Directory Writing Workshops

  Writers Workshop: Becoming A Book Reviewer

Dancing Word Writers Workshop

with Linda Mae Baldwin

July 23, 2004

* Linda Mae Baldwin is the  Inspirational Review Coordinator for Road To Romance and Reviewer for Romantic Times Magazine, and Dancing Word Writers Network

Hosted by: Anne McDonald

Dancing Word Publisher/Editor

*This chat has been edited for clarity.

Anne McDonald: We'll open in prayer, then I'll go over protocol. Lord, thank You for guiding us through another week. Thank You for Your mercy and Your grace. Please be with us tonight, and keep everyone online. Guard our hearts and minds, and guide our conversation. In Jesus' name, Amen

Protocol: Please type ! for comments, ? for questions...and ga for " go ahead" when you are finished.. Please wait to be called on in turn.

Tonight, our guest is Linda Mae Baldwin, reviewer, organizer and all-around-great gal. She'll be answering questions regarding becoming a book reviewer.

I'll jump in with any information I have regarding reviewing for Dancing Word and dealing with strange situations. I see several other book reviewers here tonight, so I may call on you from time to time. Linda, welcome.

* AZAnnie hands Linda the microphone

Linda Mae Baldwin Hey there! Let's see, there were many questions about reviewing coming at me when I asked for reviewers for www.roadtoromance.ca and I thought it would be cool if we could chat it up some. I think you all know I review for two websites and Romantic Times Magazine, and I do the occasional Amazon etc. What do you want to know?

AngieP: Is there a standard review format ? (i.e. a 5 paragraph theme-kind of format)

Linda Mae Baldwin It depends on who you review for, so I'd say no. What is pretty standard is the info that goes into a review. You want to cover more than blurb on the back, but not so much you give it away, and you want to tell the reader why the book is good and why it may not be. For Romantic Times I am limited to 100 and something words (although if it's good Lauren, the editor will use it if it's longer)

For RTR I just write till I'm done saying what I have to say. On RTR we do submit by a form online, but that's just so we get the information about the book correct

Anne McDonald: I know for Dancing Word, I have a basic review format, but no word limit. Again, like Linda said, cover the basic storyline without giving anything away, and make sure you add what you thought about the book personally.

Linda Mae Baldwin On RTR we do submit by a form online, but that's just so we get the information about the book correct

Janet Edgar: What do you like to read on the first page or two? What makes you want to keep reading when you are working on a review?

Linda Mae Baldwin First, I am a big character person. I want to meet the main character and see her/him in some mess of trouble. And then I keep reading to see how this author will pull her out.

amwilson: What's the best way to break into the business?

Linda Mae Baldwin Write reviews and submit them anywhere you can. I wrote for Romantic Times because I knew the inspirational reviewer was quitting and the new one needed help. I volunteered and then the editor liked my stuff so she sends me other stuff now. For RTR I was surfing sites and notice no inspirationals were represented on this site. So I wrote the owner and asked her why. Seems no one mentioned it to her before. You just have to look for opportunities and write.

Anne McDonald: Laura, you want to put in your two cents?

monstermama: Sure. When Word on Romance closed I went to Google and typed in reviews. It brought up all the sites that needed reviewers. I wrote several of them and they asked for a sample of my work. So now I review for about six sites or so. Sometimes I get duplicate books but that's okay, I have to rewrite a review a little so its worded differently and send it the different sites.

Anne McDonald: Thanks, Laura. What about you, Vickie?

Vickie: I appreciate Annie giving my start as a reviewer nearly three years ago. Writing reviews has helped me a lot with my fiction writing. It's made writing a synopsis easier since I've learned how to summarize, and plus reading so many books lets you see how other writers plot their stories

Anne McDonald: Thanks, Vickie.

jgirl: I've had comments on my reviews that I didn't explain enough about what I thought of the book personally. Help! How do I correct this, please? How much personal opinion is acceptable to include, beyond " just the facts" ? And what's the best way to include it?

Linda Mae Baldwin A formula I use is to write a blurb about the story try to include what's the author's view point and story what are the main points? Without spoilers that is. When you get to the opinion part, I try to (and this is just a personal thing) along with the stuff I find wanting, put all the good stuff I can in...great characters, good plot, the setting is real. Most of use the rule that if it doesn't happen in the first three chapters or thirty pages, it doesn't go in the review. Otherwise plot points and suprises are given away...

