Book Reviewers and Book Writers: Don't Let Each Other Down

      Since I am a book reviewer as well as a published writer, I've been thinking about the connection beteween reviewer and authors, beyond the obvious - book reviews bring books to the public's attention. But there is more to it than that. 

        I read and review plenty of books that should be getting more attention but seem to fade away, never promoted, never getting the "buzz" or word of mouth they deserve. A lucky few get rediscovered by someone like Oprah Winfrey or some director and a hidden gem comes to the light. 

      The sad reality is that the average book has a small window of time in which to get noticed and then it sinks like a stone. A few of these books slowly gain a cult following and gradually get the attention they deserve. Most don't. Promotion budgets are being cut, bookstores turn over their stock fairly quickly and people don't always read books as often or as quickly as they once did, not with all the other things grabbing their time and energy, from video games to a zillion cable channels, not to mention the Internet. 

        My point? Well, I have a couple:

1. Some book reviewers are letting authors down.

2. Some authors are letting book reviewers down.

     Before hackles rise and reviewers and authors start getting defensive, please give me a chance to explain my reasoning here. I get a lot of ARCS or advance copies of books. I know this is not the actual and final book, that changes will be made and I am not surprised to find plenty of typos and parts that may be edited here and there.

     But recently I received a review copy which was missing entire chapters, vital ones, especially since the book was about finances. How could I possibly give a fair review to a book which asked me to use a table or chart to calculate retirement needs when the table was missing? How could I evaluate a chapter that wasn't there? So, authors, if you ask your publisher to send out review copies, make sure it has enough info for a reviewer to use, at least the key components or vital info and plot lines. 

             WHAT AUTHORS NEED TO CONSIDER:
 

       Allow a fair amount of time for the review to be written. If an author gets a book on Tuesday, don't expect the review to appear the next day or even the next, not if you want a thoughtful, detailed one. If you want the review to appear by publication date, try to send it out as soon as possible before publication date. As you write your book, note the key chapters, even the sentences, that highlight the focus of your book. This can make things much easier for reviewers and give you some input for the final review.

       Thirdly, choose your potential reviewers carefully. If you can score a major write-up in the New York Times Book Review or an interview on NPR or something equally noteworthy, great. If not and you have to do some major self-promotion, don't go on just the ranking of a reviewer at book site, going after just the number one reviewers,  but take a look at their reviews Buyers aren't stupid and potential buyers quickly learns which reviewers are giving every book a rave review and which are not. After writing reviews for years, I have a readership. I'm near the top 100 but my readers don't care about my ranking. They care about the reviews. 

    Finally, write with your potential reader - and reviewer -in mind. Choose reviewers who tend to be interested in your genre or style of writing, whether that is nonfiction, self-help books or romance. When sending along promotional material, make sure the focus and aim of your book is clear and that the reviewer knows your target audience. In short, give them your perspective on what you were trying to communicate and who you want to reach. Target reviewers just as you would target your readers, selecting the ones that read your type of books and have an inherent interest in them. I'm eclectic and read nearly everything but not every reviewer does. 

             WHAT REVIEWERS NEED TO KNOW:

    Try to avoid vague or generic compliments like "good book" or "exciting" but think of the possible reader - and author - and give some details. Do not give away the plot of the book but at least provide some teasers, something too engage or intrigue the potential buyer.  Try to think about what you'd want to know, if you were interested in a book.

       Example: If you wanted to buy a home and bought a book on the topic you might want to know how to deal with today's market, the basic terms covered in the book, information about mortages and how to evaluate a home's strengths and weaknesses. A strong review would note if this information was in the book and what the book lacked. A weak review might simply say "I used this book and it was okay" , leaving unanswered questions. Why was the book simply okay? What didn't it include? 

       Please try to remember that most authors spend a great deal of time and energy writing their books and to disparage them, cut them down or call them names is not a sign of a professional reviewer, in my opinion. If you don't relate to the book, fine, but try to point out the good points, the strengths and be honest, yet tactful, about any deficits. Respect the effort that authors put into their books. Some of the finest writers out there have early works that they don't like now. Everyone has to start somewhere. I have gotten letters of appreciation from authors for writing "honest" reviews, even for books I did not like. 

         The only final bit of info I'd add is that both authors and reviewers need to think about what each is trying to communicate, to put themselves in each other's shoes, really think about how to help each other achieve their goals. Reviewers want to get a sense of the book, the author's intent and a fair representation of the book itself. Authors want to reach  their target audience, get "buzz", publicity, word of mouth, etc.

          Each can go along way towards helping the other.