Everyone’s a critic these days, but within the literary universe, the art of critiquing is no task for the meek. Dissecting the nuts-and-bolts of what makes a story work — or not — takes a trained eye. There are miles of distance between a one-star stinker and a five-star phenomenon, and recognizing those differences requires the work of the assertive; those unafraid to flay the flesh from characters and dig deep into the viscera of influences and motives, or to call out those narrative plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. It’s the business of Rick Hipson and the like, shored up by chops that take decades of commitment to develop. Or took decades — a time investment that Hipson’s latest release, A Reviewer’s Guide to Writing Book Reviews: And How to Get Paid for Them (Crystal Lake Publishing), is hoping to shave down as much as possible.
A trusted and battle-worn hand of the horror critiquing trade, Hipson’s work has been featured across various print and digital outlets. And with so many books deserving of an audience, the author is excited to usher in the next generation of critics ready, willing, and capable of leaving their own stamp on the industry. The branches of Hipson’s learning tree sprout far and wide, providing an inviting breadth of knowledge for those willing to accept it. For those who do, the path to becoming a well-respected book reviewer can be synonymous with that of being a well-paid book reviewer.
Hipson chatted up Cemetery Dance to discuss his latest book, available now.
(Interview conducted by Kevin Hoover)
CEMETERY DANCE: What initially kickstarted the idea to pen A Reviewer’s Guide to Writing Book Reviews: And How to Get Paid for Them?
RICK HIPSON: Social media gets blamed for a lot of things these days and, if I’m being fair, I need to blame it in part for this guidebook as well. For a long while I saw folks chiming in with several posts where authors would share images of their beautiful ARCs (Advance Reading Copies) of their upcoming books. These things are coveted (and among my favorites in my personal collection) and readers would often respond by asking how they could be included as a recipient of an ARC. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t posted a teaser image of ARCs I’ve been sent to much of the same response.
Similarly, I would often see posts from passionate readers suggesting they wish they could be a better reviewer for any number of reasons, whether it’s so they can get a sweet ARC, better support authors and books they love, or simply to see themselves printed in the review section of a favorite print or online publication. And I get it, I understand it all because it’s what I want as well.
All this got me thinking how I’ve been doing this reviewing thing for a pretty long time — over twenty (!) years. My reviews consistently get published in the review section of publications such as Rue Morgue magazine, Cemetery Dance and, periodically, a handful of others. I have never and will likely never feel as though I’m the authority on writing reviews. There are so many great reviewers out there and so many ways to write an engaging, impactful, honest review. But I know what it took and continues to take for me to pull off publishing well-received reviews in professional publications and getting paid for them. I know what it takes to have authors say “yes” to ARC requests. So, with all that in mind, I figured I had enough know-how to answer the questions I keep seeing pop up in my social feeds and to help support the journey of aspiring reviewers and those seeking to sharpen their skills based on my own journey and relative success. That was the genesis of my guidebook. Early reviews tell me I nailed it as far as what I set out to do, which is very encouraging. I hope this ends up being a go-to tool for other reviewers, no matter where they are in their writing journey.
Give us a general outline — what are some of the topics you cover?
I’ve got to admit, I surprised myself when I began to outline what I felt a guidebook on writing book reviews needed to contain. There is a whole lot that goes into a professional review that I learned gradually over the years that I hadn’t even realized it until I began trying to put it into words in the most comprehensive, concise way I could. We all know a bad review when we see one. Likewise, we all know when we’ve been inspired to go order and read a book ASAP because of a great review. What we don’t always take into consideration is why. What made this review a success? What made another review stop us from wanting to order the book being reviewed, let alone not even finish reading the review, if that was the case? I wrote this guidebook not only as a reviewer, but also as a reader who relies on the effectiveness of a good review to help me decide what I need to buy and read next. All that to say, I literally started at the beginning by dissecting and examining what an impactful opening hook looks like and how to write one. I do the same regarding the closing statement of a review. Just ask Stephen King how important endings are (HA!). Reviews are no exception. I also zoom in on the guts of the review and analyze how to organize your initial, honest thoughts and feelings and how to articulate them in a meaningful way that isn’t confusing to the reader. I also focus on how to edit the review, how to ensure that only descriptions and statements that must be used are used and how to spot unnecessary fat that can be cut out. I give as many examples as possible and even give some samples of editor’s notes so that readers get a better sense of what an editor needs a review to do.
