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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: how to write book reviews, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 10 of 10
1. Becoming a Reviewer

I started reviewing about 10-12 years ago, but it wasn’t until 2006-2007 that I came up with the idea of writing The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing. I know this sounds a little corny, but I just woke up one night with the idea.

I thought a book like this was needed because there wasn’t another like it on the market, and I knew that I, for one, would have profited from it when I started reviewing. I proposed the idea to my dear friend, mystery author and reviewer Anne K. Edwards, and invited her to be my co-author. She accepted and we immediately jumped into the project.

The book took about a year to write and we had a marvelous time working on it together. Anne had started reviewing around the same time I had and she shared my passion for reviewing, so we were a perfect match. We made a list of topics in the form of an outline and divided the work between us. We also sent a proposal to publisher Lida Quillen of Twilight Times Books and she loved the idea and immediately sent us a contract, so the book was contracted before we actually finished it—that deadline was helpful in keeping us focused and motivated.

So, in a nutshell, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing is a how-to book on how to write well-written, well-structured, honest, professional book reviews no matter their type or length. Its primary audience is beginner reviewers but we’ve received wonderful feedback from intermediate reviewers as well, telling us how helpful they found the book.

I’m often asked what makes a good book review. Here are a few tips:

A good book review, whether short or long, is a well-written, honest, thoughtful evaluation of a book, one that points out the good and the ugly. If negative, a good review must also be tactful. I usually, though not always, follow a simple formula for a review, something I learned from Alex Moore, Book Review Editor of ForeWord Magazine: An interesting lead or quote; a short summary of the plot (without ever giving away spoilers or the ending); an evaluation supported by examples or quotes; and a recommendation (or not). A review is written for the reader/consumer in mind, and must help them decide whether or not the book is worth their time and money. It goes without saying that a good review should be free of spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors. Finally, a good review should engage the reader, should hold the reader’s interest and attention.

Currently, I review for SimplyCharly.com, Voice in the Dark, and numerous other publications. Additionally, I offer book reviewing workshops at online conferences and SavvyAuthors.com. For those interested in private, one-to-one courses, I also offer these from my website.

4 Comments on Becoming a Reviewer, last added: 2/14/2011
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2. Slip, Slide into the World of Book Reviewing


Slip, slide into the World of Book Reviewing

Enjoy reading and discussing books, why not expand your canvas and slip, slide into the world of book reviewing. How does one write a review and gain recognition one may ask? The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing answers your questions.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 11, 2010 – M E D I A R E L E A S E

CONTACT: Lida Quillen
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.twilighttimesbooks.com

For Immediate Release

Slip, slide into the World of Book Reviewing

Enjoy reading and discussing books, why not expand your canvas and slip, slide into the world of book reviewing. How does one write a review and gain recognition one may ask? The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing by Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards answers many of your questions along with practical advice which will get you started in no time.

Taking the publishing world by storm, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing first edition quickly became a must have reference tool for new and seasoned book reviewers. The authors acknowledged the fact our high speed information world changes in a nanosecond and embarked on their quest to update The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing and have released the newly revised and updated edition.

Reviews from well established and respected book reviewers continue to pour in:

“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.

“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

It comes as no surprise The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing has the distinct honor of the ForeWord Best Book of the Year Award and the esteem privilege of being listed as required reading at several American and Dutch universities.

Available:
The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing
Twilight Times Books

http://twilighttimesbooks.com

ISBN: 978-1933353227
Amazon.com, B&N.com, and of course you can order through your local independent book store.

Anne K. Edwards is an award-winning multi-genre author, reviewer and editor of Voice in the Dark Ezine. Her latest novel is the suspense thriller, Shadows Over Paradise, just released by Twilight Times Books. Visit her website at www.MysteryFiction.net.

Award-winning multi-genre author Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She reviews for SimplySharly.com, The NY Journal of Books and Blogcritics Magazine. She’s had over 300 articles, reviews, interviews and stories published online. Visit her website at www.MayraCalvani.com.

