In this series, we take you through the anatomy of a book review.

What does it take to write an editorial review? How does this differ from a customer/reader review on Amazon or Goodreads? What is a Beta review anyway, and do you need one?

This first installment looks at professional reviews, otherwise known as Editorial Reviews.

How To Write an Editorial Book Review

Editorial Book Reviews are considered to be the premium type of book review, written by a book professional who critiques books for a living: highly qualified people who take their work seriously and produce succinct, lean words for you to use when publicizing a book.

This sort of review has a structure and flow that is not needed in a customer/reader review. These reviews can be shared in the Editorial Review section of your Author Central at Amazon.com or in your Book Details as a quote for Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads, or as a pull quote (a pithy sentence or two praising the book) for the back of your book or in publicity communications.

Amazon values Editorial Reviews highly, displaying them prominently on a Book Page above Customer Reviews. This is because they are considered to be unbiased expert opinions.

The 5-Part Structure

1. The Opener – The Editorial Review starts with a good opener that sums up the book, which can later be used by the author in publicity:

‘Endless Dreams’ is a heartbreaking American romance saga set in the 1970s Midwest.

2. Synopsis – This is followed by a quick synopsis (no spoilers!) of the book’s main motivations up to the story’s first dilemma:

Jackie Freud follows her dreams to be an actress after the death of her father in a small town in Ohio. However, when an ex-boyfriend turns up, she will have to choose between a relationship and a career she’s always wanted.

3. Praise – The third part of the review should praise the book’s good bits:

Jackie’s story will warm the heart and you will be rooting for her to make the right decision. Characters are emotive and well-formed.

4. Critique – The fourth part is the “however”, i.e. mentioning the weaker elements of the work:

However, the book does need another developmental edit, as there are many scenes that drag, with a lot of repetitive dialogue.

5. Consolation – The review ends on a positive note:

Having said this, the novel will appeal strongly to those who love a small-town love story and should earn the author new romance fiction fans.

Tips For Writing A Professional Book Review

Always write a review in the present tense. This is true in almost any language.
Don’t make your presence known in the review, i.e. do not write “I liked this book because…” or “I thought the writing was…”. It is assumed it’s your opinion in a professional review.
Don’t use double negatives, “This book is not awful/not bad/not too long/not that tedious.” You don’t want negative words to stick in the readers’ heads, but also because these negative words will stick to the book in Google’s search engine if the review is published online.
No need to tear the book to shreds if it’s badly written. Always be professional and find some good elements. The author will have spent a lot of time and effort on it, despite the outcome. Find other ways to critique a poor element, such as saying it “needs work” or “it could be improved.”
Don’t quote from the book in your review to ‘pad’ it, nor speak about the author’s bio. The only exception to this is for a poetry book, where quoting lines from the poems could enhance your critique.
Read the whole book! You owe to the author who’s paying you, don’t you?
Don’t be effusive. It comes across as false. “This book is completely fantastic, I cannot recommend it enough!” sounds plain ‘puff-piece’ and shallow.
If you hate the book or find it unreviewable, turn it over to a colleague. It’s only fair to the author that the reviewer critiques the book with some amount of enthusiasm.
The best reviewers in the world will review anything, from an airplane manual to a prayer book to a children’s ABC. Your passion for reading books — all and any books — is the key to writing a good book review and will always stand out to the author when they read it as a job well done!

If you would like a professional book review, you can browse our services here: https://www.selfpublishingreview.com/get-reviewed/