How To Write a Simple Book Review

By Allyson R. Abbott

Have you ever wondered how to write a review for a book, but not sure where to begin?

Or perhaps how long it needs to be? Or has it ever occurred to you that negative reviews may be helpful to authors?

#1 International Bestselling Author. Pinnacle Award Winning Author
Finalist in OKRWA 'Contemporary Short' Book Awards
Readers' Favorite 5 star seal winner for six books

Many readers finish a book and want to share their experience with other readers. A lot of readers miss out on that opportunity because they don't realize how simple that is and it only takes a few minutes.

This Award Winning book explains how simple a book review is to write and how many words are needed.

Authors are very approachable, especially indie authors who are crying out for contact or feedback from their readers. And that is what a review is, feedback for many months or years of hard work.

If they have got the story wrong, or a character is not quite believable, they really want to know. It help's to develop their writing skills and maybe next time they will get it right. Authors are people too and finding out what the outside world thinks about their work helps connect with their readers. Honestly, authors would like to know, whether it's good or bad. It is so easy to tell them without being rude or nasty, or without the pages and pages of text like a school book review.
 

Interested in finding out more about different types of reviews, or tips for reviewing a book?
With this book you can.

Sharing your opinion with people who want to hear it is fun. Your reviews help fellow readers find out if a book is worth their time and money. Authors appreciate the recognition of a review, no matter how long, and the insight of a review can show them where they need to improve.'Writing a Simple Book Review, holds these answers and more. You will gain the confidence you need to start writing a book review today. You will not be disappointed. It is great for beginners and also helps review writers to gain a new prospective. "A fab five star read. It really is easier than you think to write a simple but interesting book review, this book gives you a good plan of action, good tips and guidelines and general things that you may not have even thought about previously." Sara

"It seems strange to write a review about a how to book on writing reviews, but I found it extremely informative both from the practical side, and the benefit to authors." Kitty

"It was not a very long book, but I found it better than several on the same theme that I had looked at before buying this particular one. This is very helpful book, both for learning the basics of a review and as a handy reference." Robin

"I found it most useful for me personally especially in the beginning when it clarified that there is not only one way to make a good review." Bianca

"Great read. To the point easy to follow. Several resources to leverage." Leva
5 things not shared in the author bio

• She spent 6 weeks during Covid19 Lockdown doing a 2000 piece jigsaw; mostly green in colour. There was one piece missing!
• Baking is a favorite hobby and spends hours in the kitchen concocting cakes, biscuits and other delicious things for her vegan husband.
• She has taken up knitting and has managed to make a few items for her grandchildren, 
• The lemon tree in the garden features in one of her books, as does the town where she lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allyson R. Abbott
• Release date: Jun 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393304937

Allyson R. Abbott

I 'm very lucky to have the indulgence of time and space to enable me to write. I took a sabbatical from work to accompany my partner on his bucket list travels and adventures, and never went back. I really thought I would struggle with all the free time, so decided to write to keep myself occupied. Now writing has consumed my time and I am never sure where we will be or when, hence my novels could be classed 'international' as they may have been written across a few countries. We are still travelling, although we do pop back to the UK for a few months every now and again. I love the fact that no matter what our age we can use new technology to connect to the rest of the world and enhance our lives. Back in the UK I have my friends and family and with emails, phones, Skype or face-time, we are never out of touch for long. Even my mother at eighty-six uses face-time to catch up with me. I have the world at my fingertips and only twenty-four hours away from anywhere. Being a 'mature aging gracefully' woman, I feel akin to the problems of aging and relationships. I spent many years on my own before finding my truly remarkable and very patient partner who I happily gave up my whole world for. My stories are about mature relationships with mature people. People who have character and humour, who have a history; people just like us. I like to call it Hen Lit, Not Chick Lit, but it is not just about falling in love. They are about real relationships. I hope you enjoy my stories. Please check my web page or social media pages if you would like to contact me. I love emails and try to answer every one as soon as possible.

Book preview

How to Write a Simple Book Review

It’s easier than you think!

––––––––

Allyson R. Abbott

Copyright © 2016 - 2020 Allyson R. Abbott

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored or transmitted electronically, mechanically or recorded without express permission from the author

Contents

Introduction

Section 1: What is a Book Review?