Along with practical examples, I also cover topics that might not be automatically considered but are important all the same. Stuff like how to best approach authors without coming across as creepy or spammy, how to use your newly acquired knowledge to turn your reviews into revenue in several ways, and how to have editors requesting reviews from you!
Anyone who has ever made an honest attempt at launching a writing career has, undoubtedly, experienced outlets that offer “exposure” in lieu of cash. Would you ever advise a writer — new or otherwise — to take on free gigs, or should the notion of “writing for exposure” be laid to rest?
This is a great question. It’s also complicated because at the end of the day, it’s up to the individual to decide what they want out of their reviews, and what they want out of their writing in the short and long term. Using my own experience, I would say that any starting point is a good place to start. If all you care about is providing a review that an author can link to or otherwise benefit from — be it via Amazon’s algorithm or bragging rights on their own social media posts — then getting paid is probably not much of a concern. If, on the other hand, you want to support readers and authors alike with the best quality reviews you’re capable of with potential to earn a little money for the time and energy you spend, well, your goals will look a bit different. Hell, maybe all you care about is getting free ARCs in exchange for sharing your honest thoughts. No such thing as a wrong answer here if the reviewer is fine with the outcome.
Now, assuming someone reading this is like me and has ambitions to be the best reviewer they can be and get paid to publish in reputable, professional publications, then I would caution you to spend too much time wallowing in “for the love” (AKA exposure only) publications. To repeat, you still do have to start somewhere. Call me biased, but it’s where I started. I began writing articles, interviews and reviews for no pay for small, independent publications which no longer exist. I would usually get a free copy of the magazine or other cool swag, but mostly I got the thrill of seeing my work in print. But the biggest payoff? What I got was experience and the space to hone my craft, to realize what worked and what didn’t. I got to determine if this writing thing was just a chore, or something worth sticking with. I got to understand if I had the thick skin to take criticism and to keep pushing myself to do better while meeting deadlines. It was also a fantastic way to begin making connections with authors (and filmmakers), some of whom became friends and many I still interact with and review for.
Eventually, my big break came when I got a pitch accepted by my favorite magazine, Rue Morgue. I had finally made it! Or so I thought. You see, it turned out my review wasn’t exactly up to the sort of quality Rue Morgue expected of their writers. Even after the editor did her best to level up my work, it still lacked the highest standard of Rue Morgue. But the worst part? Because I was expected to turn in a professional review, but at the last minute turned in one that needed some work, Rue Morgue had no choice but to publish it; there was simply no time to replace it and they needed to go to print. Seeing something I wrote in a pro magazine and knowing it wasn’t up to the level it should have been was a huge blow for me. After bowing my head in shame for a minute, I was delegated to writing sixty-word reviews for Rue, yet I was determined to fix my weaknesses and learn how to write a professional level review every time out. Thanks in part to my own dogged stubbornness and advice received from supportive editors I got to learn from by writing in the proverbial trenches of “exposure only” presses, I would eventually learn what it took to craft an impactful review that readers –– and publishers –– could benefit from.
To summarize: write for free if that’s what it takes to learn how to do it, but once you begin to write well enough that publishers are willing to pay you, don’t look back, and know that the professional writer who has put in the work deserves to get paid — always.
So, I read your book and followed your advice, and lo and behold I’ve landed a paying job! But woe is me; my big break is reviewing a book from one of my literary heroes. What if I don’t like it — I can’t say bad things about an author whose work I generally love … can I?
This is an interesting question, and one I see pop up often enough on social media. It seems everyone has a different take on how to handle reviewing books that just didn’t jive with them. It can be a stressful conundrum and even more so if the book in question is from a literary hero or even just an author whose work is generally enjoyed by you or others.
Maybe I’m just extremely lucky, but I’ve yet to read a total stinker that I’ve already agreed to review. Let me rewind a moment. It’s important to keep in mind that you are never under any obligation to review a book — to a point. If you’ve let a publisher or author know you will review their book only to find out that it sucked by your standards and tastes, you are free to let the publisher or author know that the book didn’t work for you personally and you feel it’s best if you opt out. Hey, it happens. Even Babe Ruth didn’t knock ‘em all out of the park. An exception would be if you have a deadline to meet and it’s too late for a publisher to replace your opted out review with another. What do you do then? Well, then you must review it and I think that’s where your question becomes most interesting.
