importance of book review

Barnes&Noble Press Blog

• Author Posts & Interviews
• Self Publishing Tips & Resources
• Special Collections
• Shop the B&N Press Store

Industry Tips & Tricks , Uncategorized

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!

More Industry Tips & Tricks:

• How to Overcome Writer’s Block in 5 Ways
• 6 Reasons to Create Special Edition Print Books
• Why Authors Should Self-Publish Audiobooks
• How to Boost Your NOOK Readership with the Free B&N NOOK App
• 3 Tips to Tailor Your Metadata for B&N Readers
• 5 Facts About B&N Press Self-Publishing

Comments are closed.

More in Industry Tips & Tricks

Book Reviews

What this handout is about.

This handout will help you write a book review, a report or essay that offers a critical perspective on a text. It offers a process and suggests some strategies for writing book reviews.

What is a review?

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. For a similar assignment, see our handout on literature 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 dialogue and 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: three short examples

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.

Consider the following brief book review written for a history course on medieval Europe by a student who is fascinated with beer:

Judith Bennett’s Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600, investigates how women used to brew and sell the majority of ale drunk in England. Historically, ale and beer (not milk, wine, or water) were important elements of the English diet. Ale brewing was low-skill and low status labor that was complimentary to women’s domestic responsibilities. In the early fifteenth century, brewers began to make ale with hops, and they called this new drink “beer.” This technique allowed brewers to produce their beverages at a lower cost and to sell it more easily, although women generally stopped brewing once the business became more profitable.

The student describes the subject of the book and provides an accurate summary of its contents. But the reader does not learn some key information expected from a review: the author’s argument, the student’s appraisal of the book and its argument, and whether or not the student would recommend the book. As a critical assessment, a book review should focus on opinions, not facts and details. Summary should be kept to a minimum, and specific details should serve to illustrate arguments.

Now consider a review of the same book written by a slightly more opinionated student:

Judith Bennett’s Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600 was a colossal disappointment. I wanted to know about the rituals surrounding drinking in medieval England: the songs, the games, the parties. Bennett provided none of that information. I liked how the book showed ale and beer brewing as an economic activity, but the reader gets lost in the details of prices and wages. I was more interested in the private lives of the women brewsters. The book was divided into eight long chapters, and I can’t imagine why anyone would ever want to read it.

There’s no shortage of judgments in this review! But the student does not display a working knowledge of the book’s argument. The reader has a sense of what the student expected of the book, but no sense of what the author herself set out to prove. Although the student gives several reasons for the negative review, those examples do not clearly relate to each other as part of an overall evaluation—in other words, in support of a specific thesis. This review is indeed an assessment, but not a critical one.

Here is one final review of the same book:

One of feminism’s paradoxes—one that challenges many of its optimistic histories—is how patriarchy remains persistent over time. While Judith Bennett’s Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600 recognizes medieval women as historical actors through their ale brewing, it also shows that female agency had its limits with the advent of beer. I had assumed that those limits were religious and political, but Bennett shows how a “patriarchal equilibrium” shut women out of economic life as well. Her analysis of women’s wages in ale and beer production proves that a change in women’s work does not equate to a change in working women’s status. Contemporary feminists and historians alike should read Bennett’s book and think twice when they crack open their next brewsky.

This student’s review avoids the problems of the previous two examples. It combines balanced opinion and concrete example, a critical assessment based on an explicitly stated rationale, and a recommendation to a potential audience. The reader gets a sense of what the book’s author intended to demonstrate. Moreover, the student refers to an argument about feminist history in general that places the book in a specific genre and that reaches out to a general audience. The example of analyzing wages illustrates an argument, the analysis engages significant intellectual debates, and the reasons for the overall positive review are plainly visible. The review offers criteria, opinions, and support with which the reader can agree or disagree.

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. See our handout on argument .

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 their argument? What evidence do they use to prove their 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 their 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 they write 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. Check out our handout on thesis statements . 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. The Writing Center’s handout on introductions can help you find an approach that works. 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 they stand 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 a class assignment on the same work—you may have more liberty to explore more subtle points and to emphasize your own argument. See our handout on summary for more tips.

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? The Writing Center’s handout on conclusions can help you make a final assessment.

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.
• A great place to learn about book reviews is to look at examples. The New York Times Sunday Book Review and The New York Review of Books can show you how professional writers review books.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Drewry, John. 1974. Writing Book Reviews. Boston: Greenwood Press.

Hoge, James. 1987. Literary Reviewing. Charlottesville: University Virginia of Press.

Sova, Dawn, and Harry Teitelbaum. 2002. How to Write Book Reports , 4th ed. Lawrenceville, NY: Thomson/Arco.

Walford, A.J. 1986. Reviews and Reviewing: A Guide. Phoenix: Oryx Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

• NPS Dudley Knox Library
• Research Guides

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.
• << Previous: Sources for Book Reviews
• Next: How to Write a Book Review >>
• Last Updated: Aug 24, 2023 2:07 PM
• URL: https://libguides.nps.edu/bookreviews

411 Dyer Rd. Bldg. 339 Monterey, CA 93943

Start Your Research

• Academic Writing
• Ask a Librarian
• Copyright at NPS
• Graduate Writing Center
• How to Cite
• Library Liaisons
• Research Tools
• Thesis Processing Office

Find & Download

• Databases List
• Articles, Books, & More
• NPS Faculty Publications: Calhoun
• Journal Titles
• Course Reserves

Use the Library

• My Accounts
• Request Article or Book
• Borrow, Renew, Return
• Remote Access
• Workshops & Tours
• For Faculty & Researchers
• For International Students
• Print, Copy, Scan, Fax
• Rooms & Study Spaces
• Computers & Software
• Adapters, Lockers & More

Collections

• NPS Archive: Calhoun
• Restricted Resources
• Special Collections & Archives
• Federal Depository
• Homeland Security Digital Library
• Library Staff
• Special Exhibits
• Our Affiliates

NPS-Licensed Resources - Terms & Conditions

Copyright Notice

Naval Postgraduate School 1 University Circle, Monterey, CA 93943 Driving Directions | Campus Map

This is an official U.S. Navy Website |  Please read our Privacy Policy Notice  |  FOIA  |  Section 508  |  No FEAR Act  |  Whistleblower Protection  |  Copyright and Accessibility  |  Contact Webmaster

+1-312-625-1056    |

[email protected]    |

    Talk to an expert

The Significance of Book Reviews for Authors

• October 12, 2023

Table of Contents:

The importance of book reviews, understanding the value of feedback, influencing potential readers, the impact on sales, role in online algorithms, increase in book purchases, feedback for improvement, strengthening writing skills, understanding reader preferences, credibility and professionalism, establishing author reputation, impact on publishers and agents, promoting word-of-mouth, spreading through social networks, encouraging discussions and recommendations, tips for garnering reviews, reaching out to reviewers, engaging with readers, main attributes and elaborate information.

As the saying goes, everyone can be an author, but what sets successful authors apart from the rest?

