Magdalena Ball is the author of e-book The Art of Assessment: How to Review Anything. She is a freelance writer, analyst, poet, fiction writer, reviewer and interviewer. She has a degree in English Literature and an MBA, and has studied at CCNY (NY), Oxford (UK) and Charles Sturt University (Aus). Her work has appeared in a number of print and online publications. 

She is Content Manager for Compulsive Reader, a web site devoted to new release literary fiction reviews, author interviews, profiles and literary criticism. She is also Contributing Editor at Suite 101 for Australian literature reviews; is a regular reviewer for Box Planet, and has a regular review spot on 5UV Writer’s Radio that is syndicated to 20 community radio stations around Australia.

Tell us about your book.

I was researching an article on how to write reviews, and from my research I realized that there wasn’t a lot of material guiding first time reviewers on how to break into the review business. There were some academic guideline books, lots of esoteric material – some of it quite good, such as Virginia Woolf’s book, Reviewing, published by Folcroft Library Editions, but not a lot of current material that also takes into account reviewing for the Internet and reviewing as a business. From there, my article turned into chapters, and I decided to commercialize it as an e-book for Webseed, which hosts my Compulsive Reader review site. 

Writing reviews is not difficult, and is probably one of the easier forms of freelance writing to break into commercially, since there is a constant demand. Consumers want information on where to spend their money, and promoters, writers, and artists want to help consumers decide to purchase their work or goods. However, there are very clear rules that can make the difference between a mediocre review and an excellent review, and I’m surprised at how many reviews I come across that aren’t reviews at all, but either reports outlining the nature of the product but not assessing it critically, or simply a few lines taken from the press release. 

The book provides guidelines on how to write a really terrific review, along with the insider tricks on how to break into the review business which took me years to work out by trial and error, along with advice on obtaining free copy, promoting your reviews, and how to use and obtain interviews to add depth to your reviews. As the book is an e-book, it is geared towards an Internet audience, and contains lots of links, review samples, and in my new version, which will be available shortly, I’ve also added interviews with 3 well known and high profile online reviewers.

I’ve been a freelance writer for many years, and a constant reader since I was about 4, and any time I noticed a request for reviewers, either online or with a print magazine, I would put my name down. Occasionally these sources would send me books or products that they wanted me to review. One day, I was in a shop and noticed a book that I wanted to buy. My husband told me he would get it for my birthday, and I had this sudden epiphany. I said, wait, I’ll call the publisher and see if I can get a review copy, and write a review of it. I did, they sent one, I wrote the review, and even managed to get an interview with the author – a big coup for me, since he was rather famous and I hadn’t done much interviewing before. From there I was hooked, and decided that this was what I wanted to do, and after a while, also decided that I wanted to control my reviews, publish them myself, and organize the set-up, so I applied for a regular review spot at Suite 101, and also set up The Compulsive Reader at Webseed.

If I'd like to start writing book reviews for my local newspaper, what do I need to send them?

Each paper has its own guidelines. Most big national papers won’t accept unsolicited reviews, and usually have staff to do this, but little local ones will probably do so if it fits their readership. The best thing is to contact their editorial department. Generally, a cover letter with an abbreviated resume, along with a few sample reviews (keep them under 500 words if possible, and geared towards the readership), sent to the editor by name, and followed up by a phone call about three weeks later.

Don’t be surprised if they give you a polite refusal. It is not that easy to break into newspapers unless you already have a name, especially if your local is a national paper. It is probably better to begin slowly by publishing some work on the Internet, sending reviews to magazines that accept unsolicited submissions, and perhaps obtaining a regular review spot on a small scale paper or new magazine which may not pay. The best way to obtain a list of these is to consult the Writers’ Marketplace guide for your country. These are invaluable for any freelance writer and are a worthwhile investment (there are usually current editions available in the local library, too). I provide a full list of these, along with contact web sites in The Art of Assessment.

Certain review markets have a vested interest in the products to be reviewed (for example, if a publication is selling the books that are being reviewed). Have you ever run into a situation where you were expected to give positive reviews, no matter what you "really" thought? If so, what did you do?

