there may be a pattern worth exploring – but not every book will receive only 4 or 5 star reviews, even the exceptional ones. It’s the nature of writing and reading and putting your work out there. I personally try to offer constructive thoughts, and if I do not like a book I provide the reasons with the pros and cons so another reader can see my review and make their own opinion based on what *they* like.

Katie, when I read this old blog post, I had to chuckle myself. My dear author friend, Jackie, has changed her mind about enticing readers to write reviews. In fact, she advocates not only thanking our readers in the back of our books but also asking them to take a moment to write a review and help us “get the word out.” Being traditionally published is a lot different from being independently published: We have to promote ourselves and our work any way we can.

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Why are book reviews important to authors, readers and publishers.

In this blog we will discuss the importance of book reviews and how a book review is more important than it seems and how a book review and benefit the reader as well as the author. Book reviews come in all shapes and sizes they can be long as well as short and they can be inside full as and even poorly written and not a good way to judge a book.  There are a lot of pros and cons to book reviews but in this blog, we are going to discuss primary why we all can agree that book reviews are not such a bad thing and that if book reviews are written properly by the proper professional book reviewers with the proper know-how and prowess then book reviews can act as an important tool to not only the readers but also the book market and book publishing industry in general. Few ways in which book reviews solve a lot of problems and are a blessing to the literature community.

Through the woods –

just like Google and the internet, the book market and the book publishing world is a huge place and finding the right book of your choice can be like finding a needle in a hayfield. Book reviews by professional book reviewers as well as reader reviews can act as a guide to help you find the book of your choice. Writing a book review is an art in itself because you don’t want to give away too much that is in the book and there is the risk of favouritism and bias and there is also the risk of manipulation, however, in the literature community we all can agree that this is not a big issue.  All things aside book reviews by an unbiased reviewer have always done better than harm and has always guided that readers’ community towards books of their liking.

Through the looking glass –

Although book reviews and book criticisms can be put together on the same page or perhaps the same book, but book reviews are sort of a glimpse into a world that you may or may not choose to enter and this is important from the author’s perspective because without the review the book would not even have reached the potential book buyers and potential readers. Now, an author can get past this problem through promotion and advertisements however there is nothing like word-of-mouth in the literary community as we can agree that the world of literature is something of a world that has moved into the future with strands still in the past. 

Through the mirror –

book reviews are important because they act as a reflection and interaction (be it one way) for the author to truly get a sense of how the community is reacting and embracing their work. Book reviews can be polished or crass but book reviews nonetheless provide an idea to the author of what their audience base is wanting from them and deciding if or if not to enact future changes on that demand, but get a sense nonetheless of how their book is been received by the audience. There are a select group of authors who do not adhere to or even read book reviews let alone make changes after reading book reviews because they have this belief that the work should be independent of external involvement but overall, the majority of authors tend to give importance and attention to book reviews.

Through the Gutenberg –

book reviews are embraced by successful published authors and successful publishing houses and even book stores and dealers because this shows the literature community and industry in a good light as being transparent and open to criticism and on the economic point of things book reviews are excellent untainted free publicity that any wise author will not be willing to let go.  The literary community is a close-knit community and forgery of book reviews are simply not possible if not practical or viral because one can talk to buy a few reviews for a few reviews but if the community gets a hint of this that publishing house for that other than we ostracized or in online terms, informally banned for life. 

Just as books have shifted from being paperbacks to hardbacks to Amazon Kindle e-book readers, book reviews have also come a long way from being on testimonials in book stores to editorials in newspapers to Amazon’s “what the customer thinks” area and we hope and we predict that book reviews are here to stay. What we can say for certain is that Orange publishers are the best self-publishing Book House to publish your books and we at Orange Publishers take book reviews seriously and never try to intervene in this process of pure criticism called book reviews.  

