Hi Guys!
Today I thought I would go through my process for writing reviews! I try to start writing reviews as soon as possible after reading the book because then everything is fresher in my mind. If it’s been a while I either read a summary or skim through the book itself.
It usually takes me about 15-20 minutes to write a review which is nice because that means I can just sit down and knock out about five in an hour! This is my general process:
Step One: Read the Books (duh)
Once I find a book I am interested in, I read it! While I read I am sort of multi-tasking. Mostly I read it for enjoyment but as I go through, I am taking mental notes of characters, quotes, writing style, plotlines, and things like that. When I am reading on my kindle, I actually type in the notes using the notes feature.
Step Two: Summarizing
After I finish the book and sit down to write the review, the first thing I do is try to summarize it in my own words. My goal for this is to give a basic summary that is no more than two paragraphs long. That way the first thing the reader sees is about the book itself which may help them decide whether or not to read it.
Step Three: Critiques and Praises
Whenever I am writing a review, I always try to do a balance or critiques and praises. If I don’t like a book, I still try to put in some compliments or helpful suggestions because behind every book is an author who worked really hard. When I am reviewing I try to talk about:
- Plot
- Writing Style
- Characters
- Settings
- Obstacles
- Audience
Sometimes I don’t talk about all 6 of these things, but I try to talk about at least 2 per review.
Step Four: Editing and Formatting
I always write my reviews in Google Docs, then move them over to the WordPress editor. WordPress editor and the plugin Yoast SEO help me edit my review so it is more accessible to the reader and for Search Engines to find. In this stage, I do one last grammar check, add in any photos, and add in my hashtags and categories.
After these steps, I schedule my post and that is how I write my reviews! I have a schedule as to when I post my reviews and blog posts. Once they are posted, I advertise them on social media and to my friends and family!
I hope you all enjoyed this post! Let me know if you guys want more like this!
XOXO Shelby Grace
Check out my reviews here
