Book Review Primer

x

W. Lane Rogers wrote:

Shelagh wrote:

An author is a writer but not all writers are authors

You're mistaken.

I'm not bad (in fact, I'm a bit of all right!).

"What is it about being an author? You can author an article or a report or just about anything. And you can be the author of just about anything (including "your own misfortunes"). But you can't be "an author - period" unless you've published a book.

Big warning: writing a book does not count. I have a friend who wrote a book. That makes him a writer, not an author. When he publishes it, only THEN will he be a real author and only THEN will he be entitled to learn the authors' secret handshake. Don't try sneaking into the clubhouse on the scant pretext that you wrote a book.Anybody can write a book. Even a writer. You have to publish the book to get through these gates of glory.

But if my friend does publish, and he does become an author, and he does learn the secret hand shake, then he'll be ready to cross that threshold of pride when a reader he's never met before tells him, "I just couldn't put your book down."

Well, not quite. In fact, his book is about humorous anecdotes from many years in
his particular profession. Hmm. That wouldn't qualify him as an author, even if he publishes. It would put him in that blurry purgatory between "writer" "and" "author" in the company of so many silver medal winners who almost made it and whose names we almost remember."

http://www.thehappyguy.com/writer-author.html

No wonder I call myself neither a writer nor an author.
My life is so much easier than the agonies you folks must bear.

Lane in response to your post:
I said:
a) Who sets standards? How long do they remain in place?
You said:
a. Standards are set by the publishing industry--those folks who write
checks to writers. Standards remain in place so long as they are useful to the industry.
Response:
True. And when a standard needs revision, someone takes the lead and introduces change that others may choose to follow.
I said:
b) It has been my experience that any standard is a guideline.
You said:
b) Not necessarily. If a publisher sets a maximum word count at 10,000
for a piece of fiction or an article, and you submit an 11,500 word ms, your
work will not be considered.
Response:
It would be foolish to ignore a specific requirement by a publisher.
I said:
c) It takes a maverick to initiate change that others follow. Innovations are necessary for progress. We have only to look at the publishing industry to see that the old methods are no longer the standard.
You said:
c) Nothing about your writing indicates that you are a maverick or an
innovator, nor do I understand what you mean by progress. Is your reference to reviewing? If so, what needs to be changed and why?
Response:
I fail to see where I implied that I was a maverick. As for the word progress, you will find a good definition in any dictionary. To grow, to progress, means change. Our present economy has caused executives (mavericks) to find new and better ways to market their products. The changes within the publishing industry are evident and have been discussed in numerous publications as well as on various forums.
Why change? If someone can find a better way to achieve the results they seek, they initiate change, and that applies to any industry.
I said:
d) Dick is a maverick of sorts. His methods often contradict the norm, but they work for him. Of course he knows his industry. He obviously knows what will or will not work and is a professional.
You said:
d) What does of sorts mean? If Dick refused to adhere to standards and guidlines his work would not be considered for publication.
Response:
Based on the numerous posts concerning writing, Dick has expressed his approach that often contradicts many “How To” guides to writing. Whether that is his own invention, or the approach used within his genre, is for him to say. He has expressed his opinion on many subjects and is his own man. Does that make him a maverick? I think so.
I said:
e) As for reviews, it is my opinion that whatever works should be used. If a review is effective – has the result that is intended, then it is good.
You said:
e) In fact, your opinion is just that and nothing more. Like any form of
writing, a review must meet standards and follow guidelines.
Response:
I stick with my statement.
Comment
“f.” Agreed.
I said:
g) When I asked why I was asked to do this, they said they had read some of my reviews (book impressions) and liked the brevity.
You said:
g) Brevity is fine if that's what a publisher's guidlines call for. It isn't the writer's choice to make.
Response:
If I write an unsolicited review, I will write it the way I want. It is my review – my impression about what I read.
I said:
h) I think the word “review” needs more clarification. Perhaps someone will come up with a better word to describe a book report.
You said:
h) Reviews have long been a basic industry tool. The term is straight
forward without hidden meaning. If it confuses you, you ought to study the
genre rather than demand a new word that suits your agenda.
Response:
If there is confusion with any term, it is prudent to provide clarification.

PS. I never follow guidlines, but I often adhere to guidelines.

PSS. I am always receptive to learning. Whether I accept what is presented depends on the source and the manner in which it is introduced. A slap in the face may work for some, but not for me.

Abe and Alice,

To many there is no agony when sitting down and writing. That is a great pleasure in my life and always has been.

The agony comes in the above that Abe wrote, in the publishing, reviews, getting it right, etc. That is agony. There is what we can control and what we can't. What we can't in this business but try is the tough part.

For some reason my Missouri book has taken on a new life. I have no idea why.
We are doing our duo presentation and perhaps that is increasing my enthusiasm. Our presentation is not agony, but fun to do.

I am researching my Missing Medals of Honor book and loving it. I spent yesterday afternoon running off articles from the internet. That was not agony either, but increased my fascination.

Carol

Shelagh, you may have lost some of your marbles, but you are indeed a "Bit of all right." Love those British sayings.

Lost my marbles? I've never been so insulted.

You'll get over it. Anyway, I said just some of them.