Full Media Kit, Headshot, Book Cover Art and more are available upon request.


Don't have time to write and post your media releases? Contact: Dynamic
Media Release Services:

2 Comments on Slip, Slide into the World of Book Reviewing, last added: 7/14/2010
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3. Another rave review for The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing

Hi,

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."


Read the complete review here.

Best,
Mayra

0 Comments on Another rave review for The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing as of 1/1/1900
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4. Audio Interview: The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing

Hi all,

Today on The Author's Show there's a great interviewwith my co-author, Anne K. Edwards, about our book, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing.

Check it out if you have the chance:
http://www.theauthorsshow.com

Cheers!
Mayra

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5. My Interview at Blogcritics Magazine

Hi all,

It was nice being on the interviewee seat for once at Blogcritics Magazine.

Dorothy Thompson, CEO of Pump Up Your Book Promotion, was kind enough to interview me as part of my November virtual book tour.

You may read the full interview here.

Cheers!
Mayra

2 Comments on My Interview at Blogcritics Magazine, last added: 11/27/2008
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6. The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing - Day 9

Hi all,

Today on the 9th day of my VBT I'm over at Unwriter, where Ron Berry has written a wonderful review of my book.

Thank you, Ron!

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7. The Slippery Art of Book Review VBT continues

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
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8. Rave Review from ForeWord Magazine



Heather Shaw, Editor-in-Chief of ForeWord Magazine, just gave my book a rave review.

I'm absolutely thrilled!

“There’s not a reviewer out there that wouldn’t benefit from this review of reviewing… this is a great reference book for libraries…”

Read Heather's full review here.

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:

http://www.publiclibraries.com/

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
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9. The Launch Party for The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing


Hi Everyone,

To promote the release of my first nonfiction book, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing (co-authored with Anne K. Edwards), I'm launching a party at Blogcritics Magazine from June 1-30.
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!
Learn more about the book at The Slippery Book Review Blog.
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
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10. What is Autumn? - This Week’s Teaching Tip

Renee Kirchnerby Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor

Autumn, also known is fall is the transition season between summer and winter. In the northern hemisphere autumn starts in September and in the southern hemisphere, it starts around March. Although there are different definitions of autumn, it is generally assumed that autumn lasts from September through November. During these months the days begin to shorten and animals and plants prepare for the upcoming cold season.

When we think of fall, we usually think of beautiful fall colors such as red, yellow and orange on the trees. As the days become shorter, trees do not have enough light for photosynthesis. The leaves begin to stop producing the green chlorophyll and we begin to see pretty fall colors such as yellow and orange. Small amounts of this color were in the leaves during the summer, but the green chlorophyll covered it up.

Try this fun art project with your children:

FALL LEAVES (Torn paper collage)

Supplies:

Black construction paper (8 _ x 11)
Brown construction paper
Red construction paper
Yellow construction paper
Orange construction paper
Glue

The black construction paper will be the background for this collage. Tear red, yellow and orange construction paper into small one-inch pieces. These will be the leaves on the fall tree. Using a pencil, draw a tree trunk in the brown paper and carefully tear it out. Glue the tree trunk onto the black background. Arrange the leaves on the tree in a pleasing way and glue them down. It looks nice to scatter some of them on the ground for a true fall effect.

The black background will make the bright colors seem more vivid.

Fall Books to Read:

Fall by Nuna Roca
Fall by Nuna Roca. Barron’s Educational Series, August 2004

This title is for children in preschool through grade 2. Filled with colorful illustrations and sample projects and crafts, it is a great introduction to the season of Fall.

When autumn falls
When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey. Albert Whitman, September 2006.

As the heat of summer fades, fall begins. The temperatures drop as well as the leaves from the trees. Children will enjoy reading about familiar fall pastimes such as piling leaves up and carving jack-o’-lanterns.

Now It’s Fall
Now It’s Fall by Lois Lenski. Random House Children’s Books, October 2000 (reprint).

This newly reissued classic by Lois Lensky holds all of the pleasures of fall. A whole new generation can fall in love with her books.

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