They can embrace, understand, and use book reviews to their advantage.

In the era of digitization, where information is available at the click of a button, reviews have emerged as a crucial factor influencing an author’s success. They’re more than just comments or feedback; they’re a pathway to understanding readers, increasing book sales, enhancing visibility, and establishing credibility.

In this detailed exploration, we’ll delve deeper into why book reviews hold such significant value for authors and how they can use them effectively. Ready to embark on this journey? Well, let’s get started!

Feedback, in any form, is valuable. But in the world of literature, it can make or break an author’s reputation. Detailed and constructive book reviews serve as a guiding light for authors. They provide a sneak peek into the reader’s mind, offering insights into what worked and what didn’t.

This enables authors to refine their writing, plot structure, character development, and more. The beauty of these reviews is that they come directly from the readers – the audience the author intends to capture. This makes reviews a powerful tool for authors, turning them from just writers into successful storytellers.

Imagine standing in a bookstore or scrolling through an online platform, surrounded by thousands of books. How do you make a choice? You’ll most likely read the blurb, glance at the cover, and then check out the reviews, a common practice among readers worldwide, as detailed in What Impact Did Sinclair’s Book Have on the Era of Progressive Reform? .

How do you make a choice?

You’ll most likely read the blurb, glance at the cover, and then check out the reviews.

This decision-making process isn’t unique to you; it’s a common practice among readers worldwide. Book reviews act as social proof, influencing potential readers’ purchasing decisions. They provide an overview of the book, its strengths and weaknesses, and the emotions it evokes. A good review can turn a potential reader into a buyer, making it a potent marketing tool for authors.

It’s no secret that online book sales are skyrocketing in the age of the internet. Algorithms on retail platforms like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads primarily drive these sales, as explained in Unlocking the Secrets: How to Write a Mystery Short Story . The more reviews a book has, especially positive ones, the higher it ranks on these platforms.

High-ranking books are more likely to appear in user searches, recommendation lists, and featured categories.

The consequence?

More visibility leads to more sales. For authors, understanding and leveraging these algorithms can be the difference between their books being overlooked or becoming bestsellers.

Book reviews aren’t just about increasing visibility; they’re directly linked to sales. Book Writing Founders suggest consumers trust peer reviews more than any advertising or marketing strategy. It’s human nature to be influenced by the experiences of others, making reviews a critical factor in purchasing decisions.

When readers see many positive reviews, it creates a sense of trust and anticipation around the book, nudging them toward buying it. It’s a simple equation – more positive reviews lead to more sales, making reviews a powerful sales-driving tool.

No matter how experienced an author is, there’s always room for improvement. This is where critical reviews come into play. They objectively assess the author’s work, highlighting areas of strength and areas needing improvement.

Whether it’s about pacing, character development, plot structure, or writing style, reviews can provide specific, actionable feedback. For authors, embracing this feedback can lead to noticeable improvements in their writing skills, leading to better books and, in turn, happier readers.

Understanding your audience is key to success in any creative industry, and writing is no exception. Reviews can provide authors invaluable insights into what readers enjoy, their preferences, and what they value in a book. This can range from themes, genres, and characters to even writing styles.

By analyzing and understanding these preferences, authors can cater to their readers better, write more engaging stories, and build a loyal reader base. Reviews serve as a compass, directing authors toward what their readers want and love.

An author’s reputation is closely tied to their success. A well-reputed author has higher chances of their books being picked up by readers, recommended by retailers, and even getting picked for awards and recognitions.

But how does one establish such a reputation?

Again, reviews play a crucial role. Many positive reviews can enhance an author’s credibility, showcasing them as established and reputable. It’s like a virtuous cycle – the better the reputation, the higher the sales and the more positive reviews, further boosting the reputation.

Book reviews do more than influence readers; they also catch the attention of publishers, agents, and other industry professionals, as discussed in Which Best Identifies Jackie Robinson’s Reason for Writing His Letter to President Eisenhower? . A book with many positive reviews demonstrates that it has been well-received by readers, indicating that the author is marketable and worth investing in.

This can open up new opportunities for authors, such as contract renewals, better deals, or even chances of their books getting adapted into other media like movies or series. In essence, positive reviews can be the bridge between authors and industry opportunities.

Social networks have become a powerful platform for spreading the word about books. A single tweet or post about a book can reach hundreds or thousands of potential readers, as highlighted in What Is Tracking in Typography? . Positive reviews can spark discussions and shares on these networks, leading to organic word-of-mouth promotion.

For authors, this increases their book’s visibility and their personal brand. Thus, every positive review can contribute to the viral promotion of their work.

Book clubs, online forums, and reader groups – these communities thrive on discussing and recommending books. Here, reviews serve as conversation starters, inciting debates and comparisons.

A well-articulated review can inspire others in the community to read the book and share their views, creating a ripple effect of discussions and recommendations. This can boost a book’s popularity, turning it into a crowd favorite. For authors, this means more readers, more sales, and more reviews.

Every author wants more reviews for their books. But how do you get them? One way is by reaching out to reviewers, as outlined in How to Preserve Flowers in a Book: Preserving Memories . This can be professional reviewers at publications, bloggers, or even avid readers who regularly post reviews.

While reaching out, it’s essential to be polite and respectful and to provide a clear, compelling description of your book. Some may decline and not respond, but some will agree, leading to more reviews. It’s a numbers game and requires persistence, but the result is worth it.

Engaging with your readers can lead to a stronger author-reader bond and encourage them to leave reviews. This could be through social media interactions, reader forums, emails, or even in-person at book signings or author events.

An engaged reader is likelier to leave a review, recommend your book to others, and even become a loyal fan. It’s a win-win situation, making reader engagement a crucial strategy for authors.

To conclude, book reviews are more than just opinions; they are valuable resources for authors. They influence sales, shape reputations, provide a gateway to understanding readers, and offer constructive feedback for improvement, as detailed in The Ultimate Guide to Professional Book Descriptions with Examples .

Understanding and leveraging these benefits can be a game changer for authors, turning their books from just another title into a well-loved bestseller. So whether you’re a budding author or a seasoned one, it’s time to embrace the world of reviews, as discussed in What Is the Most Popular Genre of Books? . So whether you’re a budding author or a seasoned one, it’s time to embrace the world of reviews!

limited Time offer

50% off on all services.

REDEEM YOUR COUPON: BWF50

Recommended Blogs

Top 10 public speaking careers, how to design a book | the art of creating eye-catching books, hardcover vs. paperback – which is right for your book, ready to become a published author.

Let us guide you through the book writing and publishing process. Your story deserves to be heard!

Get In-depth Consultation Today! Connect Now for Comprehensive Book Publishing Support!

Let's celebrate this week with our exclusive promotion upto 30% off on all our services.

Make-A-Book Day takes place during National Family Reading Week, a week that started in 1995 that brings families together to read.

Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance

Recommended

Libraries Lure Pokemon Go Fans

Rediscover a Lost Byron Manuscript — On the Library Shelf

• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• African American Literature
• Angelou, Maya
• April Fool's Day
• Atwood, Margaret
• Austen, Jane
• Award Winners
• Banned Books
• Behn, Aphra
• Bestsellers
• Black History Month
• Book Adaptations
• Book Destination
• Book Publishing
• Book Reviews
• Books & Titles
• Bookshelves
• Children's Books
• Children’s Picture Book Day
• Christie, Agatha
• Controversy
• Don Quixote
• Entertainment
• Erdrich, Louise
• Evanovich, Janet
• Fitzgerald, F Scott
• Fitzgerald, Zelda
• Frank, Anne
• Harlem Renaissance
• Hemingway, Ernest
• Holidays and Events
• Holocaust Literature
• Homework Help
• Inspiration
• King Arthur
• King, Stephen
• Klein, Naomi
• Life Lessons
• Little Mermaid
• Lost Generation
• Momaday, N Scott
• Native American Literature
• Patterson, James
• Rowling, JK
• Science Fiction
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month
• Shakespeare, William
• Storytelling
• Top Authors
• Twain, Mark
• Uncategorized
• Wharton, Edith
• Wiesel, Elie
• Women's Literature
• Young Adult

Don't miss it

Unleash Your Inner Word Wizard: Scrabble’s Gen Z Makeover Takes Word Games to the Next Level!

The Enigmatic Eclipse: Ancient Mythological Stories that Illuminate the Skies

Unlocking Literary Freedom: Discover the Truth about Banned Books in Hong Kong

Shattering Silence: How Book Banning Hinders Progress in Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Join Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club and Dive Into a Captivating Multi-Generational Must-Read

Celebrate the Magic of Storytelling: Unveiling the Colorful Pages of Children’s Picture Book History

About a book geek.

We bring you the best news, reviews, and insights on everything related to books, literature, lifestyle, and beyond. Check back for more details.

What’s Happening?

The Power of Book Reviews: How to Get Them and Why They Matter

As an author, getting reviews of your book is crucial for building credibility and attracting new readers. However, it’s challenging to get people to leave reviews. In this guide, we’ll explore some effective strategies for getting more reviews and explain why they matter for your success as an author.

The Importance of Book Reviews.

Book reviews are essential for authors because they provide social proof of the quality of their work. Positive reviews can help attract new readers and increase sales, while negative reviews can have the opposite effect. Reviews also provide valuable feedback for authors, helping them improve their writing and understand their audience. In short, book reviews are a powerful tool for building an author’s reputation and success.

You might also like

Discover the Soaring Popularity of Spanish Audio in the US and Latin America

The ai design dilemma: tor books sparks debate with ‘gothikana’ cover controversy, how to get book reviews..

There are several ways to get book reviews, including reaching out to book bloggers and reviewers, offering free copies of your book for an honest review, and using social media to ask for reviews from your followers. It’s essential always to follow ethical guidelines and not pay for fake reviews, as this can harm your reputation and credibility as an author.

Encouraging Reviews from Readers.

One of the best ways to get book reviews is to encourage your readers to leave them. Include a call-to-action at the end of your book, asking readers to leave a review if they enjoyed it. You can also include a link to your book’s review page on Amazon or Goodreads in your author’s bio or social media profiles. Consider offering a giveaway or contest for readers who leave a review, as this can reward them for taking the time to write one.

Using Book Review Services.

Another way to get book reviews is to use book review services. These services can connect you with reviewers who are interested in your genre and can provide honest feedback on your book. Some popular book review services include:

• NetGalley ,
• BookSirens , and
• Reedsy Discovery .

Remember that some of these services may require a fee, so be sure to research and choose one that fits your budget and goals. Getting reviews from these services can help you get more exposure for your book and provide valuable feedback to help you improve your writing.

Leveraging Book Reviews for Marketing.

Book reviews are a powerful tool for marketing your book. Positive reviews can help build buzz and credibility, while negative reviews can provide valuable feedback for improvement. Be sure to include reviews on your book’s website, social media pages, and promotional materials. You can also use quotes from reviews in your book’s description and marketing copy. Don’t be afraid to ask readers to leave reviews and consider offering incentives such as a free copy of your next book or a personalized thank you note. Remember, the more reviews you have, the more likely readers will take a chance on your book.

Esther Lombardi

Esther A. Lombardi is a freelance writer and journalist with more than two decades of experience writing for an array of publications, online and offline. She also has a master's degree in English Literature with a background in Web Technology and Journalism. 

Related Posts

Introduction to Word Games and Their Popularity Word games have long been a beloved pastime for people of all ages....

Jane Austen’s Modern Love: How Hallmark Quietly Captivated the Hearts of Austen Admirers

The Art of Book Cover Design: A Visual Journey into the World of Books

• 21.3k Followers

Elie Wiesel’s ‘Night’ – Lines of Remembrance

Emily Dickinson: Examining the Influences and Impact of Her Revolutionary Poetry

What does atticus say – 7 ‘to kill a mockingbird’ quotes.

Practicing Gratitude Quotes

‘The Secret Garden’ of Writing

‘Little House’ – Writing the Story of Our Lives

© 2023 A Book Geek

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Remember Me

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Add New Playlist

- Select Visibility - Public Private

You cannot copy content of this page

Discover more from A Book Geek

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

• print archive
• digital archive
• book review

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

Like what you've read? Share it!

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.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

⭐ Make  MOVIES A MEANINGFUL PART OF YOUR CURRICULUM  with this engaging collection of tasks and tools your students will love. ⭐ All the hard work is done for you with  NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.

This collection of  21 INDEPENDENT TASKS  and  GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS  takes students beyond the hype, special effects and trailers to look at visual literacy from several perspectives offering DEEP LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES by watching a  SERIES, DOCUMENTARY, FILM, and even  VIDEO GAMES.

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)

101 DIGITAL & PRINT GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS FOR ALL CURRICULUM AREAS

Introduce your students to 21st-century learning with this GROWING BUNDLE OF 101 EDITABLE & PRINTABLE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS. ✌ NO PREP REQUIRED!!! ✌ Go paperless, and let your students express their knowledge and creativity through the power of technology and collaboration inside and outside the classroom with ease.

Whilst you don’t have to have a 1:1 or BYOD classroom to benefit from this bundle, it has been purpose-built to deliver through platforms such as ✔ GOOGLE CLASSROOM, ✔ OFFICE 365, ✔ or any CLOUD-BASED LEARNING PLATFORM.

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

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BOOK REVIEWS

Transactional Writing

How to write a text response

How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay

How to Write Excellent Expository Essays

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!

What Our Clients Says About Us

Let our book marketing team help you.

