A Reviewer’s Guide to Writing Book Reviews: And How to Get Paid for Them

by Rick Hipson

Dive into the world of book reviewing with this essential guide, perfect for anyone passionate about sharing their literary discoveries. Whether you're an avid reader eager to promote your next favorite book and author, or intrigued by the prospect of receiving free books and earning from your reviews, this comprehensive guide is tailored for you.

Rick Hipson, with over two decades of experience as a seasoned genre reviewer and interviewer, offers a treasure trove of insights in this guidebook. From his early challenges to achieving recognition for his work in leading publications like Rue Morgue magazine and Cemetery Dance, Hipson shares his journey and the lessons learned along the way. This guidebook is packed with practical advice, real-world examples, and actionable tips designed to elevate your review writing skills to a professional level.

Whether your aim is to monetize your reviews, contribute to prestigious publications, or simply enhance your support for beloved authors, this guidebook, infused with Hipson's expert knowledge, is an invaluable resource. It's crafted to assist both budding and experienced reviewers in honing their craft, ensuring your reviews capture attention and make an impact.

Embark on a journey to refine your reviewing prowess with Rick Hipson as your mentor. The path to becoming an influential book reviewer, contributing meaningful critiques and supporting the literary community, starts here. Embrace the opportunity to transform your reading and reviewing experience—let's embark on this journey together and master the art of impactful book reviewing!

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Genres: Reference, Writing

110 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2024

Reviews

[Michael J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've ever considered writing more professional reviews here on Goodreads, your blog, or elsewhere Hipson's guide is valuable reading. He has a plain folks - common sense style of communicating and provides great advice.

Today, there is so much accessible fiction in various formats that it's quite helpful to read a review before making a purchase. Reviewers are essential, and more good ones are needed. When I find a reviewer I can trust, I often will pick up a new title based solely on their recommendation. I enjoy writing reviews and try to highlight authors and books that I feel deserve more recognition. I appreciate the advice that Hipson gives on how to write a review that communicates that effectively to the reader.

Writers definitely need help to get the word out. While the market for fiction writers via print, e-books, online sites, etc. is probably as healthy as it's ever been - - the number of individuals who can make a living solely from their writing is very limited. Also, the number of writers who become more successful and create best-sellers is only a fraction of the former. Now, compare that to the number of reviewers who get paid for writing reviews - and the number is microscopic.

That's why in spite of the title, Rick Hipson doesn't try to explain how easy it is to get reviews published and paid for. He gives a disclaimer right in the opening chapters that it's a long, tough road (but not impossible).

If you appreciate writing reviews for the exercise alone and the occasional opportunity to connect with authors and publishers, then you will take his comments to heart. I found this book to be a valuable resource, and appreciate the examples that Hipson includes to illustrate his points.

[Jennifer Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you read a good book what is the first thing you do? (Well, maybe second after mourning that the adventure has ended and you have to be to work in a few hours or less.) You tell people about it. What if you could get paid for it instead of just giving free advice? Rick Hipson’s new book A Reviewer’s Guide to Writing Book Reviews can help you get your foot in the door. Have you already been doing some reviews on the side? Hipson has you covered there as well. He has a little bit for everyone!
His friendly writing style explains the ins and outs of not only writing a good review but also how to expand your horizons in the field. Everything from where and how to get free books to read to where to send your finished piece. Hipson is more than qualified to help writer’s down the reviewing path with over 20 years of experience writing for such illuminaries such as Rue Morgue, Cemetery Dance as well as a ton of small press magazines and web sites.
In the book he goes through his career as a book reviewer explaining what he did and what he might have done differently. The guide starts with an introduction, not only to the author but to the art of reviewing. As the book goes on layers of knowledge are added, building your reviewing skills thus increasing your chances of payment as well as possibly reviewing one of your favorite authors. All in all a good reference to keep on your shelf.
You can order your copy at crystallakepub.com and don’t forget to leave your own review at sites like Goodreads, Amazon, your social media sites and wherever you think people will read it!

Jennifer Griffin

[Stephen Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for something informative and fun, and happen to love reading and reviewing books, you can’t go wrong with this guide.

