5 August 2011 -Written by Stephen Romei -
Stephen Romei reveals the ungenteel side of book reviews
1. Going postal
You will get more mail than Justin Bieber. Every working day the R [for Romei] pigeonhole at my office overflows, with parcels spilling sideways to block the Q and S, while also towering upwards to intimidate the K. All those bubble-wrap lined envelopes and Styrofoam-filled boxes contain books, even the big ones that look serious enough to hold a case of scotch (they never do). Why do books need such swaddling? They're hardly going to break. Memo to all publishing publicists: just whack ’em in an envelope and post ’em, for goodness sake.
2. Spoiled for choice
It follows that there are many, many more books published than there is newspaper space to review them. In The Weekend Australian we review about 20 books each week, while receiving at least 20 a day. That means you will have to tell a lot of publicists, and sometimes the authors themselves, that their book is not going to be reviewed. Some literary editors deal with this by ignoring their phone and email for days, months, years. I prefer the Band-Aid approach: rip it off, tell them straight and wish them better luck next time.
3. The great unread
If there are more books being published than there is space to review them, multiply this by a factor of infinity when it comes to your ability to read them. Not only is it impossible to keep up with new books but your to-read pile will grow exponentially as you add old books that you read about or that others recommend to you. When I look at the alleged to-read pile beside my bed (I normally include an adjective in that phrase, but let’s keep things clean), I silently pray for a smallish house fire.
4. It’s not about I
You must edit books pages for every reader, not just yourself. So you need a cross-section of book reviews, covering fiction and nonfiction. I did once put out a books section devoted entirely to my own tastes, and it didn’t go down well. Who knew that rugby league, horse racing and beer tasting were such niche interests?
5. Their pride and joy
While you have to think about a lot of different books every day, authors only think about one: their own. It’s worth bearing this in mind and being sympathetic. Authors devote years to their books and, like all new parents, think their offspring is special.
Read the other five things you need to know at the Walkley Foundation. I found it both interesting and entertaining.
Footnote:
My thanks to music historian and award winning NZ writer Chris Bourke for bringing this piece to my notice.
You will get more mail than Justin Bieber. Every working day the R [for Romei] pigeonhole at my office overflows, with parcels spilling sideways to block the Q and S, while also towering upwards to intimidate the K. All those bubble-wrap lined envelopes and Styrofoam-filled boxes contain books, even the big ones that look serious enough to hold a case of scotch (they never do). Why do books need such swaddling? They're hardly going to break. Memo to all publishing publicists: just whack ’em in an envelope and post ’em, for goodness sake.
2. Spoiled for choice
It follows that there are many, many more books published than there is newspaper space to review them. In The Weekend Australian we review about 20 books each week, while receiving at least 20 a day. That means you will have to tell a lot of publicists, and sometimes the authors themselves, that their book is not going to be reviewed. Some literary editors deal with this by ignoring their phone and email for days, months, years. I prefer the Band-Aid approach: rip it off, tell them straight and wish them better luck next time.
3. The great unread
If there are more books being published than there is space to review them, multiply this by a factor of infinity when it comes to your ability to read them. Not only is it impossible to keep up with new books but your to-read pile will grow exponentially as you add old books that you read about or that others recommend to you. When I look at the alleged to-read pile beside my bed (I normally include an adjective in that phrase, but let’s keep things clean), I silently pray for a smallish house fire.
4. It’s not about I
You must edit books pages for every reader, not just yourself. So you need a cross-section of book reviews, covering fiction and nonfiction. I did once put out a books section devoted entirely to my own tastes, and it didn’t go down well. Who knew that rugby league, horse racing and beer tasting were such niche interests?
5. Their pride and joy
While you have to think about a lot of different books every day, authors only think about one: their own. It’s worth bearing this in mind and being sympathetic. Authors devote years to their books and, like all new parents, think their offspring is special.
Read the other five things you need to know at the Walkley Foundation. I found it both interesting and entertaining.
Footnote:
My thanks to music historian and award winning NZ writer Chris Bourke for bringing this piece to my notice.
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