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.), and tell the editors you're querying.Never miss a deadline, always write to length and, at least when you're starting out, don't argue about money.Some beginners even volunteer as reviewers to establish themselves and get clips.The best literary critics strive to achieve the level of excellence attained by the late Irving Howe, who wrote for many years for Dissent, which he founded, but also for The New York Times Magazine and other publications.Howe was known as the book critic's critic.Although he wrote his own award­winning books, he was widely known for his thoughtful essays and criticism.He was an independent thinker who avoided trends and trendy writing throughout his 50 years of work.Individuals as successful as Howe, for instance, improve with experience and depth of study.Howe taught university­level English literature.He knew his material.Even beginners these days must know their material.This is an important step in getting started.To get the review process underway, get to know the book contents, its genre, and the author well.Look through it and then read it.Read the title page, note the publisher,Page 253read the acknowledgments, introduction, and foreword.This is where you find out what the author says he or she is trying to do with the book.Skim the table of contents to get an idea of the scope of the book.Then turn to page one and read the book from front to back.Perhaps it may be surprising, but there are reviewers who do not read an entire book, or even parts of it, and try to write a review or even simply interview the author.A review can be written without reading the book, but the quality of the review invariably suffers and, thus, so does the service provided to the author, publisher, and the book­buying public.There are countless stories, and even comedy routines, based on talk show hosts, journalists, and others, about persons who did not prepare their work properly.Some research about the author(s) is also important to understanding the book you are reviewing.At times, the publisher provides some of this information for you on the flyleaf or on an author page at the end of the book.Some publishers, when sending out review copies to publications in advance of an announced publication release date, provide a press release/biography of the author.Advance reader copies are available as much as 6 months before official publication, but often these are uncorrected proofs editions with minor flaws and are usually only available in paperbound form.These are extraordinarily helpful in getting an advance look at a book, providing time for you to read the book before actually writing anything about it.There may also be summaries of the plot on the flyleaf or back cover that can be helpful to you in deciding if you want to review it at all.When reading a review, readers want to know something about the author.Who is he or she? How did he or she come to write this book? A good review integrates such information about the author and tells readers something about the author's previous works.It also makes sense to read as much of the previous works of an author as you can before you take on the current effort.This gives your review perspective and gives you the chance to compare and contrast within the author's own writing.Certainly, it also helps your readers if you, in your review, compare and contrast the book to others like it that have previously been published.Like record reviews, a thorough book review summarizes content without giving away plots, in addition to educating readers about the author.An information box accompanying a book review usually contains some or all of the following information:1.Author and title of book.2.Publisher and location, edition number (if applicable).Page 254A BOOK REVIEWER'S TIPS FOR WRITINGFreelance book reviewer and Boston University adjunct professor Mark Leccese (1998,personal communication) regularly writes about books.He says his book reviewstructure is flexible, depending on who will be reading the review:The form, shape, and content of my book reviews depend on the publication'saudience, the space I have, and the book itself.A piece about writing about books(or music, or film, or art) falls somewhere, I think, on a continuum: On one end are"reviews," ("It's good / It's fair / It's poor; here's what it's about") and on the other end is "criticism" (which tries to place the work in a larger context: of literature, of works in the field, and so forth).Where I aim on that continuum depends on whatthe editor (and that means the audience) wants.I have no formula for a review.The book itself, and what I have to say, willdetermine the shape and tone of the piece.I do have a few touchstones, though:Take careful notes as you read [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]