CPS Online Library Research Guide (UNH Manchester Library): How to Write a Book Review

• Home & Table of Contents
• Different Types of Information
• The Savvy Information Consumer
• Primary & Secondary Sources
• Periodical Literature
• Peer Review
• Research Glossary
• Business Research Databases
• Understanding the Assignment
• Preliminary Considerations
• 7 Steps to Completing a Research Assignment
• Define the Topic
• Find & Evaluate Your Sources
• Research Integrity & Citing Your Sources
• Searching for Information
• Evaluating Information
• How to Read an Academic Journal Article This link opens in a new window
• Evaluating Social Media Sources
• Writing Your Research Paper
• Create a Literature Review
• Summarize an Article
• How to Write an Abstract

How to Write a Book Review

• How to Do an Annotated Bibliography
• Finding Professional Organizations
• Find Key Journals in Your Field of Study
• Find Peer-Reviewed Articles
• Write a Research Paper Proposal
• Research a Company This link opens in a new window
• Citing Your Sources
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• NHCUC Libraries
• Other Types of Research
• Academic Libraries in NH
• Government Documents
• Using Google for Academic Research
• Information Literacy
• Developing Effective Library Research Assignments
• Using Permalinks
• Primary Source Websites

Write a Book Review

From the university of north carolina writing lab.

A review is a critical evaluation of a text, event, object, or phenomenon. Reviews can consider books, articles, entire genres or fields of literature, architecture, art, fashion, restaurants, policies, exhibitions, performances, and many other forms. This handout will focus on book reviews.

Above all, a review makes an argument. The most important element of a review is that it is a commentary, not merely a summary. It allows you to enter into a discussion with the work’s creator and with other audiences. You can offer agreement or disagreement and identify where you find the work exemplary or deficient in its knowledge, judgments, or organization. You should clearly state your opinion of the work in question, and that statement will probably resemble other types of academic writing, with a thesis statement, supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Typically, reviews are brief. In newspapers and academic journals, they rarely exceed 1000 words, although you may encounter lengthier assignments and extended commentaries. In either case, reviews need to be succinct. While they vary in tone, subject, and style, they share some common features:

• First, a review gives the reader a concise summary of the content. This includes a relevant description of the topic as well as its overall perspective, argument, or purpose.
• Second, and more importantly, a review offers a critical assessment of the content. This involves your reactions to the work under review: what strikes you as noteworthy, whether or not it was effective or persuasive, and how it enhanced your understanding of the issues at hand.
• Finally, in addition to analyzing the work, a review often suggests whether or not the audience would appreciate it.

Becoming an Expert Reviewer

Reviewing can be a daunting task. Someone has asked for your opinion about something that you may feel unqualified to evaluate. Who are you to criticize Toni Morrison’s new book if you’ve never written a novel yourself, much less won a Nobel Prize? The point is that someone—a professor, a journal editor, peers in a study group—wants to know what you think about a particular work. You may not be (or feel like) an expert, but you need to pretend to be one for your particular audience. Nobody expects you to be the intellectual equal of the work’s creator, but your careful observations can provide you with the raw material to make reasoned judgments. Tactfully voicing agreement and disagreement, praise and criticism, is a valuable, challenging skill, and like many forms of writing, reviews require you to provide concrete evidence for your assertions.

Developing an assessment: before you write

There is no definitive method to writing a review, although some critical thinking about the work at hand is necessary before you actually begin writing. Thus, writing a review is a two-step process: developing an argument about the work under consideration, and making that argument as you write an organized and well-supported draft.

What follows is a series of questions to focus your thinking as you dig into the work at hand. While the questions specifically consider book reviews, you can easily transpose them to an analysis of performances, exhibitions, and other review subjects. Don’t feel obligated to address each of the questions; some will be more relevant than others to the book in question.

• What is the thesis—or main argument—of the book? If the author wanted you to get one idea from the book, what would it be? How does it compare or contrast to the world you know? What has the book accomplished?
• What exactly is the subject or topic of the book? Does the author cover the subject adequately? Does the author cover all aspects of the subject in a balanced fashion? What is the approach to the subject (topical, analytical, chronological, descriptive)?
• How does the author support her argument? What evidence does she use to prove her point? Do you find that evidence convincing? Why or why not? Does any of the author’s information (or conclusions) conflict with other books you’ve read, courses you’ve taken or just previous assumptions you had of the subject?
• How does the author structure her argument? What are the parts that make up the whole? Does the argument make sense? Does it persuade you? Why or why not?
• How has this book helped you understand the subject? Would you recommend the book to your reader?

Beyond the internal workings of the book, you may also consider some information about the author and the circumstances of the text’s production:

• Who is the author? Nationality, political persuasion, training, intellectual interests, personal history, and historical context may provide crucial details about how a work takes shape. Does it matter, for example, that the biographer was the subject’s best friend? What difference would it make if the author participated in the events she writes about?
• What is the book’s genre? Out of what field does it emerge? Does it conform to or depart from the conventions of its genre? These questions can provide a historical or literary standard on which to base your evaluations. If you are reviewing the first book ever written on the subject, it will be important for your readers to know. Keep in mind, though, that naming “firsts”—alongside naming “bests” and “onlys”—can be a risky business unless you’re absolutely certain.