Anne McDonald: jgirl, If you learn things hands on, the way I do, it might help to go to some of the websites and look at the reviews. Dancingword.net has several hundred reviews so far. Take a look at the different styles and then try to find your own.

Linda Mae Baldwin If you want to get a critique or one on one help with reviews I'll be glad to help. Write me at www.linda.baldwin@comcast.net

JessicaAmeliaMarie: I've talked to some different book reviewers and some of them do it as a job and get paid, while others said that you only do it for free. Is this something that varies or do you have to be hired as a part of the company before you can write book reviews that earn at least a little bit?

Linda Mae Baldwin I know people do it and get paid. I am not one of them.

Anne McDonald: For Dancing Word, we don't pay the reviewers, but we give writers a chance to get their feet wet.

Vickie: if you don't get paid for your reviews, you are still earning writing credits that can go on your bio, plus you get to read get new release books for free.

key: I've had several contacts come through free reviews

amwilson: Since CBA keeps books on the shelves so much longer than ABA there seems to be more opportunity for readership even years after the book's been published. What about older books? Is there a market for reviewing them?

Linda Mae Baldwin I review books as long as people can still buy the book. I just received a big box from Zondervon with some really interesing series in it...Steven Lawhead and Anthony Gastky. These books are older but still available so they'll get reviewed

Anne McDonald: There is on Dancing Word, am. Readers aren't necessarily wanting the newer books, so if a book is still in print (or available somehow) I'll publish the review

Lynette: mentioned an online form some review sites use. Does dancing word have one and/or Road to romance site?

Linda Mae Baldwin www.roadtoromance.ca does have a submission form. It's new. If you write me I can give you the address. Unless Laura has it at her fingertips....I am in a hotel on my husbands laptop..

Lynette: Okay, thanks.

monstermama: www.roadtoromance.com/submission

Anne McDonald: Dancing Word doesn't have an online form. I request that reviewers send the reviews as a word attachment. That way it's easier for me to publish it.

Linda Mae Baldwin Laura reviews for us on Road to Romance...she's a wonder girl....Vickie is the one who mentioned to me about reviews and because of that I have lots of stuff on my resume now. Eileen is just starting to review for us on RTR and I am excited about that too.

Linda Mae Baldwin I want to share something sort of odd that happened

jgirl: How long does it take you to mentally compose your thoughts of the book and then write the review? (I don't mean how long it takes to read the book, since book lengths vary.) Also, do you take notes while you read, and if so, what kind?

Linda Mae Baldwin It depends on the book. The Diann Mills book I read last night (to be released soon) I finished in one night, and am formulating the review in my head. I also do non-fiction.

I have a book that I got from a pr firm about G. W. BUSH, and it is very difficult for me to write the review because I am so passionate about the subject. Reviews are supposed to be objective, but when the book really grips me it's difficult to not write a subjective review.

I do take notes when I read, mostly to keep the characters correct, etc. I also finish a review before I start the next book so I don't get things confused. When you read as much as I do it would be easy to mess up and that is the last thing you want, authors and editors depend on good solid reviews

key: oh me too

monstermama: I read loads. I have a baby who likes to cuddle and I read while I do that. I usually let a book sit for a day while I think about it then I write the review. And I don't take notes....but I do have to look back occasionally

Anne McDonald: For me, I let the book gel in my head for a day or so, then sit down at the computer with the book nearby. Reviews can take anywhere from five minutes to five hours to compose. (Actually, part of the review can be subjective, heh, heh)

monstermama: Sometimes I read two or three then write a review

Vickie: a good idea to write down the names of main characters and locations as you're reading. I've had to go back many times and waste time searching for these things. It takes me about 20 minutes to compose a review.

Linda Mae Baldwin maybe not always a rave review but a solid, honest one.

Janet Edgar: Do the authors send you their books to review? How does that work? Thanks.

Anne McDonald:Publishers and authors contact our reviewers from our website. Most however, every once in a while you'll get an author who will want you to read their book online. Publishers/authors send out advanced review copies or galleys. Rarely an author will want their review copy back. If they provide the appropriate self-addressed stamped envelope it usually isn’t a problem.

Linda Mae Baldwin: On RTR we have had authors sending various reviewers books, but we were getting two or three reviews per book. So now it's if the inspirational reviewers get books on their own, they let me know and I check to make sure someone isn't already covering it for our site,

Linda Mae Baldwin