Encouraging reviews? By Annie Try

           My latest book came out in December and finally I have a review! I’ve no idea why no-one wrote about it earlier but it is wonderfully exciting - it means that someone has read the book for a start! It’s a good review, so a huge encouragement and a massive boost to me. And what’s more, for today at least I can claim 100% of 5* reviews!

It makes me think of other writers waiting for this moment and that challenges me too. Can I encourage others by giving feedback more than I do?

I am looking at the piles of books in my house. I have two baskets full of books ‘to be read’, one of ‘ought to read’ and a third category ‘books to be reviewed’. There is a danger that the latter pile is creeping higher than the others. Not as high as the boxes of books to be sold, but then that represents multiple copies of four novels (I have no author copies left of my first novel nor any of the four co-written Creative Therapy books).

All of the piles include both secular and Christian, fiction and non-fiction. The ‘ought to read’ pile consists of several puppy books, several books about writing, one or two books I have started and not finished and quite a few I have bought from the church bookstall or have been sent by a well-meaning friend. There are also some that I think it would be good for me to read again. 

My aim is to review all the books I read as I go along, whether the author is well established or a debut author. Unfortunately, my practice is to forget to review as I dive into the next book - whether writing or reading. I read around sixty books a year. But I must endeavour to keep on top of the task of reviewing because it is vital not only for encouragement, but for author’s sales through encouraging readers to buy.

Writing reviews isn’t easy and from my personal experience of receiving reviews, I calculate that less than one in thirty of my readers get round to it. Maybe they choose not to, don’t think of it, or don’t feel their opinion is worth anything. Or if they really hate a book, they may think it kinder not to review.

So what makes a good review? It is essential not to give the plot away for a novel, but vital to give a fair description of what the reader can expect for a non-fiction  book.

My style of reviewing has developed over time. Now I always try to give honest but kind reviews, remembering that this book is someone’s baby and that they have put their heart and soul into it. If I have given fewer than four stars the writer needs to know why so I might say something showing this is not a style that appeals to me, or there are too many references to eg sex/race/politics for me and I felt they distracted from the story. I try to balance anything that is negative with something positive. If I have chosen my reading well, then reviews netting lower than four stars are rare.

Reviews can be short or long. The ones I write tend to be short for books by well-known authors, as other reviewers have already given full feedback. I spend more time on those with few reviews or new authors. For fiction I say nothing more about the plot than the back-of-book blurb says, but I will comment on style, formation of characters and use of language such as description and use of metaphor. I may talk about the dialogue. As a writer it seems only fair to comment on the author’s particular strengths in the craft of writing.

For a non-fiction book I comment on whether it helped me in my understanding of the subject and fulfilled the aims of the book. For a lifestyle book, I may write about whether it made me think and perhaps change how I live - very important for books about Christian living or beliefs.

For books about training a puppy - well how do I review those? I’ll let you know when my 10-month old puppy has responded to the wisdom of several trainers and become a happy, well-behaved pet, obedient to recall and has stopped jumping on visitors, chewing our possessions, etc. You may have a long wait . . .

Annie Try writes Christian novels. Her latest book, The Dangerous Dance of Emma JJ, is published by Kevin Mayhew Publishers and available online or through bookstores. It is suitable for 13 years and up.