selective focus photography of woman reading book while sitting at bench

5 Tips: How to Review a Book

 

A Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners.

Being an avid reader, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if you say you need to have the gist of all the read stories stored somewhere.

But how to review a book?

Writing a book review is no science. It is a simple procedure that can be very self-rewarding and fun to do. Writing a book review can help you start a book blog and get you in touch with high-end publications for beta reading. This article will focus on answering questions on how to review a book and how to start a book blog.

How to Review a Book

If you are into reading, then you must be interested in writing about it as well. Who doesn’t like to share their wisdom with the world? And what better way is there than to start a book blog. Before we jump into details of how to review a book, here is an article that will interest you.

5 Tips On How To Review Books

These step-by-step tips will set you to review books in no time. However, always remember there is no one way of doing it. You can always be creative and play around with the content. Be sure to check this blog for book reviews I’ve redid using this application.

Step 1 on How To Review a Book: Create a Hook

A hook, as the name suggests, is all about getting attention. Now, for a book review, you need to make sure that the first two to three sentences of your review provide the essence of the review that is yet to come. Everyone has a separate reading habit. However, as a rule of thumb, a reader gauges the article’s true worth by reading a few lines.

Step 2 on How to Review a Book: Basic Plot

Now that you have a hook, your book review will include a basic plot. This plot helps a reader to get a gist of the book. This can be a book blurb itself or something that you can add on your own. Your plot will introduce the main characters, the basic theme and the overall feel of the book. The focus would be to ensure that the reader knows what the book is about while leaving the key essence or the climax out so that they are intrigued to read more.

Step 3 on How to Review a Book: Critique

Once you have the book plot in place, you give a critique. Talk about the things you liked and what were the key points that you liked. It could be a certain scene, a certain character, a setting, anything that stood out for you. After you discuss the positives, provide a critique. Look at the negatives, what aspects of the book were a downer for you. What aspects could be improved? These could be the climax or a certain character, a scene or even a certain setting.

Either way, it is important to know that there is a common misconception where people tend to focus on reviewing books they love. You can always review any book that you want, it could be one that you like or not like. However, the book review should be unbiased and critiqued using literary knowledge and scope.

Step 4 on How to Review a Book: A Round Up

This is the key point of your book review and needs to be enough to support the overall review. This is your word for the book, would you recommend it to your readers or not. Summarize the key points and elaborate on your thoughts.

Use quotes and scenes from the book to support your stance. Talk in detail on how the book deserves a space on someone?s reading list. Call out any book that you think didn’t live up to the hype or expectation. Be crystal clear of your stance Always remember, being honest with your work is important. If you want your book blog to grow, make sure to be unbiased and authentic.

Step 5 on How to Review a Book: Rating

People always dig ratings. Make sure to rate your recent read. Moreover, make sure to explain the reason for the rating. Provide a scale, based on which you rate a specific book.

For example:

 

  • Character: 3 stars
  • Tone: 2 stars
  • Climax: 4 stars
  • Ending: 3 stars
  • Overall Feel: 4 stars
  • Rating: 3.5 stars

 

This way your reader would know what to expect when choosing a book. Again, make sure you do this as per your experience so that your word holds value for the reader.

Finally, I would like to say, always remember whenever you sit down and think of how to review a book, always remember, it takes an author a lot of effort to create something. Make sure to be gentle and humane when judging the book. Words have power, use them wisely.

Looking for some books to review using this application? Visit our “Storefront” and choose from among these titles:

 

  • Visions of Prosetry
  • Dark Haze-The Island
  • A King’s Fall
  • Words Of Encouragement

 

We will send you one free e-book by mentioning code: “ReviewMyFreeBook”

Posted in Books, Poetry | Prose | Stories, Ponder This, Promotions | Freebies, Stories | Imaginations, Visualizing Virtue | Creativity With Character and tagged , , , , , .

Founder of KVI Network Creations, I'm an accomplished author, poet, and theologian, bringing a unique blend of creativity and spirituality to my work. A retired combat veteran, I've dedicated my life to both art and service. Feel free to reach out at 401-388-0016.