spare book review

spare book review

The Importance of Book Reviews in Promoting Spare Books

1. Introduction

The importance of book reviews was discussed at the annual meeting of the British Libraries Association in 1902. The object of the paper was to denote the chief methods and effects of book criticism upon the public mind. It was pointed out that there has been no period in history in which the people of European countries have read so much as at the present time. This being so, the serious or frivolous character of their reading is a matter of vital importance. Whatever conduces to the increase of knowledge or the stimulation of thought is a national gain. Anything which dissipates mental energy or fosters intellectual sloth is a public calamity. Now, literature, both in its creative and its critical work, is one of the chief agents in this mental process. The broad division in literature corresponds to the accepted division in the character of the public—the distinction, namely, between the work which helps to make people wiser and better and that which panders to foolishness and vanity.

2. Benefits of Book Reviews

Benefits of book reviews include increased visibility. A book review is a form of advertising for the book. However, it is far more valuable than simple advertising in newspapers or magazines. It is a critical analysis of the content, quality, and significance of the book, and is likely to be read by many people who are contemplating whether to purchase the book. A favorable review can increase the visibility of a book significantly and lead to an increase in sales. Reviewers often have an audience of their own, and a good review from a popular reviewer can lead to a great increase in the popularity of the book. In addition, book review columns are often syndicated, meaning that multiple newspapers or periodicals will purchase and reprint the column, thus further increasing the visibility of the book. In addition to increasing the visibility of a book, quality book reviews can provide useful feedback for the author. A reviewer will critically evaluate the book and point out both its strengths and weaknesses. This will allow the author to build on the positive aspects of their book and revise or avoid the negative aspects of their book in future writings. An author will value feedback from a neutral and unbiased party, and often it is easier to accept the critical comments of a reviewer than those of a friend or relative. A review that provides constructive criticism can help an author to improve their writing and it is likely that they will seek reviews of future books.

3. How to Write an Effective Book Review

A good book review applies the following questions to the book reviewed. In answering them, the worth of the book is found. What is the book about? How does it go about telling its story? What is the author’s point of view? How effective is it? What are the authorities for the author? Are they adequate? How credible is the author? What has the author accomplished? What is the value of the book? Whether the review is a recommendation or pans the book, these questions will guide the assessment of the book review. The following steps are a bit formal. They need the information extracted from the book review, which we will see is almost a distillation process from the review. Develop a clear, comprehensive, precise, and concise concept of the book review. It provides an overall assessment of the value of the book review. The theme and the sources given for the reader/author’s credibility can be included. To understand the review’s recommendation, read this passage. This distillation is the value of the information on the book. It is from here that the assessment of the value of the book review will come. What has been pulled off the book review, is it credible, and does it have value. Always have the passage and the book. This is the aid of memory. Any other sources will serve no higher purpose than to force the memory of what has been read from the information provided in the review. Now it would be possible to make an assessment of the value of the information and sources if a social science-like paper. This value is based on the importance of using this information. The more important a subject, the more valuable the information on it will be. A simple rating system can prove useful for a quick assessment. Now compare the rating of the information with the rating of the book as a whole; the assessment is now apparent.

4. The Impact of Book Reviews on Spare Books

Finally, even a reviewed book that does not succeed may not be the end of the story and a case may arise for trying to resurrect sales, this is often something that has to be accepted and it has been with an unsuccessful book The History of Public Finance.

All this is slightly more clear cut with a modern book and an instance from doing SES between A levels and degree was that I was recommended to buy a certain blue undergraduate economic text for ES1 Economics, unfortunately my tutor did not give me the title or author and I ended up with Microeconomic Theory and its Applications by Jansson. An available review of this recommendation would certainly have left me with less confusion and it is the presence of simple, general textbooks that are most affected by reviews.

With the growing demise of the A level due to A2 modular exams, GCSE has become the new ‘A level’ and reviews in journals and conference sales following the start of the exam changes have never been more vital, particularly for lower papers. Despite many teachers having course guidelines, often a glowing review will persuade them to examine or purchase a text of which they are unsure and likewise at the lower levels the decision may be influenced by the parent. These review decisions are very important as the better the text is perceived in relation to its competitor, the higher its sales are likely to be. This is a crucial point particularly on the lower level texts as the GCSE is the future for these books so if they do not succeed, neither does the book and this has been seen by the fact that out of the SHP’s John D Clare series, only Schools History Project Medicine has a reader, an indication that the others were not successful texts.

Having discussed books in general, it is clear that book reviews and word of mouth play an important part in the promotion of books, and the success of books is important to the underpinning of the discipline. As an established genre, textbooks have been through the review process and particularly in the case of A level texts, the reviews are something of which to be proud. Comments from the School’s History Project on Thinking Through History were that “This is a magisterial piece of work” and SHP History Year 7 had “no hesitation in commending it to our teachers as a course textbook”. These reviews are important to writers and the endorsement by the SHP has led to the text being used widely, of which the result is open for evaluation in terms of how successful a text it has been.

The impact of reviews on spare books

5. Conclusion

Book reviews are an essential element in marketing, and as such, you should be willing to put in a small amount of effort to ensure that extra copies of your book are put into print. Market your work to the best of your ability, and you will always find success in some form. This is where book reviews come in. They provide the social proof to your potential customers that your work is worthwhile. Writing or obtaining book reviews today can be a challenge simply because the book review has been devalued in many places. This has happened in the wake of book sales moving to the internet. Some of the outlets for book reviews are no longer present (i.e. newspapers) or have such a general readership that the fraction of potential customers that will see the review is minuscule. In these situations, you should weigh the time investment of obtaining a review versus the potential sales from that review – it may be more worthwhile to put your effort elsewhere. That said, the book review is far from being outmoded. The internet has provided a vast number of potential review outlets, and while many of them will not provide sweeping exposure for your work, every bit helps. Always consider who the audience for your book is and where they are likely to look for reviews. In the cases of many books, the best review is a simple one posted to a relevant forum. Remember to never feel despondent about the number of reviews you get or the quality of the reviews. Every review helps. Always remember that your goal is to keep promoting your book, and reviews are a simple way to give your book momentum in a continuing quest to gain more readers.