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How to Write a Book Review
Have you wondered what makes a good book review? Have you wondered what you might be missing in writing a book review? You can find out how to write a quality book review in these pages.
73 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2013
47 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Graf
43 books88 followersRebecca lives in Wisconsin with her husband and youngest child and has lived in Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Graduated from the University of Montevallo with an accounting degree, Rebecca has been writing after 20 years in the accounting field. She also has a history BA with an English minor. Currently she is going for her English major with creative writing.
Reading is a passion of Rebecca's that has spilled over into her writing. She has been writing online for 8 years on a variety topics including history, education, writing, religion, and facts of life.
You can find out more about her at:
www.writerrebeccagraf.com
https://medium.com/@rebeccagraf_63084
https://hubpages.com/@rgraf
Reading is a passion of Rebecca's that has spilled over into her writing. She has been writing online for 8 years on a variety topics including history, education, writing, religion, and facts of life.
You can find out more about her at:
www.writerrebeccagraf.com
https://medium.com/@rebeccagraf_63084
https://hubpages.com/@rgraf
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 28, 2013
It seems a little funny writing a book review on a book about how to write a book review, but that’s what I’m doing. I should start by saying I wish I’d read this before I ever wrote my first review. It’s a great resource! I would recommend this book to both old and new reviewers. Rebecca takes you through a step by step process on what to include, what not to include, and how to say it without stepping on any toes. For the most part, as book reviewers, we’re here to share our love of books, and those wonderful authors that put their heart into them. We aren’t doing that if we’re attacking an author.
Rebecca pointed out several things I had never thought about, and others that seemed like common sense, but I know are still missing in many reviews. She takes you through reviewing the different elements of a story, giving little tricks to help you out when it’s time to write your review. The book is a very easy read, and not something that will bore you to death reading. Every topic was presented in a very clear manner, and it never left me confused. The only topic that I wish she would have gone more indepth with was style. All the other topics were addressed thoroughly. Sometimes so thoroughly that I felt like there was a little too much repetition.
I especially liked that she covered topics such as writing a review on non-fiction, since this is afterall, my first review of a non-fiction work. I couldn’t stress enough how helpful this book is. I will use it as a guide for all future reviews. I give it a rating of a strong 4 stars!! I sincerely recommend it to ALL book reviewers out there!!
*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
Rebecca pointed out several things I had never thought about, and others that seemed like common sense, but I know are still missing in many reviews. She takes you through reviewing the different elements of a story, giving little tricks to help you out when it’s time to write your review. The book is a very easy read, and not something that will bore you to death reading. Every topic was presented in a very clear manner, and it never left me confused. The only topic that I wish she would have gone more indepth with was style. All the other topics were addressed thoroughly. Sometimes so thoroughly that I felt like there was a little too much repetition.
I especially liked that she covered topics such as writing a review on non-fiction, since this is afterall, my first review of a non-fiction work. I couldn’t stress enough how helpful this book is. I will use it as a guide for all future reviews. I give it a rating of a strong 4 stars!! I sincerely recommend it to ALL book reviewers out there!!
*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
May 9, 2014
PROs:
* Quick to read
CONs:
* Simply repeating things that seem to be common sense
* Doesn't seem to even include very helpful tips
* Way too expensive for the content ($3.99). There are similarly written books on the topic that are twice as long and cheaper.
* Author lacking relevant credentials
* Filled with anecdotal claims rather than any empirical evidence
In writing this review, I probably will not be using anything from this book that is supposed to teach you how to write book reviews. The main reason being is that the content of the book is so basic that it is hard for someone not to already have this knowledge, unless they've literally never even thought of reviewing a book before. For example, there is an entire chapter devoted to telling the reader to be honest in their reviews. This is good advice, but seems unnecessary, and I definitely don't think I should be charged for such trivialities.
There is even a typo within the first few pages of the book (wrong form of 'to'). This is not a good indication from a book that is supposed to be instructing a reader on how to do something. Another annoyance is that the chapter title is repeated in the first sentence of the text almost verbatim. You will read:
"Be Honest in Writing Your Book Reviews"
You should be honest in writing your book reviews.
This is a minor nitpick, but can be annoying. I also think the book took too much effort in reinforcing the idea of being nice to the author of the book we are reviewing. Sure, it is unnecessary to go into a personal assault against the author, but we should also not fail to express our true feelings about the work.
Overall, you can find more value in simply Googling "how to write a book review" and reading a few free articles than what is contained here.
