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Book Review Guidelines
Revised January 2005
1. Type of Book Reviewed. We accept reviews of both fiction and non-fiction books. Books should have been published within the last two years, or be of special interest. They should also still be in print, or at least available through standard booksellers.
We occasionally get sent samples of new release books from publishers for review. If you are interested in receiving one of these books for review, please let us know what type of book you are interested in reviewing as well as three writing samples, preferably of book or product reviews.
2. Language: The review should be in the same language as the book.
3. Length and Format: Book reviews are between 250 and 500 words in length. They should be sent as an e-mail attachment in Word (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf) or text (.txt) document format. Reviews must be checked for spelling and grammar before they are submitted. They should also follow standard punctuation spacing. Submissions not meeting these guidelines will be returned.
4. Header: Book reviews should contain a header that gives the name of the book reviewed, its author, its publisher, the year it was published, its Canadian selling price and ISBN as well as the name of the reviewer.
5. Bio: Please include a brief 10-25 word bio. Ideally, the bio should give some insight into your authority to write a review of your chosen book. Bios may be edited for length.
6. Submission Review and Editing: WynterGreene will review all submissions and reserves the right to refuse any submission that the editors do not feel fit into the content of the magazine. WynterGreene also reserves the right to reject any submission whose sole or main purpose is promotional. We do not accept reviews from the author, agent, or publisher of the book being reviewed.
WynterGreene reserves the right to edit submissions that are accepted for publication. We may also return reviews to the author with editor questions or comments prior to accepting a review for publication. All accepted submissions undergo basic copy editing for spelling and grammar according to the CP style. WynterGreene may also choose to hold a review for another issue.
7. Purpose: The purpose of the book review is not simply to give your opinion on the book, but to give the reader an idea of what the book contains and whether or not it's something that's worth picking up. In order to do this well, a book review should answer most of the following questions (note that these questions are designed with non-fiction books in mind):
a) What is the book about? Is this a book on Wicca for beginners? Is it a book on advanced Ceremonial Magic? Is it a book on the history of the Chakra system? Is it fiction or non-fiction? Give the reader a general idea of the topics covered.
b) Who is this book written for? Is this a book for beginners, or something more advanced? Is it aimed at young children, teenagers, or adults? Give us an idea of who the author is speaking to.
c) Is the book about what it says it is? If this is a book about modern Druid practices, you wouldn't expect to find a chapter on Eastern meditation techniques. Does the book stick to its topic? Does it cover the important points of the subject it sets out to, or is there something missing? If something's missing, what is it and why is it important that it be there?
d) Will the book teach the people it's supposed to? If the book is written for beginners or young children, are the terms clearly explained, or is the material too advanced? If the book is written for an advanced practitioner, does the author spend enough time covering the basics, or too much, or too little?
e) What is the overall tone of the writing? Is the book written in a very formal style or an is it more conversational? Does it read like a textbook or step-by-step instruction book? Answering this question doesn't necessarily mean judging the tone (although it can if the tone really doesn't match the content of the book). What you want to do here is give your reader an idea of what they can expect in this book.
f) Overall, does the book do what it sets out to do? Are there glaring errors or omissions or are the topics clearly covered? Are appropriate topics covered? Does the tone match the book? Essentially, what is your impression of the book and why?
g) Is the book is a special edition or re-publication? If so, it is good idea to comment on what makes this book so important or different from earlier versions. Is it worth getting this book instead of, or even in addition to, the previously published work? If so, why?
8. Important tips:
a) Review a book when you know at least something about the topic. If you’ve never so much as picked up a book on magical plants in your life, reviewing Advanced Herbal Magic is not really useful to you or to your reader – you just won’t know enough to know whether or not the book covers its topic appropriately, or if it contains blatant misinformation. Conversely, an advanced practitioner might have trouble reviewing a beginner book – you know the topic, but if the author is using advanced terms and not explaining them, you might not notice.
b) Always, always, always back up your opinion. Good or bad, always answer the question “why”. If you write, “This is the best book on Pagan Parenting ever written,” go on to explain what makes it so great. If you say “the books flaws outweigh its merits” – well, what are the flaws, and what are the merits, and why is it more bad than good?
c) Give equal time to points of equal importance. If there’s one inaccurate fact in a book full of otherwise good information, then it may be worth a mention. However, don’t spend the whole of your review picking apart that one fact. Mention it and move on. If the book is good overall, your review should be good overall. If the book is bad overall but has some good points, then the review should reflect that.
9. Contact Information : For more information, visit our website at http://www.wyntergreene.ca, contact info@wyntergreene.ca or call 514-239-2736.
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