This is a good question and an important issue for reviewers. It can be hard to write a negative review when the web site or magazine you are writing is sponsored by the manufacturer of the product you are reviewing. I also sometimes feel bad when I’m reviewing a book for a small publisher who I admire, and the author is new, but the work is still not good. Poetry can be particularly difficult, since it is usually heartfelt and a lot of raw emotion and dreams have gone into it. I have a personal policy, though, of always writing an honest review. I feel that my readers expect that of me, and that if I did anything else, it would compromise the overall integrity and value of my reviews.

Like everyone else, I am also a consumer, and I use reviews to help me decide on purchases, too. It always irritates me when I simply read a clear rehash of the press release material, without any critical judgment on the overall value of the item. That said, I always try to be constructive in my criticisms, and although sometimes my humor can be a little harsh, especially if I really disliked something (and this has certainly happened), I do try to find something positive to say, if at all possible, before getting into the negatives. It is also critical to always be professional. If you are going to criticize something, it is vital to ensure that you criticize intelligently, thoughtfully, and that you provide examples to back up what you are saying. Simply panning something without providing specifics is not helpful to your readers, or to the promoter.

I’ve never actually had any negative reaction from bad reviews that I’ve written, although once a publisher phoned me after I’d published a bad review and when he told me his name, I immediately asked him if he was calling to tell me off. As it happened, he actually told me how pleased he was with my review and praised my candor.

How do most publications work with reviewers-- do they assign certain titles, or do they leave it up to the reviewer to decide what to review?

Most publications manage their own titles. They will be on publishers' mailing lists for the audiences they have and they will send out titles to their reviewers. Very few leave it up to their reviewer to decide on what to review, although I tend to pick and choose what I want to read and write my reviews based on that, even for publications that I work for that don’t operate that way! That is always a bit of a gamble, but sometimes you can get away with it if you are experienced enough and have something of a following with the publication. Of course, if you have your own publication, you can review what you want. There are quite a few websites which take unsolicited contributions, and of course you then choose what you want to review. It can be harder to obtain review material, though, if you can’t cite where you are going to publish.

Do the publications always send the products to the reviewer, or must the reviewer sometimes seek out the products on their own? 

Only very experienced reviewers will get products sent to them without seeking them out first. I do receive books from some of the big publishers like Macmillan and Penguin without having to request them, and I also receive videos from Roadshow, and CDs from the ABC, but generally, you will have to seek out what you want, based on the market of where you are going to publish. For example, I do parenting-type reviews of children’s books, CDs, videos and concerts for Box Planet, an Australian parenting web site, and although Box Planet sometimes sends me review material, generally, I’ll seek out what I want. If I notice a book, CD or concert which I think fits their market (and which I want to have a look at!), I’ll contact the publisher or promoter directly, explain where I plan on publishing it, and ask for the review copy.

When a reviewer wants to review something in particular, does he/she have to go out and buy it?

Generally, no. One of the main perks of reviewing is that you can usually get free review copy. You really shouldn’t have to buy it. The key is having a regular place to publish your reviews, and it has to be relevant for the product. If you want to review a good novel, you have to be able to say that you are going to be publishing in this magazine, paper or site. This may mean that in the beginning, you have to do some volunteer work, or perhaps review some things that you don’t really want to, in order to get some exposure and a regular gig. 

Generally, though, your reviews will be far better when you are reviewing something relevant to you, within your area of expertise (something that you would naturally be a consumer for), than if you were reviewing something which you would never otherwise look at. If you have young children, for example, many parenting web sites and magazines will happily accept unsolicited reviews of products which you have bought (or borrowed from your local library), and once you’ve published a couple of times, you can then contact the publisher or promoter and tell them you are reviewing for x, and they will very often send you the product.

A reviewer can review anything. If you can write good reviews of books, you can review films, e-zines (in fact, there is probably an untouched niche for evaluating the mountain of e-zines out there), e-books, theatre, videos, concerts, products for certain markets, food, restaurants (quite a nice profession if you like to eat out), cars (generally you only get a test ride, not the product in this case!), and really anything you can think of that is for sale.

