Even famous authors can get a bad review

Book reviews help our books get noticed. That's a good thing, right? Usually...

People reading reviews on Amazon understand that when a grumpy person writes a negative review, the author doesn't deserve to be attacked. We tend to dismiss reviews that insult the writer's integrity, or when the reviewer is being mean.

But, how would we feel if said review was in The New York Times Sunday Book Review, and tore into the author's work in such a highly visible way? The author I'm referring to is Joyce Carol Oates, and the review was of her story collection, Lovely, Dark, Deep.

The reviewer, who shall remain nameless here, has decided the book is "a fatally slack enterprise, a makeshift heap of first drafts, blighted by shallow emotion". Worse, he refers to offhand manipulation of trauma, and prose that feels virtually unedited.

Ouch!

How a Contest Judge Views Your Book

How a Contest Judge Views a Book

by Helen Gallagher

Literary merit is a core requirement for any prize-winning book.

After succeeding as an author, book reviewer, and publishing consultant, I was recently pleased to participate as a judge in a national book competition.

If you are or have been given this honor, it is a big responsibility and a whole lot of fun. Each judge must critique the contest entries on a long list of factors, not limited to content, accuracy, editing, and design.

In order to avoid being overwhelmed, I agreed to judge only the three genres I know best. I would not feel comfortable judging categories where I don’t have an informed opinion of quality, such as mystery, sci-fi, or romance. 

Unlike my work as a book reviewer, in which I evaluate writing style and content and consider the value of the book’s theme or message, judging goes much further. Reviewers often discuss an author’s point of view, while letting the reader of the review know pertinent details of the book. That’s why people read book reviews—to determine if they want to invest time in reading the book.

In judging a book contest, the parameters are set by the organization or committee running the contest. They set criteria for entries and sort through all submissions to be sure each entry that is judged fits the standards for quality writing in the category. The biggest job for a judge is remaining objective in order to judge fairly. Frequently, contest entries are read and judged by two different people. The second judge performs the same task as the first: analyzing the book’s worthiness on all the variables, and the combined scores are averaged.

Most contests have very specific categories. As an author it is important to make sure your book is in the best category, or choose multiple categories, such as “Motivational” and “Self-Help,” to give your book a better chance against steep competition. Most contests charge an incremental fee for multiple categories, so be clear about the category that best fits your book.

As an author, what I found most interesting about being a judge is the importance of every detail. That’s right—If you enter your book in a contest, you don’t want to have a perfect book design but fall short on other elements or overlook errors. The lesson here is that when you are finalizing your book for publication, nothing is unimportant. Don’t overlook errors in the Table of Contents, pagination, page layout, or chapter headings, and re-check every word and every reference, from cover to cover.

Give the same consideration to the importance of good cover design and quality printing. Whether you use a traditional publisher, print-on-demand, or a local printing firm, your book must look as good as any other mass-market book to be worthy of an award. This includes cover artwork, fonts, design, proper placement of the ISBN and barcode, and error-free layout of both the front and back covers.

You may have a great story, but if you failed to do that last round of proofreading or checking the layout, another contest entrant may outshine your book by a few points.

Here are some tips to consider, not just when you prepare to enter your completed book in a contest, but before you publish your next book.

• Is your title/subtitle appropriate and does it generate interest?
  
  
• Does the title truly reflect the content of the book? Don’t fall in love with a quirky title that would disappoint or mislead the reader.
  
  
• Is your book price appropriate for the target audience? Have you done research to determine this?
  
  
• Do your book layout, editing, and design meet the highest standards?

These four sample factors are just the first steps in passing through to the award level in your book’s category. Many contests haves thirty categories by which each book is measured. If any of these initial factors is adequate but not truly professional, entering an important book contest might be a waste of money. 

Before you run back to your manuscript to polish it up, keep in mind that literary merit is a core requirement for any prize-winning book. Books up for award are of course evaluated on the writing, not just the spelling and punctuation, but quality of language, comprehension, and the ability to present material in an interesting way, authored by a person with the qualifications to write on the topic. 

Remember that your confidence in your book when presenting it for any award consideration requires all the up-front effort and attention to detail well before you even dream of winning First Prize in a book contest. The reward, though, when your book is chosen, is increased publicity and increased sales, because of the distinguished honor in winning a book award. 

