Mining For Gems within the Coal by Shannon Mayer

How do we find these gems in the pile of books now available? We mine for them through the reviews others have left.

Let’s say you read a book (crazy, I know!), you have strong feelings about it, so you decide to write a review. Good or bad, you can write a review that is helpful not only to other readers, but writers too. Help them find a gem they won’t want to put down, or a lump of coal they might not want to pick up.

As a reader what do we want? We want to know if you liked the book of course, but also what might have bothered you, not fit in the story, or what turned you off completely.

As an author, I want a clear idea of what you liked, what you didn’t, and what you might think I could do better if warranted. But how?

Point one- Be specific. Don’t give blanket statements of . “It sucked.” or even “It was great.” Unless you are going to back it up with “why”. Along with this, try to make the review personal to you. That will mean more to other readers as well as the author. Here is an example of a review I left for fellow author Lani Wendt Young-

“I picked this book up because my grandparents spent two years in Samoa as missionaries and so the country has always, in a sense, been a part of our family history though we ourselves are not Samoan. Reading Telesa though has allowed me to feel as if I have been to Samoa and have experienced it myself.

The main character, Leila, was great, prickly and very likable despite her owly behaviour as her driving force is to find a place where she fits, where she can call home. The love story between Leila and Daniel is sweet and very believable (though there are times that if I were Daniel I would have socked her one right in the nose!) and the relationship Leila has with her mother Nafanua is so well done.

I give this book a solid 4.5 stars, only docking a little because I found that the first portion of the book was a bit slow for my taste, though I do understand the need to build a foundation for a story, it still took a bit too long to grab me. But once it did! Wow, could not put it down!”

Point two- Don’t think you are the only opinion and that you are obviously right (even if you are an author/editor/reviewer)  One of the best reviews I’ve seen was a mere 3 stars. But the reviewer was not only specific, but pointed out that theirs was only one opinion and encouraged readers to check out the other reviews.

Point three- Recognize that if you are going to give someone a low rating, that it is going to be hard on them, so do your best to leave at least ONE comment about something good that they did. Maybe that’s difficult, but a one star rating is a real b#tch to swallow, so ease it down with at least ONE comment that is positive.

Point four- Compare the book to another one of similar genre and style. This helps readers know if it’s right for them and helps the author feel as though they are doing their job. As an example, here is an excerpt of a review I did for Amanda Hocking’s My Blood Approves.

“I picked up My blood Approves to see what all the hype was about, to see if an indie author was really as good as someone traditionally published.

This book is very much in the Twilight bracket and people who loved Edward and Bella will love Alice and Jack. Hated Twilight? I don't know that you'd like this story either, there are too many similarities..”

Point five- If you are an author leaving a review for another author, BE KIND with your star ratings. I’m not suggesting you give them a high rating if it isn’t a high starred book. But leaving an author a 2 star rating (especially if they don’t have a lot of reviews) can crush them. In this case, it is even MORE important to be detailed about what you liked and didn’t, what could have been done better and then offer them a kind rating.

Point six- Don’t be afraid to have fun with your review! This, combined with all the other points will help move your review up to the top of the pile. Which although it isn’t what we are seeking, it sure is nice to be the top reviewer!

Do you have points you’d like to add to this list? Please do, as the better we get at reviewing books, the easier it is to pick the gems out of the slush pile, AND the better the authors will get at writing those gems.

Shannon Mayer writes from Vancouver Island, spinning stories filled with horror, fantasy, romance and surprises. You can check out her writing at http://shannonmayer.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter @TheShannonMayer