This is the first time I’ve worked with Book Writing Cube and I’m happy that I chose to work with them. I am self-publishing my book for the first time and I didn’t know what to expect... To be honest I happen to come by Book Writing Cube by accident. I was researching websites that helped with self-publishing and I clicked on it and accidentally clicked on the chat icon. Someone responded and at first I didn’t write anything back. But then I decided to take a chance and the person I talked to put me in contact with Mark Rivera. Mark and his team have been very helpful during this whole process. They take my suggestions and show me where I can make improvements. So far I am very satisfied with the work they have been doing. I know that they will do everything they can to make my debut book a success. I am very confident of that. Read more -->

Everythign was managed in the most professional and convenient way. They are amazing with communications and answering all necessary questions. They deeply explained everything and guided me through the entire process. A big thank you to the team of Book Writing Cube.

John S - US

As a self-published author, I had a hard time effectively promoting my book. But Book Writing Cube's marketing team helped turn my book into a success!

stalo marce - US

My experience working with Book Writing Cube was great and Mark was a huge help! Looking forward to working with them again in the future.

madis eliot - US

Book Writing Cube's graphic designers made the most beautiful book cover for my book. I was shocked at how accurately they had portrayed my ideas.

Justin Langer - US

Book Writing Bureau Offers Writing, Editing, Publishing, and Marketing Services @ 25% Off Connect On Chat Or Signup today To Avail It

• +1 646 568 7830
• [email protected]
• Case Studies
• Testimonials
• Let's Discuss your book

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.

limited Time offer

50% off on all services.

REDEEM YOUR COUPON: BWB50

Experienced Authors at Your Service

trust us to help you realize your publishing dreams. Contact us now and let your story shine on the shelves!"

Recommended Blogs

Which sentence is punctuated correctly, things to consider when hiring a book cover illustrator, how to print an ebook: a step by step guide.

Book Writing Bureau is the USA’s leading book writing service provider that makes you a worthy author. We also offer book publishing, marketing, editing and formatting for authors worldwide.

• E-Book Writing
• Book Cover Design
• Book Video Trailer
• Book Marketing
• Book Publishing
• Ghostwriting
• Audio Books
• Author Website
• Book illustration
• Editing & Proofreading
• Article Writing
• Book Printing

PAYMENT METHODS:

• Rockefeller Center, Plaza District, Midtown West, Corporate Row 1270 Avenue of the Americas @50th Street New York, NY 10017

All Rights Reserved 2023 - Book Writing Bureau

Disclaimer:

All company logos and trademarks appearing on our website are the property of their respective owners. We are not affiliated, associated, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with these companies or their trademarks. The use of these logos and trademarks does not imply any endorsement, affiliation, or relationship between us and the respective companies. We solely use these logos and trademarks for identification purposes only. All information and content provided on our website is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information provided on our website. We are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk.

Discuss Your Project Today!

Avail exclusive discounts, on your upcoming project.

Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance

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.

• << Previous: Leading a Class Discussion
• Next: Multiple Book Review Essay >>
• Last Updated: Mar 6, 2024 1:00 PM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/assignments

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..

Share this post with others

Leave a comment cancel.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Recent Posts

How to sell books on amazon: a guide for authors and publishers.

• Building Your Author Brand: From Social Media to Book Festivals
• The Budget-Friendly Guide to Self-Publishing: Saving Money Without Sacrificing Quality
• How to Write a Book Description: A Comprehensive Guide
• Top 5 Social Media Platforms for Authors to Promote Their Books

Things to Keep in Mind While Creating an Editing Checklist

How ChatGPT Prompts Can Help Writers Find Content Ideas?

A complete guide: How to sell and promote self-published books

How to Self-Publish a Poetry Book in India: An Essential Guide

How to write an eBook and make money in India

How AI Tools are Useful for Authors?

Benefits of Self-Publishing a Book in India !

Join Discovery, the new community for book lovers

Trust book recommendations from real people, not robots 🤓

Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

• A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book. 
• A book review will offer an evaluation of the work. 
• A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience. 

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

How much of a book nerd are you, really?

Find out here, once and for all. Takes 30 seconds!

Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.

His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.

This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.

This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.

I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.

The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.

Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.

As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.

This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.

Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.

Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim.  To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.

♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.

Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.

“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!

This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.

The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.

Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.

I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.

The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.

I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school

➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history

➽ Shamans and gods

➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters

➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).

Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?

In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.

Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.

The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.

Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.

Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”

Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.

All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.

The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.

Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.

In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.

To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5

SUBJECT: 4/5

CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5

RELEVANCE: 3.5/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5

“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.

Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.

This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.

I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.

And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.

She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.

I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

Hopefully, this post has given you a better idea of how to write a book review. You might be wondering how to put all of this knowledge into action now! Many book reviewers start out by setting up a book blog. If you don’t have time to research the intricacies of HTML, check out Reedsy Discovery — where you can read indie books for free and review them without going through the hassle of creating a blog. To register as a book reviewer , go here .

And if you’d like to see even more book review examples, simply go to this directory of book review blogs and click on any one of them to see a wealth of good book reviews. Beyond that, it's up to you to pick up a book and pen — and start reviewing!

Continue reading

More posts from across the blog.

The 34 Best Thanksgiving Books to Read with Kids Over the Holidays

Thanksgiving might play second fiddle to Christmas when it comes to seasonal music and festive decor, but it’s one of our favorite holidays. Whether you’re chowing d...

15 Best Toni Morrison Books: Where to Start

Choosing the very best Toni Morrison books would be near impossible (and totally subjective). So instead, to introduce you to this literary giant, we've curated the perfect route into a lifetime of remarkable writing...

The 10 Best Post-Apocalyptic Books to Read Before the World Ends

We’ve all got books on the bedside table we’ve been meaning to read for months — but what if the apocalypse were tomorrow? Luckily for those who’d need some quick survival tips, we at Reedsy have compiled a list of the...

Heard about Reedsy Discovery?

Trust real people, not robots, to give you book recommendations.

Or sign up with an

Or sign up with your social account

• Submit your book
• Reviewer directory

Want to be a book reviewer?

Review new books and start building your portfolio.

• TYPESETTING SERVICE
• EDITING & PROOFREADING
• AUTHOR’S WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
• BOOK ILLUSTRATION
• BOOK COVER DESIGN
• VIDEO BOOK TRAILER
• T-SHIRTS WITH BOOK COVER
• BOOK LAUNCH EVENT
• BOOK LAYOUT DESIGN
• E-BOOK CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
• AUDIO BOOK RECORDING
• AUDIO BOOK PLANNING
• BOOK TO SCREENPLAY
• GHOST WRITING
• PARTIAL REWRITING
• SEO CONTENT WRITING
• FILM STORY WRITING
• SCHOOL BOOK WRITING
• SCRIPT WRITING
• BIOGRAPHY WRITING
• Author Checklist

  +91-9830330809 / +91-9830050132

Fill Your Details

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.  

The Importance of Book Reviews

The age-old academic adage of "publish or perish" still exists. Publishing a book can play a critical role in the future of any academic. However, one piece of that important puzzle plays an important role in the journals published by the JHU Press.

Book reviews.

Many of our 90 journals include reviews of important scholarship in each issue. These essays might not always get the attention of the other articles published by our journals, but the reviews play many critical roles in academic life.

