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The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Reading » Page 7

Reading

How to Post a Negative Review

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 5, 2013
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Posting a negative review is not the same as trashing a book. Sometimes you really are doing a service to let prospective readers know the book in question may not be right for them. Here are a few tips:

Be sure you rarely post a negative review. If you make a habit of posting bad reviews, you’ll be known as a grump who hates everything and your words will lose their power.

Approach from a position of authority. Why should prospective readers value your opinion? Examples might be that you are the president of an historical society, a professor, or hold some other position that shows readers when you say a book contains inaccuracies, you probably know what you are talking about.

Address problems with the book itself, not your perceptions of the author’s shortcomings as a person. The author may be dead wrong, but approaching the book dispassionately will gain you more respect in the reading community than simply blasting the author.

If the review is based primarily on a difference of opinion, say so. The best negative reviews I’ve seen are those that say something such as, “Liberals will find much to appreciate in this book, though those coming from an Orthodox viewpoint will find much with which to disagree.”

Check emotions at the door. Don’t write a review because you are angry with the author or the book’s viewpoint. If you are unable to write a balanced review, it’s best to remain quiet. If the book really does deserve bad reviews, plenty of others will be happy to say so. The fate of this one book does rest on your shoulders alone.

Your turn:

Have you ever written a bad review? Did you regret doing so?

Do you think most one-star reviews are well deserved, or not?

Leave a Comment
Category: Reading, Reviews, TamelaTag: Book reviews, Reading, Reveiws

The First Novel I Ever Read

By Dan Balowon September 3, 2013
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It was the summer of 1970…I was dreading a long family car trip mainly because I was 14, I had braces on my teeth and was starting high school in the fall.  I was required to be full of dread.

The big hits on pop radio that summer were "Mama Told Me Not to Come" (Three Dog Night), "Close to You" (Carpenters), "Everything is Beautiful" (Ray Stevens), "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles, …

Read moreThe First Novel I Ever Read
Category: Dan, Personal, ReadingTag: novels, Reading, story

Avoid Trashing a Book Online

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 29, 2013
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When I'm thinking of buying a book, I do read the one-star reviews. There. I admitted it. But would I write one? No, and here are three reasons why:

The author is not a moneymaking machine, but a human. A mean reviewer won't see the fallout of posting a nasty review, but writers cry, get angry, sulk and fall into depressions over one-star reviews. It's not fair to use the Internet to vent at a …

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Category: Career, Reading, Reviews, TamelaTag: Reading, reviews

Back to School for You

By Steve Laubeon August 19, 2013
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by Steve Laube

I'm of the generation that remembers the day after Labor Day being the first day of school. But no more. All through August kids of all ages have been headed back to the classroom. When our daughters were in Marching Band they had rehearsals on the field twice a day, starting two weeks before school began...which put their practices into the month of July...in …

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Category: Book Business, Book Review, Career, Craft, Get Published, Marketing, Reading, SteveTag: Book Review, Reading, School

The Writing Book for Your Year

By Steve Laubeon January 7, 2013
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by Steve Laube

Note the title of this post did not say “of the year” but “for your year.” It is rare for me to recommend books on writing because there are so many good ones out there, but this one is an exception.

The spiritual foundation of the writer is critical to surviving and even thriving in the call as an artist.  Acceptable Words: Prayers for the Writer (published by Eerdmans) …

Read moreThe Writing Book for Your Year
Category: Book Review, Faith, Reading, Steve, TheologyTag: Book Review, Faith, Reading, Writers

On Reading the Classics

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 26, 2012
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“A classic is a book which people praise and don't read.” 

This quote attributed to Mark Twain made me think of classics I didn't enjoy, but also those I did. I have a lifelong habit of choosing classics for my leisure reading.

When I was in the seventh grade, I enjoyed Gone with the Wind so much I read it a second time. Unfortunately, this intense involvement in the full story caused me to …

Read moreOn Reading the Classics
Category: Book Review, Reading, TamelaTag: classics, movies, Reading
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