1. Writing Professional Book Reviews
TRACY CARR and LACY ELLINWOOD
MISSISSIPPI LIBRARY COMMISSION
MAY 19, 2017

2. What to Expect
What
Why
Where
How

3. What Kind of Book Reviews?
Reviews of professional books in the library field (or another field you are an expert in)
Nonfiction
Reference

4. Why Would Anyone Want to Do This?
A great first step into professional writing
Confidence booster
Can add to resume under “Publications”
Flex those writing muscles outside of

5. Where Do We Begin?
Think about what types of materials you feel comfortable being an expert on
Check out publications that review library materials, contact them, and express your interest

6. How Do We Do This?
The book review editor will contact you to see if you want to review a certain title by a certain date
Once you accept, they’ll send you the book and the fun/panic begins

7. How Do We Do This? Every publication has a style/instruction sheet
Follow it!
Consider who you’re writing for, based on the publication: other public librarians? Other reference librarians? Other librarians in general?

8. How Do We Do This? Examine the book and make notes on everything:
appearance (cover, font, illustrations)
format (introduction, table of contents, appendices)
purpose (usually stated in introduction)

9. ...Uh, Do We Have to Read the Whole Book?
It depends on what type of book it is, but generally no
Think about how you assess books in your library or in your life: you don’t need to read the whole thing to get a sense of whether or not it succeeds

10. Get to Writing
Follow that style sheet (this will determine word count, citations, paragraph format, etc)
Imagine yourself as the reader, who needs to quickly determine whether or not this book is worth spending limited book budget on
Be concise, but specific

11. The Whole Point of Reviews
Answer these questions specifically:
Do you recommend the book?
If so, who do you recommend it for?
If not, why?

12. The Good and the Bad/Ugly
It is much, much easier to write a good review
It is very, very hard to write a bad review

13. The Good and the Bad/Ugly
Lacy: Review of Programming For Children and Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Public Libraries, March/April 2015
“I strongly recommend this book be purchased by any library: public, academic, or school. It will be an invaluable guide to library staff serving the ASD community and for the parents and caregivers of children with an ASD. I might also add that the cover art will undoubtedly draw the attention of any perusing patron, so put it on display.”

14. The Good and the Bad/Ugly
Tracy: Review of Make ‘em Laugh!: American Humorists of the 20th and 21st Centuries, Reference and User Services Quarterly, Fall 2015
“While books about comedy often strip all the life out of it, good books about comedy are a useful resource for learning about key performers, for analysis of comedy trends, and for discovery of little-known works one may have missed. Unfortunately, Make ‘em Laugh: American Humorists of the 20th and 21st Centuries is not one of those good books about comedy.” (Not recommended!)

15. Next Steps Have a friend/coworker proofread your review
Send it back to the book review editor on time
Resist feeling defensive if your grammar is corrected
When it comes out, bask in your publication glory!
Send to Grandma!
Update your resume!
Casually leave copies open to your review for friends/coworkers to see

16. Wait…What if My Review Isn’t Accepted?
Don’t take it personally!
Don’t let it stop you from trying again
Ask someone you trust why it maybe wasn’t accepted
Use the criticism to make yourself better, not to give up

17. Questions? Contact us! Tracy Carr, Library Services Director
Lacy Ellinwood, Library Consultant