Reviewing is a strange phenomenon. Tens of thousands of people, often individuals who have never created anything like the works they are reviewing, sitting around and praising or degrading a work based on particular facets and personal preference.
Despite how uninformed or mind-numbing some reviews (and reviewers) can be, I want to take the next few minutes of your time to tell you why you should consider getting yourself into the habit of reviewing the books you read.
Quantitive and Qualitative Ratings
By reviewing books, you provide to the pool of ratings, especially if you review them on a cumulative platform like Goodreads or a retailer website. This helps to inform other would-be readers of the book’s quality, and generally aids them in deciding if it is a worthwhile purchase or suitable to their literary tastes.
In essence, you’re providing a small, but valuable, insight to the greater reading community—just as the community does for you every time you read a book review or look at star ratings for a new novel.
Promote the Books You Like
On a personal note, you can always just aspire to create positive reviews for works you really enjoyed. This is a great way to increase the likelihood of someone becoming a fan of your favourite novels, non-fiction publications, and authors.
Of course, that staddles the line of ‘book recommendation’ more than it does ‘book review’, so make sure you highlight why it’s a good book alongside singing its praises. Don’t be shy to point out a few negatives in your review, very few works are true literary masterpieces.
Create a Portfolio of Work
If you happen to be an English student and opt to start your own book-focused website (just like The Steady Read), publishing a myriad of quality reviews that show your linguistic, editorial, and critical abilities can be a very handy asset in your portfolio.
This is especially relevant if you are considering venturing into the content creation or online journalism sectors. Reviewing books may be a hobby or pastime to you now, but it can be very handy for your future career and prospects.
Monetisation
Speaking of prospects, if you decide to start your own website or platform for reviewing books—or get employed by a book-reviewing firm, such as Reedsy—there is plenty of extra money to be made.
Now, don’t expect to make a living wage, especially not when you start. But, if you are tenacious enough, and the talent and ability shines through, you may just be fortunate enough to make a decent living reviewing books. A bit like travel writers who enjoy seeing around the world, how could you possibly complain about such a job if you have a love for reading?
Reward & Self-Entertainment
Do something because you love it or want to, that is what parents and adults often tell us across our childhood years. So, if you love reading books and have a desire to write about them, definitely consider getting into book reviewing.
It can almost be addicting, especially if you find it very rewarding and entertaining. So, if you are on the fence, try writing a small review about a work you really liked or disliked, that way you can find your voice and review style naturally.
Making More of Your Books
Generally speaking, once we read a book we are highly unlikely to ever read it again, unless using it for an essay or if we want to enjoy a bit of nostalgia.
Reviewing books can extend your time with a book as you trawl back through it to note what you like and dislike about it, or to find some of the best quotes from it (if you intend to include those in your reviews or analysis of the writing). Regardless, reviewing books allows you to get a few extra hours of entertainment from each publication you purchase.
Promotes Reading
Reviewing books prompts your desire to read more. Without The Steady Read, I’m certain I would not be reading as many books as I do in a year.
Of course, reviewing takes up time that could be spent reading instead; that is a valid argument. However, the cycle of read-review-repeat helps segment our use of free time and can perhaps help with lessening the effects of burnout or reader’s block.
Every one is different, but I can personally say writing reviews provides me with a breather between books and often spurs me to finish books I started and have began to wane on. As an experiment, try writing a few hundred words of a review for every book you read and see how it impacts your reading—you don’t have to publish them anywhere if you would rather keep them private!
Not every one is cut out for book reviewing, and you may even weigh in and say I’m quite the useless reviewing. Reviewing, regardless of what anyone suggests, is a very personal form of writing. In my opinion, the more nuanced a review is, the better.
When I started this website back in June 2023, I was pretty mediocre with reviewing works. And, with some shame in admitting this, there are times where I write a review and think, ‘that’s rubbish,’ but still try my best to work it into something readable.
If you are curious about book reviewing, simply give it a try. You can write long or short reviews, you can simply make a list of strong and weak points; your style is your choice, and you find your footing and refine your work with time and experience.
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