What Book Reviews Taught Me About Writing

I used to write book reviews almost every other day, back in 2017.

It started with a small Instagram account where I would type in a couple of sentences regarding the book that was being shown in the picture. As my account grew and I began to receive Advanced Review Copies (ARC) for an exchange of an honest review, I shifted to WordPress for a more detailed review. Within days, I had accounts on Amazon and Goodreads, where I was frequently posting reviews.

While the writing of book reviews went on for only a couple of months, it was enough for me to pick up some learnings that really helped shape my writing.

Find ‘Yourself’

Just like how no two fingerprints are the same, similarly, no two writers have the exact same writing style. Even if you try to replicate someone, your unique personality will bleed into the article, no matter what.

When I started, I extensively read reviews written by the wonderful people on Goodreads. This did inspire me to copy the style, however, I noticed that my style would always creep in. For instance, I love sarcastic remarks being made on almost hilarious choices taken by characters. Even when I tried serious pieces, one way or another, I would end up making a humorous remark.

After some time, I just gave up copying and embraced my writing style. It ended up being a good thing for my writing career and brought me likes and comments from people who genuinely liked my work.

You do you.

You Are Your Most Important Reader

I tried writing reviews that people would like. Like a sheep in the line, I would give good remarks for the popular books to get into the good grace of the popular writers and reviewers. However, I ended up facing burnout too soon. Writing turned into a task from a hobby. I even started dreading making any mistake regarding the content of the reviews.

Then I opened my personal blog and I released that I could write anything and everything because it was my own domain. I was both the writer and the editor. There were no other reviews to provide me with a cookie cutter shape to fit into. I could be flippant and nobody could tell me to not be.

This liberating experience gave me the needed push to continue writing while enjoying the task. Writing returned to being fun, again.

Be your own boss.

Creativity Over Productivity

A lot of people might not agree with me with one, but hear me out. Would you rather read someone who publishes every day but the content is usually the same OR a new article once a week but every article is creative and brings something new to the table?

Latter, you choose? Good.

I truly believe that by being creative, you can overcome the lack of productivity. During the book review days, often I would push myself to produce a review every other day. This greatly compromised my quality and again, made writing into a task. It wasn’t until I saw that the top Goodreads writer was publishing once a month, that I started doing that and immediately my content quality improved.

Don’t let your productivity kill your creativity.

Take A Chance

Along with book genres, I have experimented a lot in the area of book reviewing. From writing styles to publishing platforms, I have tried almost everything. This led me to discover the wonderful world of Amazon book reviews (that’s an entire article altogether) and really helped me boost my blog.

However, the biggest success was one of my articles getting the top position in the relevant Google search. Currently, the post is responsible for 95% of the traffic I get on the blog and visitors from all parts of the world have clicked on my post. What makes the article unique is that it is not a book review. That was the first time when I decided to combine my major (psychology) and my hobby, and that worked.

Therefore, try everything. You never know when something will end up skyrocketing.

Take a step outside the comfortable blanket.

Build A Community

Writing can a lonely task sometimes. It’s only you and your laptop for hours.

Thus, it is a satisfying reinforcement to get people to come and connect with you on your posts. I have had readers personally message me to discuss their new favorites with me. Knowing that someone is eagerly waiting for your new posts is encouraging and motivating.

Having a community gives you the strength to push on even on the days when you don’t want to and makes writing a little less lonely.

Friends make everything easy.