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I just finished David Shafer’s thriller Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, which I read because of Dwight Garner’s NYT review. The book is everything Garner says it is–bright, popping, funny, suspenseful. And it has all the things I love: complicated heroes and heroines, smart riffs on contemporary memes, and–best of all–a global conspiracy that really is out to get the paranoiacs as well as the rest of us.
It’s just great, as far as it goes. WHICH IS NOT FAR ENOUGH. What Garner does not tell us, and as far as I’m concerned this is a cardinal sin of book reviewing, is that the book doesn’t have an ending. After about a hundred good pages of rising action, with the good guys and girl ready to take down the evil that now lurks in a container ship off the Oregon coast, everything just stops. Nothing on or in the book says “first in a series” or anything, but surely the reviewer could have said so. Unless he didn’t finish it.
Thank goodness Tolkien had already finished The Lord of the Rings before I got to the end of The Two Towers and “Frodo was alive but taken by the enemy.”
If you’re an aspiring children’s author, the benefits of reviewing children’s books are enormous. If you already review books, you know how true this is.
When you review books…
1. You learn about the craft of writing because you get to identify both the weaknesses and strengths of a book. You learn what works and what doesn’t, and eventually you become more apt in avoiding amateurish mistakes when you write your own books. You can do this because you’re able to look at someone else’s book objectively, something that it’s hard to do with your own writing. In this sense, reviewing can make you a better writer and a better judge of literature.
2. Your writing becomes easier and better. Reviewing is writing, after all, and the more you write, the better it gets. Reviewing helps to hone your skills as a word builder.
3. Your thinking skills become sharper because you have to ponder and reflect on why you liked or disliked a book. This sometimes takes keen perception.
4. You become familiar with publishers and the type of books they publish. This is especially helpful if you review in the genre that you write in and if you’re looking for places to submit your work.
5. You become familiar with agents and the type of books they like to represent. How do you know this? Most authors thank their agents in the acknowledgements page.
6. You network with other authors who in the future might help you promote your book. Authors are very thankful to reviewers for taking the time to review their books, especially if the reviews are positive.
7. You develop an online presence, a platform. If you have an attractive blog where you post honest, intelligently written reviews, eventually you’ll build a good reputation as a serious reviewer and readers, publishers, authors and publicists will want to become your followers. Having lots of followers will instantly make you more attractive in the eyes of a publisher when you submit your book for consideration.
8. You develop an identity as an expert, especially if you review in the same genre you write in. For example, if you review only young adult novels, and you write reviews often enough, soon you’ll acquire a thorough knowledge of the genre and what’s new out there, and your reviews will become more insightful because you’ll be able to compare works b
0 Comments on 15 Benefits of Reviewing for Aspiring Children’s Authors as of 1/1/1900
If you’re a book reviewer, chances are you’ve heard about the new FTC (Federal Trade Commission) regulations concerning bloggers who review products online.
What’s going on and what do their new guidelines mean for you, the book blogger/reviewer who writes reviews? Is the FTC keeping records of who’s doing what online? Can the reviewers be fined for accepting books for review if they don’t have a disclosure posted on their blogs stating how they got their books, and whether or not they bought them themselves or were provided by authors or publishers?
The truth is, the FTC has been struggling with how to deal with bloggers for a long time. The FTC doesn’t see book bloggers as journalists, so the guidelines that apply to, say, The New York Times, wouldn’t apply to an independent book blogger. The people at the FTC see blogs as a new type of communication so blogs must be treated in a different way.
What’s the difference between a reviewer who works for a newspaper or magazine and a book blogger?
Basically, their reasoning is that in the case of a newspaper reviewer, it’s the newspaper that gets the compensation, not the book reviewer, whereas in the case of the blogger, she gets to keep the book. So there’s a direct connection between the compensation and the review. Many people think this is silly. After all, there’s nothing stopping a newspaper reviewer from keeping a book. There’s no one at the newspaper making sure all review copies are stored in a secured shelf once reviewers have read the books.
How do you deal with this new regulation if you don’t want to get into trouble and want to come across as an ethical reviewer?
The FTC has made it pretty clear: A disclosure is required.
