I make notes on absolutely everything from initial impressions to any obvious flaws with either plot or character that I spot.

Ingrid Hall – 24 September 2013

About Reviewing

How did you get started?

I got started reviewing earlier this year by chance, really! I have always loved reading as well as writing and I am painfully aware how difficult it is for lone indie voices to get heard.  I spoke to my friend Lenora and asked if she would be willing to help out with reviews if I put a call out on my blog for books to review and it kind of went from there!

How do you review a book? Is it a read first, and then make notes, or do you make notes as you go along?

I make ardent notes as I go along on my IPhone.  Lenora does it slightly differently to me I know she finds the concept of using the phone to make notes strange! I make notes on absolutely everything from initial impressions to any obvious flaws with either plot or character that I spot. I always make sure that I complete the book and if I can’t find enough positives to say about it then I will send a polite email to the author as I believe in being completely honest and don’t think a review helps anyone unless it is constructive.

What are you looking for?

I personally am looking for books which stretch my mind and grab me from the word go and keep me hooked all the way through.  I am extremely busy with my own writing and other commitments and I don’t have Lenora’s bull dog tenacity to just carry on regardless.  We will both read just about any genre going however there are certain books that come in where I know that they will be better suited to either one of us, so I always try to match the book to the reviewer to maximize the chances of a positive and constructive review.  Therefore the waiting times for reviews can vary dramatically depending upon how snowed under either one of us is!

If a book has a great plot, great characters, but the grammar is less than perfect, how do you deal with that?

I point out in the review that that there are grammatical issues.  There is no point shying away from it and it is a learning curve that most indie authors go through. (I have been there myself, so I know how it feels!)  If the book is great apart from grammar then the review overall will be positive and I would like to think that indie authors are big enough to take constructive criticism.

How long does it take you to get through, say, an eighty thousand-word book?

The answer to that is that it depends! If a book grips me from the very start and I can’t put it down then I will read it in a day or two.  If I am not so gripped then it may take me up to a week.   My other commitments also impact significantly upon how long it takes to read a book.

How did you come up with your rating system, and could you explain more about the rating system?

We don’t use a rating system of our own as I don’t think they are particularly beneficial.  Clearly when posting to GoodReads etc we follow theirs and that simply depends upon how much we loved the book and how many flaws we identified.

What advice could you give to authors looking to get their books reviewed?

Be prepared for an honest assessment of your book.  Remember that every reader is entitled to their own opinion (even when you don’t happen to agree!) Be gracious when you receive comments that you don’t particularly like and learn from them.  Try and see it from the reader’s point of view.

Do you get readers emailing you and thanking you for a review?

Yes.

My advice to authors on getting a “bad” review (hasten to add that might mean a perfectly honest, well written, fair review – just bad from the author’s point of view) is to take what you can from it and move on. Under no circumstances to “argue” with the reviewer – would you agree with that?

Completely, because to argue just makes you look like a prick!

About Reading

We talk a lot about writing here on the blog, and possibly not enough about reading, which is after all why we’re all here. Why do you think people love reading. We’re seeing lots of statistics that say reading as a past-time is dying – do you think that’s the case?

People love reading because it is a form of escapism:  An opportunity to escape from the drudgery and boredom of their daily lives. I don’t think that reading is particularly dying as such, rather that people are finding different ways to get their fix.

About Writing

What are the most common mistakes that you see authors making?

Publishing their books before their manuscripts have been fully polished and also attempting to crack out one after another way too quickly without letting them mature.

Grammatical errors are a common problem as are problems with presentation.  There are so many indie books out there that have not been fully aligned/justified and whilst it doesn’t particularly bother me, I know for a fact that it bugs the hell out of other readers.

We’re told that the first page, paragraph, chapter, is absolutely key in making or breaking a book. Agents typically request only the first five pages of a novel, what do you think about that; if a book hasn’t grabbed you by the first five pages, do you put it down?

No, I would like to think that I am not as fickle as that! I try to give each book a proper chance however I’d certainly say that if I am still bored witless half way through then we are into seriously dangerous territory!

Is there anything you will not review?

We pride ourselves on the fact that we will consider books of all genres for review and that we will review books that other reviewers wouldn’t touch with the proverbial barge pole.  That said, we will not review anything that we deem to be homophobic, racist or intolerant as we don’t want to give oxygen to that type of material.

About Publishing

What do you think of the oft quoted comment that the “slush-pile has moved online”?

I think that is a load of hogwash! There are so many great indie books out there: Books that really deserve a conventional publishing deal but for whatever reason simply haven’t secured one.

Do you think attitudes are changing with respect to Indie or self-published titles?

Yes slowly, although I wish indie authors would move away from constantly feeling that they have to be running a free promotion, because as my grandma used to say “If you don’t value yourself then how can you expect anyone else to?”  Books are meant to be SOLD not given away!

Do you have any ideas or comments on how the industry can “filter” good from bad, aside from reviews?

Yes, cut back on the free promotions! If the market place wasn’t swamped with freebies and people actually had to pay good money for their books then you would quickly see which ones were good and which were frankly, crap!

End of Interview:

To read Ingrid’s reviews, visit her website, Author Ingrid Hall.