Nikki Jefford's Blog, page 15

Review Writing Tips, Featuring Candace's Book Blog

A warm welcome this Tuesday to Candace from Candace's Book Blog and CBB book promotions! I have always been impressed by Candace's review writing skills and today she has been generous enough to share her 8+ years of reviewing expertise with the following tips.

Stop by my blog to enter to win a Book Lovers Review Journal or $10 Gift Card.
http://www.nikkijefford.com/2013/04/r...

First of all, I don’t really think there’s a right way or a
wrong way to review. We all need to find
our voice and practice usually does that. If you write enough reviews you start to find your own style and once
you have that style and your voice is down people will start to realize your
own uniqueness and will come back time and time again to read your fabulous
reviews! 

I have been reviewing books for almost 5 years (on my blog)
and even longer on other sites. Once I
found my voice (which has changed over the years, BTW) I discovered it’s best
for me to write like I talk.  This isn’t
always easy. I mean, sometimes we just
don’t have much to say, right? Well this
is where I have a few things that I purposely try to point out.

My
Emotions ~ What did I feel when I finished reading the book?  Recently I said in a review that I had
so much love for the book that I hugged it close after finishing that last
page.  I stroked it tenderly while
tears ran down my face. Yeah, that
might sound a little creepy to non-readers, but any avid reader will
understand. (What? You don’t hug and stroke your books?!)
Characters
~ I talk about what I like and what I didn’t like. Did I connect with them? Did they annoy me? 
Plot~
Did it move at a smooth and steady pace? Were there surprises I didn’t see coming? Was I satisfied with the resolution?
Romance
~ If relevant, of course. Was I
‘feeling’ it? Did I fall for
him/her? Did the romance have
anything that bugged me? 
Setting~
Sometimes the setting has a lot to do with how much I enjoy a book while
other times it doesn’t really matter at all. If it does make a difference, I point it
out. I love small town stories, I
love European settings, and I love the Southern settings.

After all that I wrap things up with whether I was happy
with how the book ended, if I’m excited to read more by the author and who I
would recommend the book to. If it’s YA
and needs some warnings for content I usually say whether it’s more for mature
YA readers, or if it’s appropriate for all MG and YA readers (for
example). I end things on a happy note
every time.

I do not take notes while reading. But I do try to review as soon as I finish a
book if at all possible. If I wait too
long the book fades from my memory, the excitement I felt has dwindled and my
review ends up sounding blah.

I avoid spoilers in my reviews. If you ever have a spoiler in a review you
should always label it, but since I read a lot of series books and later books
in a series will obviously have spoilers for the first books, I usually just do
a review about the emotions I felt when reading and whether I was satisfied and
leave out any content to avoid spoilers for previous books.

Reviewing books I feel negatively about:

I’ll be honest; I rarely ever write negative reviews. This isn’t because I’m opposed to them, but
more because I don’t finish the book. I
have hundreds of books on my shelves to read. If a book isn’t catching my attention in the first 50-100 pages I set it
aside.  And while I often intend to pick it
back up, I rarely ever do.  However, if I
do write up a review that’s at all negative I always remember to not bash the
author. I’m not a snarky person anyway,
so my reviews are usually pretty mild. 
I’m careful to be kind while pointing out the things that didn’t work
for me. I know that some things I
consider a negative, others may consider a positive. 

Q&A with Candace

About how long do you spend writing each
review? 

I take forever to write my reviews! Sometimes I can type up a review in 5-10
minutes and other times it takes me 30-45 minutes. It just depends on the book and if I have
plenty to talk about. 

On average, how many books do you review
per month?

Every month is different but I think it’s
about 20 or so. I like to have at least
5 reviews a week and sometimes it’s a double review, especially for middle
grade or children’s books.

How long have you been writing reviews? (Not how long blogging, but
writing reviews, like if you started out submitting to Amazon or Goodreads
before you began blogging.)

I’ve been blogging for 4 ½ years but I was
really active on Shelfari since 2005. I
didn’t write real great reviews there, but usually a very short and general
review. So I guess I’ve been writing
reviews around 8 years or so?

Thanks so much for having me on today
Nikki!  I hope that my ‘tips’ are helpful
for some new reviewers still seeking their ‘voice’.

Guest posts and new prizes daily. Party week has started!

Enchantment Release Party!

All week on my blog.

Kicking it off today with my cover designer Najla Qamber and a chance to win an ebook of choice from her portfolio.

http://www.nikkijefford.com/2013/04/c...

Spellbound #3 is Live on Amazon, Nook in the next 24-72 hours

Enchantment is here! The Spellbound Trilogy is complete!

Rahhhhh! I feel like I just completed my college degree or something.

Reader appreciation price of 99¢, £0.75, or €0.86 until April 11th.

It appeared on Amazon Kindle today and will be showing up any day on Nook.