Writing the Review

Once you have made your observations and assessments of the work under review, carefully survey your notes and attempt to unify your impressions into a statement that will describe the purpose or thesis of your review. Then, outline the arguments that support your thesis.

Your arguments should develop the thesis in a logical manner. That logic, unlike more standard academic writing, may initially emphasize the author’s argument while you develop your own in the course of the review. The relative emphasis depends on the nature of the review: if readers may be more interested in the work itself, you may want to make the work and the author more prominent; if you want the review to be about your perspective and opinions, then you may structure the review to privilege your observations over (but never separate from) those of the work under review. What follows is just one of many ways to organize a review.

Introduction

Since most reviews are brief, many writers begin with a catchy quip or anecdote that succinctly delivers their argument. But you can introduce your review differently depending on the argument and audience.  In general, you should include:

• The name of the author and the book title and the main theme.
• Relevant details about who the author is and where he/she stands in the genre or field of inquiry. You could also link the title to the subject to show how the title explains the subject matter.
• The context of the book and/or your review. Placing your review in a framework that makes sense to your audience alerts readers to your “take” on the book. Perhaps you want to situate a book about the Cuban revolution in the context of Cold War rivalries between the United States and the Soviet Union. Another reviewer might want to consider the book in the framework of Latin American social movements. Your choice of context informs your argument.
• The thesis of the book. If you are reviewing fiction, this may be difficult since novels, plays, and short stories rarely have explicit arguments. But identifying the book’s particular novelty, angle, or originality allows you to show what specific contribution the piece is trying to make.
• Your thesis about the book.

Summary of content

• This should be brief, as analysis takes priority. In the course of making your assessment, you’ll hopefully be backing up your assertions with concrete evidence from the book, so some summary will be dispersed throughout other parts of the review.
• The necessary amount of summary also depends on your audience. Graduate students, beware! If you are writing book reviews for colleagues—to prepare for comprehensive exams, for example—you may want to devote more attention to summarizing the book’s contents. If, on the other hand, your audience has already read the book—such as an class assignment on the same work—you may have more liberty to explore more subtle points and to emphasize your own argument.

Analysis and evaluation of the book

• Your analysis and evaluation should be organized into paragraphs that deal with single aspects of your argument. This arrangement can be challenging when your purpose is to consider the book as a whole, but it can help you differentiate elements of your criticism and pair assertions with evidence more clearly.
• You do not necessarily need to work chronologically through the book as you discuss it. Given the argument you want to make, you can organize your paragraphs more usefully by themes, methods, or other elements of the book.
• If you find it useful to include comparisons to other books, keep them brief so that the book under review remains in the spotlight.
• Avoid excessive quotation and give a specific page reference in parentheses when you do quote. Remember that you can state many of the author’s points in your own words.
• Sum up or restate your thesis or make the final judgment regarding the book. You should not introduce new evidence for your argument in the conclusion. You can, however, introduce new ideas that go beyond the book if they extend the logic of your own thesis.
• This paragraph needs to balance the book’s strengths and weaknesses in order to unify your evaluation. Did the body of your review have three negative paragraphs and one favorable one? What do they all add up to?

Finally, a few general considerations:

• Review the book in front of you, not the book you wish the author had written. You can and should point out shortcomings or failures, but don’t criticize the book for not being something it was never intended to be.
• With any luck, the author of the book worked hard to find the right words to express her ideas. You should attempt to do the same. Precise language allows you to control the tone of your review.
• Never hesitate to challenge an assumption, approach, or argument. Be sure, however, to cite specific examples to back up your assertions carefully.
• Try to present a balanced argument about the value of the book for its audience. You’re entitled—and sometimes obligated—to voice strong agreement or disagreement. But keep in mind that a bad book takes as long to write as a good one, and every author deserves fair treatment. Harsh judgments are difficult to prove and can give readers the sense that you were unfair in your assessment.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License . You may reproduce it for non-commercial use and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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The importance of storytelling in fighting climate change

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Yale Climate Connections

What is Mexico doing about climate change?

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The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy.