From covering the basics of etiquette in the reviewer - author relationship, how you can get into the game of reviewing for publications, and technical tips on constructing a publishable review, Hipson hits every beat. Best of all, each area is evidenced with anecdotes from the author’s long career alongside multiple example reviews (from 1st drafts to published review) to really show us the advice in action.

All of this is provided in a convivial tone with plenty of humour. I’d add another bonus is the chapters are often bitesize, so you can really take it a step at a time and read at your own pace (snail or breakneck, it’s really up to you).

If you like your fiction dark and your reviews enlightening, this is the book for you.

[Danielle Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who sort of fell upon reviewing as a “fluke” and began receiving opportunities I never thought possible, I was slightly hesitant going into this book. The first “red flag” for me was “And How to Get Paid for Them.” — In my mind I was like… paid?! Paid for writing a review about a book I chose to read?! Paid for a hobby?! Paid for helping indie authors gain exposure?!

The concept was absolutely bonkers to me. Just being transparent here. So yes, I went into this book with preconceived notions based on my own “success” and experience as a reviewer who has been blessed beyond blessed and extremely fortunate with the opportunities I’ve been provided.

When I originally saw the book cover I actually brought the conversation up with a few people and saw arguments to both sides of being paid for reviews… but I digress lol. That being said… let’s move on to the book and my actual review.

Firstly, it’s written really well!! It’s clear. Concise. To the point and actually provides a lot of good tips and tricks. I think it’s a great conversation starter and a great tool for people who want to up their review writing or those who are just getting started and are looking for a 101. If you fit into any of that criteria, I definitely recommend this book. Even if you are a “seasoned reviewer,” I think you’ll find something informative within it.

I also think if you’re a huge indie writer supporter like myself, this book enforces the importance of reviews which I love. I don’t think anyone should go into writing reviews and supporting authors thinking they’re going to make a ton of money, if any at all. But hell, you never know right?

As I stated in the beginning, I went into this with some preconceived notions, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t proven wrong quite a bit and didn’t end up really enjoying this book and the way Hipson’s clever writing style worked perfectly for

[Aaron B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and provides good advice logically. Good reference work for prospective reviewers.

[Leighah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I must admit I'm not really a fan of non fiction but I'm glad I gave this a read. I found a few good hints and tips to improve my reviews. But even better I found some book recommendations which was an added bonus.

[Ky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need Rick Hipson to write a guidebook for everything in my life!

Did that hook ya? Good, maybe I learned something after this fantastically comprehensive guidebook on writing reviews. I’ve been reading and reviewing ARCs for a while now, but I didn’t feel I had the pizzaz that other reviewers did. I feel equipped now to leave more comprehensive and compelling reviews for the books I love so much.

As for the getting paid part, I’ll leave that up to you (DM me for my Venmo account…jk). I went into this looking for the writing benefits and Rick delivered. Thank you for the ARC opportunity Rick, I’m excited to come back to this guidebook for my future reviews (I took notes, just like you said I should) 🤘🏻

[Rainbeaux Harvest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource for those interested in writing reviews. There is a lot helpful information for beginners to use. I'm going to read through this book again but take notes to step my review game up.

[Scott Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reviewers Guide to
Reviewing books and Getting Paid for it

By Rick Hipson
Indie horror authors primarily rely on self promotion and online reviews to help drive sales so that they can continue to keep on writing the stories we all love, and to pay their bills. Those reviews on Facebook, Amazon and Goodreads really go a long way to help them out.
If you like to review new books and make everyone aware of just how much you loved them, you'll find this new guide by Rick Hipson to be an invaluable resource.

The book contains all kinds of information pertaining to reviews. It covers how to contact authors, how to find ARC's, as well as guidance on how to write an informative, entertaining review, and it's supported by examples of the authors' reviews before and after edits.
I get to read a lot of ARC copies of books that I've been looking forward to in exchange for leaving an honest review online. I'm not looking to make any money from reviewing books, but I always try to leave a clear, concise review that informs and entertains, and I've found this to be a great source of information.

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Reviewers Guide to writing Book reviews and how to get  paid for them.
Rick Hipson
3/5 Stars.