I've got over it. Beam me up, Scotty.

As Lane says, a longer review is the standard with certain publications. Reviews in the L.A. Times usually run a thousand words or more. However, since I have no interest in reading a short story, I seldom read the entire thing and start skimming long before I reach the end. I just want an idea of what the book is about.

Abe is right – perhaps the industry standards needs revision, because a writer’s goal is to be read. If a percentage of readers, like me, see that long review and skim, what’s the point?

I’d probably read all of a shorter review. I read all of Abe’s.

x

What an interesting thread! I'm not certain what I am. I do know that I taught English, language and reading. Then, I was hired as an editor by what was then a Big 10 CPA firm where I labored with their publications for five years. I continued as a grant writer, curriculum writer, technical journal writer and technical manual writer for state departments of education and regional workforce boards. I worked in public relations departments of major corporations where I wrote news releases, ads, feature articles and anything else that caught attention. I also did the same for some education programs that were national and regional.

All this time, I wrote short stories, essays, personal observations, travel notes, descriptive letters and novellas that I shared with a few intimate friends and some creative writing professors who were quite adamant that I should move from the technical arena to a more creative venue.

It's one thing to be employed with a captive audience to receive what is written, providing deadlines and defined content parameters and another to seek acceptance of a singular written novel or short story from many competitive sources with unlimited sources to compare. I can whip off a grant proposal in my sleep; I lose sleep polishing a short story or improving a novel.

Since 2006, I have in my creative credits a 500 pg. adventure/romance novel, Arirang: The Bamboo Connection; eight digital stories from "Affairs of the Heart - The Rulebook" to "A Walk on The Beach" and featured by Amazon Shorts, "Chalk;" "Rose's Question" in The World Outside The Window anthology; "The Ice Storm" and "The View From the Balcony," in the new releases, Romance of My Dreams anthologies I and II; and Ghost Orchid, a novel set in the Everglades, also a new release.

Am I a writer or an author? I leave that to the reader's opinion. I spend most of my waking hours putting words together for readers. Abe March read my debut novel in spite of it not being his genre of choice and was kind in a brief review. I had positive reviews from those "Internet Reviewers" whose reviews have been slammed in this thread. My novel is a "fat book." The first two years following its release, I had steady sales that were pretty exciting. I would make it a series if I had it to do again, not one novel. Live and learn.

x

W. Lane Rogers wrote:

Brenda Hill wrote:

If a percentage of readers, like me, see that long review and skim, what’s the point?

The point is simple: a percentage read long reviews. Not everyone reads fat books. Should we stop writing them? Applying your logic: if a percentage of readers, like me, don't read novels, what's the point?

Ah, but Lane, enough readers buy novels to keep the publishers going, even if they're in a bit of a slump right now.

And a large percentage of readers do like shorter books.

Harlequin Enterprises has not only survived, but is flourishing with a smaller book - 50,000 words and up, depending on the line. Nielsen Bookscan reports a seven-percent sales increase in the romance category, even in the current economy.

Kinda makes some of us want to switch instead of fight.

Since the credentials for a reviewer seem rather fluid, an objective review is hard to receive for a new author without access to the major reviewers with a following. Amazon.com seems to capitalize on the notion that someone who reviews lots of books has an opinion worth following. They also seem to indicate that customer reviews of any of their products, books included, influence purchases. It seems that some of the better known Internet Review sites is better than a friend....at least it indicates some objectivity by someone who "does" reviews (I know, pretty weak; but so are the standards for reviewers in general.)

I have to admit that one review site reviewed Arirang: The Bamboo Connection and wrote a charming review about a young woman who marries a serviceman and finds military life less exciting than anticipated. She takes vacations to exotic places where she has numerous liaisons outside her marriage and finds true love when she renews a childhood acquaintance. While this is a nice little story starter, this synopsis has nothing to do with Arirang: The Bamboo Connection except that the main character is a young woman - who ages through the pages. The love story that weaves through Arirang: The Bamboo Connection is a thread that ties adventures in exotic, global locations together; it is not the main theme.

I wrote to the reviewing site; they assigned another reviewer; and a more accurate review followed. However, the other reviews had to be removed where posted.

x

x

W. Lane Rogers wrote:

Ah, but Brenda, a sufficient number of readers read lengthy reviews to keep book review sections viable.

True, but you’re speaking of newspaper standards. They’re not the only source.

Romantic Times Bookreviews Magazine, for instance, has been in business for over twenty years. They began by reviewing romance, but now review approx 200 books each month including romance, thrillers, mainstream, and many others. Dean Koontz, Dan Brown, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, to name a few, have all been reviewed, and the average review runs 300-400 words.

The name of the game is money, and major publishers want to attract readers to their books. I doubt they'd spend mega advertising bucks in a national magazine that publishes substandard reviews.

x

It was intended as a rebuttal to your argument that industry standards demanded lengthy reviews; therefore, anything less would be substandard.

If that’s not what you meant, then I was mistaken. I’ll reread the thread.

x

W. Lane Rogers wrote:

Industry standards demand that a writer follow a publishers guidelines--short, long, or in between.

Ah ha! Now we agree on something.

x