How to Write a Book Review
Do you love to read? Maybe you’d love to write book reviews? You might be surprised to learn that both readers and writers could be interested in what you have to say about books.
Other readers want to know what other readers think about a book before they invest their time and money into it. Book writers want to get sincere and good reviews for their books. Sometimes an author will give you their book for free for a review and sometimes people are even willing to pay you to give an honest, sincere, and fair review.
Tell your readers what the book is about.
It can be hard to figure out where to start with a good book review. So an easy place to start is at the beginning. Tell readers what the book is about. Don’t give away too much information, but try to give them a vague but important overview of what they are headed into.
Include something that creates curiosity for the reader.
In writing, they normally call this a hook. You might think, “why do I need to have a hook in my review?” If you want to be someone that others look to for good reviews and maybe getting free books or paid for it then you are going to want to get good at drawing readers into your reviews.
If you master the ability to create a longing in the reader to try the book you can become an asset to writers for a good book review.
Include some quotes.
Don’t overdo it with quotes, but one or two really good ones can go a long way.
Mention books that are similar.
You might say something like, “If you loved Harry Potter, you are in for a real treat.” When you drop the name of something you genuinely see as similar you let the reader know right away they can look forward to a book or they can cast it aside as something they wouldn’t really enjoy.
You might think you wouldn’t want to send anyone away, but that’s not necessarily true.
By sending away people that won’t like it, you actually help the author avoid bad reviews and comments about their book and you actually draw in good and 5-star reviews for the writer. This is more valuable in the long run than just a few more people reading the book.
Don’t lie with big claims.
To be honest, if you say something like, “This is the next Harry Potter!” You are probably going to get eye rolls and not a few, “YEAAH Right…”
Try to avoid big claims that will cause some people to walk away because the claim is just too big and also will cause some to have too high expectations and be let down.
Tell people what you liked about the book.
Sometimes it is easier to list off the reasons you liked the book and leave it at that. Many times people will look forward to a book for the same reasons you did.
Don’t be afraid to say what you didn’t love about it.
You don’t have to slam the book, but if you say a couple of things you didn’t like about it, potential readers will really appreciate your honesty and candor. They might even decide to read it based on what you didn’t like about it.
Recommend the book to people you think would enjoy it.
Go ahead and think of people that would like the book and why. You might say things like:
- If you are a dog lover this book might be your type.
- I’m not a swimming enthusiast but you might be.
- If you love thrillers, this book is for you.
- Do you love classic monsters? You’ll love this book.
Give it a rating if you can.
If you give the review on Amazon it already comes with this built-in, but if not, feel free to give it a number out of 5 or 10.
Keep it brief.
You’re writing a book review…NOT a book and not a book about a book. It’s just a review. Make every sentence count for something. Don’t be long-winded with a book review. Say what needs to be said and tie it up pretty.
Use simple words and simple language.
It should be easy for a 6th grader to read your review and understand it. It may be tempting to throw in some big words and try to galvanize (impress) people with your wordsmithery. Don’t give into this temptation.
Break it down into 3 simple steps.
To make it REALLY simple focus on this template:
- Summarize the book briefly without giving too much away.
- Tell people what you liked and didn’t like about it.
- Recommend it to certain people and rate it.
Don’t be mean.
There is no reason to be mean or nasty about the book. Even if you hated it, it won’t benefit you to burn any bridges. Try to find one or two points you liked about it and focus on that or politely ask that you can be exempt from giving the review.
Don’t forget to check for typos.
When it’s all said and done, don’t forget to check your review for typos! Make sure your points are clear and concise.
Should you follow a certain format for a book review?
You don’t have to but if you want a simple one to follow you can structure it like this:
“Classic book review structure is as follows:
- Title including a complete bibliographic citation for the work (i.e., title in full, author, place, publisher, date of publication, edition statement, pages, special features [maps, color plates, etc.], price, and ISBN.
- One paragraph identifying the thesis, and whether the author achieves the stated purpose of the book.
- One or two paragraphs summarizing the book.
- One paragraph on the book’s strengths.
- One paragraph on the book’s weaknesses.
- One paragraph on your assessment of the book’s strengths and weaknesses.”
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That’s all for now.
Hope this helps!
Happy writing!
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