It is a dream job to many people—read a book, write a review, and cash a check. It’s a dream because it seems out of reach, but becoming a book reviewer is not that difficult in today’s technological age.
The first thing you should do is write some reviews of books you have already read. Most reviews run about 600 words and include a brief summary that doesn’t give away any of the juicy details. Remember that you are writing a criticism, not just a book report, so conclude with a clear statement of opinion such as “must read” or “2/5 stars.”
Then put the review aside for a day or so, come back to it, and polish it. Be certain the wording is clear and concise. Double-check that you have spelled character names correctly and that bibliographical information is listed on the page. Many potential employers will ask for a sample review. Now you have a good one.
The next step is to get some experience. If you don’t have any official writing experience, volunteer work is a great place to start. Local civic groups often send out newsletters. For more work writing reviews, a local newspaper might be willing to print them, especially those for movies and new books. You can create a portfolio with electronic and hard copies of the publications that are accepted.
On the web, book review sites abound. You may need to write for some of those that don’t pay in order to get the specific experience needed. Sites like bookreporter.com and booksneeze.com are always looking for volunteers. Although book reviewers for such sites don’t typically get paid, they do get free books. Publishers will often send review copies to book reviewers who request them.
Once you have accumulated experience, it is time to contact the larger publisher review houses. There are the biggies, like the New York Times, but there are others that might be easier to break into, such as bookreporter.com, that pay freelancers for reviews. Many such jobs are also posted on internet job sites like monster.com.
Although it sounds pretty posh, the job of book reviewer is not for everyone. Reviewers need to be objective and yet able to render an opinion on a tome, they need to be able to read and write quickly and efficiently, and they must not panic over looming deadlines.
If this sounds like the job for you, then turn that dream into reality. Being a book reviewer can be a rewarding career with great benefits.
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