Don’t Get Personal in Your Review — Book Review Etiquette
When you review a book, you are giving your opinion of that book. That is what readers and authors expect from you when to produce a book. They want to know what you experienced when you read the book. They want to know what you took from it. It is a personal review from you. It has to be, but you don’t want to get personal at the same time.
What It Means to Get Personal
You are getting personal when you give a review. You can’t help it. That is the point of giving the review after reading the book. What I’m talking about when I say ‘personal’ is direct attacks on the author. That kind of personal is uncalled for and not what a review is for.
Never call the author names. That’s getting too personal. Never comment on their educational level. That’s getting mean. Never refer to their personal life, their heritage or culture. That’s hitting below the belt. Never assume they are phobic anything and never stereotype them. That is what it means to get personal. Focus on the book in a mature manner. Don’t go after the author.
How to Avoid Getting Personal
The best way to avoid getting personal is just to focus on the book. Don’t talk about the author at all. Focus on the writing.