We interviewed Book Review Editors from three of our journals to learn about the importance of the work they do.

Reviewing Success: The Importance of Book Reviews

May. 27th, 2014

In the world of promotions, book reviews are a great source to utilize in order to strengthen and bolster your efforts.

As a newly published author, getting book reviews can be a challenge, but it’s certainly not insurmountable.

The first step that you could take is to have your close friends and family write reviews. However, FTC regulations require that relationships between the reviewer and the author be disclosed as part of the review. This practice ensures that readers can trust the authenticity of a review. Too many such reviews by personal contacts can call into question the quality of your work. Essentially, third-party reviews are a more credible option.

Now, receiving further reviews can seem like an uphill battle; however, we are here to give you a few tips on how to get even more feedback about your newly published book.

If you’ve flipped through your local newspaper, a magazine or perhaps, on an even larger scale, The New York Times , odds are you have seen a section that features book reviews. Reviews that are found in published pieces are also known as professional book reviews.

This type of review is held in high esteem because of the validity and credibility they exude. At Dorrance, we offer our authors the opportunity to work with two respected sources that will offer an unbiased and independent review of your new book.

Let’s take a look!

Clarion ForeWord Reviews – This resource is ideal for books that haven’t received a great deal of attention.  In each issue of the Clarion ForeWord Reviews, dozens of reviews about new titles are featured alongside articles that preview category trends, and peer editorial and opinion pieces. When you purchase a professional book review, you’ll have the opportunity to read the review prior to distribution; if you’re happy with the content, it can then be included in Clarion ForeWord Reviews .

Kirkus Indie Reviews­ ­ – Another outlet you can consider using is Kirkus Indie Reviews . This service has been trusted to review books since 1933. Your book will be read by experienced professionals who will write an honest, impartial review of your book. Again, once the review is complete, you will get the chance to read it and decide if you would like it posted to their website. The Kirkus Indie Reviews website features more than 300,000 original reviews to help readers find a new release.

Book reviews come in all shapes and sizes; however, they are all descriptive, sometimes critical, and always offer an evaluative take on a book. No matter what type of review, they are an important weapon to keep in your book promotion arsenal!

Learn more about how to obtain a professional review of your book here !

•   Next Post
• Back to Blog
• Previous Post  

Ready to Get Started?

Publication via the Dorrance imprint is a perfect choice for the author looking for a complete, high quality, personal publishing program that leverages the expertise of publishing professionals. Find out for yourself today!

A Dorrance Publishing representative will be in touch with you shortly.

We're Sorry

An error has occurred. Please try again.

If you keep seeing this error, please contact us .

Like what you're reading? Sign up for the Dorrance Newsletter!

You have been successfully subscribed to our newsletter!

The power of book reviews: a simple and transparent enhancement approach for book citation indexes

• Published: 07 November 2013
• Volume 98 , pages 841–852, ( 2014 )

Cite this article

• Juan Gorraiz 1 ,
• Christian Gumpenberger 1 &
• Philip J. Purnell 2  

1057 Accesses

34 Citations

3 Altmetric

Explore all metrics

Both citations to an academic work and post-publication reviews of it are indicators that the work has had some impact on the research community. The Thomson Reuters evaluation and selection process for web of knowledge journals includes citation analysis but this is not systematically practised for evaluation of books for the book citation index (BKCI) due to the inconsistent methods of citing books, the volume of books and the variants of the titles, especially in non-English language. Despite the fact that correlations between citations to a book and the number of corresponding book reviews differ from research area to research area and are overall weak or non-existent, this study confirms that books with book reviews do not remain uncited and accrue a remarkable mean number of citations. Therefore, book reviews can be considered a suitable selection criterion for BKCIs. The approach suggested in this study is feasible and allows easy detection of corresponding books via its book reviews, which is particularly true for research areas where books play a more important role such as the social sciences, the arts and humanities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

CiteULike bookmarks are correlated to citations at journal and author levels in library and information science

The challenges to expand bibliometric studies from periodical literature to monographic literature with a new data source: the book citation index, to include or not: the role of review papers in citation-based analysis.

Bilhartz, T. D. (1984). In 500 words or less: Academic book reviewing in American history. The History Teacher, 17 (4), 525–536.

Article   Google Scholar  

Blake, V. (1989). The role of reviews and reviewing media in the selection process: An examination of the research record. Collection Management, 11 (1–2), 1–40.

Bradford, S. C. (1934). Sources of information on specific subjects. Engineering , 137, 85–86. Reprint (1985). Journal of Information Science, 10 (4), 176–180.

Google Scholar  

Bradford, S. C. (1946). Documentation . London: Crosby Lockwood.

Cole, F. J., & Eales, N. B. (1917). The history of comparative anatomy. Part I: A statistical analysis of the literature. Science Progress, 11 , 578–596.

Dilevko, J., McMillan, B., Allison-Cassin, S., Aspinall, J., & Mauro, C. (2006). Investigating the value of scholarly book reviews for the work of academic reference librarians. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 32 (5), 452–456.

Diodato, V. (1984). Impact and scholarliness in arts and humanities book reviews: A citation analysis. In Proceedings of the 47th annual meeting of the American Society for Information Science (vol. 21, pp. 217–221).

Furnham, A. (1986). Book reviews as a selection tool for librarians: comments from a psychologist. Collection Management, 8 (1), 33–43.

Garfield, E. (1964). The citation index—A new dimension in indexing. Science, 144 (3619), 649–654.

Glenn, N. (1978). On the misuse of book reviews. Contemporary Sociology, 7 (3), 254–255.

MathSciNet   Google Scholar  

Gorraiz, J., Purnell, P., & Glänzel, W. (2013). Opportunities and limitations of the book citation index. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology , 64 (7), 1388–1398.

Hartley, J. (2006). Reading and writing book reviews across disciplines. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 57 (9), 1194–1207.

Koizumi, M. (2010). Book selection by librarians and faculty through collection evaluation methods: A case study of Keio University Library in Japan. Library and Information Science, 63 , 41–59.

Lindholm-Romantschuk, Y. (1998). Scholarly book reviewing in the social sciences and humanities. The flow of ideas within and among disciplines . Westport: Greenwood Press.

McBride, D. (2006). The future of the scholarly monograph. Urban affairs review, 42 (1), 132–135.

Nicolaisen, J. (2002a). The J-shaped distribution of citedness. Journal of Documentation, 58 (4), 383–395.

Nicolaisen, J. (2002b). The scholarliness of published peer reviews: A bibliometric study of book reviews in selected social science fields. Research Evaluation, 11 (3), 129–140.

Parker, J. M. (1989). Scholarly book reviews in literature journals as collection development sources for librarians. Collection Management, 11 (1–2), 41–57.

Riley, L. E., & Spreitzer, E. A. (1970). Book reviewing in the social sciences. American Sociologist, 5 (4), 358–363.

Serebnick, J. (1992). Selection and holdings of small publishers’ books in OCLC libraries: A study of the influence of reviews publishers and vendors. Library Quarterly, 62 (3), 259–294.

