Reading doesn’t just provide the reader information, but the stories take the reader on a journey. I don’t think it’s a dying pastime, but the formats of reading (from paperback to digital) may change.
Amy Shannon – 11 January 2015
About Reviewing
How did you get started?
I am also an author (Published and Indie author). I met a fellow author via LinkedIn (the late Renee Robinson) and we started just by reading each other’s work. Not for review swaps, but just to read, and if a review was written, there was no expectations. After I read her work, I realized that I usually write a review if I really love a book that I’m reading, and if I started a blog (it was supposed to involve Renee, too, but she passed away) that I could help other Indie authors.
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 review a book by reading it first, and then I write the review. I usually write the first thing that comes to mind when I finish the book. (I always write it immediately after I finish the book.) Sometimes, a passage of text will stand out in my mind, so I book mark that page so I can go back to it.
What are you looking for?
I read all and any genres, so what I look for may be different for each one. One big selling point for me is if when I start it, I don’t want to stop until I finish the book. The book needs to make sense, not necessary be “real” (especially for fiction) but it needs to make sense and the characters (where there are characters) need to be relatable and pull out some emotion, even if I don’t like a character, the author may want me to hate that character.
If a book has a great plot, great characters, but the grammar is less than perfect, how do you deal with that?
I know that some reviewers point out the grammatical or formatting flaws, and I don’t do that. If the book has overwhelming grammar issues that I can’t get through, I will notify the author that I can’t review the book, and the reasons. No book is perfect. I’ve read some best-selling authors who have typos or grammar issues within the book.
How long does it take you to get through, say, an eighty thousand word book?
It usually takes about four to five hours to get through a book that long. I don’t always have time to read it in one sitting, but there are times, I’ve read through the night because it’s a book I couldn’t put down.
How did you come up with your rating system, and could you explain more about the rating system?
I use the star system (1-5 stars) but I don’t rate below a three. This is my scale that I use and I have it posted on my FAQ page of my blog.
5 Stars: I loved it and would read it again. Totally blown away by the book.
4 Stars: I loved the book and highly recommend it.
3 Stars: I liked the book but some or all the story plots were not enjoyable.
What advice could you give to authors looking to get their books reviewed?
The first thing I would say is to research the reviewers, as some review only specific genres. Also, if the reviewer has a review policy and request procedure, make sure you follow it. I often get unsolicited requests, and I only allow this for author’s I’ve reviewed for before. A new author to my blog needs to fill out a request form, and wait for my reply.
Do you get readers emailing you and thanking you for a review?
I often get a “thank you” for reviewing a book for authors, and sometimes, I get a little more than that. I build up relationships with authors, who will send me pre-release copies of their books, so I can write a review for their release day. I also get books as thank you gifts, and of course, I will review that.
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?
An author should never argue with the reviewer, as it becomes unprofessional. I have seen reviews that are very mean-spirited and even degrade the author, or reviews written by people who never read the book, just the synopsis. Those should be reported to the site on which it is posted, but the author should never argue or “defend” their work against a bad review. Bad reviews happen, and even though it can hurt an author’s feelings (I’ve received them myself), the truth is you can’t please everyone. Even the best classic writers received bad reviews.
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?
Reading doesn’t just provide the reader information, but the stories take the reader on a journey. I don’t think it’s a dying pastime, but the formats of reading (from paperback to digital) may change. I love both reading a paperback and reading a kindle. I am constantly running out of space on my real bookshelf and the one on my kindle.
About Writing
What are the most common mistakes that you see authors making?
The most common mistakes that an author may make is thinking that they can’t self-edit. They may invest in an editor, when it’s not necessary. There are a lot of ways that an author can self-edit and see their mistakes, unless the writer can tell a story but not necessarily write it. The other thing is that authors think that everyone will LOVE their work, and they don’t take rejection or bad reviews very well, though, it’s part of the art.
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?
The first page or chapter should grab the reader’s attention. I do my best to read all books from beginning to end, and sometimes the hope is that it will get better, but usually it does not, but I always keep hoping.
Is there anything you will not review?
I will read anything, but won’t write bad reviews.
About Publishing
What do you think of the oft-quoted comment that the “slush-pile has moved online”?
I just think that the online/digital format of publishing has allowed pretty much anyone to publish their work, and it does not mean that they can write well. Every book should be judged on its own merits, but if a reader reads an author’s work and does not like the way they write, chances are they will not buy another one of their books.
Do you think attitudes are changing with respect to indie or self-published titles?
I think attitudes are changing because there are a lot of great indie writers, and just because a book is self-published does not mean it’s a bad book. I’ve done the publishing thing, and I now do self-publishing because it is easier for me to control the process.
Do you have any ideas or comments on how the industry can ‘filter’ good from bad, aside from reviews?
I wish there was a way to filter the bad reviews, if they have no merit. Some bad reviews are written about books that are just poorly written, or the storyline is horrible. Not everyone’s imagination is as great as they think it is. I personally think that a reader should pick a book based on the synopsis, not the reviews. I’ve seen books that had hundreds of 5 star reviews, and only two 1 star reviews.
End of Interview:
Read Amy’s reviews at Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews.
