This Is Not A Test- So Why Are You Asking Me Questions?

I like to be teased.
I like to be intrigued.
I like to have my interest piqued.
I like to read a review and get informed.

I don't like to be bombarded with questions I have no way of answering.
I don't like being asked so many of the darned things that I feel like I'm being tested instead of learning anything of value about the book I might want to read.

And that's the latest bugaboo. The question. The sentence that ends with a (?) aimed at getting a reader to wonder, to get interested and to want to know more. I believe the intent is to leave them dangling, curious and clamoring for what comes next.

Instead, I want to walk away.
Why? It's a great technique.

Yes, in moderation and in context.

Reviewing is an art. Like all artists we experiment with different mediums and techniques but for us, it's not oil paints vs. watercolors,or marble vs. wood, it's the written word.

Sometimes a bit too much of one color can overwhelm a painting and instead of a masterpiece it becomes a dartboard. If you chip off that one extra piece of the sculpture and more comes off than intended, the art is ruined. So too with the technique of teasing with a question. Use too many and it loses effect.

How is it done? How or when is it used? When should it not be used?

Good questions. How it is being used and in what way makes a huge difference on the effect it will have on a reader.

The answer to when it should NOT be used has partially been addressed before, believe it or not. The first part is my pet peeve, No Synopsis

Why do you think I'm bringing up my pet peeve, the evil synopsis? Because there are times a reviewer thinks that by writing a synopsis-style paragraph with a hook at the end, and in this case, it's the use of a question, they've made the reader interested in the story. And that might work - once. Maybe even twice.

When it doesn't work for certain is when the "review" isn't a review at all but a different style of a synopsis.

It would have been better if they'd just taken out a few sentences and wrote about their own observations about what works in the story because that is what readers are really searching for.

If the entire review has four or five paragraphs, and every one ends in a leading question but every one of those four or five paragraphs retells the blurb or narrates the progression of the story, then no matter how clever the question, the 'review' isn't giving a reader the information that makes a review, a review.

Warning: This next paragraph is harsh with a caveat.  It's only for those who review for sites that include the blurb from the book with the review.

Writing reviews like that is a waste of both a reader's and the reviewer's time. The review should be sent back for edits. Why? Because it's not a review. Asking leading questions after rehashing the blurb is not a review. Reciting narrative about what the book is about is not a review. Simple. There is no actual investment by the reviewer. Yes, it took time to write four or five paragraphs but there is nothing from the reviewer herself/himself in the review. There isn't anything in the way of personal opinion or observation about the contents. And the only thing that they contribute in their own words is the final paragraph that basically says, "I liked it."  It's copy. It's lazy. It's slothful.

Harsh enough? Perhaps not for those that have to edit that drivel.

What does a question that can hook a reader look like? Well, first, it's going to follow some information that comes from the reviewer's own influence. It's fluid, individual to the review and situation and is probably a question the reader will find value in the asking. It doesn't have to be clever, just real.

Ecstasy Untamed "...What is even better is the hint that another warrior is about to find true love and I knew it was coming. I knew it! This book confirmed it and it’s going to be so exciting. I’m sure it’s also going to be equally dark and challenging to read. The thing I’m almost afraid to ask Ms. Palmer is: “What dastardly conflict is she going to come up with to curl my hair this time?”

The Norse King's Daughter "...She comes across as a woman who knows what’s going on but even when she’s hit by the figurative wall of bricks, she remains inured from the thought of possible harm to her. She’s a king’s daughter, what could possibly happen?"

Queen of the Sylphs ..."
Speaking of which, will you think less of me if I say the ending made me cry? It was beautiful, passionate and sentimental. It was true to the story; it was emotionally powerful and humbling and it made everything that went on before have meaning and relevance. If I could, I would have wanted to give them all a group hug, but I bet one of the battlers would have growled at me."

Once Upon a Groom ..."I just wished it didn’t come across like a broken record for me. As for Jenny’s dad, he’s an idiot. I don’t care how hurt he was when Jenny’s mother died. His neglect doesn’t deserve the level of tolerance and forgiveness that the heroine allowed him. Why didn’t she ever get angry? Why did she wait until the point in the book where she finally, sort of, expressed her feelings? As far as I’m concerned, the author didn’t have her character go far enough."

