By reading reviews, I don't mean just
your own, although those can certainly be helpful. I suggest you go
to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christian Books, or any other good
review site, and pick several books. Don't pick books that have
several hundred one line reviews saying they loved it. You won't
learn anything.
Pick books where there is a substantial
spread in the rating. Both the five star reviews and the two star
reviews for such a book can be helpful. I recently reviewed Fallen
Masters by John Edward. The reviews ranged across the board. Some
people loved it, primarily because the plot interested them. On the
negative side, some people said there were too many characters,
another was disturbed by the consistent use of POTUS for President of
the United States. The book was very long and some people thought it
dragged in the middle.
So what can you learn from reviews like this?
- A strong plot can carry a book for many readers. This is particularly true if the characters are well drawn and interesting.
- Long books, 400 to 500 pages, can turn readers off unless the action is consistent. Slow moving sections designed to present information turn readers off.
- Unless handled very well, following more than one or two characters can be confusing. With too many characters, readers often go back and forth to remember what the character was doing several pages ago.
- Use of unusual acronyms, particularly in capital letters, can stop the forward motion of the story. Some readers are so annoyed they give up reading.
Almost any series of reviews can be
mined for ideas of what makes a book work readers. It helps if you've
read the book, but if not, there's still plenty of food for thought.
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