Helen Gallagher is the author of Release Your Writing: Book Publishing Your Way.
Her publishing blog is at releaseyourwriting.blogspot.com.  © 6/24/2014

Read "The Telling Room"

Flip on over to the Book Review page for a great book recommendation.

Already read The Telling Room? Please add your comments below.

See book review: "Authorpreneur in Pajamas" by Geraldine Solon

Writers, be sure to click on the Book Reviews for Writers tab or click here, for a review of Authorpreneur in Pajamas. Author Geraldine Solon has published three novels, and this book focuses on what she learned in promoting those books.

If you recall my former Pajama Marketing blog, which resulted in the book: Blog Power & Social Medua Handbook, (published in 2011) you're already aware of some author marketing obligations.Solon's book will give your book marketing an edge by explaining how authors can use social media for greater exposure and sales.

If you're a new author in 2013 or 2014, take a look at Authorpreneur in Pajamas for some good resources. As you'll note in my review, though, her book needed at least one more edit before publishing. That serves as another fine example to all authors. Professional editing and proofreading is an essential step in publishing.
 

"Still Writing"

Read Still Writing: The Perils of a Creative Life, by Dani Shapiro, (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2013)

Shapiro is a contributing editor at Travel & Leisure. Her one-page essays exemplify good solid writing in each issue. She is the author of two memoirs and five novels, as well as numerous stories and essays that appear in Granta, The New Yorker, and Vogue, among other prestigious publications. Now, in Still Writing, she writes for you. Every writer can admire Shapiro's swift skill stringing thoughts into words, but she also empowers us. She transports readers who hear her views on the privilege of being a writer, and the relentless need to put in the time! Still Writing refers not only to keeping at our craft, but also still writing... being still, getting out of your own way, to become open and aware.

“Everything I know about life,
I learned from the daily practice of sitting down to write.”

-- Dani Shapiro

Ready to slow down...?

Working in the online work has a downside for most of us. For Tsh Oxenreider, author of Notes on a Blue Bike, The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World,running a successful blog as her family's primary income, the downside was that work is always a click away.  If you often feel like your cycling uphill trying to put in quality time at the computer but falling further behind, you will identify with her, As she says: “There is no “The End” to the Internet."

"Never before in history have we been given the keys to be able to work and earn money doing what we love. And yet never before have we been so eagerly invited to work 24/7, without ever a chance to feel done. It’s hard to slow down when the race has no finish line.”  

Notes on a Blue Bike is about much more, of course, as Oxenreider shares her path to a sane family life, endorsing a lifestyle rich with quality and meaning, offering a better pace of life for her famiily and appreciation for what they have, not what they desire.

Read the full review here: http://blogcritics.org/author/Helen-Gallagher/

How to judge a book's covers

Beyond writing a good book, and creating the perfect title, the next critical element for a book's success is your book cover.

The 12-15-13 New York Times book review section has a disappointing photo piece titled The Best Book Covers of 2013.  It's hard to judge but I see better covers every day. How are these the best?  Of the twelve shown, I honestly only like the final one "The Art of Sleeping Alone."

As the columnist Nicholas Blechman (the Book Review's art director) quotes book designer George Salter, regarding a good jacket ... "must be in perfect accord with the literary quality of the book."  I agree but can't see why the covers chosen fit the bill. It sure does prove how difficult and how subjective the world of cover design is. It is becoming more difficult to settle on a cover that pleases the publisher's sales team, marketing department, and of course, the author. But again, it is of critical importance, whether your book in on store shelves, display racks at airports, or a one-inch image among thousands of other books sold online every day.

I realize it's no easy task to convey the book's tone along with an eye-catching cover, but it is a crucial element of your next book.

To see the slideshow of all twelve, visit http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/12/13/books/review/15covers-slides-1.html

Book and art lovers.... read this...

[Review first published at BlogCritics.org by Helen Gallagher 9-30-2013]


Art Made From Books: Altered, Sculpted, Carved, Transformed will likely transform your appreciation of books … books as art objects.

