The Art Of Critique: 5 Ways To Brand Your Book Reviews

How can you make your book reviews relate to your brand as a writer?

5 Ways To Brand Your Book Reviews

1. Know your reader.  Try to imagine your ideal reader sitting in front of you when you write your review. If you’re reviewing a novel or a movie, think of a friend you know enjoys the genre. What would she be looking for?
2. Give it your unique lens. What can you say that’s different to every other reviewer? If you’re a screenwriter, for example, perhaps your movie reviews will highlight what other screenwriters can learn from the movie. If it’s a business book, can you bring some of your own work experience to the review?
3. Create a format.  To make your reviews consistent, figure out what your average length will be, how you’ll structure your review, and so forth. Perhaps you’ll start with a bio on the author, give a plot teaser, or do a comparative review with books or movies with similar themes.
4. Your style. If you watch Ellen, Oprah, or The View, you’ll notice that although each is a talk show, some are serious, others witty or chatty. What is your tone and style as a reviewer? Do you want to make people laugh or think about a subject?
5. Sign off. How will you give your review a quirk or something memorable that the audience will remember? Perhaps instead of a star rating system, you’ll use wineglass icons; instead of a saying ‘A disappointing read’, you’ll say ‘Should be pulped.’

Just like Dorothy Parker, you must have a strong — a very strong — opinion on a book, whether it’s good or bad. Audiences don’t like ambivalence or weak opinions.

‘People will settle for a draw,’ my writing mentor Amanda Patterson once told a class, ‘but what they’re really looking for is a knockout.’

 by Anthony Ehlers

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