I don’t believe a book can be categorized as good or bad. It all depends on the reader.
Meghana – 10 October 2016
About Reviewing
How did you get started?
Once I published my book., I realized the importance of reviews and how much impact it makes on spreading the word about new books. I wanted to help out fellow indie authors and decided to make time for 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?
It depends on the kind of book I am reading. If it’s romance, I usually highlight some lines and if it’s a thriller, I make key points and remarks on the pacing.
What are you looking for?
I usually look out for the pace and style in which the story is told. What stands out for me are the characters and how realistic their actions and thoughts are. If I manage to fall in love with certain characters, then the book automatically becomes my top favorite. The unique elements of a book which separates it from other books in the same genre earns cookie points from my end.
If a book has a great plot, great characters, but the grammar is less than perfect, how do you deal with that?
I don’t usually make a big deal and try to see past it. I send a personal mail to the author about it so that they can improve on the grammar part for their next book.
How long does it take you to get through, say, an eighty thousand-word book?
It depends on how good the story is and invested I am. Since I work in an office during the weekdays, I don’t get much time to read. So approx 10 days.
How did you come up with your rating system, and could you explain more about the rating system?
I don’t usually write reviews for books that are below three stars for me. Three stars means, good but there is scope for getting better. Four means really good and an interesting read. Five means, Totally captivating, fantastic read.
What advice could you give to authors looking to get their books reviewed?
I would love to read all your books, support and promote it as much as I can. All I ask in return is some patience and time. I will surely get back to you.
Do you get readers emailing you and thanking you for a review?
I do and I am really happy about 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?
Totally. Reviewers are entitled to have their opinion on books.
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?
Though writing is my passion, reading is my second passion. Only when we read books, do we learn more and our imagination grows as well. Reading translates into getting into the mind of another person and seeing the world through their eyes and living their story. That is a truly a wonderful experience.
About Writing
What are the most common mistakes that you see authors making?
There is no common trend as such but authors tend to falter in the pacing of the book. It kind of becomes very slow in the middle and also certain characters are left undeveloped.
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?
No, I don’t usually judge a book based on the first five pages. It’s too soon to judge the book as a whole but it does give a good idea about the author’s style of writing which has the potential to totally pull the readers. If a book manages to do that, then it’s out for a great start.
Is there anything you will not review?
I don’t review books that are non-fiction and I usually prefer the ones that are written in first person than narrative style.
About Publishing
What do you think of the oft-quoted comment that the “slush-pile has moved online”?
I completely agree. The best platform for books is internet. I think it’s a good change that can make all kinds of books reach out to a larger audience.
Do you think attitudes are changing with respect to indie or self-published titles?
It sure is. Indie authors are gaining recognition and their books are also being read and praised. Though it’s not nearly as close to the published authors, thanks to social media they are able to spread word about their books.
Do you have any ideas or comments on how the industry can ‘filter’ good from bad, aside from reviews?
When it comes to books when we don’t see from a critic’s eye, I don’t believe a book can be categorized as good or bad. It all depends on the reader and their personal likes which might vary with another reader who reads the same genre.
