Reading as a pastime is not dying. No, I don’t believe that. The industry wouldn’t be flourishing if that was the case. I simply believe the way of reading is changing. 

Iona Caldwell – 29 April 2019

About Reviewing

How did you get started?

I have always been an avid reader with an incredibly fast reading speed. I love books and find I can’t keep enough on my kindle, bookshelf or audio readers to keep this overwhelming appetite to read quenched. I started doing it as more of a hobby when I began writing my first novella. I wanted to find a way to show authors their work is appreciated and help to bring them exposure, especially when so many of us book bloggers are becoming inundated with so many requests.

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 read it completely through. Taking notes during the process confuses me and causes me to lose what I’ve read. I don’t really take notes at all as I’m able to sift through information while I’m blogging. It may sound strange but the way my memory works, I can usually store what I need in my mind.

What are you looking for?

I am an author of the occult, horror, suspense, and supernatural thriller. Rarely will I read anything outside of these genres because I find it is very hard to find people to read and review them. As a storyteller focusing on the journey and depth of world and character, I look for these things in the books I read. In today’s author market, I find it sad at how many “cookie cutter” or “flat” characters I encounter. They all seem to be perfect or they’re not seen as real. This is very disheartening as it is a horrendous flaw that makes a character beautiful or more evil. When reading, I want to step out of the real world into the world of the novel. This is something I don’t see enough of. It seems like dialogue replaces details like smell, hear, scent, taste and touch. If I don’t feel immersed in the world, I usually don’t finish the novel.

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

I’m usually able to overlook some grammatical or technical areas in favor of a strong story. Imperfections are going to happen as we are all human. It bugs me when reviewers are so quick to pick the story apart based on technicality. Now, if it becomes a case of obvious neglect, I will bring it up in my review. Especially with so many ways to meet beta readers who are willing to help with plot holes, grammar, spelling, etc. Editors are expensive, I understand that but there is no excuse with so many other ways to make things right. Otherwise, I appreciate the story if it is strong enough.

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

This often depends on how interesting the story is. I’m usually able to get through any book I latch onto in less than a week. Two max. However, if the story seems to drag or the inciting incident takes a while to get to, I usually take longer. Despite that, I will always try to complete a book through to the end. Though it does happen, I don’t usually DNF a book.

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

My system is the basic five star including a cover rating as the cover is usually what attracts me to a book in the first place. I didn’t really do anything too convoluted.

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

First, remember reviewers are human. We all have innate attachments to certain tropes, themes, characters, details, etc. Try as we might, our reviews will include some personal bias. By no means should you allow what we say to change the story you want to tell unless it is to help you better yourself. Second, the story is yours. Only you understand the characters, the world, the story the most. We are only looking at the tip of the iceberg. Do not write to appease us. You simply can’t do it. We all have our tastes. Third, when querying us, read our review policies. So many authors don’t do this and send us review requests anyway. It is very hurtful as we do this because we love it. We aren’t under a contract binding us to review your work. Last, be understanding. Some of us are authors ourselves, have families, jobs, emergencies, etc. We can’t by any means devote time to every request we get. The industry is bustling and needing all the time we can give. If we turn you down, it’s not personal, we just won’t be able to do it for one reason or another.

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

I usually get them on the posts themselves or via twitter comments. I would like to get emails thanking me for it at times but it’s not really expected. Just as reviewers are inundated, so too, are authors. They can’t email everyone unless they’re on their street team.

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?

I’ve seen this a few times, including personal experience. The author gets irate and emails the blogger, complaining to us as to why we write what we did. I don’t agree with this behavior. What I do respect and am more than willing to do is to further speak with the author as to why I wrote what I did. I want to help them build themselves to be better which is why my reviews are usually based on things like story, plot and character. I don’t post things like “Didn’t like it” or “it was good.” These don’t help the author understand and are more hurtful than reviewers realize. I do agree the author needs to learn from the review and move on. In the end, it’s their story. Many authors in the industry don’t even read their reviews because they write what they want to tell and move onto the next project.

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?

Reading as a pastime is not dying. No, I don’t believe that. The industry wouldn’t be flourishing if that was the case. I simply believe the way of reading is changing. With a busy society with so many of us sitting on the struggle-bus just to survive, I see more of us (myself included at times) relying on audio versions of books. I personally love reading because it has always been a dear friend. Whenever I would hurt, a good book always healed the pain. It is a very personal experience for me. Books do what movies can’t. They paint a vibrant picture and allows our minds to build the worlds around us. Words are ever-lasting, something film simply isn’t. Stories have been told with words for centuries. Often times, you hear this as well, “The book was better.” Why do we think that is? It’s most likely because the movie is made without the author’s input or adapted with edits so different it strips the story. The most recent case of this is Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. The movie was beautiful but it felt hollow with little of the King feel to it.