In order to meet the standard, all you have to do is put a disclosure on your blog, a brief, clear message prominently displayed on your sidebar or on the ‘About the Blogger’ or ‘Review Policy’ pages. Your disclosure could be something like this: “Review copies are provided by authors and publishers. I don’t receive monetary compensation for my reviews.” (If you receive monetary compensation or, let’s say, a gift such an Amazon gift certificate, you must state this clearly). The clearer and more straight forward the disclosure, the more you’ll come across as an honest, ethical reviewer. It’s all about integrity and good practice behavior.
If you go to my blog, www.mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com, and scroll down a bit, you’ll see my disclosure on the right sidebar. As you can see, it’s pretty short.
Though the degree of prominence isn’t spelled out (as far as I know), some bloggers are including this disclosure at the bottom of every review they post, but this isn’t really necessary, not as long as the disclosure is easy to find somewhere on your blog.
The FTC regulation is a good thing for the consumer. If you’re a reviewer with Amazon Affiliate purchase buttons all over your blog, I want to know if you’ve accepted monetary compensation in exchange for your reviews. Granted, most bloggers earn only pennies from their affiliate buttons, but I still want to know.
The FTC guidelines also put responsibility on the authors, publishers and other marketing people (such as publicists) who are trying to promote a book. For example, if you’re an author looking for bloggers to review your book (as in the case of virtual book tours), you should make sure those bloggers you send your book to have that disclosure. Or at least, this is what the guidelines suggest.
But to go back to one of my initial questions: Can reviewers be fined for accepting books for review if they don’t have a disclosure poste
3 Comments on New FTC Regulations and What They Mean to You--the Reviewer, last added: 11/5/2010
Thanks for explaining this! I don't do reviews on my blog at this point, but I might in the future and it is good to understand how it all works and what kinds of disclosures are necessary. I appreciate you doing the research and sharing it with all of us!
I get lots of product reviews on my blog but I'd like to receive more book,dvd & tech reviews when they are available. Haven't figured out how to get them yet.
Thanks to Google Alerts, I learned that the Association of Jewish Libraries included The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing on their book list for children's book reviewers. Not only that, but they marked it as 'essential'... I'm jazzed!
1 Comments on 'Slippery' included in Association of Jewish Libraries book list, last added: 7/6/2010
I’m kind of quarantined at the moment. The baby and Rilla seem to be more or less over the nasty little bug we’ve been passing around, but it appears to find my company irresistible and invited its nasty little friends over for a keg party last night. I woke up at 4 a.m. with a fever and honest-t0-goodness chills, the kind that make your teeth chatter. Fun!
So Scott’s doing Saturday morning cartoons with the rest of the gang, and the baby just crashed on my lap (he’s the one who gave me this blasted virus, so no quarantining needed), and my book is way on the other side of the room, and my foot is falling asleep. Hang on, now my other foot is falling asleep. This is a serious situation. Must take mind off physical misery. Twitter, what have you got for me?
Ahh, sweet distraction. First there’s Liz B tweeting a teaser about her latest post, a link-rich discussion of her frustration with parents who “treat reading like a race,” pushing their kids to read too early, or to read “more challenging” books. Hear hear! Couldn’t agree more. I recall, long ago, when Jane was a baby, watching a visiting 4-year-old explore our bookshelves, which were even then loaded with picture book treasures. I’d worked at a children’s bookstore during grad school and pretty much converted my paycheck into books every two weeks. The little girl was a precocious reader, already gulping down chapter books on her own, but she was having a fine old time with our picture-book stash when her mother noticed and steered her away from the picture books toward, and I quote, “something more challenging.” The little girl was crestfallen, and I found myself quickly jumping in to point out to her mom that actually the reading level in picture books is often more sophisticated than in young chapter books, since, after all, picture books are meant to be read by an adult to a child. This satisfied the mother’s concerns and she allowed her daughter to finish the book she’d begun, but I felt intensely dissatisfied by the exchange. “Sophisticated reading level” wasn’t the point at all. The point was that a four-year-old child wanted to read a picture book—four! she was only four!—and she was being given a message that reading purely for pleasure was beneath her. Why must she only read things that “challenge” her? What’s wrong with reading for fun? Well, I was very new to mothering myself at that point, and I didn’t know how to carry the conversation further without offending the mother. I’m much mouthier now, I suppose.