* Quick to read
CONs:
* Simply repeating things that seem to be common sense
* Doesn't seem to even include very helpful tips
* Way too expensive for the content ($3.99). There are similarly written books on the topic that are twice as long and cheaper.
* Author lacking relevant credentials
* Filled with anecdotal claims rather than any empirical evidence
In writing this review, I probably will not be using anything from this book that is supposed to teach you how to write book reviews. The main reason being is that the content of the book is so basic that it is hard for someone not to already have this knowledge, unless they've literally never even thought of reviewing a book before. For example, there is an entire chapter devoted to telling the reader to be honest in their reviews. This is good advice, but seems unnecessary, and I definitely don't think I should be charged for such trivialities.
There is even a typo within the first few pages of the book (wrong form of 'to'). This is not a good indication from a book that is supposed to be instructing a reader on how to do something. Another annoyance is that the chapter title is repeated in the first sentence of the text almost verbatim. You will read:
"Be Honest in Writing Your Book Reviews"
You should be honest in writing your book reviews.
This is a minor nitpick, but can be annoying. I also think the book took too much effort in reinforcing the idea of being nice to the author of the book we are reviewing. Sure, it is unnecessary to go into a personal assault against the author, but we should also not fail to express our true feelings about the work.
Overall, you can find more value in simply Googling "how to write a book review" and reading a few free articles than what is contained here.
June 1, 2013
I've been writing book reviews for years, but I'm always ready to better myself. I was intrigued to see what I was doing right and what I needed to work on or add entirely!
How to Write a Book Review is well thought out and takes you step by step on how to write a thoughtful review, keeping the reader engaged but also giving your own opinion. If you've never written one before, you definitely could after reading this book. Rebecca talks about the difference of genres (fiction/non-fiction) and how you should differentiate them. If you have written one before, this book will make you better. There are also tips for where you should be posting your reviews for maximum effect for the author and publisher. I found the book to be very helpful and will use it as a reference over and over!
How to Write a Book Review is well thought out and takes you step by step on how to write a thoughtful review, keeping the reader engaged but also giving your own opinion. If you've never written one before, you definitely could after reading this book. Rebecca talks about the difference of genres (fiction/non-fiction) and how you should differentiate them. If you have written one before, this book will make you better. There are also tips for where you should be posting your reviews for maximum effect for the author and publisher. I found the book to be very helpful and will use it as a reference over and over!
July 21, 2016
To begin with I believe I’m a decent Book Reviewer, well that’s the impression I get when I look at my profile here on Amazon. I know I’ve already one book on writing reviews which I’d won through an internet giveaway, this time I downloaded a copy using Amazon Unlimited.
I didn’t start being a Book Reviewer, I started as an author almost four three ago, and currently have two self-published books. I began reading/reviewing books as a way of increasing my writing ability by seeing how other authors write their books, especially romance; believe me, it has helped.
Being a Book Reviewer myself I can say Ms. Graf has done a wonderful job in telling her readers what a review actually is and how to write one that is decent, while at the same time avoiding any of the pitfalls many reviewers can fall into, such as writing one which is negative without including any positive criticism. Remember what your mother told you: “If you can’t say anything nice about a person, don’t say it.”
She also gives examples of what a review should look like/should include. There are several kinds of reviews prevalent on sites like Amazon, GoodReads and LibraryThing; and they run the gamut from quick one sentence jobs to those are filled with spoilers [giving away the plotline/detailed information about the book].
Remember, the real function of a review is to whet a potential reader’s interest in the book; that they’ll wind up buying a copy. One of the things I try to do in my review is to personalize it or to give a reference to a movie or even a song which came to my mind as I read the book, which someone reading the review might also be able to relate to.
Becoming a Book Reviewer doesn’t have to cost any money. Many authors looking for reviews of their books use giveaways. The unfortunately thing is while they hope to receive a review for each book they’ve given away, they seldom get it. So if you happen to receive a book through a giveaway, kindly write a review for the author in return. And if you do write a review for such a book, there is a FTC regulation which states you need to disclose this information somewhere in the review, and state that the following/above has been your honest opinion.
I didn’t expect it, but after a while I started to get requests to review books. Many of the books didn’t interest me in the least, and being an author I knew how they’ll feel if I would refuse their request; so I posted an entry on my blog saying that I only review those books I’ve either won through giveaways or have gotten myself. So if you’re considering becoming a serious Book Reviewer, then consider doing something similar.
How can you tell if you’ve written a good review?
One of the ways is the response your review gets on the site you’ve posted it on. You should also tell the author that you’ve read their book and the sites you’ve posted the review on. The TOUGHEST critic a reviewer can ever have for a review they’ve written is the author themselves. Many authors are happy you’ve contact them about your review, and they’ll tell you that in their response; as well as what they thought of it.