In the Hay ..."My absolute favorite part in this whole book, when it comes to choosing something off of the heroine’s wish list, is the slip and slide. I adored how the author wrote that scene. It was zany, fun and totally off the wall. And, it was romantic and sweet and made me laugh. In fact that is something I did frequently throughout this story – laugh. And the cutest part about that scene? The hero wanted to do it again."

The Man With the Money ..."Jack is bored. See Jack perk up. Watch Jack think he’s getting his cake and eating it too. Enjoy the cake, in this case, Cara, the heroine, as it bites back. Marvel at how much Jack is clueless as to what it means to dream about a person when they aren’t with him. Poor Jack. He’s about to get a reality check and a mirror thrust into his face – and he doesn’t like what he sees. But what to do?"

After going through my own reviews for examples, I was stunned to see that I hardly ever use the technique. None truly matched the criteria of using a question as the last line on a paragraph as a hook. Using questions in a review certainly has a place, my examples clearly illustrated that.

What I need from you, visitors and fellow reviewers, are examples of a non-synopsis review that uses a question as the last line of the paragraph with the purpose of 'hooking' a reader's interest. Obviously, I can't provide that. I wonder what that says about me?

What Do You Want To Know?

I am going to switch things around today.

I have shared quite a few things that I felt were relevant to writing reviews and I'm thrilled with the comments I've received.

But now I ask, "What do you want to know? What would you ask a reviewer if you could?"

This is your turn to quiz me. Ask me anything about reviews that you want. If I don't know the answer, I'll have the great folks at LASR/Whipped Cream Reviews come by and help out.

Anyone can ask from fellow reviewers, authors or readers thinking about becoming reviewers.

I've said my piece and I've had fun but now I'm ready to find out:

What do YOU want to know about reviewing or being a reviewer? 

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

Those are the words used by a child to make a choice. As adults we mentally do the same thing but with a bit more information behind us in helping us make the selection.

An author asked me a question the other day and I thought it good enough to explore it here.

It was:

How does a book get reviewed?

What grabs a reviewers attention and why do some books get reviewed before others. I know authors who've waited years for a book to be reviewed and gotten nothing while books that come out a week or two ago get a review out like the day after the book is put on sale.

I think those are legitimate questions. On what do we reviewers base our decisions?

I can only respond from the vantage point of whom I review for so it is only one viewpoint or perspective. I'm curious to hear from other reviewers after I've said my piece.

How does a book get reviewed? It gets chosen. At The Long and Short of It Reviews, we reviewers get to chose what books we want to read and review. I find that books reviewed by someone who likes what they are reading are more enthusiastic but at the same time, a reviewer may be more difficult to please because they know what they are looking for and have certain expectations.

What grabs a reviewer's attention? How does it get chosen? I'm sure that there are more factors I can list but I'm going to concentrate on two. First - some authors actually have a fan base. If a reviewer, through working for a review site, discovered a new-to-her/him author and they absolutely adored what they read, then they will grab whatever book that comes through by that author. That's an ideal situation.

The second, and I believe the most prevalent reason, is the blurb. The only thing the reviewers get to see is the blurb sent by the publisher (or sometimes by the author herself/himself).

The blurb's job is a critical one for a review site. In it will include the basic information that will hopefully appeal to a reader. If it's a well written blurb then it will spark interest. If it contains information that pushes a reader's happy buttons, then it will get chosen.

However, if it is a poorly written blurb, then it might be passed over. Which is a sad thing. Why? Because, and correct me if I'm wrong, I believe it's the authors themselves who have to write their own blurbs. How do you condense an entire book into one little paragraph? How do they know what information to put in? What is too little or too much? *Addendum* I've sinced learned that there are some authors who are lucky enough to have editors for blurbs and some who actually write for a publishing house that has official "blurbers" for the authors. How awesome! And how excruciating when a blurb still comes out less than ideal. **

I will be honest. There have been books that I've passed on simply because the blurb turned me off. I'm not talking about it being on a subject I personally don't like. I'm talking a very poorly written, rambling and uninteresting blurb.

I am not going to give actual examples because I'm not putting anybody's hard work in the limelight for others to look askance at. What I am going to do is give an idea what didn't work for me.