Mexico is the 10th-most populated country with the 15th-largest economy and is also the 11th-most climate-polluting country in the world.

In international surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023 , Mexico had one of the highest percentages of citizens worried about human-caused climate change at 92%, compared to just 63% of Americans.* And 88% of Mexican respondents reported that they consider climate change an important issue that their country should address as a priority, compared to just 58% of Americans. This concern may reflect that Mexico is highly vulnerable to droughts, heat waves, hurricanes, flooding, and food and water insecurity worsened by climate change.

But the Mexican government’s climate policy record has been inconsistent. At times, the country’s leaders have taken steps toward reducing its share of climate pollution, but its current and outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commonly known by his initials AMLO, has tended to prioritize domestic fossil fuel resources over low-carbon alternatives.

Mexico will hold its next general election on June 2, 2024. Voters will select the next president, who will succeed AMLO in October of this year.

A potential turning point

The leading presidential candidate, with about 60% support in polling, is Claudia Sheinbaum . She’s the former leader of Mexico City and an AMLO protégée, but also a scientist with a Ph.D. in environmental engineering who co-authored chapters in the Fourth and Fifth IPCC reports. She also plans to encourage private investment in renewable energy in Mexico .

Her closest opponent in the polls , with 35% support, is Xóchitl Gálvez, who has expressed an even more pro-clean energy position, declaring that she would end the country’s addiction to fossil fuels.

A brief history of Mexican climate leadership

Felipe Calderón was elected Mexican president for the 2006-2012 term (the Mexican constitution limits each president to a single six-year term). He had served as the country’s energy secretary in 2003-2004 and recognized the importance of addressing climate change. Under Calderón’s leadership, Mexico adopted a voluntary climate mitigation target in 2008 and passed a General Law on Climate Change in 2012. Among other provisions, the law set targets to generate at least 35% of power with clean technologies by 2024 and to reduce climate pollution 30% below business-as-usual levels by 2020 and 50% below 2000 levels by 2050. Unfortunately, the former two goals have slipped out of reach.

Calderón’s successor Enrique Peña Nieto had a more mixed record on climate and energy policy. His government passed a tax on carbon pollution , but it only applies to the additional emissions generated by burning coal or oil instead of natural gas. Peña Nieto signed a constitutional Reform on Energy that was aimed at loosening the state-owned Federal Electricity Commission’s (CFE’s) monopoly over the national power sector, which has historically relied heavily on fossil fuels. That move opened up Mexico’s electricity generation to private clean energy investment, and also its oil and gas reserves to external investors.

But AMLO moved to reverse those reforms when he replaced Peña Nieto in 2018, and he worked to maintain CFE’s share of Mexico’s power generation at a minimum of 54%. Clean energy investments in Mexico often come from foreign companies, and AMLO has expressed a preference for national ‘energy independence,’ which tends to favor domestic fossil fuel sources, which are also significant contributors to the federal budget. In fact, his energy ministry published rules for the national grid that would have prioritized energy security and fuel reserves (fossil fuels) over economic efficiency (cheaper wind and solar power). The Supreme Court of Mexico recently voided those rules .

That decision leaves Mexico’s energy and climate path at an important inflection point with a big election just a few months away.

Mexico’s current climate status

Mexico’s climate pollution predominantly comes from three sectors: transportation (30%), power (29%), and industry (27%). The country’s power sector emissions have been rising, especially over the past two years as the government has prioritized fossil fuels and drought has reduced its hydroelectricity production. Mexico’s share of clean electricity generation fell below 22% in 2023 after peaking at 27% in 2021 and thus will surely fall short of the 35% clean power target by 2024 set in its 2012 climate law. Most of the country’s power comes from natural gas, and more than three-quarters is produced by burning fossil fuels. As a result, Mexico’s overall climate pollution has risen about 33% above 2000 levels.

Climate Action Tracker, an independent project that monitors whether governments’ actions measure up to the goals outlined in the Paris climate agreement, gave Mexico’s climate policies its worst rating of “ critically insufficient ” due to a lack of ambition and weakening of policies and targets under AMLO’s leadership. The project noted, “If all countries were to follow Mexico’s approach, warming would exceed 4°C” — a catastrophic level of global warming .

According to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, Mexico is also highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, especially extreme heat and drought , which could lead to food and water insecurity. Mexico City, which is the seventh-most populated city in the world with over 21 million residents, is already in danger of running out of water . A 2021 study estimated that climate change has so far reduced Mexican agricultural productivity by about 25-30%, and a 2010 paper suggested that these effects could lead to millions of Mexican climate immigrants coming to the U.S. border by 2080.