For educating others in becoming a book reviewer in a clear, concise manner, I’ve given this author and her book 5 STARS.
I didn’t start being a Book Reviewer, I started as an author almost four three ago, and currently have two self-published books. I began reading/reviewing books as a way of increasing my writing ability by seeing how other authors write their books, especially romance; believe me, it has helped.
Being a Book Reviewer myself I can say Ms. Graf has done a wonderful job in telling her readers what a review actually is and how to write one that is decent, while at the same time avoiding any of the pitfalls many reviewers can fall into, such as writing one which is negative without including any positive criticism. Remember what your mother told you: “If you can’t say anything nice about a person, don’t say it.”
She also gives examples of what a review should look like/should include. There are several kinds of reviews prevalent on sites like Amazon, GoodReads and LibraryThing; and they run the gamut from quick one sentence jobs to those are filled with spoilers [giving away the plotline/detailed information about the book].
Remember, the real function of a review is to whet a potential reader’s interest in the book; that they’ll wind up buying a copy. One of the things I try to do in my review is to personalize it or to give a reference to a movie or even a song which came to my mind as I read the book, which someone reading the review might also be able to relate to.
Becoming a Book Reviewer doesn’t have to cost any money. Many authors looking for reviews of their books use giveaways. The unfortunately thing is while they hope to receive a review for each book they’ve given away, they seldom get it. So if you happen to receive a book through a giveaway, kindly write a review for the author in return. And if you do write a review for such a book, there is a FTC regulation which states you need to disclose this information somewhere in the review, and state that the following/above has been your honest opinion.
I didn’t expect it, but after a while I started to get requests to review books. Many of the books didn’t interest me in the least, and being an author I knew how they’ll feel if I would refuse their request; so I posted an entry on my blog saying that I only review those books I’ve either won through giveaways or have gotten myself. So if you’re considering becoming a serious Book Reviewer, then consider doing something similar.
How can you tell if you’ve written a good review?
One of the ways is the response your review gets on the site you’ve posted it on. You should also tell the author that you’ve read their book and the sites you’ve posted the review on. The TOUGHEST critic a reviewer can ever have for a review they’ve written is the author themselves. Many authors are happy you’ve contact them about your review, and they’ll tell you that in their response; as well as what they thought of it.
For educating others in becoming a book reviewer in a clear, concise manner, I’ve given this author and her book 5 STARS.
April 6, 2014
This book was gifted to me with no expectation of a positive review but will definitely be getting one.
For anyone who has ever wanted to write a book review outside of school, How to Write a Book Review is what I’d recommend to follow as a guideline.
This book covers everything any one who writes a book review after high school needs. With a suggestion to take notes as you read, Graff provides a thorough to-do list of what you do while reading the book right up to writing the review and where to post it.
If you’ve visited my site at all, you know I write a lot of reviews which have been pretty basic as I’ve struggled with finding some guidelines and instructions to make them any more. Now, after reading and enjoying, How to Write a Book Review they promise to be more informative and elaborate, including my opinion and helpful details to encourage you to buy the book or stay away from it.
This one I highly encourage as, described in previous posts and guest posts, having a reader review a book (for free) is to an author what a 15% gratuity tip is to a waiter.
Thanks for reading and writing a review,
Sarah Butland
For anyone who has ever wanted to write a book review outside of school, How to Write a Book Review is what I’d recommend to follow as a guideline.
This book covers everything any one who writes a book review after high school needs. With a suggestion to take notes as you read, Graff provides a thorough to-do list of what you do while reading the book right up to writing the review and where to post it.
If you’ve visited my site at all, you know I write a lot of reviews which have been pretty basic as I’ve struggled with finding some guidelines and instructions to make them any more. Now, after reading and enjoying, How to Write a Book Review they promise to be more informative and elaborate, including my opinion and helpful details to encourage you to buy the book or stay away from it.
This one I highly encourage as, described in previous posts and guest posts, having a reader review a book (for free) is to an author what a 15% gratuity tip is to a waiter.
Thanks for reading and writing a review,
Sarah Butland
November 29, 2024
this book has a valuable insight
hills of steel
hills of steel
August 9, 2021
This book had good information for beginner book reviewers but didn't really go in depth on anything. I like that she included several types of books (fiction vs nonfiction etc). However there was a lot of it that was repetitive. It may have been better to go over the ins and outs of a general book review then have smaller sections on the differences between types. But that's just personal preference really.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews