Creative Reviews discussion

What would you suggest to new reviewers? How do you tackle a particularly difficult to review book? Put your tips or tricks here OR if you have a specific question you would like to ask, put it here, and see if our ever growing, friendly group members can help you out!!

My tip for new reviewers is to always try to find a way to entice a reader to read your review. Hook them in by thinking of something clever or funny. Tip #1 from me!! :-)

do you have an example?

This isn't a universal tip, but something I try to aim for in my posts: focus on one point or issue to do with the book, and give a fairly short but in depth look at it. If you try and include every thought you have on a book, you will end up with long rambles that don't hold together. Or at least, that's what happens to me :)

Thanks Ben that's a good tip I will have to store that one away. It makes a lot of sense.

What I try to do is get the characters across because they are the one that are telling the story, not the other way around. I try and tell who the characters are and what they are about and what their part in the story is. But of course you have to give some idea oh what the story is about so I usually just do a small summary of the book, not spoiling anything for readers who haven't had the chance to read the book yet.

Steven wrote: "do you have an example?"

This is not my best work, but this is the intro that I used for my review of Carnival of Fear that is posted here in Creative Reviews and on www.journalstone.com:

Pick a fear, your worst fear. Is it vampires? Warewolves? Zombies? How about dealing with Hell? The Carnival of Fear has a fun house that promises to be the biggest and best scare you have ever had! Come on in...if you dare....

Wow you made that up for Carnival Of Fear...that's awesome...oh and that story is awesome as well.

I loved Carnival of Fear, one of my new favorite "classic style" horror books!

Usually, I'll start off by talking about the cover of the book, because that's the first thing that attracts me to a book. Then, I'll start by talking about either a main character, something that happened, just basically what I liked and/or disliked. I have been known to relate it to something in my life, which helps me identify with certain situations or character's.

Amy wrote: "Steven wrote: "do you have an example?"

This is not my best work, but this is the intro that I used for my review of Carnival of Fear that is posted here in Creative Reviews and on www.journalston..."

This is a great intro into the review! And and really great tip. I haven't written any reviews but I was thinking about it and I am a writer so i like to know how reviews are put together. If i do write some I will definitely remeber this!

Suz wrote: "Usually, I'll start off by talking about the cover of the book, because that's the first thing that attracts me to a book. Then, I'll start by talking about either a main character, something that ..."

Relating it to something in your life is a good tip too. It really shows a reader what they themselves might be able to gain from reading the book!

Amy wrote: "I loved Carnival of Fear, one of my new favorite "classic style" horror books!"

You know, I haven't read any horror books...this one has gotten my attention though...maybe i'll give it a try sometime!

@Suz - I think relating it to something personal really adds to the review, people can tell you really got into it if you thought about it enough to apply it to your own experiences!!

@ Cambria - Thank you very much! and Carnival of Fear is a great book to start you off on horror stories if you haven't read any before. It gives you a taste of everything! It could point you in an all new direction that you could love!! :-)

Another tip that I would like to share with everyone is to BE CREATIVE. There are more and more people out there all the time writing reviews. Use your creative talents and don't cookie-cutter yourself into any one type of review. BE YOURSELF!! People are more likely to read it all the way through and take it seriously if it doesn't look like a term essay....

Good advice Amy! I wrote my first review a week or so ago and it was harder than I once thought it might be. Being yourself is great advice because often times writing a review in your own voice is what makes it feel real and interesting.

Another piece of advice from the "Amy has too much to say vault"! :-)

When writing your review, you always want to give a small synopsis of the book. Be careful not to give anything of importance away. The author who wrote the book nor the reader of your review will thank you for it. Who wants to know the main plot twist before even reading the book? Save that kind of information and discussion for later on with your friends. Give your readers enough information to help them understand what you are writing about without killing the ability for the author to make a sale on the book.

great advice Amy! I think your reviews are always really great! By the way-and forgive me If you have said and i missed it somehow-but do you have a blog? I would like to follow if you do?

I feel like it's important to point out, that the person writing the review (be it yourself or someone else) has probably put in a lot of thought and research before they've sat down to write the review. So, it's important not to make them feel like you're telling them how to write their review, but rather just offer small suggestions in a very nice way that could help them to improve their reviews, when writing them.

For me, personally, I like to talk about the cover of the book before I even talk about the book or the synopsis of the book itself that I'm reviewing in my reviews. It just makes more sense to me that way, because the cover is the first thing that you see before you even open the book to begin reading and the cover plays a big part in whether or not I'm drawn to the book or not.

I think any kind of review for a book, whether it be an honest negative book review that points out the flaws the book possesses itself or a glowingly positive review is good feedback for the author to consider. Surely I don't think that giving a little bit more than necessary away in regards to the book, is going to keep the book from having decent sales.

However, I do think that you shouldn't give every single thing about the book away, before the reader's get a chance to decide for themselves whether they want to read it or not. I think I'd be more than a little upset if I were completely spoiled for a book that I was planning on reading. :)

@Cambria- No, I don't have a book blog out there anywhere. I leave the book blogs to all of you for me to read! :-)

I do a lot of reading of reviews though. This actually will tie into a post that i am getting ready to put up. I will be looking for a few new reviewers for JournalStone Publishing.

@Sue - It is always good to be creative when writing your reviews for your own book blogs and places like GoodReads and other places! Starting out with the cover is a great way for your individuality to shine there!

@Amy - Well, I was just speaking to the creative side of book reviewing, which is something that you were encouraging other's to do. I personally think it's good to be creative like that anywhere that you're able to post your reviews, because as long as you're not slamming the book and you're writing an honest book review that's going to encourage other's to want to read the book, as well as sharing good thoughts about the book itself - it shouldn't matter if the talk of the book cover comes before or after the synopsis. I mean, the synopsis of the book is still going to be there, honestly. The cover of the book is the first thing that you see, you talking about creativity being a good thing. There is creativity in that. Of course, I'm not trying to be argumentative. I'm just voicing an opinion. :)

-- Suz

@Amy- Well you should have a blog because I really have liked all the reviews that you have wrote(that i have read)! I don't have a blog either though i have thought about it. I just don't know what I would talk about....
So you are looking for new reviewers for JournalStone Publishing? Tell us about that?

@Suz-I really like the thought of talking about the cover of a book first, thats a great way to intro into a review!!

@Everyone: :) So what happens if you don't like a book that you are reviewing? Do you voice it in a nice way? I think it would be hard b/c i wouldn't want to hurt anyones feelings....lol.

@ Cambria - yeah, I think that talking about the cover of the book is a really creative way to spice up the introl. sometimes i'll start with that first or sometimes i'll put that second to the synopsis. it just depends on how it flows. :)

Sometimes it is all about the flow....lol. Are you a writer? (other than reviews of course) ;)

@ Cambria - Yes, I do write some original fiction, although I started out writing fan fiction original. Then from there, I graduated into writing my own original fiction and I almost feel ashamed that it has been quite a while since I've really written anything.

But you can find my original writings here: http://soulunsung.wordpress.com/

There are about three original pieces posted there and one piece of fan fiction, you can ignore the fan fiction. I do not profit from anything that I write, I just write as the inspiration comes to me. :)

Cambria - thank you very much!! I really do appreciate that! I just love to read and telling people about the things I have read. Writing has always been fun for me, and this is just a small outlet for me.

There are all sorts of book blogs out there, some stick strictly with books, and others go into all sorts of different things, it's really all about what you want to do.

I have a new post in Exciting Events (or maybe in the exciting news - i can't remember where i posted it on here about looking for some new reviewers. You should check it out!

There have been some books out there that I have no enjoyed, I have been nice about some of them, others had irritated me to no end, and I "went off" on it a bit. I will say it wasn't one of my finer moments, but everyone has their days.

I always try to be professional when I don't like a book especially since it is only my opinion, but I will let the people who read my reviews why I didn't care for the book. But I will not bash a book and the author just to get a point across, that is just the wrong way to go about it.

@ Amy - I don't think it's necessarily bashing a book or an author, to write and post an honest negative review that illustrates the reasons for why the book was getting such a low rating. Whenever I write a "positive" negative review for a book, I always cite things such as the pacing of the book, not being able to connect with the character's, fundamental flaws in the plot, grammatical/spelling errors found in the book (if there's more than one or two), etc.

