Read a Book. Write a Review. Support Authors. @lynncrandallwriter

You’ve just finished reading a book that grabbed your attention and took you somewhere, in some time, through the experiences of the characters to a satisfying end. You text your reader friends, sisters, brothers, and cousins, telling them what a great book you just finished reading. Stop right there. Before you search for another book by that author or pick up a book from your book pile, post a brief review.

Reviews make a difference in an author’s life. If a reader writes a complimentary review, the author’s day gets better. After all, writers write for readers. When they’ve given a reader a good experience, they love knowing about it. They love their characters, and if a reader relates to them, a writer feels fulfilled. When you write and post a review for any book, you have done something meaningful, and that’s a very good thing to put out in the world.

Let’s say that book you read wasn’t so great for you, and you want to give other readers a head’s up. Well, remember that everyone has different tastes in books. I say remember that because you may have an impulse to trash it online, but you don’t have to. Authors acquire thick skins, and though uncomplimentary reviews are less exciting, we all respect readers differing tastes. We don’t expect everyone to love all our stories. But an uncomplimentary review written with grace and respect is much appreciated. There are ways to review a book that doesn’t make your top-ten list without using degrading words. I know. I’m an author but I also read. I post reviews because I know how much they mean to authors. If in my opinion the book is not well written, I’m inclined not to write a review. I personally don’t need to tell the world about what I feel is a 1-star book. I understand other readers feel differently. I just suggest you remember someone worked hard on the book.

I also understand some people are uncomfortable writing anything. Let me make some suggestions for writing a review to take some of the scary out of it.

1. Try to start with a title to your review. That line can help direct your thoughts. Ex. Hang On for a Wild Ride. This tells readers you probably liked the book. Then writing the text of the review, simply tell readers why you liked it, what it did to make it worth reading. Ex. In this fast-paced paranormal romance, Lynn Crandall grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my chair with hair-raising and heartbreaking action. The characters had depth, and the ending didn’t disappoint.

Or write something very short. Title: Epic Series. Text: Man I loved this book.

2. Remember, book reviews are not book reports. If you want to add details about the story line and the characters, feel free, but you don’t have to. And try not to spoil the ending for those who haven’t read the book.

3. Also remember that the author wrote the book they wanted to write. The question is not did he or she write the book you wanted to read. So ask yourself, did the author write a good book and did it accomplish its story goals? Period. If the answer is yes, what about it worked for you and what didn’t?

4. Another thing to be aware of is that a review is not a reader’s opportunity to show off his or her genius. I’m not meaning to come across cryptic. But, this kind of approach happens all the time and I feel it’s misguided. The review should be about the book, not how superior you are for seeing what is so wrong with it. Use your brilliance to write your own stories, not announce to the world your awesomeness.

If and when you take a few moments in your busy life to write and post a book review, I thank you from all of my heart. I understand it takes a bit of nerve to have an opinion and share it with world. For the work you pan or praise, it can mean the difference between a well-deserved author getting attention for a job well done, or remaining in obscurity.

Review by LAS Reviews for Unstoppable, Book 5 in my Fierce Hearts series: Author Lynn Crandall has a wonderful way with words and description. She makes the scenes and characters come to life in her books, and this one was no exception. Find on Amazon and other retailers.

Why You Should Write Book Reviews By Zara West

The Write Way Café welcomes Zara West, 


Do you love to read books, but groan at the idea of writing a book review? Don’t feel bad. You’re not alone.

The Deadly School Book Review

We all had those teachers who forced us to write boring book reviews and then made us listen as our classmates read them aloud. Those school book reviews had to follow a certain format, use complete grammatically correct sentences, and of course, be written in our very best handwriting.

You know the type of review I am talking about.
• Give the title and author
• Summarize the story without giving the end away.
• Give one reason you liked or didn’t like it.

How many of those did you write in school? I think I wrote hundreds. In my list of hated assignments, writing book reviews had to rank near the top.

In fact, I hated it so much that in fourth grade I actually wrote a review of a pretend book as a challenge to the teacher to see if she would notice it. She didn’t.

As far as I was concerned that proved just how stupid book reviews were. (It was probably also the beginning of my fiction writing career!)

Book Reviews Have Changed

So why should we write book reviews today?

It used to be that there were professional book reviewers who wrote for the major newspapers or the Sunday book review magazines. Their reviews were often long-winded with as much research and background on the author included as discussion about the book itself. These reviewers had the power to make or break an author. They told us what was good and what was not.

Today, most people get book information from the reviews posted on online bookstores like Amazon or Barnes & Noble or on a site like Goodreads or Netgalley or on a specialty genre review site like Romance Reviews or Romantic Times. These reviews are written by readers like you.

So Why Should I Write A Review? 

If you are a reader, you now have the opportunity to add your voice to the book world. So why should you make the effort?  Your opinion will…

1. Allow you to clarify your thoughts on the book and help you remember what you read.
2. Help other readers decide whether or not to read a book.
3. Tell the author what you liked about their book so they can write a better one next time.

The Modern Book Review

And here is the good news. Your review doesn’t have to look anything like that old schoolroom book report.

1 You can use one word statements. “Super!” “Scary!” “Poetic”
2. And phrases “Couldn’t put it down.” “Loved it.” “A page turner.”
3. You don’t have to write summary of the story, just give your opinion. “The hero made me swoon.” “The heroine’s choices made me frustrated with her.”
NOTE: One thing the teacher was right about – do watch your spelling and grammar as other people will be reading them and you want to be understandable.

So Let’s Start Reviewing

You don’t have to review every book you read. Stick with the one you love. Those are the easiest reviews to write.

I never review a book I find unreadable or that I dislike intensely. If I can’t give it three stars, I don’t write it. You can read my book reviews at Zara Recommends.

I hope that you are now inspired to look at book reviews in a new way and to write a few of your own. So find that book you love and make some author’s day. Authors love reviews.



Can he give up everything for her?

Can she forgive him for what he’s done?

Never back down, never turn your back, and never fall in love. Head of a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise, Vernon Newell doesn’t let family ties or misplaced sympathy get in his way. But there is one chink in his armor—Sirena Patras, the beautiful young Greek girl he seduced and deserted eight years ago.

When Vernon discovers that Bella Bell, a prospering tattoo artist in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is actually Sirena, he sets out to woo and to win her. Despite her attraction to the fabulously sexy man, Bella wants nothing to do with a hard-headed, ruthless criminal.

But when threatening messages start arriving, and Vernon disappears, Bella must choose to abandon the man she loves or risk her life to save him.

Amazon     B&N     Google Play     iTunes     Kobo     Wild Rose     Goodreads


About Zara:  Zara West loves all things dark, scary, and heart-stopping as long as they lead to true love. Born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Zara spends winters in New York where the streets hum with life, summers in the Maritimes where the sea can be cruel, and the rest of the year anywhere inspiration for tales of suspense, mystery, and romance are plentiful.
     Swept off her feet by her own Indiana Jones, Zara has followed sheep and goats up and down mountainsides in Greece, Crete, and Italy, been stranded on the banks of the Rhine with no money and one chocolate bar, and while she has never been kidnapped, she has been abandoned on an island in the middle of t wilderness for longer than she wants to remember.
     A member of RWA, Zara has won numerous awards for her short stories and novels. Close to the Skin was a first winner in the 2016 Pages from the Heart for romantic suspense.

Webpage     AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE     FACEBOOK

TWITTER     PINTEREST     GOODREADS     GOOGLE PLUS

INSTAGRAM     TUMBLIR

Don't Think You Can, Know You Can

Here I go again, talking about opportunities to believe in yourself. But it's what's on my mind since rewatching the Matrix trilogy and seeing metaphors about outer vs. inner authority.

In one scene, Neo, a new recruit in the human cause, is jacked into the matrix, practice fighting Morpheus. Remember the line: "Don't think you can. Know you can." Morpheus is asking Neo to define himself in expanded terms, not let old thinking he's learned hold him back from his potential. Expose the limitations for what they are: limited thinking that suppresses his abilities, and embrace greater possibilities.

