The good news is, anyone can do it.
The bad news is, anyone can do it.
Today we can all be authors, talk show hosts, mini-celebrities. And we can all be journalists. Let's face it: most of us in the small press game are playing dress-up professionals. It's incredibly difficult to stand out in the crowd. I've had some success at the game of nonfiction writing, so I thought I'd pass on some tips and observations.
First off, why do you want to do it? The answer better be because you love writing and are passionate about the subject matter, because you probably aren't going to make a lot of money at the game.
You can do it for free books. Oh yes, you'll have all the books you can stomach. The myriad of struggling writers out there will stumble all over each other to get their books reviewed. Be careful sending out too many physical copies though. Some of these so-called reviewers scarf up all the freebies they can get.
It's best to have no illusions of fame and fortune and simply do it for love and for fun. Good luck with that. I still struggle with my notion of success.
The question comes up: What kind of writer/reviewer do you wish to be?
THE ACADEMIC:
The playing field in this area is pretty sparse, but then so is the potential audience. You can cite historical parallels and delve deeply into metaphor and focus on literary writers. A few of us may respect you for it, but don't expect a lot of readers.
THE BRO:
There are quite a few Joe Bob Briggs Jrs. out there who like to obssess on body counts, blood flow, sex scenes, and other juvenile aspects of the horror fiction spectrum. You can also chronicle your alcohol consumption. This is a relatively popular approach, and the extreme writers will love you.
THE SPITE WRITER:
This individual looks for fault in every facet of a writer's work. They often resort to personal attacks, name-calling, and believe it or not, cruel observations of their subjects' appearance. There are people who admire these reviewers, but I don't receommend it.
THE WARRIOR:
These people look for socialists and fascists lurking behind every sentence. Their job is to alert us to the menace.
THE DETAILIST:
These are the most boring of the batch. Some so-called reviewers merely run down the every detail of the plot of a book. Don't go this route.
THE ASS-KISSER:
This is by far the most popular approach. Some reviewers go to endless lengths to praise every book they review. Words like brilliant, terrifying, epic, important, are liberally thrown about. Every book is a five star masterpiece. The writers love these the most. The goal seems to be to have bragging rights of friendship. You'll see a lot of "My friend Brian Keene!" "My buddy Ron Malfi!"
I've touched on every one of the above categories.
All I can say is, read, read, read. Read the new writers, and for God's sake read the classics. How can you effectively speak of the present with no knowledge of the past? Read it all, especially outside the genre. You'll find the walls that segregate genres from each other aren't as thick as some think they are.
It's just like writing fiction. You have to find your voice. Miles Davis once said the hardest thing about being a musician is sounding like yourself. I learned from Hunter S. Thompson, Joe Bob Briggs, Douglas E. Winter, Barry N. Malzberg, Tim Lucas, and dozens of others. I've had to shake their voices out of my head and learn to speak like myself.
That's exactly what it is. Say the things you want to pass on, either silently or aloud, then write them down.
Learn the basics of the language. You don't have to be an English Composition Prof, but in order to be taken seriously you need to know how to construct proper sentences and paragraphs.
Be true to your own heart. I've decided not to review something in order to avoid hurting a friend. Sometimes that will even offend them. Trust me. However, real friends, true writers who wish to better themselves, will be grateful for an honest review.
Try not to be too hateful. I've broken that rule more than a few times, because sometimes a book is so rotten I feel psychically bruised and I had to let the ugliness escape my soul. Usually I will try to find something good to say about a book. Then I try to constructively say what I believe does not work about it.
In many cases I will discuss a work within the context of the evolution of the genre. I will cite historical precedents.
I've mostly used myself as a main character in the story of the history of horror. Now, I'm not that interesting a person, but the subject matter is. I talk about the wheres, the whens, the hows as I experienced books and movies. I speak of the world as it was in times past. I talk of how horror was received by people in the orbit of my life. I've tried to do so with passion, wit, and a rather desperate sense of nostalgia. I watched the trends come and go and I've seen the effects of horror on the world.
That's my voice. You need to find yours.
You do this by writing. By writing and writing and writing. If you're new at this game, just start. You'll almost certainly suck at first, but if you keep at it, if you genuinely give it your best, chances are you will find an audience. You might even make a few bucks out of it.