That is not bashing a book or an author, that is constructive feedback that I feel like any author would personally appreciate hearing.

@ Amy- I did check out your post in the special events! I loved the JournalStone site. Not sure if i would be a good candidate though b/c i have only written one review before. lol. Maybe I should write a few more... I think it is good to say you don't like a book in a professional way. but, yes, everyone has their days. lol. And you are right it is only one opinion.

@ Suz- I will check out your writing soon! I think that writing from inspiration is the best way to write, it is the most honest and usually the most easy to read b/c i think the authors passion for the story really shines through.

For an author, obv a good review is nice; but just saying you liked or hated it isn't useful unless you explain why and what you thought did or didn't work.
As a reader, I've sometimes bought books on the strength of a bad review because I like the things the reviewer hated; so a *useful* review is one that tells you about the book without spoilers in such a way that you can apply your own judgement to whether it will appeal to you.

Also I think keeping an impartial tone as far as possible; when buying I tend to disregard reviews that are vicious or vitriolic as well as gushingly over-the-top reviews where if the reviewer had made the same points in a more detached tone I might pay more attention to it.

JAC



JAC

Very good insight JA! I think I agree with you. I think acting professional is very important. It is how I would hope someone would treat my book, even if they didn't like it. Giving reasons to back up your like or dislike of a book is the best way to sound credible and yes, I think, people would definitely pay more attention if something is reasonable.

My #1 tip? Always be honest to yourself and your gut feelings despite what everyone else has to say about the book.

My #2 tip? Don't read other reviews until AFTER you've finished writing yours.

My #3 tip? Don't take yourself too seriously. You'll burn out and lose the joy of reading/reviewing.

I love tip number three!!! Awesome point!

BarkLessWagMore wrote: "My #1 tip? Always be honest to yourself and your gut feelings despite what everyone else has to say about the book.

My #2 tip? Don't read other reviews until AFTER you've finished writing yours..."

I think all three of these are very important. You do not want someone else's opinion tarnishing what you are thinking and may write about.

Never "like" a book just because everyone else has. I learned that one with Alice in Wonderland...LOL

And your third point is amazing too, no one has to review anything, and not everyone will like your review, just like not everyone will like every book they read.

Great tips!!

My #2 tip? Don't read other reviews until AFTER you've finished writing yours..."

I don't know that I fully agree with this, because I still think you would be able to write a really good review without letting someone else's opinion's or views necessarily tarnish your own thoughts about the book you've read. When I'm getting ready to write reviews, I like to look at other reviews just to see what other's thought of the book, because sometimes it might give me another way of looking at the book that I hadn't thought of before. And then again, most of the time I either end up agreeing with them or not agreeing with them. But whatever book review that I wrote doesn't stem from any of the reviews for the same said book that I've read and am reveiwing.

I guess I'm easily swayed by others because I tend to start getting niggling thoughts and doubts in my head if I read other reviews before finishing mine and I prefer to go with my initial gut opinion and not over think it (which is too easy for me to do). That's why I won't do it. But that's just me. We all have our own methods and opinions.

Amy wrote: "No one has to review anything, and not everyone will like your review, just like not everyone will like every book they read.
."

LOL, this is very true. I found this out years ago when I first started reviewing. Every "not helpful" vote felt like a punch in the stomach but now I shrug them off. I'm happy someone read the review and got worked up enough to vote!

BarkLessWagMore wrote: "I guess I'm easily swayed by others because I tend to start getting niggling thoughts and doubts in my head if I read other reviews before finishing mine and I prefer to go with my initial gut opin..."

I think you are right here too, everyone is allowed (and entitled) to do things the way they like, this is a tips and tricks section, and some people will find the suggestions on here useful while others will not. People can test and try out the ones they like and ignore the ones they feel may just not be for them. I think your tips can be very useful to some people!! :-)

@BarkLessWagMore;; I wasn't trying to make it seem as if your tips aren't useful at all, I just want to clarify that since it seems some are trying to make it seem that way. I was just simply sharing my opinion, the same way other's here felt free to do. And my opinion is this, that sometimes reading other reviews before you write your own, can give you a different way of viewing the book you've read or it can give you idea's on how you might want to layout your own book review.

Honestly, I'm getting seriously tired of the ambiguous digs at the things that I say by certain people.