This surprising anthology brims with charming, pure art, created by hands and tools. The spirit of magical realism is alive as characters are literally lifted out of books through delicate carving. Some are carved, some are books embellished with light, wire or glass. The stunning result is a recurring delight; and our appreciation grows each time we consider the delicate artistry and spirit in the objects.

There is unmistakable joy of the creation of these altered books; a fairly recent modern form of art. The process, known since the 18th century in England has become more appreciated today when outdated reference books can see new life as treasured, whimsical, works of art.

Continued here:  http://releaseyourwriting.blogspot.com/p/book-reviews-for-writers-by-writers.html

I recently had the pleasure of working on the layout for this book, Reflection: A Long Walk Into the World of Love. It's sweet and quite unusual.

Part fairy tale, by author Marie-Eve Kielson who is a marriage and family therapist, who gets to the heart of what it takes to have a loving, committed relationship. Her co-author is her husband, Daniel. Over the many years of their marriage, he maintained the habit of writing poems to her for her birthdays and anniversary. He is now a nature photographer as well, and his section of the book combines the lovely poetry with amazing nature photos, along with his own strong narrative on the nature of love in a relationship. A very special gift book for all ages. Perhaps best of all, it honestly conveys what is involved in maintaining a lasting relationship.More at their blog: kielsonmedia.com

A quote from my review of "The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published, 5th ed."

Here's a link to the full review of The Complete Idiot's guide to Getting Published, 5th ed. by Sheree Bykofsky and Jennifr Basye Sander  on the book review page of this blog:
http://releaseyourwriting.blogspot.com/p/book-reviews-for-writers-by-writers.html

One important quote strikes me as so relevant for your 2012 publishing achievement goals. Remember, It's hard work.
Here's the quote:

Writing a book is an art

Self-publishing a book is a business.

The value of book reviews

Those of you who hear me speak at conferences, and who follow this blog, know I talk a lot about author marketing. One element is the value of online book reviews. I write reviews for BlogCritics.org, among other venues such as New York Journal of Books, and Salon. Here's an interesting timeline on the power of a review.

I wrote a review for BlogCritics of Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World, by Lisa Bloom on Tuesday. So far, itt has been pushed out to Facebook 35 times and retweeted five times. This is what you want to have happen.

On Thursday,  it was picked up by the Seattle Post Intelligencer (seattlepi.com)

And today, the author, her mother, and daughter were on a CNN talk show. The book's publicist alerted me to the fact that the author's mother said "Seattle PI just called Lisa's book the light bulb of the year for women," which she extrapolated from my comment in the review:  "this year's light bulb moment for women."

Now we all know she meant to say "Helen Gallagher said..." but its fun nonetheless, to have my writing move from my computer to the original review site at BlogCritics.org, then to the Seattle paper's site, and then a CNN talk show.
What's funny to me is that I never mentioned the sex references, and yet that's the hook the media used to make the book newsworthy for a talk show. Think about that - the universal appeal of the book is about women using their intelligence, but as we know, sex sells.

So, when you do your homework, research and marketing, remember to seek reviews of your book... But also work to keep readers focused on the point you're trying to get across.

"How to Write a Book Proposal," by Michael Larsen: My review on Seattle PI

For Memoir Writers: a recommendation

For my publishing clients who are working on memoirs, I always recommend they take a look at the memoirs by Patricia Hampl.Her memoirs include The Florist's Daughter, Blue Arabesque, and If I Could Tell You Stories

At Hampl's site, I now see she has a new book, and if you're working on a memoir, analyzing what works, you might want to take a look at the book: Tell Me True: Memoir, History, and Writing a Life (Co-edited with Elaine Tyler May)

"Balancing precariously between history and literature, memoir writers have finally found their place on the bookshelf. But increased notoriety brings intense scrutiny: memoirists are expected to create a narrative worthy of fiction while also staying true to the facts. Historians, too, handle tricky issues of writing from "real life," when imagination must fill gaps in the historical record.

Patricia Hampl and Elaine Tyler May have gathered fourteen original essays from award-winning memoirists and historians. Whether the record emerges from archival sources or from personal memory, these writers show how to make the leap to telling a good story, while also telling us true.

