Reviewing Books Make You a Better Writer

Reviewing Books Makes You a Better Writer
By Renee Kirchner

I have a suggestion for all of the unpublished or little published writers our there. If you want to improve your writing skills, read more books and get writing credits, you might want to apply to be a children's book reviewer. I decided to become a book reviewer over a year ago and it has helped me in many ways.

FREE BOOKS

I knew this would get your attention. Did you know that book reviewers receive FREE BOOKS in the mail? It's true. The publication that you work for will send you a list of books that need reviewing every month or quarter. You then choose books that look interesting and after the publication gets feedback from all of their reviewers, they mail books to each of you. The first time I got home and found a Federal Express envelope on my doorstep with a free book inside, my heart beat a little faster. Most months I receive 2 or 3 children's books that need reviewing. The books are usually hardcover, but not always. They are also new books and you will get to read them before the general public. I don't know about you, but that is exciting to me.

CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEWERS ARE IN DEMAND

We all have one thing in common: we love children's books. We wouldn't be trying to write for children if we didn't. Most book reviewers are in this business for the free books, but most of them want to read adult fiction. I like adult fiction, but my skills were needed on the children's side. The publishers get too many volunteers to review adult fiction.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

Getting started is surprisingly easy. I write reviews for both Kidsreads.com and Teenreads.com. I originally queried on the Internet to find companies that review books. You might want to start with an online review service and later offer your skills to a print newspaper or magazine. The online review services provide reviewers with free books, but generally do not pay them. Later you could become a paid reviewer when you have clips of your reviews to send to a magazine or newspaper. I wrote a sample review for a middle grade novel I had read. I sent the sample review to several on line review services and I was accepted as a reviewer soon after that.

MEETING DEADLINES

I have learned valuable time management skills as a reviewer. With each book that I receive, I get a review deadline. I usually have about one month to read and write my review of each book, but it is sometimes shorter. This has sharpened my time management skills and it has made me a faster reader. Writing reviews also forces you to cut through the book and write a tight summary. This skill could come in handy if you ever need to write a query letter or a synopsis of a novel.

READERS MAKE BETTER WRITERS

Every writer has heard that you won't have the skills to write unless you read. I now read at least thirty-six children's novels each year in order to write my reviews. Most of the books I have reviewed have been quite good. I have had the thrill of being one of the first to read new books by Patricia Reilly Giff and Walter Dean Myers.

If you like to read children's books as much as I do, I think you might enjoy being a book reviewer. It forces you to read and write on schedule. You will be surprised that when your writing life becomes more structured, you will be a much more productive writer. Good luck and happy reading!

Renee Kirchner is a parent, educator, and freelance writer who specializes in writing for children and parents. Visit her fun and informational blog for parents and their kids at www.family-friend.blogspot.com and find out more about Rneee's writing services offered at www.lieurancegroup.blogspot.com or email her at renee.kirchner@usa.net to discuss possible writing projects.

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Using Book Reviews As a Promotion Tool

Can Blogging About Books Make You Money?

By L.a. Buroker 

People who love books like to share their love of books, and they often do this by blogging about them. They'll do book reviews, write-ups on new releases, author interviews, and other posts related to their favorite genres. If you're one these hobbyist bloggers, you're probably not in it for the money...but I bet you wouldn't mind making a little!

Thanks to affiliate programs, it's always been possible to make a few pennies here and there promoting titles listed on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., but changes in the last couple years are making it possible for more and more "book bloggers" to make respectable amounts of money from their sites. Few are making enough to live on, but lots are earning a nice part-time income from their passion. 

The changes I speak of have largely been brought about by the eBook revolution. 

The increasing popularity of eBook reading devices such as the Kindle, iPad, Nook, etc. has created a new audience of folks who purchase books (ebooks) regularly. People who previously bought a title or two a month are loading up their e-readers. Having novels automatically delivered to your device makes shopping super easy. The number of low-priced and even free ebooks is helping fuel people's excitement for digital purchases. 

Also, the eBook revolution has made self-publishing or "e-publishing" easier than ever, and this has created a wave of independent authors selling their titles at affordable prices. While readers might cringe at the idea of spending $10 for an eBook from a mainstream author, they might go on to purchase several novels in the $0.99 to $2.99 price range. And, thanks to generous royalty rates from online retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon, indie authors can still make money offering their works at these lower prices. 

By now, you're probably wondering how all this translates into bloggers making money.

There are a couple ways book bloggers (people who review books, write about new releases, interview authors, etc.) are cashing in on this phenomenon. The first is with the affiliate marketing we mentioned before. That's basically being paid on commission for promoting books or ebooks for Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, etc. 

Affiliate programs have been around since the being of e-commerce, but the eBook craze is making it easier to sell products to people. Ebooks can be purchased with a single click. They're then automatically delivered to people's e-readers. This eliminates shipping charges and extra steps dealing with shopping carts and filling in addresses and credit card information. 

Another way book bloggers are profiting from the indie eBook revolution is by selling advertising directly or indirectly to independent authors. Though publishing houses look down their noses at these small hobby blogs, indie authors are eager to get the word out about their offerings. They're looking to be seen, especially on blogs that attract people who happen to be in their target audience. As you might imagine, a science fiction author would love to have his work displayed on a blog that reviews popular science fiction books and ebooks. And he might just be willing to pay for it!

If you have a book blog, you may be able to turn that hobby into a part-time income. If you don't have a book blog yet, but you enjoy reading, now might be the time to start!

The author maintains an e-publishing blog for ebook authors. She's written a popular post on How to Make Money Promoting Ebooks, and you might find it interesting if you're looking to start making some money with your book blog.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Can-Blogging-About-Books-Make-You-Money?&id=5756037] Can Blogging About Books Make You Money?