One of the things I do to generate some small amount of income is reading books for review. It doesn’t help much, but it passes the time and has its own rewards. Since we’re all friends here, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I only need to read half a book to review it. In my summary, I’m not going to give away the ending, and by the midpoint I’ve got a pretty good idea of the author’s skill and if the characters are interesting.
There are risks, of course.
I once filed a review with a Christian website that cares about any and all potentially objectionable content. A few days later I went back and finished the book, only to find out that a key part of the plot hinges on a homosexual tryst. It didn’t change how I felt about the story, which I thought was very good. But I still had to scramble to revise my piece with that unexpected addition.
Since then, if I’m enjoying the book I always try to finish it.
Even if it’s not very good, I try to at least give the author the courtesy of reading it through.
I’m not reading for enjoyment. This is a job and I do my best to treat it as such.
And yes, sometimes I encounter absolute dreck. Thankfully, it’s not very often and the last time it happened it was a title I picked out for myself. Indie publishing means that many of the gatekeepers and editors can be avoided, which is both a blessing and a danger. Too many first-time authors rush the process and put out half-baked novels that should have been set aside as practice.
Not inflicted on people like me.
But every so often I get handed something that’s absolutely outstanding. Recently an author looking to generate some attention for his series sent me book one of four. I won’t go into detail here and now, but suffice to say, I’m hooked. About halfway through I wrote my review, and while I don’t expect any eyebrow raising content I’m still reading. It’s a very long book. I have a stack of books I need to get to. So finishing it probably isn’t very professional of me.
Oh well.
So beyond personal preference, what makes a book that good? Or put another way, what can an author do to ensure a professional reader gives a good review beyond the obvious? A reviewer or critic (there is a difference) approaches a book differently than the average reader. It’s our job to notice things, good and bad, and shine a light on them so that everyone who picks up the book goes in informed. An author should write for himself and his wider audience, but professional readers have to read everything, so don’t give us a reason to write a bad review if it’s not necessarily written for us.
Ultimately, these are just best practices.
First, and most obvious, there shouldn’t be any typos. Poor punctuation and grammar will jump out to other writers, including reviewers. I won’t necessarily mention errors in my review, but it’s a sign that the author doesn’t have a firm grasp on his craft and I’ll expect the other elements of the story will be wanting. That immediate prejudice could color my review. Something else that bothers me (and I admittedly need to work on in my own writing) is word variety. If the same descriptors and phrases are used over and over again, readers will get bored.
Don’t repeat yourself on the same page, or even the same chapter.
Speaking of chapters, there’s nothing wrong with a long chapter. That said, breaking things up makes the reading go faster. In our age of short attention spans and ultra-short videos, it’s to your advantage to give readers breaks. Chapters of consistent length create a nice rhythm for the reader as well, though I wouldn’t stress about it. The main thing is…
…That the reader remain engaged.
Everyone can tell when a story is dragging. This doesn’t mean that it has to have nonstop action, of course. We read to learn. So every line should build the world or the characters, flesh out the story, or show us something we’ve never seen before. We also read to experience a sense of wonder, and it’s important that wonderful things never be taken for granted, whether they are awe inspiring or horrific.
If you do all those things in your book, there’s just one thing left to do when you want a review.
Ask for it. Then send a copy (I prefer epub).
Again, I have no shortage of material. Good books don’t come with expiration dates. But you, as an author, want a return on your investment as soon as possible. I get that. When your book is ready for publishing start reaching out to professional readers. Just getting your friends to leave nice Amazon reviews isn’t enough. But if you can get a mention on Upstream Reviews or through someone like me, a book YouTuber, or elsewhere, more people will be aware of your book to give it an Amazon review.
Just ask. If you’re friendly and polite, if the book sounds promising, it’ll probably get bumped to the top of the list.
