Writing a Book Review: 101

There is nothing more frustrating to an author than receiving an email from Amazon, informing you that “You have a new review for . . . ” and finding out that someone has given away all the details of your best-selling mystery novel.  Then, to make matters worse, you discover that the “reviewer” has publicly dressed you down with a very personal attack, thereby adding insult to injury.  Sound familiar?  If you’ve been writing for a while, it probably does.  And, it happens more often than you might think. Unless the review was written by another author with a grudge, the reason is fairly simple: most people do NOT know how to write a book review . . . or a movie review . . . or any other kind of review.  Hopefully, that’s all about to change (at least I hope it will for you).  For our purposes, I’ll only deal with book reviews.

Contrary to what most reviewers think, the purpose of a review is not to provide potential readers with a complete synopsis of the book.  That should be reserved for the author, long before the book has been published, usually while seeking either an agent, or a publisher.  So, what are the basic components of a good book review?  Or, better yet, why do people read reviews in the first place?  The answer is simple: They just want to find out whether or not they would be interested in reading the book.  (Hopefully, they will buy it!) 

So, here’s “the skinny” on how to write a good book review.  A worthwhile review should provide potential readers with four essential pieces of information about a book:

1.  Whether or not you liked the book

2.  Why you liked the book, or why you did not like the book (be specific)

3.  A brief description of the plot—without revealing whodunnit, or to whom it was done, assuming it’s a mystery; in the case of a romance novel, or other work of fiction, without revealing too much of the plot.  (If it’s a non-fiction book, try to give some sense of the content of the book.)

4.  A rating for the book (usually based on a scale of 1 through 5 stars), and whether you would recommend it, and for whom (again, be specific as to your reasons)

That’s it!  Nothing more, nothing less.  If the book has a controversial subject matter, such as religion, or politics, you should refrain from offering a personal opinion on the subject—unless you are a qualified expert, and only if you are writing the review for a respected publication—such as a literary magazine, or trade journal that has, as its focus, the subject matter in question.  Otherwise, zip it!

Be brief.  Remember, you’re reviewing a book, not writing one!  Try to avoid personal attacks at all costs.  They are not helpful—and they only diminish your credibility as a reviewer.

One last thing (and this is a “Golden Rule,” as far as I am concerned): If you can’t give at least a 3-star rating for a book, on a scale of 1 through 5 (or, in academic parlance, a C), then it’s best not to post a review at all.  My rationale for that is that anyone who devotes anywhere from six months to a couple of years writing a book, deserves, at a minimum, a passing grade of C, or a 3-star rating for their effort alone.  Anything less is an insult, and that violates the “no personal attacks” thing.

Now, go forth and write a review.  And remember, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”

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