Gray came back from the dead, took on a double of herself, and now faces her biggest test yet. . . a love spell!

Is this duplicate doomed to wander the earth alone or will she find herself falling in love for real?

Spellbound #3 was inspired by my favorite Buffy episode, Something Blue (Season 4, episode 9), in which Buffy and Spike fall in love and get engaged. Isn’t it fun when magic goes awry?

Enchantment is Finished!

A dream come true (8 months late, but whatever) - the Spellbound Trilogy is Complete!

How am I celebrating? By making dinner. Just another day in the life of a writer. (That and all the good restaurants on the island close up Jan-Feb. Pfff!)

Thanks to all the readers who've been waiting since LAST spring. If everything hadn't gone haywire with our home rental and at work I would've had this puppy out like I wanted in August or September 2012. (Edits will take another two months if I'm lucky. I'll do everything within my power to push things along.)

I hope to never take this long again... speaking of which, better get to work on Aurora Sky Volume 2.

No rest for the wicked! ;)

But first... What's for dinner?!

Enchantment (S3) Coming Soon

Once again I'm getting ahead of myself planning Enchantment's release party BEFORE I've finished the book. But it's close and I'm excited. What can I say?

I'm hoping edits will go swift and smooth. I wrote the first half of the book last spring and have been over it a dozen times. I took the past couple weeks to do the same with the rest of the manuscript and just need to get on with the grand finale. The original felt anti-climatic so I called for reinforcements. The characters of Spellbound deserve to go out with a bang!

Be sure to sign up for a release day notification and discount - one day only.

Love is in the air!

Google doc sign-up form: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/v...

or visit: http://www.nikkijefford.com/2013/01/s...

Entangled on Netgalley for One More Month

Are you a reviewer looking for free reads?

Entangled, book 1 in the Spellbound trilogy, is available as a Kindle download at Netgalley for one more month. Then it's gone baby, gone!

https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/sho...

If you read & review, please cross post to Amazon.

And if you love getting books for less than a vending machine snack, be sure to check out the Better Than Chocolate, Books for a Book hop coming in February. Savor the savings and snatch up discounted titles from best selling and award winning indies for two days only.

(Sign up for an email reminder by following the link below.)

http://www.nikkijefford.com/2013/01/9...

There is No Secret Formula

I am nearing the one year anniversary of my first self-published book (Entangled) on February 19, 2012.

Am I where I saw myself a year out? Honestly? No.

While I'm jaded enough not to get caught up in the hype of get rich schemes (opposed to 6 years ago when I paid for a $700 correspondence program that promised I'd learn to do just that. Yep, you can say it. Sucker!), I did fully expect to earn back the money I invested in cover design, copy editing, promotion, giveaways, shipping, and other book expenses...and then some.

This did not happen.

It is both a blessing and a curse to get to know successful indies. When I fall short of their success I feel like a failure. Overall, they motivate and inspire me.

In the process of trying to replicate other authors' success, I've come to the obvious, 'duh' conclusion that There Is No Secret Formula.

But I do believe in passion and persistence. (Not so good on the third p: Patience!)

I wrote my first full length novel in a spiral notebook in the 5th grade and have dreamed of being an author ever since. When I push aside the financial part (pesky fiances!) I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. Since 1997 I have been querying agents. Last year I took matters into my own hands and realized my dreams. In that sense, I feel overwhelming triumphant and successful and above all, passionate to continue down this path.

Thank you to all the wonderful readers and writers out there who have read and reviewed my books and even befriended me.

I have a good feeling about 2013. Happy New Year! Keep reading, writing, or whatever it is you love to do!

New Release! Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter

Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter is up on Amazon at a New Release Promo Price of 99 cents.

Please note this title contains mature content. To play it safe I'm recommending ages 18+

At Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Aurora-Sky-Vamp...

Thank you to everyone who added it to their TBR list. I hope this title entertains you.

Wishing you a Scary Christmas! ;)

Sign Ups Open to Host a Swag Attack and Bloody Christmas Giveaway

Calling all lovers of the vampire genre!

As part of the unofficial Aurora Sky Release Party I'm offering a swag giveaway to anyone who wants in.

The swag: Double-sided Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter door hanger. One side says, "Do not disturb. Blood sucking in progress." The back says, "I'm reading. Do not disturb.

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/v...

Note: It is not necessary to have a blog to take part in the swag giveaway. You can do this on Goodreads or however you choose. You can even draw names at your next book club meeting. Have fun with it!

Bonus Giveaway: Bloody Christmas.

Anyone joining in the Swag Attack is also eligible to host a Bloody Christmas eBook Giveaway. I'm giving away a copy of four exciting vampire reads to one winner:






May your holidays be scary!

Original post with graphics: http://www.nikkijefford.com/2012/11/a...

99 cent November

Entangled has returned to its promo price of 99 cents in eBook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Holiday savings start now. ;)