Writers
need quality reviews to help sell their books. Readers depend on honest reviews
when trying to decide whether or not they should invest in a book. During
recent years, more and more bloggers have joined the business of reviewing
books, traditionally or independently published. Maybe I shouldn’t call it a
business since the majority of them receive no compensation except for a free
copy of the book. “There is nothing so dangerous to an author as silence.” (Samuel Johnson)
Whether their reviews are professional critiques or personal opinions, they
play an important role in the literary world and we ought to be grateful for
their valuable time and insights.
Having
worked with several of them, I’m highly impressed by what they are capable of
accomplishing (it’ll take me at least two weeks to finish a book, assuming I
don’t abandon it halfway). If you are interested in knowing a little bit more
about them, here are some reviewer interviews you may enjoy.
Reviewer
Interview #1: Ms. Tina Chan. The Book Landers.
1. What made you decide to build a book-reviewing website? What are your favorite genres?
I decided to run a book review website since I love reading and already post several reviews on Goodreads, so starting a book blog seems only natural. Also, as an author myself, I know how valuable honest reviews can be. I read a huge variety of books, but my top five favorites are: YA dystopian, mysteries, sci-fi, YA fiction and steam punk.
2. How many requests do you receive weekly or monthly, on average? How often do you post your reviews? How do you arrange your reading and reviewing time?
On average I receive about 3 review requests; less on non-busy weeks and more on busy weeks (up to 10 a week!) I try to post a review every 3 days, though I admit I have been lagging lately with my posts. The order of the books I review usually follows a first come, first served basis; I might make an exception for hard copy books--they might get bumped up a few spaces and get reviewed faster. I read whenever I have free time--commuting, before bed, in the morning. I try to save 1 hour a day to read; I would happily read 6+ hours a day if I could!
3. Do you feel the pleasure of reading being hindered when the author has a deadline or keeps bugging you?
It is almost impossible to devoid me of my pleasure when I'm reading a good book. I know authors have deadlines as well so I do my best to meet them and as for authors bugging me about getting a review posted--well, that hasn't happened yet!
4. What criteria do you use in selecting the books you want to review? Do you also consider existing editorial or customer reviews?
I dislike giving bad reviews, so I aim to pick books I think I will enjoy reading. I may read some existing editorial/customer reviews, but they don't affect my decision whether I do or do not read a book that much unless the reviews are overwhelmingly positive or negative.
5. Do you only post good reviews (e.g., do nothing about a bad book or send the author a private note)? Have you ever received “hate emails” after you turned down a request or published a negative review?
I post honest reviews. I always try to look on the positive side of things; I believe 99% of the books have something good about them. If I don't like something about a book, I will state it but I won't bash a book/author. Bottom line for all my reviews: honesty. I haven't received hate mails yet *fingers crossed* :-)
6. How do you think about self-published books in general? Do you find typos and grammar issues often? Are they getting better?
I treat self-published books with the same respect I treat books published via the traditional route; whether an author chooses to publish through a publisher or self publish doesn't change the fact he/she spent their time and effort into penning the writing. I do find that self-published books have a bit more grammatical (usually spelling) errors, but it's enough to distract me from my reading. Also, I understand that getting a book professionally edited is very costly (could be well over $1000 for a full length novel) and you average person just doesn't have $1000 lying around (I know I don’t!)
6. Would you like to tell us briefly about your background and day job (if you have one)?
I currently only have a part time job at a restaurant, but during my free time I love volunteering at the library (planning programs, organizing book shelves, etc.) I also love to run and look forward to my third half marathon :-)
7. Do you have anything to say to authors/publishers who would like to send you review requests in the future?
Like I mentioned before, I have a very wide interest in all types of books. I encourage authors/publishers to send me their works to review and even promote. I love hosting author interviews and discovering new favorite authors.
I decided to run a book review website since I love reading and already post several reviews on Goodreads, so starting a book blog seems only natural. Also, as an author myself, I know how valuable honest reviews can be. I read a huge variety of books, but my top five favorites are: YA dystopian, mysteries, sci-fi, YA fiction and steam punk.
2. How many requests do you receive weekly or monthly, on average? How often do you post your reviews? How do you arrange your reading and reviewing time?
On average I receive about 3 review requests; less on non-busy weeks and more on busy weeks (up to 10 a week!) I try to post a review every 3 days, though I admit I have been lagging lately with my posts. The order of the books I review usually follows a first come, first served basis; I might make an exception for hard copy books--they might get bumped up a few spaces and get reviewed faster. I read whenever I have free time--commuting, before bed, in the morning. I try to save 1 hour a day to read; I would happily read 6+ hours a day if I could!
3. Do you feel the pleasure of reading being hindered when the author has a deadline or keeps bugging you?
It is almost impossible to devoid me of my pleasure when I'm reading a good book. I know authors have deadlines as well so I do my best to meet them and as for authors bugging me about getting a review posted--well, that hasn't happened yet!
4. What criteria do you use in selecting the books you want to review? Do you also consider existing editorial or customer reviews?
I dislike giving bad reviews, so I aim to pick books I think I will enjoy reading. I may read some existing editorial/customer reviews, but they don't affect my decision whether I do or do not read a book that much unless the reviews are overwhelmingly positive or negative.
5. Do you only post good reviews (e.g., do nothing about a bad book or send the author a private note)? Have you ever received “hate emails” after you turned down a request or published a negative review?
I post honest reviews. I always try to look on the positive side of things; I believe 99% of the books have something good about them. If I don't like something about a book, I will state it but I won't bash a book/author. Bottom line for all my reviews: honesty. I haven't received hate mails yet *fingers crossed* :-)
6. How do you think about self-published books in general? Do you find typos and grammar issues often? Are they getting better?
I treat self-published books with the same respect I treat books published via the traditional route; whether an author chooses to publish through a publisher or self publish doesn't change the fact he/she spent their time and effort into penning the writing. I do find that self-published books have a bit more grammatical (usually spelling) errors, but it's enough to distract me from my reading. Also, I understand that getting a book professionally edited is very costly (could be well over $1000 for a full length novel) and you average person just doesn't have $1000 lying around (I know I don’t!)
6. Would you like to tell us briefly about your background and day job (if you have one)?
I currently only have a part time job at a restaurant, but during my free time I love volunteering at the library (planning programs, organizing book shelves, etc.) I also love to run and look forward to my third half marathon :-)
7. Do you have anything to say to authors/publishers who would like to send you review requests in the future?
Like I mentioned before, I have a very wide interest in all types of books. I encourage authors/publishers to send me their works to review and even promote. I love hosting author interviews and discovering new favorite authors.
Thank you so much, Tina, for helping authors get their books discovered! We look forward to reading your future posts!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments highly appreciated! - Fiona