Since I’ve been posting to this blog for a few months now, I thought I should write down some notes about how I review books.
I Review Only a Portion of What I Read
So far this year I’ve read 30 books, and reviewed 13 of them. Part of that is because I had an unplanned house move that threw off my schedule, but part of it is that not everything I read is good review material.
When deciding whether or not to review a book, I ask myself a few questions.
Do I have anything interesting to say about this book? It’s not very fun to write or read a review about a “meh” book. Likewise, if a book is in the middle of a series, I might not feel like I can say too much about it without recapping and spoiling all the previous books.
Is the book particularly relevant? Even if I feel “meh” about a new release, I might go ahead and write a quick review anyway, just so my readers know that I read it. On the other hand, probably nobody cares about my opinion about some random pop-sci book from 10 years ago.
Do I feel comfortable sharing my opinion about the book? Sometimes the subject of the book might be too personal for me to feel comfortable writing about it publicly on the internet, right here under my own name.
I Don’t Have a Grading System
I may change my mind about this sometime down the road, but I don’t currently have any interest in developing a grading system. I feel like books, especially fiction, are just so subjective. What might be a 5-star or A+ read for me might be a 0 star, F, or Did Not Finish for you. I’m much less interesting in assigning a grade than I am in letting you know what did or did not work for me, and what elements you might encounter in a book.
You might expect that as a freelance editor, I’d consider grading books on their craft, but more and more I’m finding even that subjective. While I’ll certainly point out when I personally think a book is poorly written, or when it’s riddled with typos and continuity errors, this isn’t school and it’s not my job to grade an author or an editor on their work.
My Policy On Accepting Books for Review
While I won’t say “no” if I get offered an ARC of a book I had planned to read anyway, I’m not actively soliciting advanced copies and I will not accept solicitations for review at this time. Reading is my relaxing fun time before bed every night (and sometimes in the morning and on the weekends). It’s important to me to prioritize this fun activity and not risk turning it into a chore by taking on specific review commitments.
What Kind of Media I Review
Currently I intend to review novels, novellas, short story collections/anthologies, non-fiction books, and graphic novels. In time I may expand that to include other media, especially TV or movie adaptations of books I’ve read! But I feel most confident in my ability to review books and book-like materials, as those are my life-long obsession.
I Won’t Review Books that I Edit
Once my clients have published their books, I’ll make a post here to let you know that they’re available, either with a press release from the author/their publisher or some notes of my own. However, I feel like it would be weird for me to write an actual review when I had a hand in the creation of the book! Plus, of course, I have a stake in the author’s success, as I want them to sell lots of books and hire me to edit their next project! So I don’t feel like I’d be able to be truly objective.
I’m Still Figuring Things Out!
All of this is subject to change. I’m still working out the best format for my reviews and their images. I may eventually change my mind and develop a grading system or decide I want to actively solicit ARCs or open my submissions to indie authors looking for new audiences. I’ll revise this post when/if I change how I do things. In the meantime, thank you for reading and let me know if you have any feedback on how I’m currently reviewing books.