Freelance Book Reviewers?

[dreamcatcher]

Hello.

I have the opportunity to work as a volunteer book reviewer for a local newspaper. Although I obviously love reading and am quite capable of writing a decent review, I have no idea what kind of expectations come with the role.

The advertisement says that the criteria for a reviewer includes the ability to read a book in less than a week on a semi-regular basis. I do work full time but I'm confident I'll be able to do so (as long as I get a week's break every now and then) but having never done any freelance writing I guess I'd like some outside opinions.

Do you know what it's like to be a freelance book reviewer or work full time while freelancing? Do you have any idea what might be meant by "semi-regular"? (Unfortunately I have no means of contacting anyone to ask!) I feel this is a great opportunity considering I intend on studying writing and editing at university in the near future.

What do you think?

[LLauren]

Congratulations on the gig, Dreamcatcher. I'm a bit puzzled by your comment that they need you to read a book in less than a week on a semi-regular basis. Does that mean your column will be weekly but that you can write things other than reviews for it?

When I did the same thing, though I was paid, I found the combination of a full-time job and reading a book and reviewing it got very tiring after a while. I'd interview, write commentary, and other things just to get away from the pressure of read it/review it. But overall you can handle it if you use your time extremely well. Plan on giving up other things, though, because that deadline never takes a break.

You will want to talk to your editor about her expectations. I am thinking specifically of ethics. Are you going to have in place a policy about reviewing self-published and/or vanity-published books? Will you consider reviewing books by people you know, a consideration if you live in a medium to small town where you know a fair number of them. Will the editor want you to focus on local books and authors? Are you going to review only one or two genres or anything that catches your fancy? Do you want to focus on lesser known authors, or do you read those who have been widely reviewed elsewhere? What will you bring to your reviews that readers can't get elsewhere?

These are only a few questions off the top of my head, but it might be worth thinking about them plus any others that pop up. Do go over with your editor her expectations and yours. Know your parameters and your ethics. Stick to them. And good luck!

[dreamcatcher]

Thanks for the response LLauren.

I'm sorry about the confusion, but I'm actually responding to an advertisement that says the criteria for being a reviewer is having the ability to read a book in less than a week and that book reviews will be "semi-regular". I'm assuming that means you'll be given a book with little notice and be expected to have a review ready for it in a week's time. What I was wondering about was what "semi-regular" could possibly mean. Once a week, once a fortnight? And is once a week do-able for a full-timer? Fortunately I don't have many hobbies other than reading and writing, so I wouldn't be giving up much if it came to that.

It's also a volunteer role for a large country town, so it won't be as demanding as most. I don't think I get to choose the books either, it's simply read and review.

Was your experience as a book reviewer still worthwhile?

[Alessandra Kelley]

Does "volunteer" mean you won't be paid? Because, from what I understand, even reviewers who are well paid and love to read (or watch movies or go to restaurants) find it gets draggy sometimes. Reading for reviews changes the way you look at and think about books (or movies or food). And if you are on someone else's schedule but not being compensated it can be very wearing.

[dreamcatcher]

Yes, it means that. You do get to keep the books you review though.

I was seeing it as more of an opportunity for experience, as I haven't yet had any of my writing published or worked in any job related to the book industry.

[veinglory]

Paid reviewing is pretty rare, so it does not surprise me that this position is unpaid for a small paper.

I think you should go for it. It will make a connection with the paper and raise your profile, both useful thing for a writer. And the up side of being a volunteer is that if you don't have time one week or don't like a certain book you can probably opt out, or get to pick and choose to some extent.

I was an unpaid reviewer for a couple of small press print mags and it was fun.

[LLauren]

What I was wondering about was what "semi-regular" could possibly mean. Once a week, once a fortnight? And is once a week do-able for a full-timer?

It's also a volunteer role for a large country town, so it won't be as demanding as most. I don't think I get to choose the books either, it's simply read and review.

Was your experience as a book reviewer still worthwhile?

I'm sorry it took me a while to get back to you, Dreamcatcher. I believe my experience at the newspaper was worthwhile because I had the opportunity to talk about what I loved. I had long dreamed of having a column, but my original thought was to have it be a general one. In other words, I could talk about anything. But a book editor and several writers I knew felt that such a thing was unlikely to fly, that finding a specialty niche was the best way to go. Shortly thereafter, I was accepted by an online site and reviewed for them for more than a year. Then this newspaper started up. I read it for two or three months; its reputation grew so I sent a query letter to the editor. He called me two days after I mailed it and the next week we met. He offered me the position.

The paper, unfortunately, lost him not long thereafter but the new editor kept me on. About three years after I started it folded. By that time, I had been nagged encouraged to start a website to continue my book reviewing and I did. (It's in my tagline.) I believe it was that experience that taught me not only a lot about writing but about what to do and, more importantly, not to do as an editor. (The second editor was, shall we say, more a bully than an editor.)

However, I had been published before, mostly socio-political and personal essays so while I was not a beginning writer I would rate myself as fairly inexperienced.

Someone else pointed out that reading for review is much different than reading for enjoyment. I will second that, and if you have little to no choice in what you are given to review I think you'll find that weighs on you very much after a while. I began to really resent that restriction especially because many of the local books I saw were published by vanity houses and simply terrible. The job became more of a chore. And my ethics were bent to a degree that I hated. I was both relieved and happy when the job ended.

Can you combine it with a full-time job? Yes, but as I said it will take a lot of your free time. If you love the books you review that will be some compensation. If not, and without pay, it's going to be tough.

Have you ever read George Orwell's essay on book reviewing (http://www.george-orwell.org/Confessions_of_a_Book_Reviewer/0.html)? It's . . . blunt. And cynical, but I think, even today there is some truth in it through probably less so since book reviewers tend more now to be people who love books rather than authors (and others) doing "literary waitressing."

You may want to have a sit down or at least a clear e-mail chat with your editor. Know what will be expected. Understand your role. Ask yourself if it will fit in with your writing goals, your ethics, your time, and your energy. If so, go for it.

[dreamcatcher]

Thanks for the advice veinglory. It's nice to hear that you had fun reviewing.

LLauren, thanks for sharing your experience. You've given me something to think about. I can certainly relate to the character in Orwell's essay (as a student anyway.) I hope it won't come to that though! I also don't want reading to become a chore...

I guess the only way I'll really know if this is going to work for me is to try it out. Wish me luck :) And thanks again.

[GradyHendrix]

I was a professional book and movie reviewer for years, and it's a great job. The thing that's important to remember is that just because you like something, that doesn't mean it's good. And just because you hate something, that doesn't mean it's bad.

As for the workload, it's totally doable. Semi-regular makes it sound like it's at least bi-weekly, which isn't so bad. And from my experience, the longer you do it, the better you're going to get at it. What seems like a tough workload for reviews 1 - 5 is going to feel easy for reviews 80 - 100.

Good luck!