[Susan McLean]

My mini-review of Richard Wakefield's Terminal Park:
https://www.amazon.com/Terminal-Park...ks%2C81&sr=1-2

Susan

[Sarah-Jane Crowson]

Susan, that is an excellent review - small but perfectly formed. It makes me want to read the book (which is bad, because I have run out of budget temporarily).

I'm going to ask a potentially insensitive question, and please forgive me, it isn't meant in the spirit of offence, just curiosity as to why you didn't submit the review to a poetry magazine or zine rather than to Amazon. I recognise that Amazon has huge reach, and I think many reviewers and readers shopping there appreciate elegant writing. But still, I wonder. I don't expect you to answer, and I hope you aren't offended.

Sarah-Jane

[Susan McLean]

Sarah-Jane,
I don't really want to support Amazon's massive power over publishing, but I realize that the reviews there are probably read by more people than any poetry magazine anywhere. My goal is to urge people to buy (or even just to read in any way they can) books by poets whose work I especially admire. Since those poets tend to be formalists, that is a group that is least likely to be reviewed by most of the poetry journals. People who read a review of a poetry book on Amazon are probably already considering buying a book, so if I can nudge them in that direction, I may be able to help good poets get read. My reviews tend to be shorter than a review in a poetry journal, so the journals might not be interested anyway. When I have written more extended reviews, I have published a few of those in poetry journals, especially those online that people don't have to pay for. I try to put into a review the kind of information I would want to know about a book. If a poet already has lots of reviews of a work, I am less likely to review that book than one that has few or none, or reviews that are not much help.

Susan

[Sarah-Jane Crowson]

Susan,

Thank you so much for your courtesy for responding to my curious question! That makes more sense now.

I like and appreciate the short review format. It's not so pressing during the vacation, but I find myself time-starved whilst at work. But, it has to be said that I don't often go on Amazon to seek out reviews.

Not sure if this will be of interest, but Poetry Wales, which is print as well as some content online, and has a good reputation in the UK, has a format where sometimes the reviewers read three books and created three short reviews of them in one article. They are looking for reviewers if you were looking to specialise in reviews of formalist poetry (their call is open now and you add your specialism/line of interest to an online form).

There are other online magazines I am roughly networked with that like short reviews too. If it is useful I can post links as and when they call out in General.

I notice a growing (not articulated, just tacit, informal) interest in trying to write and reading formal poetry - sonnets mainly, in some other (mostly UK) communities I'm part of - I think possibly prompted by writing prompts that often explore constraints and some contemporary UK poets like Jaqueline Saphra, who write in form.

I guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way is that, from my perspective, reviews like yours would go down well in spaces outside of Amazon, and would introduce fellow writers to interesting reading material, providing you didn't feel that e-zines were a no-go space to place your reviews.

Sarah-Jane

[Orwn Acra]

If you have a Goodreads account I suggest also posting the review there. Goodreads is kind of terrible and annoying but it is mostly used by younger people.

[Susan McLean]

Sarah-Jane, I do occasionally get asked by a journal to review a book, and I usually agree when asked, so long as I think I can write a relatively positive review of it. I don't want to write negative reviews because I don't see the point, but I do want to be honest in a review. When writing reviews on a strictly voluntary basis, I can single out the books I am most enthusiastic about. Sharing good books is a joy for all involved. However, in retirement, I want to spend most of my time writing and translating poetry, not writing prose about poetry. So I am reluctant to commit to being a regular reviewer. Usually I write reviews when I have just finished reading a book I particularly liked, and I want to put into words what I liked about it.

Walter, thanks for the suggestion, which makes sense to me. I am not currently a member of Goodreads. I look at it occasionally, and I am generally not impressed with what people say about books there. There seems to be a high percentage of trolls. But you may be right that I could reach a different set of readers there, and it would not be much extra work to post my review in one other place.

Susan

[Alex Pepple]

Nice review, Susan, and much enjoyed--it shows careful reading and appreciation of Richard's craft.

Cheers,
...Alex