It spoke to me because I so easily frame my experiences within a context of outer approval, seeking confirmation from others that I'm talented and skilled enough to be a writer. Of course, we writers put our work out there and essentially ask others to like it. Not everyone does. As writer Shawn St. Jean wrote on his blog Clotho's Loom, writers stand naked on the rocks, exposing everything, including imperfections, and sometimes people throw stones.

"But inasmuch as other artists all must run their gauntlets, it falls to writers to strip themselves naked and stand on the rocks and in the sun, where all gazes, deserving and otherwise, may fall. They know they've done the reps, reformed their diets, put in the sweat and the time, and done their best. And yet, they also know that the extra pounds from drink or age, the stretch marks, the tattoos and scars of youth, the genetic abnormalities, or simple, forgivable imperfections may still glare out. And any writer sensitive to the human condition cannot hide behind the mirror forever: the plain fact is, some folks will not only not praise what they see, they'll be positively repelled by it for their own reasons, and they will spit out toxin," he wrote.

But sometimes the stones, the toxins, the negativity belongs to me. My inner editor is Smith, and he tells me I can't write a book, I'm not authorized to write a book, and I need to submit to the rules – not follow my dreams or believe in myself. Although I could trace those naysayer voices to my past, I realized with amazement fairly recently that no one is telling me these negative things anymore, I am. I learned the negative thought patterns, sure, but the power to disempower them is within me. Say with a smile, "Thank you for your input, but I think I'll do it anyway. I like what I’m doing."

There are many beliefs that carry the weight of truth, but they're just beliefs. I get to say what's right for me and I authorize myself. So when a reviewer rates my book as less than fantabulous, I have to give it no power to stop me or make me feel low enough to trigger self-doubt. I have to see the truth; it's just an opinion not a global truth about my ability. Owning my inner authority takes the sting out and reduces the angst. Like at the end of the Matrix, the first movie in the trilogy, as Neo comes into his own inner authority, he stands in front of bullets coming at him and they mean nothing.

 

Respect from Reviewers

Sometimes I blame on Jerry Seinfeld what I see as the current critical-of-everything environment. In my lifetime, he seemed to pioneer the attitude of closely examining everything and everyone for coolness or noncoolness. If you're young enough to experience this Seinfeld phenomenon only through reruns, you may not share my perspective, but you still may be familiar with the comedian's style. It gave us lots to laugh about, and laugh at. I remember the montage of reasons the show's characters listed for not getting involved with someone: too tall, too tan, doesn't have a thick head of hair, man hands, not a good naked, close-talker, soft-talker. Jerry's evaluations got us thinking about trivial things in critical ways.

Critical Thinking is Good
Not only were Jerry Seinfeld's observations good for a laugh, they pointed out obvious redundancies or stupidities. It's not hard to find lists on the Internet of Seinfeld's observations that point out human silliness. For instance, "What's the deal with people who put carpeting on the lid of their toilet seat? What are they thinking? 'Gosh, if we have a party, there may not be enough standing room. Let's carpet the toilet seat, too.' " And, "Would somebody please explain to me about those signs that say, 'No animals allowed except seeing eye dogs.' Who is that sign for? Is it the dog or the person?" And this classic: "Why do we have to pay someone to rotate our tires? Isn't that the basic idea of the wheel? Don't they rotate themselves?" It's a mindset of critical thinking and I firmly believe in the good of critical thinking and discernment, of thinking for yourself, of reflection and having an opinion. But I'm weary of the flippant quip about someone or something. It's feels dismissive and shallow and critical in a "this is not cool" or "you are not cool" way.

We're Not All the Same
So what does all this reflection on Seinfeldisms have to do with writing? It's not Jerry Seinfeld's fault, actually, but it seems like critical thinking has been taken to the far right to morph into extreme criticism. Reviewers have taken evaluation of a book to a place of criticism without respect. Criticism for the sake of taking pleasure in pointing out perceived flaws. It seems like the mentality of a popular kid pointing to another kid in school and hurling insults for the personal fun of it. It makes me cringe.