My best advice in every review scenario is, first and foremost, be honest. The moment you overhype or mislead a reader into thinking a book you read is something it’s not, then you may as well call it a day, because you just lost all credibility as a reviewer readers can trust. Without trust, you’re another talking head without any merit. That said, it doesn’t mean you should crap all over the book as if it just stole your lunch money and kicked you in the shin in front of your friends.
My usual approach is to focus on the parts that worked for me, assuming there were any. If I can’t find anything I liked, chances are it would have been a DNF (Did Not Finish) and I would have simply gone on to read something else (assuming I had the time before the almighty deadline). As for the parts that didn’t work, mention them but be as kind as you can be while keeping it professional. And don’t be vague. Telling us that the author doesn’t know plot from his or her own ass or that their characters were boring and predictable doesn’t cut it. Give some examples. Maybe say something like, “If not for the shallow characters who were indistinguishable from the next and whose motives seemed nonexistent, the plot — which was both creative and enticing — might not have fallen short of what could have been.” Or something like that. You get the idea. By providing examples and articulating your reasons for feeling the way you did, you keep it professional and give readers a better sense of why a book is or isn’t likely for them. Heck, I once read a book of bad monster jokes and terrible puns and managed to focus on its place in the horror canon while having fun poking at the chore of getting through it in a way that I felt was fun to write and read that didn’t come across as berating. Writing and publishing is long, grueling, painstaking work that deserves our respect as much as our honesty. Balance is the key.
Let’s say I don’t only want to review books — I want to do movies, video games, etc. Can you help me with that?
The short answer is yes! A review is a review is a review. Whether you review for video games, movies (which I also do), board games or cookie recipes, this guidebook can still provide plenty of helpful tools to make your game stronger no matter which genre or industry you may be writing in. Of course, you will need to tweak your approach a bit depending on what you’re reviewing. For example, if you’re covering movies, you’re going to want to touch on lighting, direction, camera angles, sound quality, etc. Covering a video game? You should probably mention ease of controls, image rate, coloring, and other related factors. I think you get the idea, but many of the principals in my guide can indeed be transferred and used to benefit your reviews no matter what you’re reviewing, even if it’s grandma’s not-so-secret cookie recipe.
It seems like there’s a million people who do reviews nowadays. What advice would you give to those who feel that maybe there’s no room for a newbie in the market?
The good news is that most make little-to-no money, so there will always be room at the top and all the way down for a few more reviewers. Plus, with everyone and their pet hamster owning their own personal website, blog, or social media page, it’s as easy as declaring “I’m in!” There’s no such thing as too many reviews. An author will never think the world would be a better place if only fewer people were reading and reviewing their work. Publishers are always looking for capable reviewers and usually appreciate having plenty to pick from. Not to mention, the horror genre has been in a major upswing in popularity of late and there are plenty of online and print publications to pitch your reviews to, many of which are paying. And if you’re not quite up to the standard of getting paid to be published in the top publications? Getting to read for free to hone your craft and share your reviews on free platforms like Amazon and Facebook is still a great place to start, regardless of your ambitions to take it any further.
All in all, if I can learn how to write professional reviews that publishers pay me for, then I truly believe anyone can figure out how to do it and can probably do so in a fraction of the time it took me.
My best advice to newbies and intermediate reviewers alike who want to go pro is to never stop. Be consistent, be persistent, and stay passionate. Develop a thick skin for taking criticism and making mistakes as early as possible. Always strive to improve your craft. Read other reviews and take note of what you felt worked and what you felt didn’t, then analyze why. Do the same with your own reviews. Remember that if an author turns you down for an ARC or a publisher rejects your pitch, “no” doesn’t mean forever, just “no” right now.
If you’re truly passionate about reviewing and can’t wait to be at your best no matter what your goals are, whether you desire to be paid in cold hard cash or not, then above all else, keep reading, keep reviewing, and keep improving. Never stop until it just isn’t fun anymore because you never know where it will take you. I promise you that when I botched my first pro review attempt, I would’ve never guessed that I would be sitting here today anticipating my own guidebook on writing reviews coming out from Crystal Lake Entertainment, one of the best small press publishers to do it. I never would have imagined that I’d also be working on a reviewer’s workshop, and that many of those early reviews led to amazing connections which led to many amazing conversations which I will also be publishing next year in a massive collection of interviews and reviews. And I feel like I’m just getting started!
So, stick with it, folks, and I’ll look forward to seeing your name in the magazines!
A Reviewer’s Guide to Writing Book Reviews: And How to Get Paid for Them is now available in both digital and paperback at https://getbook.at/ReviewersGuide.
