Praise It? Trash It? Write It!

Whether or not you like a book, the Internet offers a chance to express your opinion to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of potential buyers.

As I noted in my previous post, Point of Sale reviews on sites like Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Goodreads (a subsidiary of Amazon where tons of readers gather to talk books) and others, are essential to book sales because they offer feedback from readers to potential customers.

Writing a review is easy. Here are six ideas to get you started:

 (1) Your post doesn't have to be as long as the book!  Short, snappy assessments are more likely to catch the eye. Aim for two to three paragraphs at most.
(2)  It's helpful to briefly summarize what the book is about ("Joe the Robber  follows the exploits of a thief who steals from the rich to give to the poor in modern day New York City") but long explanations aren't necessary. Your opinion is what counts.
(3)  What's the first thing you'd say to a friend who's interested in buying the book?  No matter if it's good, bad or indifferent, write it down. That's your lead. ("Joe the Robber" may be fiction but it offers a fascinating look into the way modern armed robbers work, how they pick their targets, how they feel afterward and how they spend all that dough.").
(4) Give some specific examples. Were the action scenes exciting? Did the characters' conversations make it seem like you were listening to real people talking? Did the book move along, or drag in certain parts? ("I liked how Joe managed to get out of some really hairy situations by using his head rather than hurting people" or "After the first five stickups, it was pretty obvious the author doesn't like coffee shops because that's all he sent Joe to rob.").
(5) Reviewing a novel is different than reviewing a textbook. If you're a trauma doc reading a thriller about hospitals and the main character takes a risk you'd never in a million years take to save a patient . . . remember, it's  fiction, not fact!  The author may have written the scene that way to hype the suspense or help describe a character. On the other hand, if you find significant problems with the basic research revealed in the book, that may be fair reason for complaint.
(6) Know your audience. Most folks who consider buying a spy novel starring a stuffed panda appreciate fantasy. Just because you happened to pick up The Panda That Assassinated Putin by mistake, and you really prefer the James Bond approach, is no reason to trash the book.


Bottom line, keep it classy. Authors do their best to create a fun and informative experience for their readers.  Good reviewers do the same thing.