Denny Hatch criticizes book reviewers proclaiming they reveal too much information. Whether you agree or not, I follow these rules in writing book reviews:
* Honest: I try to provide an overview of the reading experience including the content without the marketing speak you find on the back of the book or inside the cover. In reading reviews, I want to know whether the book is worth my time — and that’s what I aim for in the reviews.
* Shoot for the right length. A book review isn’t an abstract, but it shouldn’t take much of a person’s time. Can’t put a number of words — you just know when it’s right. The review shouldn’t be so short that the reader doesn’t have a clue what to think. “I loved it. You must get it,” a frequent type of comment in Amazon reviews, just doesn’t cut it. You loved it, great. Tell me why.
* Provide new information: I study other reviews after writing mine to ensure I covered something different. Some people don’t rely on one review to make a decision. I want them to have a variety of information instead of the same stuff. Some people list the chapter titles. Boring. I only mention them if the entry doesn’t include the details, and briefly describe the chapter.The Perfect Thing is a perfect example (couldn’t resist).
* Don’t give away anything. Had to be said.