Spink, A., Robbins, D., & Schamber, L. (1998). Use of scholarly book reviews: implications for electronic publishing and scholarly communication. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 49 (4), 364–374.

Tsuda, Y., & Miyaji, N. (1981). Identification by analysing book reviews of current, notable English language textbooks, in library and information science. Library and Information Science, 19 , 1–19.

Williams, P., Stevenson, I., Nicholas, D., Watkinson, A., & Rowlands, I. (2009). The role and future of the monograph in arts and humanities research. Aslib Proceedings: New information perspectives, 61 (1), 67–82.

Zuccala, A., & Bod, R. (2012). Book reviews as ‘Mega-Citations’: A fresh look at citation theory (see pdf). Proceedings In 17th international conference on science and technology indicators, STI 2012.

Zuccala, A., & van Leeuwen, T. (2011). Book reviews in humanities research evaluations. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62 (10), 1979–1991.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Bibliometrics, Vienna University Library, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090, Vienna, Austria

Juan Gorraiz & Christian Gumpenberger

Thomson Reuters, Provenza 398, Barcelona, Spain

Philip J. Purnell

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Juan Gorraiz .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Gorraiz, J., Gumpenberger, C. & Purnell, P.J. The power of book reviews: a simple and transparent enhancement approach for book citation indexes. Scientometrics 98 , 841–852 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1176-4

Download citation

Received : 28 February 2013

Published : 07 November 2013

Issue Date : February 2014

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1176-4

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Book reviews
• Book citation index
• Citation analysis
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Guest Essay

The Most Important Thing I Teach My Students Isn’t on the Syllabus

By Frank Bruni

Mr. Bruni is a contributing Opinion writer and the author of the forthcoming book “The Age of Grievance,” from which this essay is adapted.

I warn my students. At the start of every semester, on the first day of every course, I confess to certain passions and quirks and tell them to be ready: I’m a stickler for correct grammar, spelling and the like, so if they don’t have it in them to care about and patrol for such errors, they probably won’t end up with the grade they’re after. I want to hear everyone’s voice — I tell them that, too — but I don’t want to hear anybody’s voice so often and so loudly that the other voices don’t have a chance.

And I’m going to repeat one phrase more often than any other: “It’s complicated.” They’ll become familiar with that. They may even become bored with it. I’ll sometimes say it when we’re discussing the roots and branches of a social ill, the motivations of public (and private) actors and a whole lot else, and that’s because I’m standing before them not as an ambassador of certainty or a font of unassailable verities but as an emissary of doubt. I want to give them intelligent questions, not final answers. I want to teach them how much they have to learn — and how much they will always have to learn.

I’d been on the faculty of Duke University and delivering that spiel for more than two years before I realized that each component of it was about the same quality: humility. The grammar-and-spelling bit was about surrendering to an established and easily understood way of doing things that eschewed wild individualism in favor of a common mode of communication. It showed respect for tradition, which is a force that binds us, a folding of the self into a greater whole. The voices bit — well, that’s obvious. It’s a reminder that we share the stages of our communities, our countries, our worlds, with many other actors and should conduct ourselves in a manner that recognizes this fact. And “it’s complicated” is a bulwark against arrogance, absolutism, purity, zeal.

I’d also been delivering that spiel for more than two years before I realized that humility is the antidote to grievance.

We live in an era defined and overwhelmed by grievance — by too many Americans’ obsession with how they’ve been wronged and their insistence on wallowing in ire. This anger reflects a pessimism that previous generations didn’t feel. The ascent of identity politics and the influence of social media, it turned out, were better at inflaming us than uniting us. They promote a self-obsession at odds with community, civility, comity and compromise. It’s a problem of humility.

The Jan. 6 insurrectionists were delusional, frenzied, savage. But above all, they were unhumble. They decided that they held the truth, no matter all the evidence to the contrary. They couldn’t accept that their preference for one presidential candidate over another could possibly put them in the minority — or perhaps a few of them just reasoned that if it did, then everybody else was too misguided to matter. They elevated how they viewed the world and what they wanted over tradition, institutional stability, law, order.

It’s no accident that they were acting in the service of Donald Trump, whose pitch to Americans from the very start was a strikingly — even shockingly — unhumble one. “I alone can fix it,” he proclaimed in his 2016 speech accepting the Republican Party’s nomination for president; and at his inauguration in January of the following year, the word “humbled,” which had been present in the first inaugural remarks of both Barack Obama and George W. Bush, was nowhere to be found. Nor were any of its variants. That whole sentiment and politesse were missing, as they had been during a campaign centered on his supposed omniscience.

There are now mini-Trumps aplenty in American politics, but anti-Trumps will be our salvation, and I say that not along partisan or ideological lines. I’m talking about character and how a society holds itself together. It does that with concern for the common good, with respect for the institutions and procedures that protect that and with political leaders who ideally embody those traits or at least promote them.

Those leaders exist. When Charlie Baker, a former Massachusetts governor, was enjoying enormous favor and lofty approval ratings as a Republican in a predominantly Democratic state, he was also stressing the importance of humility. He was fond of quoting Philippians 2:3, which he invoked as a lodestar for his administration. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,” it says. “Rather, in humility value others above yourself.”

That’s great practical advice for anyone in government, where most meaningful success hinges on teamwork and significant progress requires consensus. Governing, as opposed to demagoguery, is about earning others’ trust and cooperation. Exhibiting a willingness to listen to and to hear them goes a long way toward that.

“Insight and knowledge come from curiosity and humility,” Mr. Baker wrote in a 2022 book, “Results,” coauthored with his chief of staff, Steve Kadish, a Democrat. “Snap judgments — about people or ideas — are fueled by arrogance and conceit. They create blind spots and missed opportunities. Good ideas and interesting ways to accomplish goals in public life exist all over the place if you have the will, the curiosity, and the humility to find them.”

Humble politicians don’t insist on one-size-fits-all answers when those aren’t necessary as a matter of basic rights and fundamental justice. Humble activists don’t either. The campaign for same-sex marriage — one of the most successful social movements of recent decades — showed that progress can be made not by shaming people, not by telling them how awful they are, but by suggesting how much better they could be. Marriage-equality advocates emphasized a brighter future that they wanted to create, not an ugly past that they wanted to litigate. They also wisely assured Americans that gay and lesbian people weren’t trying to explode a cherished institution and upend a system of values, but instead wanted in.

“I don’t want to disparage shouting and demands — everything has its place,” Evan Wolfson, the founder of the pivotal advocacy group Freedom to Marry, told me when we revisited the movement’s philosophy and tactics. At times, he acknowledged, champions of a cause “need to break the silence, we need to push, we need to force.”

“But I used to say, ‘Yes, there’s demanding, but there’s also asking,’” he recalled. “And one is not the enemy of the other. People don’t like being accused, people don’t like being condemned, people don’t like being alienated. It’s a matter of conversation and persuasion.”

