It is very important for reviewers to rate a book on basis of the complete work, not just a part of it. Readers might be put off by the first paragraph but if they find that a review has stated how the book becomes more interesting as it progresses, they might decide to read it in spite of the fact that the first paragraph wasn’t much to their liking.
Sara – 22 September 2015
About Reviewing
How did you get started?
I’m an indie author myself and when I was trying to get a few reviews for my book, I realized that bloggers play a huge role in helping authors get noticed. That’s when I decided to help other authors by starting a blog and since I’m an avid reader, I greatly enjoy reviewing books.
How do you review a book? Is it a read first, and then make notes, or do you make notes as you go along?
I make notes as I go along. That way, by the time I finish reading the book, I have many points to include in my review.
What are you looking for?
I read most genres except erotica but it depends on the plot. I look for a story that gets me involved, characters that I can identify with and a style of narration that is simple yet catchy.
If a book has a great plot, great characters, but the grammar is less than perfect, how do you deal with that?
I usually give my rating on basis of how much I enjoyed reading the book. If the grammar affects my reading experience, I mention that in the review. I don’t criticize a book due to some minor typos or missing punctuation marks. I always make it clear in my review what I liked about a book and what I didn’t.
How long does it take you to get through, say, an eighty thousand-word book?
About 4-5 days. But if I’m reading more than one book it takes longer.
How did you come up with your rating system, and could you explain more about the rating system?
My rating system is the basic system that we find in most review websites. I rate a book on five stars. The rating is the sum total of my reading experience. If I thoroughly enjoy a book, I give it five stars. If I feel that some element is missing, I give it a 3 or 4 star rating. If nothing about the book seems appealing enough, I give it less than 3 stars.
What advice could you give to authors looking to get their books reviewed?
My advice to authors is to try and find reviewers who review books actively, write a request and have some patience. They should choose to send their requests to reviewers with maximum interest in the genre under which their book falls. Most importantly, they should never pay for a review nor do a review swap with another author.
Do you get readers emailing you and thanking you for a review?
Yes, I do and it’s very gratifying! I’m very happy when a reader finds my review useful and when my recommendation turns out to be very appropriate!
My advice to authors on getting a ‘bad’ review (hasten to add that might mean a perfectly honest, well written, fair review – just bad from the author’s point of view) is to take what you can from it and move on. Under no circumstances to ‘argue’ with the reviewer – would you agree with that?
Yes, I completely agree with that. Authors must keep in mind that reviewers have the freedom to write an honest review even if it harshly critiques the work. However, I do not declare a book to be “good” or “bad”; I simply state my point of view regarding a book. I believe reviewers must not hesitate to write what they might have written if they bought the book and it wasn’t provided by the author. The reviews must never be influenced by any correspondence the reviewer might have had with the author in the past. Authors must not treat the reviewers in any different way from how they treat their readers. Hence, they will have to manage to cope with ‘bad’ reviews. Everyone has a unique perspective and my advice to authors is—don’t consider reviews to be some kind of a final judgment on your book. It can be that the reviewer didn’t like a book but the book might find great appreciation later. Always remember, there have been phenomenal writers who didn’t find much praise initially but went on to become iconic figures in the world of literature! Just try to learn from the reviews and what the reviewer has to say, try to improve your weak points if they have been pointed out.
About Reading
We talk a lot about writing here on the blog, and possibly not enough about reading, which is after all why we’re all here. Why do you think people love reading? We’re seeing lots of statistics that say reading as a pastime is dying – do you think that’s the case?
Recent statistics do indicate the fact that people don’t seem to devote enough time to reading. In fact, there are people who haven’t read a single book in a few years! This is very disheartening. It is possibly because people are busy with other forms of entertainment which were not present a decade ago. However, there are plenty of bibliophiles who simply love reading. I believe reading to be a very wholesome experience. It nurtures and enriches the mind. But the reason why people love reading varies and depends on the type of books.
About Writing
What are the most common mistakes that you see authors making?
I’ve seen quite often that authors lose their grip on the story. They start out very well, but lose momentum as the story progresses. Sometimes they rush to a conclusion or unnecessarily stretch a story. Also one other mistake I often notice is that there are disparities among facts stated with regard to the characters, that is, what is said about him/her in chapter 1 does not match with what is said in chapter 19. For example, in Chapter 1 a character’s hometown is mentioned and in a later chapter some other place is mistakenly mentioned as that same character’s hometown. However, this does not happen with important facts and I suppose minor errors can be overlooked.
We’re told that the first page, paragraph, chapter, is absolutely key in making or breaking a book. Agents typically request only the first five pages of a novel; what do you think about that? If a book hasn’t grabbed you by the first five pages, do you put it down?
Books shouldn’t be judged on basis of the first five pages. There might be something fascinating in a later chapter even though the first paragraph might not be very attractive. I never put any book down because I didn’t like the first five pages. I form an opinion about the book only after completing the entire book. It is very important for reviewers to rate a book on basis of the complete work, not just a part of it. Readers might be put off by the first paragraph but if they find that a review has stated how the book becomes more interesting as it progresses, they might decide to read it in spite of the fact that the first paragraph wasn’t much to their liking.
Is there anything you will not review?
I don’t review erotica. Otherwise, I give everything else a try.
About Publishing
What do you think of the oft-quoted comment that the “slush-pile has moved online”?
It is true that the online world has emerged as a great resource for authors, but at the same time, books published online are often considered to be parts of the rejected slush-pile of traditional publishers. Online publishing is constantly evolving and I believe there is hope that people will not look down upon it.
Do you think attitudes are changing with respect to indie or self-published titles?
Yes, I do think the attitude is changing. Readers are exploring new books by indie authors and many authors have decided to go Indie although they previously published traditionally. Quite obviously indie titles don’t get half the publicity as traditionally published titles. But the situation has changed a lot from what it was three years back.
Do you have any ideas or comments on how the industry can ‘filter’ good from bad, aside from reviews?
Reviews are personal opinions but they are probably the only tools that can filter the good from bad. One can consider sales of a book, but then again, a bad book might sell and a good one might not. Popularity is certainly not a parameter for judging the quality of a work.
End of Interview:
Read Sara’s reviews at The Page-Hungry Bookworm.
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