Jun 4, 2009

Book Reviews

I admit it - writing is hard for me. I think it might be just that that I'm out of practice, but it's really an uphill battle. I admire authors immensely for being able to produce pages and pages of words, when I totally struggle to string together...like...two. Words.

Anyway, I've been writing book reviews for the website Self Publishing Review, which I've been quite enjoying. It's really fascinating to read the books that people have self-published! It must be terrifying to send your book off to be reviewed, especially without the buffer level of knowing that a publishing house accepted/edited/designed it. That way at least you can blame the publisher for any mistakes, and know that even if the reviewer didn't like it, at least the acquisitions editor did!

With the kind permission of Henry Baum, the mastermind behind the Self Publishing Review, I'm going to be going into a little more depth on the editing angle of the books I've been sent for review. I've made a few remarks on editing in the SPR reviews, but I'd like to talk more specifically about what another edit could have done for each book. It'll be a paragraph-structure adventure! But not right now, because I'm sleepy.

For the time being, you may revel in the glory that is my SPR reviews:
Daywalker, by Rebecca Rock (Vampires)
The Legend of Jimmy Gollihue, by George LaCas (Literary fiction)
Fairy Senses, by Frances Ruiz (YA Fantasy)

4 comments:

Hayley said...

I've been stalking your reviews for the past few hours and they're pretty good -- they don't even need another edit!

Do you find that it comes easier now that you've been doing it for a while? Like the words already know where they're supposed to be and you just have to let them be there?

E said...

Aw, thanks Hayley! Coming from you, that's high praise.

It's still hard, though possibly less so because I know that I have actually produced finished pieces before. You still have much to teach me about writing.

Hayley said...

I'm one of the worst teachers in the world. On the other hand, there's few things I enjoy talking about so much as writing ...

E said...

Tell me when you are at Maz, and I too will be at Maz.