Editor’s note: This is a guest post by book reviewer Laura Sackton.
I fell into reviewing books professionally a little by accident, and while I do enjoy it, I didn’t think it through when I first started. I just thought, “I love talking about books! What could be better than being paid to write reviews?!” It seemed like a dream job, so I went for it.
I started writing for Book Riot in 2017. Book Riot doesn’t publish straight-up reviews, but writing booklists and personal essays about reading for their website helped launch me into book reviewing. As I wrote more pieces for Book Riot that explored books in depth, I discovered I enjoyed writing about themes, prose, and structure, and I began to seek out more opportunities to write longform book reviews.
I’ve been reviewing fiction for BookPage since 2021.
I write a monthly column for Audiofile, reviewing three books on a similar theme.
And I publish a Substack newsletter, Books and Bakes, that focuses on queer lit.
Book reviewing is only a small part of my freelance work, but it’s my favorite part. However, it’s taken me years to get to a place that feels sustainable and fulfilling. Through trial and error, and intense self-reflection, I’ve finally determined what kind of books I like to review, and, most important, why I like to review them. I’ve gotten better at reviewing, which has led to more opportunities, and I’ve found a few review niches (audiobooks, queer lit) that I love.
If you love books, you’re interested in jobs in the book world, and you got Bookworm on the Book Editor Profile Quiz, how do you know if becoming a book reviewer is something you want to pursue?
Well, you can just dive into it, like I did, and see how it goes. Or you could take the time to think about why you want to write reviews.
Below, I’ve listed the various reasons people consider becoming a reviewer. If you’re interested in reviewing, I guarantee that taking a few minutes to find yourself in the following scenarios will help you determine if doing so professionally is for you. You might be surprised by what you find out!
You want to write reviews to…
1. Gain Clarity
You write reviews to untangle your thoughts and feelings about a book you just read.
This is such a great reason to write reviews. I often find that writing about a book helps me figure out how I feel about it, especially when I have conflicting or complicated thoughts. Sometimes it’s helpful to write out a few impressions simply to help you remember what it was about and what you thought of it.
Should you review professionally? No!
There is so much freedom in writing reviews like this: Book reviews you write for yourself don’t have to be polished or even logical. They don’t have to make sense to anyone else. You can write a few sentences or a few pages. You can home in on one character or plot twist.
Start a book journal, join a book club, keep writing the reviews you’re already writing. Don’t force yourself to write reviews for public consumption if you don’t want to.
2. Express Yourself
You use reviews as a form of catharsis—either to SCREAM IN ALL CAPS about how much you love a book, or to rant about books you absolutely despise.
Honestly, reviews like this are not only fun to write, they’re fun to read. Book reviews aren’t, and shouldn’t be, objective. I love reading personal, passionate reviews, whether they’re scathing or glowing.
Should you review professionally? No.
If you love letting loose in your reviews, you’re probably going to be frustrated by the restrictions inherent to professional reviewing. Most publications won’t let you use ten exclamation points in a row or write sentences in all caps.
But there is a middle ground: The bookish internet (Bookstagram, BookTok, BookTube, etc.) is the perfect place for reviews like this. These platforms are full of reviews across all genres, including some genres that don’t get as much attention in mainstream media. If you love fantasy and romance, BookTok might be the place for you. Bookstagram is home to every kind of review you could possibly dream up—gorgeous and personal, thoughtfully scathing, mini comics/art pieces, little poems, elegantly simple. BookTube gives reviewers freedom to talk about books in ways that feel organic and conversational (I love this review of Good Talk, for example).
3. Share Your Love of Books
You write reviews (or think you might like writing them) because you love talking to other people about books.
I’ve always been a writer as well as a reader, and I’ve always journaled about books—so before I became a reviewer, I already knew I liked the writing part. But even if you haven’t tried writing reviews, you might find that you love it. Maybe you’re the person in your friend group who always has a book recommendation at the ready. Maybe you’re the most outspoken in your book club. Maybe you’re the one at family meals who asks everyone what they’re reading, and then gets into long conversations about literature, writing, or the latest romantasy series. If you love sharing your thoughts about books with others, there’s a good chance you’ll like reviewing.
Should you review professionally? Give it a try!
It might not be for you, or you could discover it’s even more satisfying than talking about books.
4. Join the Discourse
You write reviews because you enjoy engaging critically with books.
If you’re the kind of person who loves thinking deeply about books and considering them from every angle, you’re probably already writing the kind of reviews that publications are looking for. This isn’t to say that being a professional reviewer means only writing critical reviews, or that professional reviews aren’t personal. In my opinion, the best reviews are personal. But if you love engaging critically with books, you’re probably already asking the relevant questions for professional reviewing:
- What is the author trying to do, and do they succeed? Why or why not?
- What other works (or current events, or cultural moments) is the book in conversation with?
- What’s going on with the prose? Is it lyrical, conversational, surprising? Does it reflect the themes of the book, or the ways the characters think and act? Is it experimental, and if so, is it well executed? For example, I recently read Open Hoke by Henry Hoke, which is narrated by a mountain lion. Hoke uses almost no punctuation, a choice that heightens the sense of being immersed in a nonhuman perspective.
- What perspectives and biases are you bringing into your reading of the text?
Should you review professionally? Yes!
Go for it. You clearly have something to say about books, and you already enjoy writing thoughtful reviews that ask big questions and consider different angles. Becoming a professional reviewer will likely help hone your skills—and if you already love doing something, there’s nothing more satisfying than learning to do it better.
5. Emulate Your Favorite Reviewers
You write reviews because you love reading reviews.
Book reviews aren’t just a tool to help readers find new books. They are their own art form. Sometimes I read a review so beautiful it takes my breath away. Sometimes a review makes me think about a book I’ve read in a completely different way.
Should you review professionally? Yes!
If you love reading reviews (and I mean reading all kinds of reviews—positive, negative, and everything in between) for the sheer pleasure of it, there’s a good chance you’re going to love creating them, too. It might not be the most intuitive or obvious reason to become a professional reviewer, but I think it’s an important one.
Your Turn?
I hope my reflections will help you understand the landscape of professional book reviewing and how you can fit into it. For myself, I could have enjoyed the process of becoming a reviewer even more if I’d taken the time to contemplate why I wanted to become a reviewer before diving in. I could have figured out a lot sooner what niches to carve out and which publications to pitch to. But I don’t regret my path, because it’s led me to where I am today.
If you love books, too, I encourage you to join the world of book reviewers, in whichever way feels right to you.
Laura Sackton is a queer book nerd and freelance writer based in rural Massachusetts. Her work appears regularly at Book Riot, AudioFile, BookPage, and elsewhere. She writes a weekly newsletter, Books & Bakes, about books and treats (her two favorite things), and reviews as much queer lit as she can on Bookstagram at @openbookopen.