Now to start, this isn't my normal fair, but it has some good tips.

I don't think personally doing ARC's should ever be some money making lucrative hustle, but this has some great tips on how to jump in and get started doing ARC's and getting into the mindset.

All that being said, this is great if your new, not sure of how ARC's work and is something you want to get into.

The one thing I do love is how this hits on how important reviews really are!

[Kimberly Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Reviewing a book about writing book reviews seems a little inception to me but here's what I will say: great advice, specific tips, and I've already put what I learned into use.

[Joan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Rick Hipson

Those wanting to improve their review on books, movies, and other media will find this a helpful resource.
It did help me.

I would have not ever thought that words count are important in reviews as well.

[Paula Cappa · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can trust Rick Hipson to give you the action on book reviewing. He speaks to the power of effective writing. He has an enticing way of describing his experiences and articulating his professional advice. He’s savvy, funny, and writes with a contagious enthusiasm. If you are serious about book reviewing, this is a jump-start in understanding not only the big picture as a business but also how to discover and/or rediscover book reviewing. Hipson informs the reader about writing an intriguing opening hook, discovering the core ingredients of the story, and capturing the closing pitch that will persuade readers to read the book (ace coaching here). And this is where showing vs. telling will make your reviews sparkle, says Hipson. He has a fascinating Stephen King story about “when you [writers] nail a scene” and the telepathy of that moment—a little bit of jolly transcendence happening between writer and reader and don’t you just love that? I’m a fiction writer and have been writing book reviews for several years on Amazon and Net Galley. Hipson’s book gave me another layer of literary criticism to explore, a keener eye on that landscape, and a delightful boost. A must-read for writers, reviewers, and aspiring critics.

[C.C. Yager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book to be inspired, and I was. Hipson offers useful tips for book reviewing as well as finding markets for book reviews. What I especially enjoyed was his voice--he wrote as if talking directly to the reader with liberal doses of self-deprecation and humor.

But I do feel a little weird writing a review about a book like this. Was it helpful? Absolutely. Do I recommend it? Yes, for those curious about the process of writing book reviews. Writing is writing, and I appreciated Hipson's comments about how hard it can be to find the right words for a book review (she wrote thinking that she's living that difficulty right this moment as she's writing this review). I also appreciated Hipson's encouragement, and also his care to reflect reality about markets and working with authors and publishers.

At 84 pages it would be a fast read, maybe even in one sitting. I chose to read a little then leave it, read a bit more then leave it, etc. I suspect that I'll return to it in the future to refresh my memory and be inspired again.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who grew up being told, "find what you love, then find a way to get paid for it. Then you'll never work a day in your life." While great in theory, this phrase is a lot harder to put into practice. A Reviewer's Guide to Writing Book Reviews: And How to Get Paid for Them aims to help my fellow booklovers change that. Rick Hipson expertly distills his years of experience into clear, concise morsels for his readers to follow. He starts with the basics, including how to get ARC's and how to talk to authors, before moving on to the more nuanced topics such as actually writing reviews and how to attempt to get paid for them through magazines, websites, etc. I found this book enjoyable and informative.

[Carol Flythe · Rating 5 out of 5]

so helpful

I have been writing book reviews for many years and a lot of times they are chaotic or generic because I loathe spoilers. Especially when I have no warning.

I learned so much about the process that I can start applying. I love when another writer shares their process and gives examples. I too LOVE horror so I appreciated that aspect.

It felt like a friend telling me what works for them and what to try. Helpful advice and examples prove invaluable.

[Teresa A. Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Great Read

The odd thing about a how-to book is the actual reading of it. So I am embarrassed to say that I had more fun reading it than taking notes. Don't get me wrong, there is some great info for newbies, I just discovered that yes, you can have a learning experience be enjoyed at the same time. (Did that make sense?) I hope so. There comes a time where one needs to stop reading and start reviewing! Thank you Mr. Hipson for a great time well spent.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful reminder

In which a reviewer presents a vast array of what to consider when taking the time to pen thoughtful and effective book reviews.

[sugarnsass_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful guide for book reviewers to improve their review writing skills. Tips to assist in cutting down review writing time to allow for more reading time!