A Stressful blurb. Hard to believe that a reader could actually get stressed from a blurb but it's happened to me. I guess there was a tad too much conflict packed into the tiny thing. It didn't generate excitement; more like making me question if I was in the mood for that much angst and drama. Instead of thrilling to the potential suspense, I felt like I might need aromatherapy after reading it. Or chocolate.

The Rambling Rose blurb. This is the worst and thank goodness there's not too many of them. Seen this too. This type does what the name implies; it rambles. It gives a whole outline of the book. So much so that I would sit back and ask myself why I'd even want to read the book after all that? It tries to fit so much in it gets confusing and instead of sounding epic, like the Thornbirds mini-series, it just...turns me off.

The Sex Romp blurb: Ok..this is not objective and I'll admit it. But when I read a blurb and all it touts is the sex without mentioning much of a plot or other bits to challenge my curiosity, or doesn't engage interest in learning what happens to the hero and heroine, or the hero, hero hero, heroine, hero, then I just pass it right over. It doesn't matter if the book is erotic romance. To me, the main word is romance. If the blurb makes it sound like the plot is only a thin fibrous thread to connect the reasons for having sex, then I'm out of there. Romance means emotion and if there is no conflict - I don't mean which man to boing - then I won't want to look further. Of course, if that IS what a reader is looking for on that day, at that moment, because they are 'in the mood' then that blurb just might do its job.

The news is that lately, I've seen less of the Sex Romp blurbs. For that I am thankful.

But, see the dilemma authors face? It's subjective. Readers have various tastes and what works for most will not work for all. It's daunting. There is no science that can explain it all in black and white. It's pretty much heavy in the gray zone called 'opinion'. Books and blurbs seem to get chosen by the same roll of the dice. So, how do we load them? *wink*

So, did I help? Probably not. I'd really like to hear from other reviewers and get their take on what makes a good blurb/bad blurb. I'd also like other reviewers to share why they pick the books they do.

As to why books get reviewed before others? Whoa. Well, that is another many answered thing.

First, I think if it's a book that totally wowed a reader or is one they were waiting for and it's got them jumping out of their skin in excitement, that review is going to get written post-haste. It's like a shout out to the world.

Or, the book was chosen by a Super Reviewer. Those are people who read fast and write faster and sites probably wish they could clone them - if the reviews are well written anyway. ;-)

Then there is the rest of us. Those who read for the joy of reading and will get the review written within the parameters of the site's rules. Ours is: get a book, write the review within 30 days of receipt.

The other way a book can have the review done in a timely fashion is the carrot approach. What is that tantalizing offer? To write something with a pull line that the author/publisher likes so much, it gets quoted and ends up being seen by every reader who picks up that book. I know that I've personally taken the bait more than once and what a thrill when I actually saw my words in print!

How does this happen? Well, there are some sites that will send the blurb long in advance, an ARC is what it ends up being (advanced readers copy) and they'll indicate the publish date. They'll include the publish date because, and this is what I'm thinking they are looking for, they hope to get a review in early enough so they can get a sound bite. Remember my post? If not click SOUND BITE. Anyway, they want the review as soon as possible so they stipulate the "review by" date. Sure works for me. :-)

Then again, if the blurb is sent to us for our picking pleasure only a week before it's published, that doesn't seem like enough time, does it? Especially when reviewers have thirty days with which to get it done. That places it long past the publish date. Not only that, but do authors realize that sometimes publishers send us those all important blurbs long after the initial release date? That sometimes they don't even do it the week before but merely days before? Now that I understand that writers really do appreciate a review being timely, the fact that review requests can come in one week prior to the publish date or even weeks after its release makes me sad. Since that's the case, I feel for the author of the book about to come out because there they are, hoping for reviews right around their publishing date, and they're not there. How bummed they must be! And how much extra pressure on we reviewers.

Obviously, just writing this post isn't going to affect changes anywhere. It is only being written to alert reviewers about how important it is to get their reviews done. It reflects on the review site if it goes beyond thirty days. I wrote this in response to that very nice author who sought answers about how and why books get reviewed. And I explored a few possible answers but by no means are they the only ones so I'm counting on you, my visitors, to offer other reasons reviews happen they way they do.

Meanwhile, I have a review to write. ;-)