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Do you love to read? Do you always have an opinion about the book you've just read? Are people always asking for your opinion about a
book? Then you'll enjoy the opportunity of sharing your reviews in print.
While the pay isn't great, the perks are! Just think—all the free books you can muster up the time to read—just
for sharing your honest, detailed, and heart-felt opinion of that book.
The catch? Not only do you actually have to read the book, but new releases must be reviewed within the first two months—preferably
the first two weeks!
Surprisingly, many reviewers simply skim the books and offer a review based on what they skimmed. Truth be told, reviews of this
nature do not do justice to the author who spent many hours researching, writing, and proofing said book. And it does nothing for
the credibility of the reviewer―especially if the reviewer doesn't get the facts straight because of a plot twist.
You'll also need a highly publicized place to print your review once you've read the book. A good place to start
looking for smaller publications is by typing the words, "book reviewer" or "book reviews" in the search engines.
You can also:
- Check writer's market books for "freelance book reviewers."
- Call up your local paper and see if they could use a book reviewer.
- Check with magazines about their submission guidelines.
- Call radio talk shows and see if you can't become a regular... you may have to donate your time at first, but
if the show's ratings go up while you are on the air...you could very well find yourself with a new paying gig!
- Check the list to the right.
Never look past small publications for book reviews. Large publications receive hundreds of books a month and can only
read a small handful. Small publications also tend to have a more loyal subscriber base.
Never pay for a book review, even if they "claim" to promote your book with the review for a nominal fee. It then becomes a
paid review and not a "true" unbiased review of your book.
When looking to submit your review to a magazine, website, or other venue, keep in mind the style of that particular publication and
follow all writers guidelines.
What is a book review?
It's a brief overview or description of a book, along with your personal evaluation or thoughts.
Not sure how to write a good book review?
Get out your Sunday paper, a magazine that shares reviews, or check out a few reviews online.
While styles differ from reviewer to publication, the basic idea is to give a teaser about the book in such a way that you don't give
away the plot of the novel or the most important aspect of the how-to book.
You also want a punch in your review that entices the reader to purchase the
book.
Include:
- A few sentences about the plot.
- Your personal experiences that relate to the topic of the book.
- You opinion of the book itself. What's your favorite part? What part of the book do you dislike and why? Did you learn something from
the book? What was it and why?
- Your recommendation.
Format to Use:
Title of Paper: Book Review
Title of Book: _____
Author: _____
ISBN Number: _____
Publisher: _____
Genre/Market: _____
Publication Date: _____
Book Length: ____Pages
Price: $____
Paperback or Hardcover
___ out of 5 points
Headline For Book Review
Review of Book ______
- Mini-reviews are 500 words or less; which amounts to 1-2 paragraphs
- Normal reviews are 750 words; which amounts to 3-5 paragraphs
Reviewer Byline ______
So how long does it take to read a book?
Everyone is different. Some people are fast readers while others are slow readers. The best
way to know how long a book will take to read is to pull out a timer and time yourself.
How many pages did you get through in one hour's time—20, 40, 60 pages?
What if the book is a good book, but you just can't get into it?
The best answer would be to simply decline from
reviewing any books that are not in your normal reading patterns. In other
words, if you enjoy reading romance novels but fall asleep reading historical
books, simply decline historical books, novels, manuscripts, etc.
Sample letter to be written and delivered to the publisher of the book you are reviewing:
Your Contact Information
Book Publisher Contact Information
Date
Dear Publisher Name,
I recently had the pleasure of reading 101 Home-Based Businesses For Women , 3rd
Edition by Priscilla Y. Huff and would like to send along my review so that you may use it as you see fit—for promotional
purposes or in the next printing of the book.
Review:
Your Review Here
Your Byline Here
Sincerely,
Your Name
What do you do with all those review copies?
One thing we should all remember is that review copies of new books are often given away without the author receiving
a dime. And in the case of a self-publisher, at the cost of the author. If you have more review copies than you
know what to do with, consider distributing the review copies in a way that benefits both you and the reviewer:
- You can send out press releases stating that you have teamed up with the author to distribute a copy of the book as a prize for
a specific contest, and then go into details about the contest.
- You can volunteer to read to small children at your local school, then have a drawing at the end of each session and donate the
book to one of the children―if it's a children's book.
- You can save the books and bundle them together for charity auctions, or to distribute at Christmas time to families who can't afford
Christmas gifts.
- You can donate the book to your public library, school library, church library, or favorite age-appropriate teacher.
- And finally, you could have a book swapping party with other reviewers. This way, you get something else to read and review, and
less money is coming out of the pocket of the author and/or publisher. (Of course this would only be advantageous if you knew a local reviewer and didn't have to pay
to ship the book off somewhere.)
And if you want to get a little more creative, have the author and/or illustrator sign the book before having it delivered to you.
Whatever you decide to do, let the author know your intentions as it is not only good PR, but more than likely, the author will be
pleased with the extra publicity you are generating for the sale of that book. This way, you generate PR for the Author and for yourself.
As writers and editors, we can only benefit from helping each other cut costs and increase publicity.
More book review help:
Learn how to write a Critical Book Review, Part 2.
Get a book review submission list, and...
Get a free e-book, Query Letters & Published Samples, and...
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About The Author:
Alyice Edrich is the founder and editor-in-chief of TheDabblingMum.com,
the author of several work-from-home e-books,
the publisher of three monthly e-zines,
a freelance writer for hire
and an artist for hire.
* This article is available for your publication, for a F-E-E.
This article may NOT be reprinted without monetary compensation and written permission from the author.
For reprint rights or comments/questions about this article, please contact the author.
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