I’ve written several posts about different ways to review books. For many readers, reviewing doesn’t come easily, and we all have to find the way that feels right for us. So here’s an approach you may not have considered – reviewing like a book agent.
This is a great technique for readers who struggle to get past their own feelings about a book. Which, frankly, don’t usually help other readers figure out whether the book will be right for them. If your reviews tend to include either ‘I loved this book’, or ‘I really didn’t like this book’, this alternative approach might help broaden your reviewing repertoire.
There are several set phrases that book agents tend to use. What do they mean? How can they translate into an ordinary reader’s book review? Let’s find out.
Not connecting with the narrative voice
The narrative voice is not the author’s voice but an assumed voice. The voice of an unseen character acting as the storyteller. If that character isn’t well-developed, they may produce an inconsistent narrative voice. Alternatively, the narrative character may simply be the wrong character to tell that particular story.
I read a gritty, often gory, thriller where the narrative included whole paragraphs likening the sky to a painting, and describing the subtle hues of a crater. They also used a lot of uncommon words – one or two I had to look up. With the majority of the characters being murderous convicts trying to make it through the day without being attacked, I felt the narrative voice didn’t quite fit the story.
Noting the narrative voice was inconsistent, or didn’t feel right for the story, is more informative than saying you didn’t like the style, or didn’t connect with the storytelling.
Main genre is unclear
This is more of a problem for agents than for readers. It’s hard to promote a book if the target audience isn’t obvious. But it can present a challenge for writing a helpful review too. I’ve seen reviews calling a book ‘cross-genre’ but that doesn’t tell other readers very much. So how can we phrase this more helpfully?
I recently read a book set on a space station. So sci-fi, right? The main plot was solving a murder. So a sci-fi mystery, then? The subplot was a love story. So a sci-fi mystery romance, perhaps? Did I mention it was a humorous story? And there were politics involved?
If I was an agent, I would probably turn that book down. It was in fact independently-published. As a reader, I loved it. My comment to other readers: perfect if you need cheering up or a bit of escapism.
If the main genre isn’t clear, or a book has many sub-genres, it’s better not to focus on what you expected from it. You can just tell other readers what you got from it instead. That is, after all, why most readers are looking at the reviews. They want to know what they might get from this book.
Too niche
This is another good reason for an agent to turn down a book. And it won’t be a good choice for most readers. But some readers will love it. So all that’s needed in this case is a description of the niche it’s in.
I did not finish a couple of books last year that were by different authors but were both transport-related mysteries. The reason for both DNF’s was that they focused on the method of transport (a train and a ship) more than the mystery itself. Some readers love that. So saying there is a lot of information about a particular interest is helpful both in deterring readers who won’t love it, and attracting readers who will.
Too similar to other books in the genre
Readers may expect to take away something new from each book they read. But there are also readers who devour similar books, because they like to know exactly what they are going to get before they turn the first page.
The key thing to remember here is that someone reading your review may not have read those other books. Laying out the tropes (love triangle, vampires, amateur sleuth, political scandal, etc) will help anyone decide whether the book might be right for them.
Revise and resubmit
This means the idea is great but the manuscript isn’t ready to be published. It may need structural changes (like timeline, setting, or choice of main character). Or it may have unexplained or missing events or information, commonly referred to as plot holes.
I recently read a book that had been published when, in my humble opinion, it probably should have been revised. My comment to potential readers: I was left with a lot of questions.
Some readers may be OK with this. They want escapism, not something that could really happen. Some of us are more discerning and want our questions answered. So saying you had questions remaining can help other readers choose whether to pick up that particular book.
There is also the close relative of the plot hole which is the cliffhanger ending. This is obviously more intentional but can still cause frustration. Some people love them but a lot of us find endings that leave us to decide what happened quite unsatisfying. So mentioning a cliffhanger ending in a review is also really helpful.
Question of the Week
At the start of this post, I said this technique was great for readers who struggle to get past their own feelings about a book. But some books are all about the feels. One of my recent reviews was one word: breathtaking. What kinds of story elements give you strong feelings about a book?
If you have ever submitted a manuscript to agents, are there any additional phrases and definitions you would add?
Enjoyed this post?
You might also like: The agents’ code.
If you’d like to know more about any of the books I’ve mentioned here, you can find my latest book reviews on Goodreads and Bookbub.
Why not check out my travel mystery series on Amazon. Or follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads or Bookbub.
Deborah Grant-Dudley 