Avoid retelling the story

It’s easiest to begin with what to avoid when writing a review, so I’ll start with a personal bête noir: please avoid retelling the story.

Are you fascinated when people regale you with their holiday itinerary, in blow-by-blow detail? Is your interest piqued when your friend begins a conversation with ‘Oh my God, I had the most bizarre dream’? Perhaps you don’t mind the monotony of someone telling you the entire plot of a film they just saw, but most readers don’t want a summary. If they want the full story, they can pick up the book.

However, you do need to give a flavour. Sketch a little of the outline, evoke the atmosphere of the book, without getting out the sledgehammer.

Convey the heart of the book

Often you won’t remember exactly what a book was about years later, but you will remember how it made you feel. Ask yourself what lies at its heart — and how to convey this — without stopping it beating. How did the book affect you, what questions did it provoke, what lasting images remain?

Talk about the writing — the language, style, narrative structure, whatever makes it sing.

Aim to write clean copy, including correct punctuation; I could opine about misplaced semi-colons but it might take over this blog post.

Avoid author comparisons and clichéd descriptions

It’s easy to spot a lazy review. Two things will often happen: the first is a comparison, like ‘Jane Austen meets Donna Tartt’. Avoid comparing one writer with another unless it’s meaningful, and you can say how and why. I’ve lost count of the number of ‘new Sally Rooneys’ I’ve read about recently. It’s dispiriting to writers who like to cling to the illusion that, while we might be influenced, we are all unique. However, if you’re examining themes, for example how the dystopia of Atwood might speak to Ishiguro, then this opens up your text and lets it breathe.

The second thing is something which led Paraic O’Donnell to create book review bingo. Some examples include: ‘haunting and lyrical’; ‘unputdownable’; ‘at the height of her powers’ — and, my personal favourite, ‘lingers long after the last page’. It’s the old joke about writing ‘a heart-breaking work of staggering genius’ — probably best to avoid these clichéd descriptions as the words have lost any real currency.

Bring your own voice and style to the review but remember that the book is the focus, not your own work or soapboxes.

Good, tasty quotes are a godsend. However, check you are reading from a proof you are allowed to quote from: if in doubt, ask. Having said this, don’t overquote: it’s not a Google Books sample. 

Writing online reviews – keep it short

For online reviews, keep your sentence length in mind; often online articles work better with shorter paragraphs, and perhaps will have pull quotes interspersed: if you’re going to write five-line sentences — a little like this one — which, although coherent and with a perfectly acceptable rhythm, bear in mind that it might make your editor’s job a little trickier. So change it up.

Use tact and sensitivity

Writing a critical review takes sensitivity and wisdom. My reviews are usually so short that I’m not obliged to get involved in any tearing-apart-of-dreams, as there isn’t space for a balanced article. As a writer, I’m acutely aware that the fact any work of fiction has got to publication is a minor miracle; who needs me to say I found it obvious or dull, or that ubiquitous term, ‘overrated’? The subject has been beautifully examined by Kevin Power in his essay for The Stinging Fly.

However, readers want to know if they should click ‘Buy’ on their local bookstore’s website. They are asking the same question as those in Facebook reading club groups: ‘Is this any good?’ How long is a piece of string? One way you can frame criticism is by engaging with what the author aimed to accomplish, and perhaps examine how they have — and might not have —achieved this. It’s a tricky one, as social media has its share of writers scorned, so a degree of caution is advised. Truth, yes, but also tact.

But to end — as many reviews will — on a good note, when you get to talk about a book you really loved, there is nothing quite like it. Here, you say, look, this is something that brought me transcendence, or melancholy, offered insight or laughter — I hope you find it too.

Ruth McKee writes short reviews for The Irish Times, is the editor of booksirelandmagazine.com and a researcher for RTÉ Arena.

Follow her on Twitter @RuthMcKee.

Gain practical tools to write copy that inspires, persuades and sells with the PTC’s virtual course Copywriting for Publishers, or the self-study course Creative Copywriting for Publishers.