Liz also led me to a Roger Sutton post on a topic much discussed of late, the difference between professional film and literary criticism and the kind of reviews, responses, and recommendations now so abundant on blogs. Roger quotes a New York Times article about online movie-review aggregators and the shrinking numbers of in-print film reviews, and he wonders whether “Internet 2.0 is turning us all into better talkers than listeners—that’s what will kill criticism from wherever its source.” Looks like a good discussion (among folks who both talk and listen) is shaping up in the comments there.
The Times piece led me to a Roger Ebert post about a YouTube poetry clip that was pulled because of nudity in an accompanying image. (The clip was later restored to the site, image intact.) I clicked through to listen to the poem, “The Cinnamon Peeler” by Sri Lankan poet Michael Ondaatje, and was fairly blown away both by the poem (beautiful in a kind of Song of Solomon way—please vet this before sharing with kids) and the voice of the reader, who calls himself (on YouTube) Tom O’Bedlam. I’ll be revisiting the SpokenVerse channel for sure.
Somewhere along the line the Times article led me, with a stop or two in between, to the Magazine Death Pool. Anyone feeling depressed about the disappearance of print media should probably avoid this link. (You know who you are.) “More than 525 US magazines ceased publication in 2008, and 40 have already folded in 2009 as the downturn in the economy continues to heavily impact most forms of print media, according to MediaFinder.com.” That quote is from February, and the site chronicles the demise of several more magazines since then. Yow.
Then again, I’ve let almost all of my own magazine subscriptions lapse in the past couple of years. The girls still get a bunch of good ones, gifts from Scott’s parents—Muse, Odyssey, Ask, Ranger Rick, My Big Backyard.
Aneeta Sundararaj, editor of How to Tell a Good Story, just reviewed The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing.
"Have you read a review and wondered whether it is good or bad? Have you ever wanted to venture into writing reviews but don’t know how to begin? Are you wary of writing a review and having publishers think that it might be too amateurish for them to consider publishing? Well, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing answers these questions and so much more."
Today I'm over at A Writer's Words, an Editor's Eye, where Lillie Ammann has written a wonderful review of my book, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing.
Thank you, Lillie, for the great review and for hosting us on your blog!
2 Comments on The Slippery Art of Book Review VBT continues, last added: 11/17/2008
Over at Open Wide, Look Inside my students have begun reviewing books that connect to the teaching of social studies. Each of their posts includes a brief summary of a book, curriculum connections, links for some supporting resources, and general information about the book.
This week the focus is economics. Do stop by and check out these first reviews for social studies. There are lots of good ideas for classroom use you won't want to miss. Some of the books highlighted are shown below.
1 Comments on New Book Reviews - Economics, last added: 10/16/2008
Those were really cool. If teachers really have these available in their classrooms, there's a whole world that opens up!I was glad to see some with pictures of children from the dominant culture; often it seems that illustrators only use children from ethnic minorities, as if they alone need to figure out economics.
Over at Open Wide, Look Inside my students have been reviewing books that connect to the teaching of science. Each of their posts includes a brief summary of a book, curriculum connections, links for some supporting resources, and general information about the book.
This week the focus is earth science. You'll find some poetry (2 books!) a Caldecott winner, a Magic School Bus classic title, and many more. In addition to this week's selections, other areas of focus have been:
The next two weeks will be devoted to practice teaching and a workshop on Ag in the Classroom, so there won't be any book reviews for a while. Please stop by and take a look at these last reviews for science. I promise you won't be disappointed.
0 Comments on New Book Reviews - Earth Science as of 9/24/2008 10:49:00 AM
My TBR pile is huge right now. There are many great looking books on it that I simply must read. Publishers have been more than generous in sending me works to review, but lately, I'm getting a lot of books that are well outside of my area of interest/expertise.
If you regularly read my blog, you know that I generally review nonfiction and poetry for young readers through middle grades. Every so often I will review picture books that have strong connections to the teaching of math, science or social studies. As a reminder of this, I have highlighted my review policy and moved it up in the sidebar to a more prominent position.