A potential 2024 inflection

Mexico has made little progress toward reducing emissions from its transportation sector, and electric vehicles account for just 0.26% of new car sales. But that could change relatively soon, as Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has announced plans to build a factory in Mexico . The median income in Mexico is only about $6,000, which is about five to 10 times lower than that in the United States depending on how it’s measured, and so bringing BYD’s relatively cheap cars to the Mexico market could significantly increase electric vehicle adoption in the country. Mexico’s energy regulator will also have to issue guidelines to allow for the installation of more charging stations.

A 2020 paper published in Nature found that Mexico’s climate policies have tended to follow its National Development Plans. These are plans published during the first year of the new government to specify the national objectives, strategy, and priorities for Mexico’s development. The 2006 National Development Plan was the first to characterize climate change as an unequivocal environmental problem and to include targeted actions, and the Calderón government followed suit. The 2012 National Development Plan somewhat de-emphasized climate change, and the Peña Nieto government had a more mixed climate record. The 2019 plan included a section about rescuing the CFE from an onslaught of private energy investments, which became a focus of AMLO’s government to the detriment of clean energy production.

“Right now, nongovernmental actors are creating a proposal for the Plan Nacional de Descarbonización y Resiliencia Climática 2024-2030 [National Decarbonization and Climate Resilience Plan],” the 2020 Nature study’s lead author Arturo Balderas Torres wrote in an email. “Ideally any candidate who wins the election should commit to this proposal that is being generated in an unprecedented participatory way and include its proposals in the new NDP.”

In short, Mexico is a highly climate-vulnerable country with a very climate-concerned population. Its leadership has thus far taken insufficient steps toward addressing the climate crisis, but 2024 could change the trajectory of Mexico’s climate policies and clean technology solutions.

*Editor’s note: The 2023 survey was conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, the publisher of this site.

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Threat of Rapture

Book Review: Renegades Lord of Excess by Rich McCormick

The planet of Serrine is an agri world known mostly for its harvest of a crop important for the manufacture of rejuvenat treatment and possessing certain narcotic properties. Despite being cut off from Terra by warp storms, Serrine has continued to function much as it did before. Its wealthy citizens enjoy a colorful and pampered existence above the clouds, while underneath them the lower class drudge on in pale ignominy.

This changes however when the workers of the world mysteriously rise up to take arms against their upper spire masters. Desperate for aid, the rulers of the planet implore a nearby passing void craft for assistance, unaware that the ship that they have contacted is in fact commanded by Xantine the leader of an Emperor's Children warband known as the Adored.

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As an idiosyncratic legion, it is often a temptation for less talented Black Library writers to reduce Emperor’s Children to mustache twirling, two dimensional parodies of themselves. They are often used as a vehicle for gratuitous gross out torture porn, or a means to express barely masked homophobia. But the Emperor’s Children are a more meaningful metaphor than often realized. They can be an analogy for artistic expressionism, quixotical idealism, and the primacy of the individual ego.

An important theme in the book surprisingly is not one of individuality, but of interconnectivity. Xantine’s body is partly possessed by a seductive Slaaneshi demoness S’janth. Their symbiosis commenced in the predecessor short story “ A More Perfect Union ,” and mimics the language and relationship of a union between lovers. Being narcissistic Xantine also demands love and obedience from his subordinates, despite being mostly oblivious to their own desires and agency.

It is often taken for granted that should a planet fall under the sway of a warband of Emperor’s Children, the immediate result would be a mass slaughter, enslavement, torture, and distillation of the human population into addictive narcotics. But this is perhaps too facile a reading of the internal motivations of the III Legion. The Emperor’s Children have had a long history of attempts to establish perfect utopian societies, such as Chemos and Harmony, albeit in many cases cast in their own twisted perspective. One thing that is certain about an ideal human society established by an Emperor’s Children is that the planet would be beautiful, merit based, indulgent in pleasures, and inevitably fatally flawed with hubris.

Lord of Excess is an interesting book for certain, with a curious premise. It does drag a bit in the middle and at times makes use of surprisingly ham handed plot devices and deus ex machinas. Nevertheless, I would certainly recommend this book for any fan of the Emperor’s Children.

I give this novel 7.5 out of 10.

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