Contributors: Andre Aciman, Matt Becker, June Cross, Carlos Eire, Helen Epstein, Samuel G Freedman, Patricia Hampl, Fenton Johnson, Alice Kaplan, Annette Kobak, Michael MacDonald, Elaine Tyler May, Cheri Register, D. J. Waldie."

More here: http://patriciahampl.com/test/tellme.html


Helen Gallagher

Directory of Book Reviewers

Self-published and independent authors seek resource for book reviews.

Christy Pinheiro, a colleague in another writing group put together this fabulous directory.

Go forth and get reviewed!

Book Review: The Nighttime Novelist: Finish Your Novel in Your Spare Time, by Joseph Bates

I posted this on BlogCritics yesterday -and NANOWRIMO is the perfect time to read it and get inspired to write a draft of your novel this month. Published by Writer's Digest, they were kind enough to tweet my review on their page, resulting in a huge number of Facebook updates.

And yes, the book is gorgeous, as mentioned in the original review here.   The Nighttime Novelist

Book Review: "Writers and Their Notebooks" edited by Diana M. Raab

A collection of essays by writers about their notebooks and journals. Perfect for summer reading (and writing)...


The overall emotion in this collection is a love of writing, and a celebration of notebooks and journals as the place to embrace our beloved art. Most of the essays include a sentimental regard for the many years of notebooks the writers have amassed, a memory of their first journal, and the value of old journals for recalling experiences and details from the past. More often than not, these details work their way into new writing. Author Katherine Towler notes, “My years as a journal writer were essential to the work I am doing now, and to the work still to come.”

In Writers and Their Notebooks, Raab describes words on the pages of a journal as “the music and voice of one’s true emotions. Whether the writer is expressing deeply held beliefs, recording snippets of overheard dialog, making observations, listing ideas for future projects, or copying a favorite poem, the notebook should be a vital part of the creative tool kit.”

There is the rare reference to blogs as “simultaneously a diary and a piece of performance art,” and the need for the computer when “what’s waiting is not a thread but a flood. The pocket notebook is for the hint, the computer for the deluge.” Rare is the lucky writer who is so inspired by the notebook that it must pour forth as fast as one can type, “the resonant data impinging deliciously on the mind,” as poet Kim Stafford discovers.

Read full review here.
First published as: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-writers-and-their-notebooks/

Book Review: "Other Colors" by Orhan Pamuk

I first read Pamuk's novels after returning from a visit to Istanbul in 2000. I continue to read, and re-read his work, for his lyrical prose, introspection, and beauty. If you're new to this author, Other Colors is the perfect way to get acquainted.

You can read my full review here:

Book Review: Other Colors: Essays and a Story by Orhan Pamuk

"The starting point of true literature is the man who shuts himself up in his room with his books."

Book Review: One Year to a Writing Life: Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer's Art and Craft

Susan Tiberghien returns to Chicago for a day-long writing workshop, sponsored by the Intl. Women Writers Guild (iwwg.org) on April 25, 2009. She'll also be appearing at The Book Stall at Chestnut Court that evening.



If you haven't read One Year to a Writing Life, here's an excerpt from my recent review.

In One Year to a Writing Life, you might dive into the section that piques your interest, and enhance your skill at your genre, or begin as many of us do, with journal writing - meaningful journal writing, which Tiberghien calls "the most natural opening into a writing life."

Tiberghien invites readers to work through One Year to a Writing Life at their own pace. The "year" metaphor can keep you motivated, delving into one chapter each month, or like me, you can buzz through the book and the generous resources, come up for air, and be a better writer, on the fast track.

Full review

Susan Tiberghien's works

Book review: A Writer's Paris

A Writer's Paris, a guided journey for the creative soul, is by Eric Maisel, the prolific and thoughtful writer, a San Francisco-based creativity coach and author of more than 25 books.



This soft, lovely, illustrated book reminds us why we love Paris. In part, it is the allure of the intellectual traditions, of the time when George Sand, Gertrude Stein and Jean Paul Sartre roamed the cafés, when the life of a starving artist in a garret, eating one small café meal a day, was a reality for many famous writers. "Virtually any idea you can think of has been birthed or batted about in the studios, classrooms and cafes of Paris – it is the birthplace of the humanistic tradition," writes Maisel.

Read my full review at BlogCritics Magazine