Every month hundreds of people give up their job and go freelance. What are the pros and cons of freelancing? What advice would the seasoned freelancer give to the uninitiated? Here are ten tips to get you off to a good start.

1. Don’t give up the day job (at first)

Ideally, gain in-house experience before starting your freelance career. Work in your spare time, or part-time, until you have established some contacts and made your name known. It takes a while to build up a list of clients. Freelance work – particularly proofreading and editing – is rarely full-time or consistent.

2. Sell yourself effectively

You may have the best skills in the world, but clients need to be made aware of them. Many freelancers create their own website, to showcase their skills and services and allow people to get in touch to discuss these in more detail. Others use LinkedIn, social media, or word of mouth. Many send out a regular email to contacts to remind people of their existence and enhance their brand.

3. Behave professionally

Remember that your clients will value qualities such as reliability, promptness, flexibility, good communication skills and knowledge of the latest technologies. Always honour deadlines, or re-negotiate with ample notice.

Maintain a positive and professional impression through your appearance, your correspondence, your work and even your invoices. Practise what you preach – and what you sell.

4. Acquire the right resources

As a freelancer, you are responsible for your finance, HR, IT, marketing and office management, as well as offering your own specific skills. Make sure that you are equipped in these areas to do your job. You may need to invest in business cards, computer equipment, reference works, software, stationery, a telephone and the like.

5. Become financially literate

Even when you are established, you must budget for lean periods, time off for sickness or holidays, and time spent searching for work. Keep a record of your work-related outgoings and expenses, including equipment, insurance, pension, stationery, telephone, training and utilities. These can be deducted from your taxable income. Remember that you can often charge expenses, such as travel to meetings, to the client.

You will be responsible for your own tax and National Insurance, so set aside a percentage of each payment, and consider hiring an accountant if you are not good with figures.

In terms of fees, the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) recommends minimum hourly rates for proofreading and copy-editing. In other roles, such as marketing, you are more likely to charge by the project or a day rate.

The PTC’s course Successful Editorial Freelancing works through the intricacies of finance and helps you to answer questions about how much to charge and how to organise your money.

6. Use networking and membership organisations

Networking is a vital way to stay in touch with existing contacts and find new ones. Join membership organisations such as the Society of Young Publishers, CIEP, Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, ELT Publishing Professionals, Institute of Data and Marketing, Chartered Institute of Marketing and others. You can claim tax back on their fees, and they may well pay for themselves if you attend conferences, events and training as member rates will be lower.

Go to the London Book Fair, events and conferences if you can. Think of every meeting and interaction as a potential opportunity. You are always selling, and the product is you!

7. Avoid social isolation

With freelancing, there are no office politics to contend with, but you need to be able to work without interaction or others to motivate you. You must be strongly disciplined, self-motivated, and able to manage your time effectively.

Offer to communicate with your clients in person, by telephone or on Zoom/Teams, rather than email. Get to know other freelancers, join local groups and go out of your way to meet new people. Join groups outside of work interests to widen your social circle.

8. Continue with your training

Publishing changes constantly, with new technologies being introduced all the time. It’s worth investing in yourself to stay up to date. Clients will be impressed if your skills are relevant.

Many organisations, including the PTC, offer discounts for freelancers. Remember that you can claim back the cost of training as part of your work-related outgoings when you submit your annual tax return. Have a look at the PTC's recently updated e-learning modules for a start.

9. Adjust to a different working rhythm

As your own boss, you are working from home and free to choose your working hours. You have a greater variety of work, and more control over it, and potentially higher earnings. But you must be prepared for slow and hectic periods, and the irregular income this can bring.

You may need to work unsociable hours to meet deadlines or attend meetings outside of your normal working hours. Gone are the commute and social aspects of working. Freelancing is much more intense, as there can be few stimuli to break up the day or week. Each day can be different, and each week or month unpredictable.

10. Look after yourself

Create a positive work environment – adjust your chair to have your eyes level with the top of your screen, invest in a chair that will support your spine, and buy an anti-glare screen to protect your eyes.

