First, edit, edit, edit then edit some more. 

Lauren1 – 9 May 2018

About Reviewing

How did you get started?

I have always enjoyed reading and writing. My New Year’s resolution this year was to document the books I read by writing and posting reviews on my website. Several relatives have begun reviewing with me.

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 notes as I read.

What are you looking for?

It may sound strange, but I don’t actually “look” for anything. I go with the flow of the story and when I happen upon something irregular, I make a notation.

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

I always take one star away if grammar errors are more than 10. I believe a story is marred by grammar issues.

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

That’s a tricky question because if the book is in my genre wheelhouse I won’t be able to put it down. I’ve whipped through that many pages in a day and a half. It’s not a pretty sight.

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

If the story makes me forget everything or grows me as a person; five stars. If it’s slathered in foul language, I deduct a star. If it’s classified as romance, but reads like pornography, I deduct a star. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.  

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

First, edit, edit, edit then edit some more. Secondly, buy a case of your books and keep them in your car. When the subject of your book comes up, let people know you are seeking reviews in exchange for a free book if they are interested. Before you give them a book, get their email address so you can follow up with them about writing a review; people forget.

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?

Oh my goodness, yes. When an author puffs up and complains on social media about a bad review they got- it reeks of amateur and immature.

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 pastime is dying – do you think that’s the case?

Yes, I believe reading is fading in importance. We have become a restless video-driven society. Having said that, audio book sales are climbing, so that’s good.

About Writing

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

Lack of editing on several fronts. It’s important to read your own book several times through before publishing so you can catch plot inconsistencies and grammar issues.

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?

Agents may have done that in the past, but times they are a changing. Indie book sales are cramping traditional publishers. It behooves them to have a bit of patience as they search for their new star writer. I will email the author back and let them know the reason I could not finish their book. Usually it’s due to overwhelmingly bad grammar.

Is there anything you will not review?

Erotica. There are brave authors who submit it to me anyway…

About Publishing

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

In my opinion, that is the natural course of opportunism. People write to self-publish or send the manuscript in to a publishing house. If the house rejects it, it’s still going to end up self-published. No writer wants to shelf their creation so they seize the opportunity to get their work out there. It is what it is

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

Possibly. When big guys like Barnes and Noble and Amazon crack down on genre deceit and bogus reviews, it helps.

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

Honesty

End of Interview:

Read Lauren1’s reviews at Fiction Ebook Review.