tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797188666559531190.post7610337068146850939..comments2024-03-08T15:14:31.312-05:00Comments on Landless: How to write a proper book reviewTony Nolandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090583562737225942noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797188666559531190.post-60767937711356593312013-02-05T15:22:41.874-05:002013-02-05T15:22:41.874-05:00I will keep this in mind when writing my next revi...I will keep this in mind when writing my next review- thanks!Bevimushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14924337684790883853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797188666559531190.post-90373727591408275732013-02-04T18:37:56.249-05:002013-02-04T18:37:56.249-05:00Good point about the cash. I've gotten good re...Good point about the cash. I've gotten good reviews and royalty checks; each brings a distinct kind of joy. I can think of a dozen things that would also bring joy, ranging from pleasures of the mind to pleasures of the flesh.<br /><br />You could always write up your piece and let me serve it up here as a guest blog post. I'm always up for a cogent and thoughtful counterpoint.Tony Nolandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090583562737225942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797188666559531190.post-37083501930245547242013-02-04T16:30:59.643-05:002013-02-04T16:30:59.643-05:00Dammit, Tony! I had planned to blog about giving b...Dammit, Tony! I had planned to blog about giving book reviews soon. <br /><br />I suppose I still will, since I come at it from a different angle and with a different audience in mind. But now I'll feel weird about posting it after you.<br /><br />Secondly, a minor point of contention. You wrote, "Nothing makes authors happier than having their books reviewed thoughtfully by attentive readers." One might argue that a large royalty check would make them even happier. Though, since I have no experience with either, perhaps I am incorrect.Andy Hollandbeckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11005908016945472261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797188666559531190.post-86579401279008488992013-02-04T13:10:37.150-05:002013-02-04T13:10:37.150-05:00Good approach - that's the kind of thing that ...Good approach - that's the kind of thing that helps put the book in context for potential readers.Tony Nolandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090583562737225942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797188666559531190.post-52029714660330646612013-02-04T13:07:48.398-05:002013-02-04T13:07:48.398-05:00This is good. I'm a top reviewer for Amazon (c...This is good. I'm a top reviewer for Amazon (currently ranked around 600), though I'm probably going to start cutting back on book reviews because of some changes from Amazon. Anyway, one thing I've tried to do with book reviews is to say who the market for a book is for. Something akin to, "If you liked [such n such book] or [specific genre] then you should love this." James C Ducketthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02146631393982590968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797188666559531190.post-19395628474453781062013-02-04T10:11:32.493-05:002013-02-04T10:11:32.493-05:00Financial relationships should certainly be disclo...Financial relationships should certainly be disclosed. As for "the author is a friend of mine, so 5 stars", a review that goes into the book as described above should eliminate that as a factor. Reviewers that are predisposed to be generous would still have to say what exactly they liked about that book, as would reviewers predisposed to negativity.Tony Nolandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090583562737225942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797188666559531190.post-69035665047392024282013-02-03T18:27:40.868-05:002013-02-03T18:27:40.868-05:00A review should also disclose any affiliation with...A review should also disclose any affiliation with the author. All too often, start-off reviews and high ratings are provided by the writer's friends and are based more on friendship than the actual quality of the work. This becomes a reciprocal practice which tends to compromise the integrity of the review process. Do you agree?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com