This is my way of saying that I love receiving books to review, finding outstanding works by new and seasoned authors, and sharing those finds with my readers. However, I have a bit of a guilty conscience about all the books I'm not reviewing. I know that authors work very hard to write the best books possible, and they deserve to be reviewed. Since I will never get to some of these books, I would like to send my copies to readers who would like to review them.
Here are the first two.
Need by Carrie Jones - TAKEN! Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life’s been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother’s pretty much checked out. Now Zara’s living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays “safe.” Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother can’t deal.
Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn’t a figment of her imagination. He’s a pixie—and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He’s the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he’s trailing Zara.
My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah’s gum-chewing, cell phone–carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother. Showing why she’s only Fair—because she’s not a very good fairy student—Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah’s class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight.
These will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please send me an e-mail and let me know which book you are interested in. All books will be mailed this weekend. Good luck! (And thanks for your help.)
More ARCs to come ...
3 Comments on ARCs Available, last added: 9/12/2008
They DO sound like fun, as do many of the others I get. The frustrating part of this is that a lot of books just show up in my mailbox. I do review all the books I request, but I can't possibly keep up with the rest. I am getting lots of review requests now for YA. Perhaps I'll start sending these people to your blog!
I have the same problem. I have WAY too many ARCs and not enough time to read them. Plus a few don't seem as interesting to me as I though they once were. However I can't afford to ship books to others to review.
ForeWord seems to have a lot of weight with libraries, and since I'm in the process of an emailing campaign to libraries, this review comes very handy. My co-author and I are contacting all public libraries by state and sending them promotional flyers by email. So far I've done all the libraries in MA. It is a very time consuming activity and after we do a couple more states we'll check with the publisher to see if our promotional efforts have been effective. For a list of public libraries by state, we're using this site:
We're also planning to contact college bookstores and English departments of colleges and universities. Already our book is being used as a textbook for a book writing course at Loyola College, MD, so we're quite excited about that and hopeful that other schools will follow.
Here's what other reviewers are saying...
"The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing should be considered mandatory reading for novice and aspiring book reviewers, as well as having a great deal of enduring value as a reference for even the more experienced reviewer. Additionally, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing will provide to be informed and informative reading about the book review process for authors, publishers, publicists, booksellers, librarians, and the general reading public." --Reviewed by James Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review.
"This book from Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards is the first 'Reviewer's Desk Reference' for book reviewers at all levels." --Reviewed by Ernest Dempsey, The World Audience
"As an experienced reviewer I learned that I do not know it all and will keep my copy of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing for reference. It is not a book I will loan out because it won’t be returned...If you want to break into book reviewing, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing is a must-have reference. Heed the author’s advice and you can write reviews that will get you and the books you review noticed." --Reviewed by Sharon Broom, Armchair Interviews.
"The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing is a useful took for both amateur and professional book reviewers, as well as book review editors. There should be no doubt that the good tips, thoughtful perspective and resource information can be of considerable value to anyone wishing to practice this art." --Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Allbooks Reviews.
"I do recommend The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing as a must-have resource guide. Calvani and Edwards present a well-written gold-mine to potential reviewers as well as a source of information for experienced reviewers and authors." --Reviewed by Irene Watson, Reader Views.
"The Slippery Art... is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in book reviews - writers, reviewers, publishers, publicists, librarians, booksellers and readers." -- Reviewed by Francine Silverman, Editor of The Book Promotion Newsletter
2 Comments on Rave Review from ForeWord Magazine, last added: 8/31/2008
Nice, that should really help with publicity for the book. That's awesome that at least one class is using it as a text. I think more end up using it, too.
Learn all about the business of book reviewing and what’s in the mind of some of the most popular reviewers on the internet today. Some of our guests will include: Irene Watson from Reader Views, Andrea Sisco from Armchair Interviews, Hilary Williamson from Book Loons, Linda Baldwin from Road to Romance, Judy Clark from Mostly Fiction, Carolyn Howard-Johnson from The New Book Review, James Cox from Midwest Book Review, Lea Schizas from Muse Book Reviews, Magdalena Ball from The Compulsive Reader, Sharyn McGinty from In the Library Reviews, and many others!