Take regular breaks. Go outside for a walk at least once a day. Remember to eat and drink regularly. Turn off your machine at the end of the day and leave work where it belongs. One of the main advantages of freelancing is that it offers a better work-life balance. Make sure that you make it work for you.

Petra Green is Head of the PTC and a freelance publishing consultant. Follow her on LinkedIn.

This blog was originally published in 2011. It has been updated and expanded by Petra Green, Head of the PTC and a freelancer for three years.

The global pandemic nudged the publishing ecosystem to rapidly adopt digital technologies to keep books in the hands of readers. These digital workarounds accelerated global publishing industry trends that have been evolving at a much slower pace. About 15 years ago, digital disruptions like e-readers, audiobooks, and online sales started to affect the types of skills required to be successful in the publishing industry. Whereas discussions about the publishing workforce skills gap generally focused on the digital skills needed to adapt to online sales and digital formats, the global pandemic exposed a skills deficiency that runs much deeper.

The global pandemic is an industry inflection point that will lead to more abrupt market shifts than publishing has previously experienced, producing a skills gap that extends far beyond digital skills. Of course, workforce skills needs differ by market maturity and digital development, with developing markets generally requiring more support. However, I believe current industry concerns about the skills gap differ significantly from previous discussions. The publishing ecosystem now faces the challenge of upskilling and adapting to Millennial and Gen Z employees who are tech savvy, independent, and have a unique perspective on how to define success in life and the workforce.

Over the last two years, I have spoken to over 150 senior publishing industry executives – including publishing houses, distributors, authors, educators, book fairs, and literacy and free-expression advocates – in more than 40 countries. These discussions formed the basis for the International Publishing Association (IPA)’s groundbreaking research on the impact of the global pandemic on publishing and the workforce skills development needs to enhance industry resilience and sustainability.

Bridging the publishing workforce skills gap

In February 2021, IPA adopted the recommendations from its From Response to Recovery study, establishing the Inspire Initiative, to lead global publishing’s recovery and create the IPA Academy. With development starting in March 2021, the IPA Academy was envisioned to support members in developing core business skills to build more resilient and sustainable organizations as well as develop new leadership and management skills to capitalize on post-pandemic opportunities.

The IPA Academy, which was soft-launched on 7 March 2022, provides publishers with the tools to adapt to a quickly changing market in which the full impact of the global pandemic is still not clear. The Academy is unique in that it seeks to meet the skills development needs of IPA members and their members in both developed and developing publishing markets.

The Academy is initially focusing on the priority skills development needs of national publishers associations and publishers uncovered in IPA’s research. It offers emerging publishing ecosystems the foundational skills to respond to digital acceleration, while those in more developed markets can build competencies in emerging fields at the cutting edge of the industry like implementing sustainable business practices.

Going live

With the generous sponsorship of the Sharjah Book Authority, the IPA Academy was soft launched with courses co-developed with content partners like the Center for Publishing at New York University, Oxford International Centre for Publishing, and the Publishing Training Centre. In addition to providing early access to IPA members, the Academy is also open to an estimated 15,000 publishers who are members of IPA’s members. In this way, the Academy is already reaching IPA members and publishers in more than 70 countries. Initial Academy offerings, which include talks by leading industry executives and specialized, modular publishing skills courses, will be broadened quickly in response to initial user feedback.

I am very happy to work with IPA Academy partners who see how critical publishing workforce skills development is to the industry’s post-pandemic recovery. Leading the IPA Academy’s development has provided me with an opportunity to engage senior publishing executives globally on the future of our industry and the skills it will take to get there. From these discussions, I learned that, while some publishing markets have fully recovered, other markets still face a very tenuous situation in building the workforce skills and competencies to rebound.