I like this tips and tricks section because it is filled with so many different ways of doing things. And I like what Amy said about trying out different ones to see what works best. Its like trying out 5 different hair colors before deciding which one you look best in. :) That is the point of this topic to give people ideas and for us all to bounce ideas off of one another.
@BarkLessWagmore: I'm like you, I would be happy if anyone read my review and was passionate enough to respond! What a great way of thinking!! And I love your username! Words to live by!

Cambria ;;

How do you post a review on here, underneath the right topic. Nobody has ever told me how to do that and I have a few YA reviews that I would like to post on here, I see everyone else doing it and I've never really been able to figure out how to do it and when I've asked before, nobody has really answered me. So, I'm just curious, could you help me out please? :)

Thank you.

Suz, you can go to the section in the "read this first" part of the group - in there is a post labeled "How to post new topics" That will give you the instructions on how to put a new topic up in any of the sections you want! :-)

Hey peeps,

one of my blogging friends just sent me here:
www.simon-royle.com

You can add your reviews to the "Latest Reviews" section and add yourself to the list of reviewers so long as you fit in the criteria. TC said she got a bit of a spike in her viewing figures when she signed in so it looks like it's getting a bit of attention at the moment.

Anyone interested, check it out! I've added On Dark Shores: The Ladyto their booklist, anyhow, so will be interested to see what happens with that.
JAC

Great news JA! Thanks for sharing. I will check it out soon and add my review for your book. I may not get to it til tomorow but I will do it. Good luck with your book on there. Bring on the readers!

Suz wrote: "Cambria ;;

How do you post a review on here, underneath the right topic. Nobody has ever told me how to do that and I have a few YA reviews that I would like to post on here, I see everyone else d..."

Suz,
It is super easy. Just like Amy said you can go to that post and it will tell you. The first time I did it I knew for sure I would mess something up but it was really easy. You can just click on the Creative Reviews group name at the top and then click on "new" on the right and then choose your topic and folder and what not.
If you have any questions after you read the directions in the "How to post new topics" feel free to ask and I will be happy to help.

Cambria;; The thing is, I've read those directions in the "How To Post New Topics," and I don't understand. I even read them before I asked for help, but for some reason I find them very confusing and I can't find where you're talking about to click "new" and then choose topic folder. I mean, I've looked all over the site and I'm trying to locate it and I'm sure it is easy and I might be overlooking it, but I still can't figure it out and I really need help. So, can you or someone else please help me?

J.a. wrote: "Hey peeps,

one of my blogging friends just sent me here:
www.simon-royle.com

You can add your reviews to the "Latest Reviews" section and add yourself to the list of reviewers so long as you f..."

Awesome, J.A.!! Thanks!!!

Suz wrote: "Cambria;; The thing is, I've read those directions in the "How To Post New Topics," and I don't understand. I even read them before I asked for help, but for some reason I find them very confusing ..."

Suz,
See if this helps:
Go to top of page and click on Creative Reviews(you will be directed to the group home)
Scroll down below the group description
On the left in black writing it says "Discussion Board" next to that on the right is says:
topics: all/new/unread
click new.
You're in! now just find the folder you want to put your new topic/review in and add the text into the body of the post and there you go!!
Give it a try. I can't wait to see all the great reviews you post!!
Hope this helps.

Cambria;; Thank you, for explaining it to me. I was finally able to figure it out and I've already posted at least three reviews. I do have a question though, I've been posting them under the "Young Adult" folder since that is mostly what I read. I don't just limit myself to paranormal romance/urban fantasty, etc. I like to read contemporary young adult as well, so will be okay to post the reviews for those. Like, I have a review for the book The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams and I also have a book review that I wrote for Lauren Myracle's, Shine. Would it be okay if I went ahead and posted those reviews as well, as all of my other's that I have so far? If not, then I won't but I just wanted to ask first before I did, so that I didn't get in trouble by anyone like I have recently. :)

Hey Suz!
So glad you figured it out!!! I knew you could do it. I can't wait to check out those reviews. And of course it is okay for you to post your other reviews in here. The Creative Reviews group is not limited to only Young Adult books or any one specific genre.(although I wouldn't post anything that is inappropriate-you know?) :)