The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing is officially available for pre-order now on Amazon and B&N. If you order now Amazon is offering a discount. The ebook galley is also for sale now from the publisher at Twilight Times Books. (If you buy the galley now, you will receive the finished version upon its release on June 15th).
I hope you'll stop by at Blogcritics to read some of the interviews and hopefully leave comments and/or questions.
I will send another announcement on June 1st.
Thanks!
Mayra Calvani
2 Comments on The Launch Party for The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, last added: 5/10/2008
Because of your real wolf, I thought you'd be interested in one of my books, LEGEND OF THE WHITE WOLF.
You can find it on Amazon, or go to one of my sites.
I grew up as a reluctant reader. Now I write action-adventures & mysteries, especially for boys 8 and up, that kids hate to put down. My web site is at http://www.maxbooks.9k.com and my Books for Boys blog is at http://booksandboys.blogspot.com Ranked by Accelerated Reader
Two very different posts/articles have got me thinking about these internets of ours. One of them I read via my Reader, and the other in the New York Times. Both really show how technology and the internet have changed the way we work, read, and live.
First up: I really like Kassia Krozser's response at Booksquare to yet another article on how bloggers (and publishers) are ruining the book pages in the States. This is such a tiresome debate, and Kassia explains why. (Then again, Kassia could be merely reacting, instead of carefully considering context and various points of view. Just kidding.)
Now from the New York Times: "At Harvard, a Proposal to Publish Free on Web," by Patricia Cohen. Here's the upshot: "Faculty members are scheduled to vote on a measure that would permit Harvard to distribute their scholarship online, instead of signing exclusive agreements with scholarly journals that often have tiny readerships and high subscription costs."
I think this is an exciting proposal and I hope it passes. Imagine if scholarship made it to the web. There would be more room for debate and discussion. Moreover, time to "publication" could be six months instead of six years as it often is in the Humanities. While I do see issues for scholars working with human subjects or in the biological sciences, I think online scholarship is the future in the Humanities. I'll be watching the vote with great interest.
0 Comments on Two Interesting Web articles/posts as of 1/1/1900
Susan said, on 2/12/2008 4:00:00 PM
Just stopping by to let you know I left you an award on my blog: blogginboutbooks.blogspot.com
Kassia said, on 2/12/2008 8:06:00 PM
Moi, reactionary? Perish the thought!
I am indeed tired of this debate, yet it's like a never-ending skirmish. Concede, print absolutists, concede. Really, there is no battle, but humans like a good debate. Or something. I wish traditional media would stop snarking and start doing -- it's not the where, it's the what.
And, yes, you caught me on ranty night!
Kelly said, on 2/12/2008 8:14:00 PM
Kassia: I'm just kidding anyway. Like I said, I thought your response was right on target.
Susan: Thank you :) I'm flattered!
Jen Robinson said, on 2/13/2008 8:54:00 PM
That bit about publishing scholarly research online is very interesting, Kelly. I'll be watching how that develops. As for the bloggers destroying book pages debate, oh, I've had enough of that for one lifetime.
Are you passionate about books? Do you have the desire to share your thoughts about a book with readers, yet are unsure about what makes a good review? Are you curious about the influence reviews have on readers, booksellers, and librarians?
If you’re a beginner, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing will show you how to write a well-written, honest, objective and professional book review. But that’s not all. This book will also teach you:
How to read critically How to differentiate the various types of reviews How to rate books How to prevent amateurish mistakes How to deal with the ethics and legalities of reviews How to tell the difference between a review, a book report, and a critique How to start your own review site How to publish your reviews on dozens of sites and even make money while you’re at it, and much more
If you’re an author, publisher, publicist, bookseller, librarian, or reader, this book will also bring to light the importance and influence of book reviews within a wider spectrum.
The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing by Mayra Calvani & Anne K. Edwards Twilight Times Books Trade Paperback/Ebook 188 pages RELEASE DATE: June 15th, 2008 ARCs available for review, please contact the publisher, Lida Quillen, at [email protected]
0 Comments on The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, coming out in June 2008! as of 1/1/1900
Celebration time! My new favorite series, Kids Can Press'sVisions in Poetry, and my favorite Edward Lear poem, "The Owl and the Pussycat," meet together in one new volume. They fit together like pyjamas and a good book. Or espresso and a lemon bar. Like wasabi and soy sauce.