Section 2: Why Review a Book?

Section 3: Types of Review

Section 4: Tips on How to Write a Review

Section 5: Then What?

Section 6: Book Bloggers and Reviewers

Section 7: Bibliography

Section 8: References

Other books by Allyson

Review Request

Contact Allyson

Introduction

'From my close observation of writers... they fall into two groups: 1) those who bleed copiously and visibly at any bad review, and 2) those who bleed copiously and secretly at any bad review.' Isaac Asimov.

***********

I love books and I love reading. Many years ago, in the land of paper, I would finish a novel in triumph, and if I thought it worthy, would happily pass it on to a friend or family member; always keen to share the enjoyment of a good book and to hear their thoughts. As readers, we were not personally encouraged to write a review; that being left to the editorial sections of newspapers, publishing houses and famous people. That was until Amazon, the online retailer, came along. Amazon allow and encourage their many users to add reviews to all products; including books, because they realised early on it would encourage more sales.

Eventually, book reviews came to take on a whole new meaning. Authors are now able to see first-hand how the general-public reader reacts to their book, not just the selected elite. This was a huge leap forward. Then Amazon introduced the Kindle, the first electronic device specifically for books and reading, which also allowed anybody to publish their work, whether it was a magazine, book or paper.

With the option of easy self-publishing, thousands of ordinary people (like myself) are now able to write and publish a book and become an 'Independent Author' (indie author), presenting their book to the world. In doing so they have bypassed the very selective and literary controlling publishers, who no longer have full control over what you, the reader, can get your hands on. Readers now have direct access to thousands of authors and the author has access to their most important asset; their readers. No more gatekeepers.

The world of books was suddenly revolutionized. Even though it felt like cheating, or succumbing to the devil, I, like most other avid readers, moved to ebooks for the convenience and found the wider variety and availability of books it offered— all at our fingertips. I still enjoy reading a hard or paperback book, but with the new technology that allows me to read from my phone, iPad or Kindle, I’m now never without the opportunity to grab a few minutes of reading.

The joy of this online system, opening up the reviewing process to the public, also means that, after reading a paperback, leaving a review is now as simple as it is for ebooks. However, before starting on the subject of book reviews, I would like to explain a bit about indie authors and publishing to help you understand a little more and maybe appreciate their plight.

Basically, an indie author is someone who writes a book and has no financial backing from a publishing house to do so. They have no contract or promised income. They need to pay for their own editing, proofreading, research, formatting, covers and publishing. An indie author/publisher can then proceed to publish their books through platforms such as KDP (Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing), Smashwords or D2D (Draft 2 Digital) which are all free to use; the latter two distribute to wider selling organisations like Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and many more. All these platforms might also handle paperback ‘print on demand’ services as well; meaning they only print a book if someone buys it. There are also other publishers who charge for the services of publishing, if the author finds the free process too daunting; but the author is still classed as independent from the big publishing houses. You can also find vanity publishers, where authors can pay hundreds of pounds for publication and distribution of their books.

These options were not possible years ago, but now anyone can write a book and publish within a week if needed. It can be the best book you have ever read, but it could also be a stinker; possibly with no structure or plot, and poor grammar and spelling.

This is where you the reader comes in. This is where your feedback or review becomes a valuable commodity. How would you know not to waste your money and time, and buy and read that stinking book if there was no information or warning from other readers? The book blurb will always try to persuade you it’s the best book ever written; that’s what it’s there for; marketing. Maybe the author

Reviews for How To Write a Simple Book Review

[Tiffany · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read a lot but have never written a book review because I was unsure how to go about it. However, this book gave me the confidence to write my first review, this one.

I was thinking back to high school where you basic wrote a review, so the teacher could make sure you read the material. In college, you had to include quotes and list your sources in your writing. Apparently book reviews do not have to be formal. You can write a book review like you are having a conversation with a friend. That information was in the book and super helpful.

This book does a great job of explaining the authors point of view and why book reviews are so helpful. Also, I appreciate the different styles of book reviews explained.

I would recommend this book to other people who do not have the confidence to write a book review. This book will build up your confident and provide you a guide to writing reviews.