It’s time for another Insecure Writers Support Group Post! December 6 question: Book reviews are for the readers. When you leave a book review do you review for the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your reading experience, or do you critique the author?
I do leave book reviews when I really love a book. I don’t like to leave bad reviews so if I don’t finish a book, or if I think it’s got major flaws, I’ll just mark it as “DNF” on my Goodreads page but not give it a bad review.
My reviews are usually about the book itself – what I liked, what worked really well, what captured my attention and held it until the end. Sometimes, I will write about the author, but it’s things like “This author always delivers” or “I’ve loved everything they’ve written so far.” I would never attack an author in a book review. That’s just a low blow and a very immature thing to do.
Your review should be about the book itself and the writing, not the author’s personal life or personality traits. You should start with something positive, then mention anything you didn’t like and why it didn’t work, then end again with a positive statement. Make sure your remarks are just about the writing itself, or if you do mention the author, make sure you’re saying something along the lines of what I do, as in “I always enjoy this author’s stories” or “I think this author really has done a lot of research on this subject.”
In this way, you can help the author to grow as a writer, should they choose to accept your critique of their work, instead of trying to tear them down as a person. Especially as another writer, you must remember that we are not competing against one another in this market—we’re all in the same boat and helping someone do a little better next time will come back to you threefold in the future. Maybe you’ll make a new friend, or maybe that author will remember your kind advice and pay it back somehow.
If you’ve enjoyed someone’s writing, you should always leave a review, even if you just say “I loved this book and am looking forward to more.”
