The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing [Kindle Edition]

Mayra Calvani (Author), Anne K. Edwards (Author)

Book Description

This book was written not only with the aspiring reviewer in mind, but also for the established reviewer who needs a bit of refreshing and also for anybody--be they author, publisher, reader, bookseller, librarian or publicist--who wants to become more informed about the value, purpose and effectiveness of reviews.

2011 Global eBook Award Winner in the category of Reference Non-Fiction

Editorial Reviews

Review

...an invaluable resource for anyone interested in book reviews - writers, reviewers, publishers, publicists, librarians, booksellers and readers. There are examples of good and bad reviews and ways to handle adverse reactions to your review by the author, publisher and/or publicist. Also covered are the absolute don'ts of a review, i.e., don't give away the ending. --Francine Silverman, editor/publisher of The Book Promotion Newsletter.

...So you think you want to review books. Then this should be the next book you read. Find out if you have the right attitude, and tools that it will take to be a reviewer. I've been reviewing novels for about a year. I wish I'd had this book when I started. ...This book has found a permanent place on my reference book shelf. --Wanda C. Keesey, author of Lost In The Mist.

About the Author

Mayra Calvani is a multi-genre author of adult and children's books and has been a reviewer for most of the past decade. She is co-editor of Voice in the Dark ezine and also keeps three lit blogs, Mayra s Secret Bookcase, The Dark Phantom Review, and Violin and Books. In addition, she teaches book reviewing at the Long Story Short School of Writing.

Anne K. Edwards enjoys writing mysteries, but dabbles in children's stories and other genre. She reviews for some publicists and web zines and is co-editor of Voice in the Dark ezine. She is a member of Pennwriters and Books We Love.

Product Details

• File Size: 355 KB
• Print Length: 196 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1933353228
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Twilight Times Books; First edition (June 15, 2008)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004OL2JTQ
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,727 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Aspiring Reviewers December 1, 2008

By Janet Boyer HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Perfect Paperback

"Are you passionate about books? Do you have a talent for easily capturing the essence of a book after reading it? Do you often feel the desire to share your thoughts about a book with readers? If you answered `yes' to these questions, then book reviewing can be one of the most satisfying, rewarding activities you'll ever undertake." - From The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing (Preface)

As an Amazon.com Top Reviewer, I often get emails from readers asking me how I became a reviewer, as well as requests for tips on getting started. I even had an independent publisher ask me to write an instructional book on how to write a great review.

Alas, my passion is actually writing reviews--not writing about reviews, or coaching others on how to create them (or enter the vocation/business of reviewing). Thankfully, I can now point aspiring writers to an excellent book called The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing by Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards.

When Ms Calvani approached me about her book, I was intrigued and excited. Finally, I thought, someone has taken the time to explain the necessary mechanics of a quality review!

From grammar skills to critical reading, ethical considerations to honest (but tactful) reviewing, the authors reveal the secrets of what separates amateurs from the pros.... A few of the informative, helpful areas include:

* Reviewing a book for what it is, not what the reviewer wishes it was
* Signs of an amateur
* Five keys to being a good reviewer
* The harmful practices of both sugarcoated and caustic reviews
* A reviewer's responsibility to the reader, author and publisher
* The difference between book reviews, reports and press releases
* How to handle backlash resulting from a negative review
* Pre-publication versus post-publication reviews
* Dozens of print and online venues for getting started as a reviewer

The only (minor) qualm I have with in this book is the section on ascertaining readership. The authors write, "For instance, a mystery by Agatha Christie would be slanted towards the reader in their thirties or older. This can be judged by the age of the main character or detective, for example. If the character or detective solving the crime is under thirty-five, this is a book that would appeal to the younger set."

Their subsequent logic didn't ring true with my own reading experience. For example, by the time I graduated High School, I had read just about every book by Agatha Christie (not to mention those by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Higgins Clark, Robin Cook, Stephen King, and Dean Koontz--as well as many of the classics). Now, as a 38-year-old lover of books, juvenile and Young Adult fiction are two of my favorite genres. Personally, I feel that identifying readership is, indeed, important--but not necessarily based on the age of characters.

The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing also deconstructs actual reviews, explaining why certain elements are needed and work well or, in the case of poorly written reviews, why certain elements must be eliminated altogether for a professional, objective presentation.

For reviewers who want to hone their skills and discover additional reviewing opportunities, this book is an engaging, useful read. (I wish this book had been available when I started. Instead, I had to master the art of reviewing on my own!)

For those who are considering book reviewing as a hobby or career, reading (and owning) The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing is an absolute must--especially for those who want to be taken seriously and garner a reputation as a quality reviewer.

-- Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book Read more ›

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Review Advice and Resources: The Perfect Combination July 25, 2008

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Perfect Paperback

I have long advocated reviewing as a way for freelance writers to begin a career and for the authors of books to network with other authors and lots of editors. The trouble is there are few books that approach the subject from any but the most traditional, literary and academic point of view.

The world has turned, and turned...and turned. We now have Amazon and other online bookstores. We have online review sites that specialize in the quick and easy (for screen-tired eyes and busy people) to those who prefer edgy or esoteric. There is room for all and Calvani and Edwards address that.

What I like best, though, is the lists of publications in their last chapters. Those pages are a veritable storehouse of helpful information for any would-be reviewer but also for any author who would like to get reviewed!
----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the award-winning HowToDoIt series of books for writers.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A wealth of information in a concise format January 12, 2009

By M. A. Filippelli VINE™ VOICE

Format:Perfect Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Mayra Calvari and Anne K Edwards do an outstanding job relaying important information about the art of reviewing books. Calvari and Edwards provide several examples of reviews based on your target audience. Calvari and Edwards also discuss writing style for different types of reviews i.e. reviewing for an online service such as Amazon versus reviewing for a newspaper or magazine. The only draw back that I see to this book is that Calvari and Edwards didn't really cover much about writing reviews for technical books.

The Calvary and Edwards also talk about writing overly positive reviews or overly negative reviews and how to write a negative review or positive review. There are several review examples based on the same story, long reviews, short reviews, positive and negative so that the reader gets a good idea how to structure their review. There is a section that talks about various writing pitfalls to avoid that make you look like a novice which was helpful to me.

In The slippery art of reviewing Clavari and Edwards also discuss various online sites that accept reviews like Amazon versus other online sites that you have to pay to post your reviews. There is a lot site included in this book with the urls.

Calvari and Edwards also cover setting up your own website for reviewing, best practices for getting it started, how to plan the for it, getting your web presence known and how to contact publishers for ARC's (Advance Reading Copy's).

Calvari and Edwards also cover the difference between writing pre release reviews for publishers versus post release reviews for the general public.... They discuss what publishers are looking for in a pre release review and how to address issues if you feel that you can't write the review the way they would like it to be written.

I highly recommend this book for the novice to intermediate reviewer, especially if your trying to get your name known and you want to turn your reviewing hobby into a profession. At the back of the book there is an abundance of contact information regarding contacts for various publishers, online and print media. Amazon reviewers will find this book especially interesting because there are several references to Amazon and the impact that reviews on Amazon have on a books sales.

The Slippery art of reviewing is well thought out and very easy to read,understand and very helpful. Five stars for the beginning reviewer, 4 stars for the intermediate reviewer. This is the books intended audience but there is good information even for the experienced reviewer. Read more ›

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you review...or want to, this is an excellent resource June 17, 2008

By Armchair Interviews

Format:Perfect Paperback

Newspapers continue to drop their book review columns and few magazines include them in their issues. What is a reviewer to do to get that much needed visibility? The answer might be in the proliferation of reputable online websites devoted to reviewing books. But where do the reviewers come from? And how can a lover of books break into the reviewing business?

There are numerous answers to these two questions, but an excellent place to start is by reading and studying The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing by Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards. Calvani and Edwards give detailed, practical tips and techniques to help the reader learn how to review books. It also covers information about the review organizations themselves.

As an experienced reviewer I learned that I do not know it all and will keep my copy of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing for reference. It is not a book I will loan outbecause it won't be returned.

If you want to break into book reviewing, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing is a must-have reference. Heed the author's advice and you can write reviews that will get you and the books you review noticed.

Armchair Interviews says: You won't get rich, but you'll have a lot of fun.

More About the Author

Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She's co-author of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, a ForeWord Best Book of the Year Award Winner and a 2011 Global eBooks Award Winner. She's had over 500 stories, articles, interviews and reviews published both online and in print, in publications such as The Writer, Writer's Journal, Acentos Review, Bloomsbury Review, Mosaic, and Multicultural Review, among many others.

A reviewer for more than a decade, she now offers numerous book reviewing workshops online. She also offers workshops on the art of picture book writing. She's represented by Mansion Street Literary and Savvy Literary. She lives in Belgium with her husband of 25 years, 2 wonderful kids, and her two beloved pets.

Visit her website at www.MayraCalvani.com. For her children's books, visit www.MayrasSecretBookcase.com.

Favorite writing quotes:

"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." ~Ray Bradbury

"Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand." ~George Orwell, "Why I Write," 1947