An experienced reviewer can write books which evaluate certain marketplace niches; for example, restaurants for vegetarians, or vehicles for the handicapped. You can do radio shows, television and radio interviews…the sky is really the limit. Of course, review writing is still writing. Even if you don’t want to make a career out of your reviewing, it is great practice, not only for all kinds of evaluative creative writing, but is particularly useful if you want to write in the area you are reviewing. For example, I review literary fiction, usually by authors who write like I wish I could, and, of course, I am planning to write a novel myself one day (I write stories now). After a while you become quite cognizant of what works creatively and what doesn’t, and it really has a positive impact on your work.

If I want to interview an author or musician based on their work, how do I approach him/her?

It is always best to go through the publisher or promoter. For an author, I always e-mail or phone the publisher and ask for an interview with the author. They will either set the interview up, or provide direct contact information based on what the author prefers. For a musician, the promoter will do the same. There are a few musicians and authors who won’t give out interviews. Bob Dylan just wouldn’t do it. Neither would Salman Rushdie. But generally, most artists want to talk about their work, and most promoters want them to (even Dylan’s promoter wanted him to…), and they can be quite helpful in gaining you access. It is critical, once you get the interview, to be professional, to keep your questions focused on the work, thoughtful and intelligent, and to be courteous.

It varies a lot. A single review will get you anything from $100 for a fairly prestigious journal, to $5 for a fledgling web site. I’ve earned both. Suite 101 pays $15 per review, and pay per click sites like Epinions usually pay nothing at all (or a few cents a view which is basically the same thing as nothing), but they can be good practice if you are really just starting out, and you will usually get some feedback. The average pay for a review in a journal or well frequented web site is about $35. Of course, you also get the review product, which is usually worth as much as the review. A new release book retails for about $10-20, or a DVD is worth $15 – these things are perks that you get even when you don’t get paid for the review. The Australian Broadcast Company (ABC) will often send me a pack of 6 CDs to review. Since they are usually CDs geared towards my preschooler’s interest group, they are a real bonus. There would be few reviewers though who exist solely on their reviewer pay packet.

You say that many published book "reviews" are really book reports. What's the difference?

A book report is really a summary. Like the kind you may have done in grade school. This book was about x and then y happened. A review is a critical analysis. That is the key difference. A good review will usually contain some indication of the main story and plot, but the heart of the review is a detailed look at the overall effectiveness of the book, its style, its voice, its characterization, the use of language, the uniqueness of its plot, etc.

I’d like to add two points about reviewing. The demand for reviews is very high. I get a lot of requests from authors to review their books, and there are sites starting up which are now charging for detailed reviews. I expect that the market will continue to strengthen in this area, especially for those who bring a particular expertise to their writing, so reviewing is a good market to break into, even if it isn’t the most lucrative. There are a lot of new technological niches such as multimedia entertainment, or e-book products, which are not well tapped, and as publishing becomes more fast paced, and more of an instant commodity, the need for quality assessment will become greater. 

The second point is that a review is also a piece of entertainment. You have to keep your readers interested. Humor, a lighthearted approach, and above all, enjoying the process, is very important. Once you get a following of readers, the sky is the limit, and like me, you can begin to carve your own market and review whatever you want. A great way to start is to think about the sorts of things you do every day. Your hobbies, your interests, your profession, your family.

Finally, I am happy to provide on-line support for anyone who wants more information on reviewing, or has questions after reading my book, including contact details for specific markets, questions about review queries, publisher details, etc.

Buy The Art of Assessment: How to Review Anything at: www.compulsivereader.com/report1001.html.

For a free excerpt, send an e-mail to artofassessment@sendfree.com.

Sponsored links

Ring binders

 

Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer!

How to find a book publisher

Home

Text on this site Copyright © 1998-2007 Absolute Write, all rights reserved.
Please contact the authors if you'd like to reprint articles on this site.  All copyrights are retained by original authors.  And plagiarizers will be rounded up, handcuffed, and stuck into a very small and humid room wherein they must listen to Barney sing the "I Love You, You Love Me" song over and over again.

writers writing software