I've reviewed another Visions in Poetry book before--an edition of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. And I honestly can't go on and on enough about how wonderful this series is. Take a classic poem and pair it with compelling illustrations and you have a winner. I find that this series works best for the Middle Grade reader--one who may think she is too old for "The Owl and the Pussycat," but can't help staring at the loopy, appropriately-psychedelic illustrations by StephaneJorisch, or too worldly-wise for The Raven, but can't turn away from Ryan Price's dark, creepy sketches. Visions in Poetry, by using new and interesting illustrations, brings poetry to every child.
This version of "The Owl and the Pussycat" begins with four two-page spreads without any words. We see a villa by the sea, complete with an owl bust in front of the house, and an urban-sophisticate cat on the subway platform at the "Owl Heights" station. The mismatched lovers share drinks together at Cafe de la gare. Tongues wag and soon the pair sets off in their "pea-green boat," watched all along by slightly-threatening monkeys, elephants, and other creatures all dressed in clothing. Soon the owl and the pussycat pass through an archway in the water and arrive to the mythical "land where the bong tree grows." Jorisch's illustrations at this point become cheerful and celebratory. The owl and the pussycat are accepted in this new land.
Today's Poetry Friday entry comes from my favorite part of "The Owl and the Pussycat," lines I love simply for their rhythm:
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
Go ahead. Read it aloud, just for fun.
I'll conclude this review and Poetry Friday entry with a letter. Maybe I'll even send it.
Dear Visions of Poetry editors,
I adore your series. Pretty please, can A.A. Milne's "Disobedience" (James James/Morrison Morrison/Weatherby George Dupree) be next?
Your humble reader,
Kelly ------------------------------------ Other blog reviews:
Reviewing has been a hot subject among kidlit bloggers lately, ever since the magazine n+1 came up with an article about a week ago which criticized—though not in such direct terms—bloggers of not being objective, honest enough with their reviews, of not posting enough negative reviews and of lacing their positive reviews with facile praise. The main question seems to be: is it possible to be unbiased in a cozy environment where the people who post friendly comments under the bloggers’ posts are often the same people who request reviews from these bloggers? In other words, is it possible to be objective in the blogosphere, where authors, publishers, publicists, reviewers and librarians are in friendly terms with each other in such blog communities as Live Journal?
In a perfect world a reviewer should never review a book by a person he/she knows. But, as usual, more often than not, what is ideal in theory is not realistic in the real world, and this ‘sin’ is not only committed by bloggers, but also by professional reviewers who write for online and print review publications.
Another issue seems to be the lack of format which many (maybe most?) bloggers have when writing reviews. Unlike the ‘legitimate’ reviewers who seem to have a preference for a ‘standard’ structure—an interesting lead/opening sentence, a short summary of the plot without ever giving away spoilers or the ending, and an intelligent, fair, tactful evaluation—the bloggers write about books anyway they want. They have the freedom to write in any length or style without a thought to format—even to the point of giving away spoilers or relating the ending of a book. This freedom comes with the territory of being a blogger. But then, the questions arise… Are bloggers ‘real’ reviewers? What defines a review? After all, there are many types of reviews—academic and long, light and short, and snippets like those in such publications as Library Journal.
Different review sites and publications have different guidelines. Are blogger reviews a new, different type of review? Should we draw a distinction between bloggers who are simply readers and post ‘reader reviews’ and ‘legitimate’ reviewers who post ‘real’ ones on their blogs? After all, just like on Amazon, there are reader reviews and reviewer reviews. Are bloggers the lowly counterparts of legitimate reviewers? Is this an elitist attitude?
I find these questions fascinating because I think there are no easy answers. As usual, opening a discussion about what is right and wrong is like opening a can of worms.
A couple of years ago, this dilemma started with the emerging online review sites... I remember how librarians and bookstores often dismissed them as ‘not legitimate’. Online review sites have come a long way. Now it's the bloggers who are being attacked.
