I can only speak to the editors of the Long and Short of It Reviews because that's what I'm familiar with.
I was curious about any reviews of a book that I had just finished reading. I loved it and felt it was one of the best books in the series, so far. I can't link to it right now because it has to go through its own editing process before it can get published at LASR. One thing my editors will not see are some of these that I snagged from Goodreads.
"...is an incredible adiction to the" Addiction or Addition - not sure which but an editor could have helped tremendously.
"It sparks me to want to re-read the earlier books in the series" - alright firefly. An editor might have suggested sparked interest in re-reading, or It inspired me to re-read..., or It motivated me to want to re-read... but 'sparked me' just doesn't work unless you're a fire cracker.
One review gave critical plot points away, explaining about the hero's background IN DETAIL; information I only found out when I read the book myself - as it should be. Not only that, but the so-called review showed a huge chunk of dialogue and then continued to give blow by blow accounts of what happened later. I had to stop reading it. I was going to blow a gasket. Telling readers what the story is all about, what happens and explains in intricate detail why something is the way it is has a name. SPOILERS!! They are not reviews!
Ok....I digress. Let's see what else I found.
Oh, The Pout. Yes, a reviewer pouted. "This book would have been so much better if there were more of (previous characters)....." The book wasn't about those other characters. This book was about one man, one hero, and his journey to redemption. Because this particular book didn't have "those" characters, the reviewer trashed it. HELLO!!! ::face palm:: Review and rate the book on what IS, not what you wish it could be. You didn't write the book, the author did. Her world, her rules, her vision. And then the "reviewer" ended with, " complete review to come." Really! So, this person took the time to trash the book because it didn't have the characters she/he'd prefer to see and left a CLIFF HANGER? Interesting technique.
Ah, I was wondering when I'd find a review with this element. I know the hero was as anti-hero as a man could get. He has a history of being the villain everyone loved to hate - with good reason.
I left Goodreads with thankfulness and switched to random clicking and Lo!
"... he is also a complete asshole." That's basically true but profanity really has no place on a 'professional' review site. Even if it's said throughout the book, profanity really should not show up in a review. Remember, and I'm paraphrasing, 'lady on the outside, vixen on the inside'. I think 'bastard' can be used because it is, in fact, a noun and a well used one during those Regency times.
Yes, editors work magic. They fix the flow of a review with a simple tweak of a word here or there. Their jobs are made much easier if I do my homework and proof my words. Did I mix up a metaphor? Did I type in reslut again instead of result? Did I put there instead of their? Spell check won't ever catch that because there and their are real words. This is when the human brain is superior to any computer program. I can't rely on auto-correct either because sometimes what the computer suggests is from outer space. I am the first and last to proof before I submit. Because I've had the honor of assisting with editing, I know what a thankless, eye-straining, headache inducing job it can be. But the polished product is a miracle. We all benefit from our editor's efforts and the result is a higher quality review. I'm honored to have such wonderful people scrutinizing my work. They make me look darned good.
Hats off to our editors!!!!
**VBG** After reading all of this, you are probably wondering and demanding I reveal the name of the book I was basing this post on. I'll instead share with you a review that I thought was awesome. Even better than mine and it's not out yet. I loved the insight this reviewer put into it. I enjoyed how she skirts the cliff of spoilers, giving enough to tease and make me want to read the book all over again. I love giving credit to a great review and this one deserves it. Click HERE to see the answer revealed.
As always, if you have any feedback regarding this post, I'd enjoy the chat.
Thanks for stopping by!
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