In VOX LIT August 2018 :
IN THE FREE BOOK LOVERS' MAG VOXLIT ON-LINE THIS MONTH:
***ENJOY A GOOD SUMMER READ*** Welcome to our new contributor Rosalind Morris. And welcome back this month to Sherry Leclerc, James Gault, Ted Bun, Cherise Castle-Blugh, Andrea Lechner-Becker, Darlene Ramirez and poets Zaheera Shaik Alli and Richard O’Reilly. Together they have put together what is probably the most informative issue we’ve done so far, for both readers and authors. Summer brings the Man Booker long list and we’ve devised a little fun game around this prestigious award. Also in the Home Section we update Machiavelli for modern times and explain why writers as well as readers benefit from book reviews. PLUS! American poet and novelist Kyrian Lyndon submits to our interview grilling Sherry points out the importance of book covers, and business writer Cherise writes about cash flow control. And you’ve never heard of the Magical Realism genre? Andrea will put you right. The Book Reviews section has new book reviews from Ted, James and Darlene. (Check them out and you might find your holiday read) James has invented a new type of book trailer, so he believes. So whether you’re a reader or a writer, it’s worth a quick look in the Features Section to check out this innovation. And Zaheera and Richard contribute once again to the Poetry Page. The Writers’ Notes section analyses how writers write, and this time we have two items. Rosalind shows us how to bring the reader into a story, while James picks out an unusual approach to establishing a character in Mehreen Ahmed’s novel The Pacifist. Finally, do check out the Contributors' section and Contributors’ Bookshop where you’ll find links to their books, their Author pages and web sites. Browse the whole site and... Enjoy!! |
Click for these other ARTICLES .... James Gault interviews poet and novelist KYRIAN LYNDON Practical advice on book covers from author Sherry Leclerc Andrea Lechner-Becker explains Magical Realism for us Business writer Cherise Castle-Blugh writes on the importance of cash flow Have some fun: Play the Man-Booker Long List Game |
SATIRE
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Can reading reviews help you as a writer?Which book will I buy? Given the massive numbers of books that are published each week, readers face an almost impossible choice. But thankfully we have reviews. They are ideal tools for readers but can they do anything for writers?
Of course, you all know that good reviews of your own works will help you sell your book and will give you some idea of what readers like and don’t like about your writing style. But reviews of the works of other authors can help you in the actual writing process as well. First of all, reviews can be a great source of marketing research. In other fields, fortunes are spent on conducting focus groups so that the customers can give their unprompted views on products. But, through book reviews, your potential readers freely share their thoughts and opinions and you can access them at no cost to you, apart from your time. All you have to do is view, on Amazon, Goodreads and other sources, some of the many reviews of books in your genre. To get the maximum amount of information, you should read bad reviews as well as good ones, and include new authors as well as big names in your sample. Reading reviews can also help you develop your writing style. Not all reviews are helpful for this purpose; some reviews say little more than ‘I liked this’ or things like ‘The main character was a stuck-up bitch and did not arouse my sympathy’. But more considerate reviewers will analyse and comment on the writing techniques of style, language and plot development while giving an assessment of their reaction to the work. These are always worth reading, and not only for novels in your own genre. This kind of criticism always prompts me to reconsider my own writing, and invariably teaches me lessons which help me improve in the future. And, as it is not me who is being criticised, it is an entirely painless activity. So we authors should be doubly grateful to those readers who not only give up their time to read our work, but then go on to give up some more to comment on it. On behalf of myself and all other writers, let me offer all reviewers a big ‘thank you’. Contributed by James Gault. Click the month to view articles from our previous issues
JULY 2018 JUNE 2018 MAY 2018 APRIL 2018 MARCH 2018 FEBRUARY 2018 JANUARY 2018 DECEMBER 2017 NOVEMBER 2017 CLICK THIS PICTURE FOR THE VOXLIT BOOKSHOP
LINKS TO ALL BOOKS BY OUR CONTRIBUTORS |