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| Image Courtesy-Fast Company |
I will be bluffing if I say that I wasn’t surprised when I read this mail
for the very first time.Infact, like flocks of pigeons getting back to their
favourite coops,a myriad of permutations and combinations flew in to my
mind,once I was finished reading it; the most rational ones among them being-
- Someone loves me so desperately that he/she wants to start a blog
and immortalise our laila-majnu love story in the virtual world.
- The awesomeness in my writing is so irresistible
that even something as inanimate as my ceiling fan has started
singing praises (in this case,typing e-mails) acknowledging my sheer
genius!
- My collection of personalised spam mails
has just touched the magic figure of 10,000
Usually in situations like this which warrant a socially
astute and intellectually precise analysis,it’s my chechi who comes to my
rescue .This time too she didn’t disappoint me.It took her a while to
decode the cryptic message and convince me that what we were staring at
wasn’t a cute little gay love letter (as I initially feared), but a certificate
of appreciation from a good soul ('God bless him') who was mighty impressed
with whatever crap I was writing here @ RT and was actually asking me for some
pearls of wisdom (read tips on writing a book review) before making
his/her baby steps in the big,bad world of book blogs. So I, nikhmenon, the
most awesomely awesome blogger and love guru that the blogosphere has ever produced
have decided to enlighten you all with my wildly original and stupendously
fantabulous tips on how to become the Chetan Bhagat among the book-bloggers.
Well,before actually proceeding with the gyaan,I
think it will be better if we look into the most vital part of Kuldeep’s
question first - i.e. the bit about getting free review copies.-
Let me be
honest.You are no James Wood (atleast, not yet) but a newbie book blogger and
there is every possibility of you and your family members being the sole
readers of your initial posts.So don’t delude yourself into thinking,even if
for a split second ,that publishers or PR agencies are going to pamper you with
free review copies and review requests straight away.In other words,for getting
books initially,you’ll have to rely heavily on the local library or buy them on
your own .Now,don’t get me wrong.I can totally understand that books are pretty
expensive and buying them at their cover price (of 399,250,499,599 INR) may not
be financially viable all the time.These days,online stores are offering books at affordable prices and you can give them a try.
So guys, here comes nikhimenon's golden tips to become a superstar book blogger-
Be organised: no one likes to read a review
written in a haphazard manner.There may not be a definite format for writing
one, but it will be better if you stick to a basic template which covers the
important aspects of a book-plotting,characters,writing style,writing etc.
Keep away from
spoilers : a review is
not synonymous with a synopsis.So,while writing a review you are
neither required nor expected to give away the whole plot and each and every
plot twist and also,don't post something just for the sake of it.
Be Polite: good or bad it may be,every book
is the result of someone’s passion and hardwork.You may totally hate a book,but
be polite and not too harsh in expressing your views.
Make it simple and
crisp:Remember this
cardinal rule-People read blog reviews because they want to know whether a
particular book is good or bad without having to go through blocks of prose
replete with intellectual pretensions and heavy duty literary jargons.Respect
your reader and make your reviews crisp and easy to read.
Be Patient: No one has become a superstar
blogger overnight.Recognition in blogosphere takes time and there are no short
cuts for achieving instant success as a blogger.Read like there is no tomorrow
and pen down your sincere thoughts in a lucid, organised and unpretentious
manner.Your work will definitely get its due.
(The second part of this post will
be published soon)
-nikhimenon
Kuldeep is highly deluded I must say!
ReplyDeleteNice post !
ReplyDeletethank you for clarifying the "free book" part :)
actually,i think all the fellow members of this blog can contribute to this post and i think all of us will have our own tips to contribute...what say?
Delete