TyggbarAre you a bibliophile with an opinion? Do you want to share your thoughts on books and help readers find the next great read? Then book reviewing might be for you.
Book reviewing is a great way to expand your professional portfolio, connect with other writers, and share your opinions about the books you’ve read. It can also be a good way to earn some additional money (who couldn’t use that?). If this sounds like a good opportunity for you, here are some tips to get started.
Know Your Market
- Know your market and the types of books they publish.
- Aware of your audience, and what they want.
- Differ the types of books that are popular in your genre.
- Explore the types of books that are not popular in your genre.
Do Some Research
The first step to becoming a book reviewer is to do some research. This can be difficult, especially when you’re just getting started, but it’s important to have an idea of what the market wants before you start submitting your work.
What does the market need? What does it want? How much does it pay for reviews and how much should you expect for yours? These are just some questions that will help determine whether or not this line of work is right for you.
Create a Portfolio
A portfolio is an essential part of becoming a book reviewer. The portfolio should include:
- A website
- A blog
- A YouTube channel
- A podcast (YouTube or SoundCloud)
- A vlog (YouTube or Instagram)
- A newsletter (MailChimp, etc.) * Create a professional email address for yourself. This can be your name plus “writer” if you’re going to freelance and need something that sounds more official than “email@gmail.com” to reach out to editors/publishers with pitches.
Submit Your Work
Once you have the right credentials, follow the submission guidelines. You should also be prepared for rejection and remain professional in your writing style. If you want to make it as a book reviewer or literary critic, you will need to be persistent.
Stay Professional
As a reviewer, you will be interacting with people from all walks of life, and you must be very professional in how you conduct yourself. It’s important that readers are able to trust your opinion and know that their book will be treated with respect and care.
- Be polite and respectful at all times. This includes when dealing with authors or publishers directly as well as when commenting on reviews online. If something is not professional, it shouldn’t be said (or posted). You should never say anything rude or offensive in any way, shape or form – even if it’s just an offhand comment made while laughing at another review on Amazon!
- Don’t hesitate to ask questions if something doesn’t make sense to you – you’re not expected to know everything about being a reviewer right away! The same goes for saying no; don’t feel obligated to accept any offer from anyone unless it sounds like something that would interest you personally (and even then, only if the terms sound reasonable). That being said: Someone might try offering more than what they were initially planning because they realize how much better an opportunity this could be for them too; so don’t say no unless there’s some major reason why not!
Advantages
Book reviewing is a great way to expand your professional portfolio. If you’re considering becoming a book reviewer, this article will help you learn more about it and decide if it’s the right career path for you.
Book reviewing is also a great way to expand your professional network. You’ll be exposed to other writers, publishers, editors and agents who may be able to offer advice or recommend opportunities that are relevant to your writing career.
It can provide valuable information about topics that interest you most so that when someone asks what kind of books they should read next (for example) instead of saying “I don’t know” or something like that which could lead them away from reading anything at all due which would mean no income coming in at all.” This will make them more likely interested in doing something else instead of listening.
Key Takeaways
Writing book reviews can be a great way to further your career. Whether you have dreams of being published as a critic or just want to develop your own skills in writing, reviewing literature is an exciting and fun way to make money doing something you love. Even though there are some downsides to the job like failing at getting paid enough or getting fired after one bad review, being able to share your opinions and thoughts about books with the world will always be worth it!
