Today’s article was submitted our way by William Yatscoff –
Marketing Manager for Bookkus Publishing an
independent publisher based in Canada focusing on eBooks and paperbacks selling
via online stores and independent bookstores. He has experience working with several start-ups
and focuses most of his energy on marketing and the Bookkus community. William prides himself on his ability to create
solutions from nothing and does not understand the word ‘impossible’. His avid
love for reading and his desire to improve the publishing industry were clear
reasons for Bookkus to begin.
William’s article will give us an overview of the past, present, and future of
book reviewing, and will discuss how the quantity, quality, and integrity of
reviews have affected the industry.
The World of Book Reviewing
Past – Challenges of Becoming a Book Reviewer
Before the mass use
of the Internet, the doors to book reviewing were harder than ever to open and
book reviewing was a powerful tool for only the few. The quality of reviews was
usually okay and the integrity of the reviewers was unknown.
People found new
books in only a few ways. They asked a friend, read a newspaper/magazine, see
it on TV or search in a library. This gave lots of power to publishers while
authors were forced to whatever terms they could receive. Book reviewers were
paid well by media outlets, but it seemed like a good system at the time.
The options of book
discovery were quite limited and the power of the few choices was large. This
created a huge power for the media. Newspapers and television was a huge
influence on buyers. If an author’s book made it into the newspaper for a
review it had a good chance of being read by most readers. Television was less
likely to review a book, but it still had the same effect on readers.
The editor of the
media outlet dictated review quality. If the editor liked the review writer
then it was fine for the newspaper, but readers may not have agreed and avoided
that section of the paper. Quality of a review really depends on how much a
reader can relate to the writer and with the old review channels this was
limited to one or two people.
If you knew the book
reviewer you had an in that no one else had. You were sure to get your book
reviewed and positively compared with anyone else. This is not to mention the
deals between publishers and the writer/newspaper. How strong was the integrity
of giving impartial reviews to books? That is a good question that we won’t see
answer.
In the past becoming
a book reviewer was a difficult task for anyone and getting a review for a book
was equally as hard. Being a book reviewer was a good job since it was a steady
and well-read section in most newspapers.
Present – Book Reviewers Rampant
The world has
changed since the internet opened the doors for anyone to become a book
reviewer and for anyone to publish a book. These two advents allowed for the
normal person’s book review power to increase exponentially while increasing
the demand for book reviews in the world. This has had positive and negative
effects on the reviewing world.
I can create a book
reviewing blog in about 2 minutes (per site) on about 10-20 different sites.
That is a pretty amazing. This means that anyone can become a book reviewer at
any time they want. There are very few barriers to entry. To become a book
reviewer who makes money take more patience. Think about how easy it is and how
many non-incorporated entities can create book reviews. Their reviews are
probably just as good as any newspaper or magazine.
With quantity - comes
quality issues. Amazon is finding this out. How many reviews on Amazon are
real? How about Goodreads? There are so many sites for providing reviews online
with so many fake reviews being posted quality has dropped significantly.
Quality is now on some blogs who have reviewing guidelines for ensuring readers
understand the blogs reviewing policy. Newspapers still provide quality, but
integrity is still an issue.
Integrity is at an
all-time low for book reviewing on buying sites and potential other sites. It
is easier than ever to buy reviews for products with no repercussions. This
damages readers and authors. People are less likely to trust unknown sources of
information. Although this has always been a problem online, it is a growing concern.
When people become a book reviewer they often think of money instead of values.
There are many quality review sites online, but you need to find them.
Future Book Reviewing in 2013
The future of book
reviewing is going to be closer and more tight knit and in your circle. Instead
of Amazon showing you people’s reviews of books who you do not know, they will
show you your mom’s review of ‘A Game of Thrones’ (which still might encourage
you to buy it).
The quantity of book
reviewers is only going to increase, but only the strongest will prevail. Many
big reviewers will survive based on their integrity and quality of reviews.
Anyone lacking these qualities will disappear.
If you are planning
to become a book reviewer or already a book reviewer it is important to think
of the quality and integrity of your review into the future. Without these you
won’t make it far. The ability for people to sniff through bad reviews or make
one bad buying decision based on your words is spread too quickly and easily for
you to survive.
Book reviewing is
only growing stronger in the future. If you can write well with integrity you
will only see positive things when you become a book reviewer. The world of book
reviewing is a great place to start since it is only getting bigger.
Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, their radio program, blog, and more at: http://brummet.ca * Support the Brummets by telling your friends, clicking those social networking buttons, or visiting the Brummet's Store - and help raise funds for charity as well!
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