HOW TO WRITE A BOOK REVIEW
Contents
Writing a book review is a crucial skill to have whether you’re a student, a new blogger, or simply want to become a more active Goodreads member! Here are stages of how to write a book review for school or elsewhere.
Why do you need to write a book review?
Writing book reviews is not only the quickest and easiest method to be published; it is also an excellent way to enhance your writing abilities, strengthen your analytical skills, learn about the journal publishing process, and meet editors.
Because some libraries won’t buy books unless they’ve been reviewed, and many people won’t buy books unless they’ve read a review, evaluating books can help you develop your career. Indeed, researchers in smaller domains will occasionally come together and assign books for review to ensure that every book released in their subject is evaluated someplace. Remember that book reviews do not “count” as much as academic essays on a curriculum vitae. If you do more than two book reviews a year, you may be devoting too much time to book reviews and not enough to other forms of writing.
How to write a book review steps by steps
Reading the book
If feasible, read the book more than once, as repeated readings tend to cause a reader (or reviewer) to see parts of the tale, location, and character(s) in a new or different light.
Take notes in a notepad or use a voice recorder to record your thoughts or impressions while reading the book. They don’t have to be polished or structured; the goal is to brainstorm whatever impressions you have of the book.
Try summarizing the important sections to better grasp how the book is constructed.
Create a plan
Book evaluations are typically between 600 and 2,000 words long. It is advisable to aim for 1,000 words since you can express a lot in that amount of time without becoming bogged down. There’s no use in turning a book review into a 20-page masterpiece when the time may be better spent on an academic essay that would look better on your resume.
Some people believe that a review should take a month to complete: two weeks reading the book, one week planning your review, and one week writing it.
Although many people do not structure their essays, you should strive to prepare your book review before writing it. This will keep you on track and prevent you from deviating from an academic essay.
Begin with a summary
This is most likely the greatest approach to begin any review because it provides background. However, avoid going into too much information. Keep it brief because an official summary may be discovered with a fast Google search!
Decline the most important information
I normally categorize this as character, world-building, themes, and storyline. However, this may differ depending on the book, genre, and your preferences!
Devote a paragraph to each of these crucial components, explaining how effectively the author handled
it, as well as what you liked and didn’t like about it.
Your Compliments and Criticism
This is the most significant portion of your review, and it should be the longest. Anyone can explain a narrative, but what makes this book special to you?
It’s not enough to say a book was “excellent” or “poor,” or that you enjoyed it or didn’t. Tell your readers why you think it’s a good read or why you thought it was disappointing. Sharing these data will assist your readers in determining whether or not they would like to read the book.
Rating system
Ratings help readers get an instant idea of how you feel about a book. If you review your blog, use a rating system that works for you and make sure your viewers understand how it works. Professional review platforms, such as NetGalley, provide readers with a pre-set ranking system.
NetGalley’s methodology assigns ratings based on the possibility of recommending the book to other readers. Consider how your unique rating system fits with their system. For example, if you give half stars on your blog (or in your head!) but the platform doesn’t support them, consider whether they should be rounded up or down.
Writing down
After you’ve finished the book, aim to write the review in no more than one or two weeks. Allowing a long period between reading and writing about a book is unfair to both you and the author. The objective of writing anything brief, such as a book review, is to get it done fast. Sending a publication to a journal is always nerve-racking; waiting for the review will not make it any less so.