That’s consistent with the message delivered by Loretta Ross, a longtime racial justice and human rights advocate, through her teaching, public speaking and writing. Troubled by the frequent targeting and pillorying of people on social media, she urged the practice of calling in rather than calling out those who’ve upset you. “Call-outs make people fearful of being targeted,” she wrote in a guest essay for Times Opinion . “People avoid meaningful conversations when hypervigilant perfectionists point out apparent mistakes, feeding the cannibalistic maw of the cancel culture.” Instead, she advised, engage them. If you believe they need enlightenment, try that route, “without the self-indulgence of drama,” she wrote.

She was preaching humility.

She was also recognizing other people’s right to disagree — to live differently, to talk differently. Pluralism is as much about that as it is about a multiracial, multifaith, multigender splendor. That doesn’t mean a surrender or even a compromise of principles; a person can hold on to those while practicing tolerance, which has been supplanted by grievance. Tolerance shares DNA with respect. It recognizes that other people have rights and inherent value even when we disagree vehemently with them.

We all carry wounds, and some of us carry wounds much graver than others. We confront obstacles, including unjust and senseless ones. We must tend to those wounds. We must push hard at those obstacles. But we mustn’t treat every wound, every obstacle, as some cosmic outrage or mortal danger. We mustn’t lose sight of the struggle, imperfection and randomness of life. We mustn’t overstate our vulnerability and exaggerate our due.

While grievance blows our concerns out of proportion, humility puts them in perspective. While grievance reduces the people with whom we disagree to caricature, humility acknowledges that they’re every bit as complex as we are — with as much of a stake in creating a more perfect union.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

Frank Bruni is a professor of journalism and public policy at Duke University, the author of the book "The Age of Grievance" and a contributing Opinion writer. He writes a weekly email newsletter .   Instagram   Threads   @ FrankBruni • Facebook

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

How Burnout Became Normal — and How to Push Back Against It

• Kandi Wiens

Seven strategies to get back to a healthy baseline.

Slowly but steadily, while we’ve been preoccupied with trying to meet demands that outstrip our resources, grappling with unfair treatment, or watching our working hours encroach upon our downtime, burnout has become the new baseline in many work environments. From the 40% of Gen Z workers who believe burnout is an inevitable part of success, to executives who believe high-pressure, “trial-by-fire” assignments are a required rite of passage, to toxic hustle culture that pushes busyness as a badge of honor, too many of us now expect to feel overwhelmed, over-stressed, and eventually burned out at work. When pressures are mounting and your work environment continues to be stressful, it’s all the more important to take proactive steps to return to your personal sweet spot of stress and remain there as long as you can. The author presents several strategies.

If we’re exposed to something repeatedly, it seems we can become desensitized to almost anything. An event that once evoked shock can come to seem routine; what once prompted alarm can eventually inspire no more than a shrug.

• Kandi Wiens , EdD, is a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and the author of the book Burnout Immunity : How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work (HarperCollins, 2024). A nationally known researcher and speaker on burnout, emotional intelligence, and resilience, she developed the Burnout Quiz to help people understand if they’re at risk of burning out.

Partner Center

• Work & Careers
• Life & Arts

Become an FT subscriber

Try unlimited access Only $1 for 4 weeks

Then $75 per month. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Cancel anytime during your trial.

• Global news & analysis
• Expert opinion
• Special features
• FirstFT newsletter
• Videos & Podcasts
• Android & iOS app
• FT Edit app
• 10 gift articles per month

Explore more offers.

Standard digital.

• FT Digital Edition

Premium Digital

Print + premium digital, weekend print + standard digital, weekend print + premium digital.

Today's FT newspaper for easy reading on any device. This does not include ft.com or FT App access.

• 10 additional gift articles per month
• Global news & analysis
• Exclusive FT analysis
• Videos & Podcasts
• FT App on Android & iOS
• Everything in Standard Digital
• Premium newsletters
• Weekday Print Edition
• FT Weekend Print delivery
• Everything in Premium Digital

Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

• Everything in Print

Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

Terms & Conditions apply

Explore our full range of subscriptions.

Why the ft.

See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times.

International Edition

Maintenance work is planned for Wednesday 1st May 2024 from 9:00am to 11:00am (BST).

During this time, the performance of our website may be affected - searches may run slowly and some pages may be temporarily unavailable. If this happens, please try refreshing your web browser or try waiting two to three minutes before trying again.

We apologise for any inconvenience this might cause and thank you for your patience.

Chemical Society Reviews

Recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries for a sustainable future: recent advancements †.

* Corresponding authors

a Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore E-mail: [email protected]

b The University of Danang – University of Science and Technology, 54 Nguyen Luong Bang Str., Danang City, Vietnam

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used as power storage systems in electronic devices and electric vehicles (EVs). Recycling of spent LIBs is of utmost importance from various perspectives including recovery of valuable metals (mostly Co and Li) and mitigation of environmental pollution. Recycling methods such as direct recycling, pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, bio-hydrometallurgy (bioleaching) and electrometallurgy are generally used to resynthesise LIBs. These methods have their own benefits and drawbacks. This manuscript provides a critical review of recent advances in the recycling of spent LIBs, including the development of recycling processes, identification of the products obtained from recycling, and the effects of recycling methods on environmental burdens. Insights into chemical reactions, thermodynamics, kinetics, and the influence of operating parameters of each recycling technology are provided. The sustainability of recycling technologies ( e.g. , life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis) is critically evaluated. Finally, the existing challenges and future prospects are presented for further development of sustainable, highly efficient, and environmentally benign recycling of spent LIBs to contribute to the circular economy.

• This article is part of the themed collection: Celebrating the scientific accomplishments of RSC Fellows

Supplementary files

• Supplementary information PDF (1353K)

Article information

Download Citation

Permissions.

Recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries for a sustainable future: recent advancements

B. K. Biswal, B. Zhang, P. Thi Minh Tran, J. Zhang and R. Balasubramanian, Chem. Soc. Rev. , 2024, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D3CS00898C

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence . You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication , please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page .

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page .

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content .

Social activity

Search articles by author.

This article has not yet been cited.

Advertisements

Letters for Sunday, April 28, 2024

Developmental appropriateness important for books

Recently, HB 2331 was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 28. HB 2331 focuses on barring school district boards from refusing to approve or prohibit the use of an educational material related to or including cultural and identity groups. Students can finally read diverse books related to them, while school boards and parents are worried about appropriateness.

To ensure that both groups can get what they want, HB 2331 should be improved by defining the issue as developmental appropriateness. There should be different levels of what books students can read that can open them up to diverse topics, but making sure it is appropriate for them developmentally. Developmental appropriateness groups can include ages: 6-9, 10-12, 13-15 and 16-18. If a book is more mature than others, students below the developmentally appropriate group that the book belongs in will need to wait until it is appropriate for them to read. This can ensure that professional educators are honored for their discernment, while honoring parents’ desires to not expose children to material that might not be developmentally appropriate.