Throughout the pandemic, I have been inspired by many examples from the publishing industry in leveraging agility and ingenuity to keep books in the hands of readers in an environment of rapid, uncertain change. This innovation in adversity has pushed me to embrace business model pivots, seek learnings from others, and share my knowledge. Our colleagues across the publishing industry need our support now more than ever, and the IPA Academy is just one way to step up to the challenge.

Update: The IPA Academy closed on 31 October 2023.

Bodour Al Qasimi is President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), online at www.internationalpublishers.org and on twitter @IntPublishers.

The IPA Academy closed on 31 October 2023.

Writing is a solitary activity, but it doesn't have to be something you do on your own. Finding a good writing group, one that is right for you, is the best thing you can do for your writing and writing career.

Writing groups come in many sizes, formats and frequencies. Through them, you discover that others are trying to do the same thing, struggling with the same overwhelming doubts and toiling in the same creative landscape.

You can meet likeminded others, no matter their background or circumstances.

Something as simple as meeting another writer who understands the challenges of writing a novel can bring dawn to the dark. Talking to other writers will tell you that everyone finds it hard. If they didn’t, they're probably lying about how much thinking time came before the writing!

Finding the right group

My top tip is to find a writing group that meets in person some of the time, (pandemic notwithstanding), and delivers a range of sessions for writers of different levels and genres. That way, you’ll find the support you need and gain new ideas, exercises and processes to try. Their community will be more diverse because they’re catering to writers from all walks of life, not just those who completed the same writing course.

Start with local groups that have sessions closer to home (or online) and offer the support you think you might need. If you’re not sure, go to one session. You’ll know within five minutes if the group is right for you. Try out as many as you can before deciding. Also, don’t be shy, ask for more information if you’re not sure. Most organisers are happy to answer questions if you’re a bit nervous of showing up on the day.

If writing is rewriting, as the saying goes, then all writers will need feedback at some point. Getting quality peer feedback is vital. Don’t spoil your first impression with an agent by sending them a first or incomplete draft. Take it to a writing group for a first pass from others who know their stuff.

Critique from friends and family is important. Your confidence can always use a boost from their praise and encouragement, but taking a piece to a writing group is a safe first step in the transition to strangers reading your work.

A friend who reads avidly can tell you they liked it, but they might say it 'got a bit slow in the middle'. Another writer can tell you why the pace is lagging, why it matters if it's not adjusted, and suggest how it might be tightened up.

In our sessions at London Writers’ Café, we ask ‘What's working well and what could be improved?’ We give constructive, practical advice to anyone who reads, to help them move the piece toward their original intention, whatever that may be.

Only another writer can perceive strengths and weaknesses and give you clues on what to do next. That said, writers are not professional editors, in the same way painters are not curators, but they're often just as insightful for emerging writers looking for input. Professional editing can easily come later if you feel you’ve got all you can from other writers.

Five reasons to join a writing group

1. Social: writing groups that meet in person over a drink are invaluable. You’ll often find that’s where you’ll learn the most about writers and writing. Don’t run off straight after the session. Hang around and chat for a bit.
2. Creative process: every writer has a process for creating their stories, although it can change with each project. You’ll share tips and tricks from others that will help inform your own way of working.
3. Finding your level: going to a writing group to find out what others are up to is fine – we all do it. You might also use it to judge where you know a lot against where you need to work harder or learn more. Stay humble and you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll rise to the challenge.
4. Procrastination versus goal setting: volunteering to share your work is hard, but it does give you a clear deadline. If you need pressure to work, find a group where their format gives you a due date. It can also give you a solid writing goal to aim for, even if you’re not ready to share right now.
5. Markets, misinformation and myths: the most valuable thing that writers gain from a writing group is industry insight. Unfortunately, writers are often left to their own devices – or their ability to Google – to learn how publishing works, how best to submit and see through the most persistent myths and conspiracies. Writing groups that understand the business side of publishing, and go out of their way to inform and support their writers from outside the industry, are worth their weight in ink.

Lisa Goll is the founder and director of the London Writers’ Café.

You can find her on twitter @LisasShare or @LDNwriterscafe, or Instagram @londonwriterscafe.