On Writing Critical Reviews
Note: these thoughts are my own, and don’t illustrate the absolutely ONLY way to view reviews. I’m communicating how I write reviews, and what type of reviews I believe it’s beneficial to receive as an independent author. In the end, readers are going to review how they want to review.
And authors should never confront or call out any particular review/reviewer unless it contains content violating the particular review platform’s terms of service.
To that end, all the examples provided below are completely fictional and do not reflect any real review I’ve written or received.
It’s no secret. I’m an Indie Author who also writes book reviews.
I’m also a freelance editor.
Some authors shy away from writing book reviews, especially of other indie authors. If you end up reading a book you don’t like, will you end up offending a colleague by writing a “bad” book review?
Everyone says “reviews are only for the other readers,” and that’s absolutely true. (Though I’m one of those authors who impulsively reads every review my books receive, because I’m a glutton for punishment).
Well, here’s the thing. Authors are readers too.
Over the past year, I’ve written dozens of book reviews. Read hundreds more. And I’ve noticed a few trends.
A “good” review isn’t necessarily a five-star review. It’s a well-written review.
A “bad” review isn’t necessarily a one-star review. It’s a review that doesn’t communicate anything to a potential reader.
I know many authors say “don’t talk about book reviews,” but I’m going to do the thing where I don’t listen to people and talk about book reviews. Specifically, let’s talk about how to write a “good” critical review.
On Writing Critical Reviews
I’ve received a number of book reviews as an author that, simply put, don’t make sense. You read them, and after reading them, you scratch your head, wondering, “What is this reader even trying to say?” Similarly, I’ve received reviews that say no more than “This book sucked.”
I’ve also received reviews that say “This book was amazing!” And that’s about it.
There’s nothing wrong with short and simple reviews, per se. If a book has a dozen four and five-star reviews from verified purchasers who all say “I loved this book,” that can say a lot.
But those reviews don’t exactly communicate anything else to potential readers.
And when it comes to critical reviews (those receiving one, two, or three stars), it’s absolutely essential that the review actually communicate something to potential readers so they can use the review to make a purchasing decision. If you didn’t like a book, and want other people to avoid the book, shouldn’t you be clear on why?
Example 1: “This book was absolute trash. No one should read it. I really hated it. ONE STAR.”
Notice how the review says absolutely nothing about the book? It doesn’t even describe the reader’s feelings. Why do they think the book was absolute trash? Why shouldn’t anyone read it? Why did they hate it?
Humans are subjective animals. We all have different tastes, even if there are a few things most of us like. Saying “this book was absolute trash” doesn’t actually help a future purchaser make a decision.
Rule #1: Write your review so it communicates why you personally didn’t like the book.
Example 1A: “I didn’t enjoy this book because I expected it to be about magic and war, but instead it was filled with a romance sub-plot that took away from the action. It didn’t meet my expectations, and I just ended up hating it. One Star.
We see a key difference in this review: the writer illustrates why he personally didn’t like the book. A review like this does two things: (1) it keeps the review grounded in the reader’s subjective experience, rather than objectively attacking the book; and (2) it forecasts what type of reader might like the book.
Rule #2: Identify what type of audience you are, and why the book didn’t meet your expectations. Bonus: Identify what type of audience might like the book.
Example 2: I really love books about spaceships, and because there was a spaceship on the cover, I expected the book to take place in space. But it mostly occurs on a deserted island on an alien world, dealing with people’s feelings. I just want to read a book with space battles in it! Two stars.
Notice how the review emphasizes the reader’s personal preferences and notes why they didn’t enjoy the book. It identifies what type of books they like, giving readers of the review the ability to compare themselves to that particular reader.
Example 2A: I really love books about spaceships. This book just didn’t have any. However, if you’re looking for a book focused on the interpersonal relationships of humans stranded on a desert alien island, you might like this book! It just wasn’t for me. Two stars.
This review goes beyond identifying the reader’s preferences and actually calls out what readers might like the book!
Rule #3: Reserve “objective” claims for when they’re truly warranted.
Some books truly are atrocious. They’re poorly written. They have dozens if not hundreds of typos and grammatical errors. The plot meanders and there is only one line of dialogue per chapter.
There are certainly objective reasons for saying a book is bad. Books are like any art; while the appreciation of the art is subjective, the techniques for creating the art are not.
Example 3: This book really sucks. It has a lot of grammatical errors and I couldn’t get past the nonsensical plot. One star.
Not a bad approach, but it doesn’t communicate too much to readers. It doesn’t illustrate why, for this particular book, the grammar errors and nonsensical plot don’t make sense.
Example 3A: I couldn’t finish this book. The story begins on a desert island, but suddenly the characters are all on a spaceship with no discernible explanation. And the dialogue sounded stunted—no emotion came from the voices of the characters.
I also couldn’t get past the poorly formatted dialogue and the incorrect use of semi colons. The author also uses commas in all the wrong places, making it almost impossible to read without being thrown out of the book. The spelling errors also detracted from my reading experience.
While the author has an idea of a story, the book definitely feels like it should have spent more time on the editing floor. One star.
Notice the detail in Example 3A. It illustrates exactly what the reader means by “grammatical errors” and “nonsensical plot.” It says more than just “really sucks.” It even potentially provides the author with real tips on how they messed up.
So why do critical reviews matter?
It’s vitally important that anyone reviewing a book, whether an author, reader, or publishing professional, consider two things:
Are you accurately portraying the book, or using your frustration with not enjoying the book to attack the author?
Are you writing something that will assist future readers making purchasing decisions?
I emphasize these two points because if you don’t closely consider (1), you might actually write a review that violates Amazon’s Review Policy. That doesn’t help anyone! And if you don’t write something that assists future readers in their choice whether to buy the book, why are you writing the review in the first place?
On Amazon, when readers first view the reviews for any given book, they will see the “best” positive review and the “best” critical review, both determined by a number of factors, including “Helpful” votes and whether the reader was a verified purchaser.
I’m going to put my “author” hat back on for a second. A well-written critical review actually helps sell my book (A poorly written critical review can help sell my book too, though that’s a story for another time). When a well-written critical review forecasts why a reader didn’t like the book BUT gives future readers signals for why THEY might like the book? Love it.
And that’s why some of my favorite reviews are my one, two, and three-star reviews. Certain readers have particular preferences for what they want in their stories, and they effectively communicate those preferences. In doing so, they’ve told future readers why they might like my book.
So don’t be afraid to write a critical review.
Especially if you’re an indie author. If you truly didn’t enjoy a book but think you know who might like that book? Write a critical review communicating those thoughts!
And these lessons translate into writing “positive” reviews, too.
You might have loved a book and given it five stars, but there might be one particular aspect of it you didn’t enjoy. Forecast why you didn’t like it because future readers might really be interested in that aspect of the book.
And authors, don’t be afraid of one and two-star reviews!
So what do you think? Do you have an approach to writing critical reviews? Let me know on Twitter @tavenorcd.