Written by Mark Sieber
The bad news is, anyone can do it.
Today we can all be authors, talk show hosts, mini-celebrities. And we can all be journalists. Let's face it: most of us in the small press game are playing dress-up professionals. It's incredibly difficult to stand out in the crowd. I've had some success at the game of nonfiction writing, so I thought I'd pass on some tips and observations.
First off, why do you want to do it? The answer better be because you love writing and are passionate about the subject matter, because you probably aren't going to make a lot of money at the game.
You can do it for free books. Oh yes, you'll have all the books you can stomach. The myriad of struggling writers out there will stumble all over each other to get their books reviewed. Be careful sending out too many physical copies though. Some of these so-called reviewers scarf up all the freebies they can get.
It's best to have no illusions of fame and fortune and simply do it for love and for fun. Good luck with that. I still struggle with my notion of success.
The question comes up: What kind of writer/reviewer do you wish to be?
THE ACADEMIC:
The playing field in this area is pretty sparse, but then so is the potential audience. You can cite historical parallels and delve deeply into metaphor and focus on literary writers. A few of us may respect you for it, but don't expect a lot of readers.
THE BRO:
There are quite a few Joe Bob Briggs Jrs. out there who like to obssess on body counts, blood flow, sex scenes, and other juvenile aspects of the horror fiction spectrum. You can also chronicle your alcohol consumption. This is a relatively popular approach, and the extreme writers will love you.
THE SPITE WRITER:
This individual looks for fault in every facet of a writer's work. They often resort to personal attacks, name-calling, and believe it or not, cruel observations of their subjects' appearance. There are people who admire these reviewers, but I don't receommend it.
THE WARRIOR:
These people look for socialists and fascists lurking behind every sentence. Their job is to alert us to the menace.
THE DETAILIST:
These are the most boring of the batch. Some so-called reviewers merely run down the every detail of the plot of a book. Don't go this route.
THE ASS-KISSER:
This is by far the most popular approach. Some reviewers go to endless lengths to praise every book they review. Words like brilliant, terrifying, epic, important, are liberally thrown about. Every book is a five star masterpiece. The writers love these the most. The goal seems to be to have bragging rights of friendship. You'll see a lot of "My friend Brian Keene!" "My buddy Ron Malfi!"
I've touched on every one of the above categories.
All I can say is, read, read, read. Read the new writers, and for God's sake read the classics. How can you effectively speak of the present with no knowledge of the past? Read it all, especially outside the genre. You'll find the walls that segregate genres from each other aren't as thick as some think they are.
It's just like writing fiction. You have to find your voice. Miles Davis once said the hardest thing about being a musician is sounding like yourself. I learned from Hunter S. Thompson, Joe Bob Briggs, Douglas E. Winter, Barry N. Malzberg, Tim Lucas, and dozens of others. I've had to shake their voices out of my head and learn to speak like myself.
That's exactly what it is. Say the things you want to pass on, either silently or aloud, then write them down.Learn the basics of the language. You don't have to be an English Composition Prof, but in order to be taken seriously you need to know how to construct proper sentences and paragraphs.
Be true to your own heart. I've decided not to review something in order to avoid hurting a friend. Sometimes that will even offend them. Trust me. However, real friends, true writers who wish to better themselves, will be grateful for an honest review.
Try not to be too hateful. I've broken that rule more than a few times, because sometimes a book is so rotten I feel psychically bruised and I had to let the ugliness escape my soul. Usually I will try to find something good to say about a book. Then I try to constructively say what I believe does not work about it.
In many cases I will discuss a work within the context of the evolution of the genre. I will cite historical precedents.
I've mostly used myself as a main character in the story of the history of horror. Now, I'm not that interesting a person, but the subject matter is. I talk about the wheres, the whens, the hows as I experienced books and movies. I speak of the world as it was in times past. I talk of how horror was received by people in the orbit of my life. I've tried to do so with passion, wit, and a rather desperate sense of nostalgia. I watched the trends come and go and I've seen the effects of horror on the world.
That's my voice. You need to find yours.
You do this by writing. By writing and writing and writing. If you're new at this game, just start. You'll almost certainly suck at first, but if you keep at it, if you genuinely give it your best, chances are you will find an audience. You might even make a few bucks out of it.
Written by Mark Sieber
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