Ultimately, I think we're not giving enough credit to the discerning reader of reviews. It's so easy to tell a good review from a cheesy one guilty of facile praise! There are good and bad reviewers everywhere. Serious blogger reviewers aren't going to be stupid enough to post overly positive reviews because if the reader buys a book based on that review and then finds that book to be poorly written, that blogger will lose all credibility and that reader won't come back to this blogger for more reviews. Honesty and fairness go with our job as reviewers, without it, we're nothing but weak, cheap publicity. That is not to say we should be nasty or mean... which brings me to the writing of negative reviews...
I personally think there are too many good books out there to be spending time writing about the bad ones (even negative reviews are a type of publicity!). Unless it's a book that has been written by a famous author and/or heavily hyped, I won't bother posting negative reviews on my blog and newsletters (this wouldn't be the case, however, if the book was assigned by a review site/publication, in which case I wouldn’t have a choice but to write the negative review).
One thing the blogging technology has done is bring books and literature closer to the public and, let’s face it, the average person is so busy and/or has such a short attention span that long, insightful reviews are not the most practical thing in the world. Blogger reviews are like quick tasty treats of information for people on the run who enjoy reading about books. In the end, and in spite of the ‘slippery’ questions mentioned above, I’m all for anything that brings literature closer to the public.
Mayra Calvani is the co-author of the forthcoming book, THE SLIPPERY ART OF BOOK REVIEWING, soon from www.TwilightTimesBooks.com
1 Comments on Reviewers vs. Bloggers: The Controversy, last added: 5/23/2007
Because I'm an Amazon top 500 customer reviewer some authors offer to send me books to review. In the cases where the book is something I would never normally read I decline the offer. Sometimes when I read the book and it was terrible I just don't review it.
However if I bought the book and really feel something negative I have done customer reviews on Amazon with negative content.
I also don't review a book that I didn't read cover to cover. This sometimes makes me late with posting a review.
I think that sometimes we readers look for reviews of books which are older or not what a publisher is pushing to the big reviewers who work for newspapers or book review publications. I feel there is a need for reviews on older books or even ones published just a year or two ago. The newspaper staff book reviewers therefore are not filling a need in the market.
Also not everyone is reading the newspapers but they are reading blogs.
Just like some blogs are fluff content yet others are very insightful and have thoughtful essays, some blogged book reviews are superficial or stink and some others are great.
I feel that in general the print media staff are feeling threatened that the Joe Shmo's out there like me have a voice and a way to be published. I think they are threatened.
I had blogged recently that a journalist was slamming bloggers, saying that the role of the publication's editor in promoting a certain bias or viewpoint was necessary and the fact that bloggers control their own selves is dangerous.
"A journalist friend told me about reviewing an Elmore Leonard novel negatively, then meeting the author a few months later at a literary festival. The critic found him dignified, charming, and modest, writing and speaking with as much care and professionalism at 84 as he'd done for the past 50 years. The flaws of the novel seemed suddenly insignificant, my friend told me, and he felt ashamed."
There's something about those negative reviews. I avoid them too, even if I'll mention a book I didn't like in the comments.
15 Comments on Book Reviewing, last added: 3/15/2007
I agree with Meg Rosoff. In addition, I don't want to spend my time writing reviews of books I don't care about. I only write reviews of books I really like at Blue Rose Girls. I want to spread word about wonderful children's poetry books being published today...and about collections and anthologies that may have been published years ago but are still in print. Let's face it--children's poetry needs advocates!
I agree, Elaine. You're a great advocate for Poetry. Your poetry Friday posts are the best!
Elaine Magliaro said, on 3/13/2007 1:21:00 PM
Thanks, Kelly. I appreciate the compliment. I put my heart and soul into most of my Poetry Friday posts because poetry is such an important part of my life. When I was having dinner with Joseph Bruchac last week, I told him that poetry had saved my life. He said he had been told that same thing by other people before.
The Buried Editor said, on 3/13/2007 1:32:00 PM
I've never seen much point in telling the world how much you disliked a book. I only did it once because I wanted to save everyone else the horror of reading that book too. I think I failed. Barnes and Noble modeled the book so that we always have at least one in the store. Bleck.
But I much prefer spending time telling people about the books I like, and that I hope they will like. After all it's what I do as an editor and a bookseller. I find good books and put them in the hands of readers.
cynjay said, on 3/13/2007 1:40:00 PM
I take it a step further and only reviw books that I love - which is probably why I haven't reviewed any for TEOTF for awhile. I might have one here for next time though...
