Quote:
Originally Posted by Pierre Lawrence
More on Kirkus. I revisited the website to read sample reviews, specifically of a book or two I had read to see if Kirkus' opinion of the book's merit coincided with mine. Alas, you can't search by title, but only by genre. In the fiction category I read a review of Stephen King's If it Bleeds (I'm a fan, not necessarily of the horror genre, but of him as a writer) and a title that caught my eye, The Tatooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.
In each case, I estimate the review was about 300 words long, and consisted basically of a synopsis written in a breezy, eminently readable style, more like a lengthy blurb than an in-depth critique. Thus its value as criticism that could improve your writing appears to be limited (the review of the The Tatooist did however find that "The writing is merely serviceable, and one can't help but wish the author had found a way to present her material as nonfiction"), but I do think a Kirkus review could give you a good indication as to the likelihood of your book becoming a commercial success.
|
You can do an awful lot of the heavy lifting on that last comment through the simple and time-honored expedient of working inside a writer's group or community or using a critique group. Some of the ones around the net, like Critters, are quite valuable, mostly because they require you to GIVE crits to GET crits.
99% of writers just starting out (or on book 3, btw) don't realize that you learn more by reading for, and giving, crits than getting them. That's the biggest value.
If the only person who's read one's book prior to publication is related by blood or marriage to you--that's the wrong person to read it and abso-freaking-lutely the wrong person to critique it.
Or, hell, there are paid critiquing and reading services, VERY good ones, that for about the same amount of money will give you a far more in-depth analysis of what's wrong--and what's right--with your book.
Hitch