It’s hard to compromise between groups with different perspectives. However, there should be common ground between all groups and choosing books that are developmentally appropriate will help students learn about diversity while also keeping it developmentally age wise. It’s important for children to learn about cultural, ethnic and identity groups different from them while also giving responsibility to school boards to keep this in place.

Ellie Powers

There is no God in Providence anymore

The strike at Sacred Heart Medical Center by its technical workers is unfortunately necessary and long overdue. I was an RN at SHMC in the 1980s under the Sisters of Providence, and it was one of the best places to work in the Northwest. The same was true of VNA Home Health when it was an independent non-profit. Now, they are under the tyrannical rule of Providence Health and Services, and I experienced the ugly transformation of both.

PH-S, one of the largest health care conglomerates in the country, is plagiarizing a noble Catholic history of service and undermining it with raw profiteering. But instead of sending profits to owners and shareholders, it “invests” its “margins” in urban expansion projects, acquisitions, multi-million-dollar executive salaries, Wall Street and limited use high tech equipment. Meanwhile, employees have been reduced to being mere tools, subject to productivity formulas, just like factory workers.

The opening screen on our laptops for several years really sums up the change. The words quoted a 17th century monk: “All I know of tomorrow is that Providence will rise before the sun,” with the rising sun and cross logo surrounded by the corporate colors over the word Providence. The graphic made it painfully clear that Providence no longer refers to God’s love, but to PH&S. In other words, employees need not worry about the future as long as they do what they’re told and believe everything management says. It was corporate propaganda pure and simple, and it’s only getting worse.

Cris Currie

Don’t let Hamas reach Fairchild

Many Spokanites are affected by ongoing skirmishes in the Middle East. Some have close relatives in Israel, Palestine, Iran and other involved countries. In addition, families of military personnel at Fairchild Air Force Base are likely concerned about their loved ones.

Daily approximately 100 Gazans, mostly women and children, are dying from lack of food, medical care and from U.S. bombs dropped from drones. On April 8, NPR reported only 38 people were killed overnight in Gaza, much less than normal.

Imagine Palestinian women delivering cesarean births without anesthetic and Palestinian male prisoners having their hands, feet and limbs amputated because of tight strictures cutting off their blood supply and being marched around blindfolded, half-naked.

And hostages need to be released.

President Biden says, “Israel has a right to defend itself.” Others say, “that is war, collateral damage.”

On another front, Israel “took out” seven Iranian officers, including two top commanders, in Syria with hardly a peep of condemnation from the U.S. Only now, our military including those at Fairchild Air Force Base, may be needed to protect U.S. embassies in nearby countries and be involved in an escalation of war, possibly encompassing the whole Middle East.

All of this carnage is supposed to defeat Hamas. However, it is next to impossible to win a war against Hamas, as children will grow up to love and defend their families.

A halt to military aid and a permanent ceasefire is needed now.

Nancy Street

Why not Reichert?

The Washington state Republican Party appears to have an AR-15 equipped with a bump stock aimed at its foot. It appears not to be concerned about the legal troubles of its candidates or the ones they support.

The party rails about cities, counties and states being soft on crime and causing the decline in America. However, when our Washington state Republican U.S. representatives voted to hold former President Donald Trump accountable for inciting and then failing to quell a riot on Jan. 6, 2021, the party decided to support the challengers. Now, the party has decided to support another person, with a criminal record, over Dave Reichert for governor.

Reichert has a distinguished record of service in law enforcement and seven terms as a conservative U.S. representative from the West Side of the state. Reichert has moved up another notch on the integrity scale by declining to seek GOP endorsement. He cites his long and law-abiding life that doesn’t square with current bent of the party.

I expect he will rise in the “top two” primary to run in the general election against a Democrat. Will the GOP join Reichert’s party then?

William Severson

Stanwood, Washington

If you want it, pay for it

Carleen Reilly demonstrates a key bit of ego that is so wrong with the upper middle class and the wealthy. They want services, but they don’t want to pay for it. Add to that, the suggestion she has is a regressive tax as tab fees, which take a far higher percentage of disposable income from the lower middle class and the working poor.

As this paper pointed out, the proposed property tax increase “would cost the median homeowner an additional $323 each year.” For a homeowner, that’s insignificant.

This is a growing area. Intelligent people know we need to prepare and to spend to keep it a livable area.

These people claim they want improved safety, they constantly shout about it, but somebody else should pay for it.

David Teich

Spokane Valley

Select days for broader letter topics

The Spokesman-Review’s drastic change in Letters to the Editor policy is both arbitrary and a failure to represent the broad and eclectic concerns of our community. I can understand that they may be attempting to moderate the viscerally distorted screaming associated with national politics that often permeates the “letters” section of the paper. However, note that international, national and regional topics are also of legitimate interest to our citizens, or your “newspaper” wouldn’t even report about such events. If that were to happen, then you (we) would only have a provincial, small-town paper that limits content to local grocery and gas prices, city council meetings, births and deaths and weekly police reports.

I strongly recommend that the S-R consider a compromise. Publish letters two or three days each week – at least Wednesday and Sunday – and designate specific days for either local-only matters (e.g. Wednesday) or wide-open international-national-regional topics (e.g. Sunday). Given that I’ve recently noticed a stark decline in letters published, I think this compromise along with increased discretion on the part of S-R editorial staff to assure “informed content” would better serve our community. Consider also increasing the lapse time between repeat letter authors to reduce exposure to misguided, ill-informed, wacko extremists.

Phillip Moyle

Got smoke detectors?

With horror, disbelief, shame and tears for yet another loss-of-life Spokane home fire near North Central High School on 1700 block of North Howard. This time young “homeowner” family members perish?

There should have been a smoke detector in every room with a closet. Did any pre-sale home inspection catch that one? Not important enough?

It’s a three-decade-old ordinance, if not older. And the fire department installed smoke detectors are available for free. Religious organizations offer them too.

Is your life not worth $10 to $20 for a 10-year battery built in smoke detector?

Renters disabling or removing smoke detectors for cannabis, fentanyl or cooking excuses is idiotic too. It happens, nonetheless.

I’ve encountered renters changing electric breakers swapped out for larger breakers to accommodate plug in electric heaters only to melt the wiring in the wall. Thank goodness the fiberglass insulation didn’t burn.

What will it take to convince people smoke detectors (plural) to save their lives while they sleep in their bedrooms?

Letters policy

The Spokesman-Review invites original letters on local topics of public interest. Your letter must adhere to the following rules:

• No more than 250 words
• We reserve the right to reject letters that are not factually correct, racist or are written with malice.
• We cannot accept more than one letter a month from the same writer.
• With each letter, include your daytime phone number and street address.
• The Spokesman-Review retains the nonexclusive right to archive and re-publish any material submitted for publication.

Unfortunately, we don’t have space to publish all letters received, nor are we able to acknowledge their receipt. ( Learn more. )

Submit letters using any of the following:

Read more about how we crafted our Letters to the Editor policy