Elaine: The PF posts are works of genius, so they do truly show your passion and that poetry is capable of saving lives.
Buried: You know, I'm not an editor, but that's how I see my role too. Occasionally I kvetch about a book EVERYONE loves (most recently "Outlander"), but only because I know my sniping won't make the slightest difference.
Hey, Cyn! I've missed you! I hope you'll find one for TEOTF. I've had that feeling about picture books lately. I've been left cold by most I've seen so far this year. Fortunately, I've received or run into a few good ones in the past week.
Lee said, on 3/13/2007 5:13:00 PM
I disagree. You can often learn as much from a book you dislike as one you enjoy. And I'm a bit puzzled by what a writer's charm and dignity have to do with the quality of their fiction.
Personally I never mind a negative but well-considered, constructive critique.
Elaine Magliaro said, on 3/13/2007 7:09:00 PM
Lee,
I agree that one can learn from a negative review. But as a blogger, I choose to write about and review books I like and think others might enjoy reading. I want to spread word about good books--especially good poetry books that often receive little attention.
Lee said, on 3/13/2007 10:57:00 PM
Elaine, yes I fully understand that we all blog with different intentions. In my own case, 'spreading word' is secondary to sharpening my critical and writing skills, and my ethical discernment, though I'll happily admit that in the case of poetry - and I read poetry every day without fail - I tend to cite the poems that I appreciate.
Nick said, on 3/14/2007 6:50:00 AM
If I may quote a great philospher (all right, it was Mr Spock), "It has always been easier to destroy than to create."
The reason negative reviews should (largely) be avoided is that they are much easier than positive ones. It takes bravery to stick your head above the parapet and say, "I really like that." And astuteness to say why and how. Whereas any fool can be wittily negative. That said, I'd make an exception for Dan Brown et al.
Lee said, on 3/14/2007 8:22:00 AM
Actually, I find you have to destroy in order to create.
Great discussion, guys. Roger at Read Roger has picked up the question. I replied over there with more of my perspective. I agree negative reviews are necessary for a journal like Horn Book, which is supposed to publish reviews of all noteworthy publications. But blogs are different.
Michele said, on 3/14/2007 10:11:00 PM
I can see this is one of those conversations we're all going to have over and over again (we've had it at least twice before, that I recall)...
I'm lucky, I'm a book-lover so it's not often I read (and finish) a book that I don't enjoy, so I usually write positive reviews. But I disagree with Nick about positive reviews being harder to write. It's easy to write a positive review of a book you love. It's much harder to write a balanced negative review that respects the fact that an author has put a lot of work and effort into a book that you didn't get or simply hated.
I just remind myself that one person's meat is often another person's poison, and whilst I may not get a book, plenty of others will love it. Which is just as well, because if we all liked the same things, the world would be a lot more dull than it is!
Lee said, on 3/14/2007 11:49:00 PM
'It's easy to write a positive review of a book you love. It's much harder to write a balanced negative review that respects the fact that an author has put a lot of work and effort into a book that you didn't get or simply hated.'
Well said, Michele!
Nick said, on 3/15/2007 6:04:00 AM
I guess I was thinking as an Englishman! In England it's considered uncool to like stuff... or so it seems sometimes. :-)
I just finished David Shafer’s thriller Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, which I read because of Dwight Garner’s NYT review. The book is everything Garner says it is–bright, popping, funny, suspenseful. And it has all the things I love: complicated heroes and heroines, smart riffs on contemporary memes, and–best of all–a global conspiracy that really is out to get the paranoiacs as well as the rest of us.
My old Chicago pal Ilene Cooper and I are interviewed by my other old Chicago pal Elizabeth Law at Elizabeth’s new blog, 
Thanks for explaining this! I don't do reviews on my blog at this point, but I might in the future and it is good to understand how it all works and what kinds of disclosures are necessary. I appreciate you doing the research and sharing it with all of us!
Great info! Thanks!
I get lots of product reviews on my blog but I'd like to receive more book,dvd & tech reviews when they are available. Haven't figured out how to get them yet.