This article covers best practises for book reviews.

Posted Sep 6 2017 by Paul in Guest Post. Self Publishers Showcase


With all matters arriving at a digital meeting point in 2017, the issue of book reviews remains with details to be discussed. I offer standards of good practise for upcoming professional reviewers in the new era.

STANDARD OF COMPETENCE: Previously reviewers could not be assessed for their reading and literacy. The new internet has changed the ambiguity of the reader, commenter and reviewer into a unit of focus. Reviews may be recognized or not by Amazon, Authors Den, Good reads, or libraries based on the level of the reviewer. The review is a standard that encourages readers to buy books. It is a means of scaling the author’s work and recommending purchase from the vast web based marketplace. Reviewers engaging in ebook reviews can be tracked for pages read, duration of reading and associated reading. The reviewer being professional or not, paid or free, a critic or admirer, along with the site of review, makes all the difference. This creates a standard of good practise in digital values of the intelligent reviewer whose competency and skills matches the task. All reviewers can be assessed as can the author with personality, competency and literacy profiles.

STANDARD OF INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE. This standard requires a management of the review that promotes the book industry, engages readers, boosts sales, supports web traffic counts, and strengthens discoverability of the book and the genre. It supports the reputation of the marketplace, its managers, libraries and employees. Strong reviews also control damages from false claims and misleading promotions that ruin books and authors. Competitive markets engage reviewers to discredit books and close markets door vested interests. Therefore reviews should be managed cautiously and with industrious merit.

STANDARD OF LIBRARY CAT. This standard requires a management that performs to the digital system of Library cataloguing in the culture of Amazon Meta data, Library Thing, Good reads and associated cataloguing platforms. A review of a book is complete when listed in an advanced library catalogue. The reviewer seeking to develop a credible profile may establish his presence in listing reviews of books with links from his review sites to those in the Library Thing cataloguing site. The link sharing, boosting and back linking, develops SEO, deep impressions on the internet and a lasting presence for the book and the reviewer. There are many advanced, standardized portals similar to Library Thing that manage the connected review strata. 

STANDARD OF REVIEW. The review of the book itself maybe casual or lengthy, based on stars or written description, depending on the genre or the nature of the book. In the case of fiction works, reviewers must manage the craft of engaging and attracting readers without giving away the story. The reviewer may assess the book via plot, character, dialogue, and unity, development of story, deep symbols, and language. In the case of non-fiction, the reviewer may convey his impression, like or dislike, interpret the author’s intentions and techniques, recommend the importance of the book as it may be valued in present times or describe salient features to benefit readers. The review standard does not require the reviewer to read the entire book, although it is recommended for further credibility. The synopsis, book preview, trailers, interviews, book descriptions, trailer videos and media offer substantial support for casual book reviewers involved in sustaining the industry. The reviewer should avoid negative remarks, cause unpleasantness or manage antisocial Attitudes, except in exceptional circumstances. The system of the internet that records reviewer’s negative behaviour, may show up detrimentally for the digital performance evaluative scores. Digital demands a new social order that secures e-commerce and literacy. 

STANDARD OF COMMUNICATION. This standard shows outreach, sharing on Facebook, to Twitter and to friends and other readers. Sharing develops the persona of the reviewer, the likes from readers and followers. It generates goodwill, support, sharing and congeniality which contributes to improving the calibre of the industry. It can be shared via an updated word press blog which permits automated translation to book groups on XING or VK COM. The reviewer should ideally manifest a supporting strength through affiliated networks and Social connectivity. The reviewer may lost his own professional review status, feed it into bots, manage re shares and establish his presence on the internet with good merit and industry value.