J. Robert Lenno suggests in a post for  Salon that critical reviews are important, but criticism is not the same as cruelty or evisceration, and there shouldn't be a detectable sense of glee in picking apart the writing. There should be R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

"Even if you don’t like the writer you’re reviewing, not even a little bit, acknowledge, at least to yourself, that some people do, and that this fact is not meaningless. In your review, let your reader know what it is other people like about this writer. If you disagree, say so, in a non-condescending manner. The goal is to explain and persuade, not to hurt," he wrote.

According to Daryl Campbell in a post for The Millions, reviewers have historically delighted in their ability to dissect writing and reflect on its effect on them. But he suggests reviews today have become lackluster, even in their negativity.

"…all of these reviews consist entirely of the initial response and a subsequent explanation, and no self-reflection about whether there might be more to the the book – and to the reviewer’s response – than that initial, emotional decision," he wrote.

 A reviewer himself, he defends the negative aspect of reviews. But I admit, it's hard for me. Almost daily I read about an author's hurtful experience with a review of his or her book. And I wonder, does the reviewer who calls a book "Dumb!" or gives it an "F" really have that kind of authority? Does she speak for everyone's taste? I don’t think so. It's just an opinion. Hopefully it's an informed and some sort of an expert opinion, but it doesn't necessarily speak for me. Nor does it always speak for the masses. Author-reviewers who panned the Twilight series didn't speak for all the readers who put it on a best-seller list. Ditto for the author-reviewers who dismissed The Hunger Games series. Opinions vary, even with agents and editors. What writer hasn't read about editors – arguably experts of a sort – who rejected books that went on to acclaim and even classics status, such as Gone with Wind, A Wrinkle in Time and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as the Harry Potter books. So though standards of quality are important, opinions vary. I'm glad there is room for all kinds of writing or we might have missed, or miss in the future, some lovely books.

On the other hand, the present discussion about Amazon deleting certain reviews points out a possible weakness in the practice of authors reviewing authors. Silly to think authors shouldn't review other authors when they're read the book, but the review can lose value when it's always plus, plus, plus. There needs to be balance.

A Neutral Eye
Reviews and criticism are a part of the landscape for a writer. I know that for a writer, getting a book reviewed holds the possibility of attracting more attention for the book. We all believe in our story and expect that others will see a good story in it, too. It doesn't always work out that way and a reviewer may have a challenge offering a balanced review from a neutral point of view. I wonder why reviewers so often lately can't let readers know what's what with a book and still be mindful that a person wrote it, a writer, and offer a balanced assessment.

As a reader, I find value in getting someone's opinion of a book before I start a new book. It's input. But honestly, I am more likely to pan the reviewer who is disrespectful of a writer's work than I am the book being reviewed. I work as a freelance editor, and sometimes I read writing that I don't fall in love with. But I still can think it has value if it meets my criteria for subject expertise, grammar, and typos don't get in the way of the story, and there is a level of competency in presenting story elements. That I can acknowledge even if the story itself is unappealing to me.

But don't get me wrong, I've been guilty of saying things among my friends and fellow writers about books I have read that I thought stunk. In truth, though, those books had been accepted by a publishing house, had been edited, and had found an audience. So it's just my opinion, for what it's worth, that they were bad books.

Personal Impact
I'm a reader and I read reviews to get a sense of a book, so I believe in the review process. I'm also a writer. I want my books to get good reviews. I want everyone to love my books. But I've been the recipient of a low rating on Amazon. I don't like it. I can say I've learned and improved since that book so I hope my next reviews show that, but it still stings a bit.

There is a Buddhist principal that suggests we humans should not get very excited about praise or criticism, not give much weight to either one. I’m working on that.

These thoughts are only my opinion, and that changes, too. I'd love to learn what the personal impact of reviews, as a reader and or a writer, have been on you. Have you written a review? Have you found reviews align with your reading experience? Share?