About Writing

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

The biggest and most fatal things I’m seeing in the industry is what I’ve called “cookie cutter” plots and “perfect” characters. I stopped reading romance and fantasy of any kind because of these two things alone. There is only so much a reader can take before the same story keeps getting repeated over and over. While I understand there are only so many ways a story can be told, I believe today’s authors are falling into the “write to sell” trap. They write stories everyone is reading and writing with hopes of “best-seller” status and movie deals. As a reader, I plead with the authors to stop doing this. It is very disheartening and hurts you as a professional in the long run. Not every character has to be flawless, not every woman has to need a bad boy, alpha male to save. Ask yourself how you can change this and make your story truly stand out.

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?

I’m not usually one to abide by that rule but my publisher is an advocate for it. I think it also has to do with personal preference. As an author myself, I realize there are readers who might think the beginning of my novella is slow, but here is why that’s important, it is because of how I choose to write as an author. This being the case, I give the book a chance to its completion in most cases. I think judging the entire plot on the basis of the first five pages is simply ludicrous as far as bloggers are concerned. Agents are bombarded by constant queries, they must be selective but bloggers have a bit more leeway, especially if we aren’t professionally reviewing. Now, if the book’s characters have done nothing but chatter about the boy they like for five chapters and haven’t enacted the exciting incident, I might struggle to read through. It certainly needs to pick up after that, then it becomes a matter of throat-clearing and info dumps. For goodness sakes, I will ask authors not to make everything action-action-action. It strangles character development and story growth. There is a reason Stephen King builds his worlds like he does. H.P. Lovecraft did it too as did Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley. There is nothing wrong with build but build with strategy.

Is there anything you will not review?

For previously mentioned reasons, I will not review romance. Absolutely none. I’m so sick of the same plot over and over. My review policy is selective and it is because of the reasons I listed. All of the genres I will, might or will not review can be found within my policy.

About Publishing

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

I think it has some truth to it. As I’ve said, the supposed secret to getting an author’s work seen lies in reviews but here is where that becomes fatal – book bloggers can’t keep up with or struggle to meet demand. There are only so many of us and many of us blog for a hobby. Some of us have begun doing “TBR” Cleaning. With self and Indie publishing taking over the market, book bloggers are in demand now more than ever. Me personally, I make the author query me before I’ll even ask for the file. Many of them are turned down because I simply can’t reach them all though I do read every query and respond in as timely a manner as I can.

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

I think the attitude is a bit fluctuated. The reason is because there are many indie and self-published books that are being rushed out without any sort of beta reading or anything. I think this will ultimately harm the industry and the author’s reputation. Indie or self-published titles should be treated no less than a traditionally published title. I for one love to promote indie authors and applaud them for their bravery. I am not indie published but I have been told some stories. However, I would say that it is struggling because many don’t know what they’re doing. This being said, many treat this profession as nothing more than a hobby, which is not what publishing is meant to be. I have heard stories where when an indie is asked if they are indie, the reader responds with “So, just anyone can publish now, huh?” This is a bad, bad thing for the industry. What it does is hurt those who are truly trying to make a name for themselves, buried beneath those who shove titles out like bullets. Not saying that those who publish this way are bad authors, not at all, but there are some who do not see this as a business and it reflects on the industry as a whole.

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

I think business ethics is a great way to decipher who really loves their craft and who is doing it as another cash cow. I have heard many give sour grapes when someone says “Don’t write to make money.” This statement is true. This industry is not how it was when King, Rowling, or Meyer published. It is saturated, competitive and can be hurtful. You can often tell the difference when looking at cover care, description, character plot and if the author has made the effort to market themselves and not their book. As it grows, I believe the industry will weed out those who don’t need to be in it as any industry would. It requires work and those who aren’t willing to do it will ultimately fall by the wayside. It’s the same with any industry. Brands who did not survive were consumed by those who did. It’s the nature of the marketing beast. Ignore the ever-changing flow and in the end, those who stand will have conquered the waves.

End of Interview:

To read Iona’s reviews, visit her site, The Antlered Crown.