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THIS THREAD IS FOR PARTICIPANTS IN REVIEW SESSION 2.

It is not a discussion thread, but is intended for practical arrangements and communication about the review session.

Welcome to Christian Speculative Fiction Review Session 2!

Here are the guidelines for this session. You may be familiar with some of them from our previous session or from participating in other GR review groups; but PLEASE READ THEM ALL, as there are a number of significant changes!

1. As stated above, this is not a discussion thread. It is simply for organising and co-ordinating our review work together.

2. So, what are we aiming to achieve by reviewing one another’s books? Well, first and foremost, we want this to be a positive experience for all involved. We’re aiming to write reviews that are sympathetic, positive and constructive for the author, while at the same time sharing honestly how we felt about the book for the sake of potential customers. This can be a difficult path to walk! To help reviewers find that path, we have adopted the following policy: Every review written for this session should start with positive aspects of the book; go on to any negatives; and end on a positive note. This not only affirms the author’s strengths before pointing out weaknesses; but is also good marketing practice. Let customers see the good points of the book first, rather than subjecting them to a cold shower of all its failings, which could make them drop it without reading further.

That said, please don’t feel you can’t say anything negative about the book you’re reviewing! This is not a mutual admiration society; authors do get things wrong, and we hope this review group will be a place where authors can grow and improve their writing skills through sympathetic and constructive criticism. But—let’s keep the negatives sandwiched between positives! And also, where possible, let's try and find as many positives as negatives.

3. Joining this group involves a commitment to write two reviews within the required period (one per month). The deadline for the first review is July 13th; and for the second, August 10th. Failing to complete each review by the deadline will not only let the authors down, but will also undermine what we as a group are trying to achieve. If you find yourself unable to finish one or other of your reviews, please be aware that it is your responsibility to find a replacement reviewer—and to inform us in this thread of the change, including the GR profile link of your replacement.

4. The way the session will basically work is as follows: There will be 2 rounds, one in June–July and one in July–August, with each author and reviewer doing one review in each round. We are currently in the sign-up phase, aiming for 12 authors (so 12 books), and 6 reviewers who are not submitting books (who I'll call ‘readers� for short). See the list below. Some people who missed session 1 are pre-entered in the list: the remaining slots will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. But those already on the list also need to confirm that thay will be taking part. This confirmation needs to be posted here before Thursday 14th June. If any pre-entered participants fail to confirm by then, their slots will become available to others (first come, first served). The sign-up phase ends on Saturday 16th June. The list of review pairs will then be drawn up; and the reviewing phase will begin on Monday 18th June.

Note: If the response warrants it, we will either increase the number of participants in this session, or start a second parallel session. So all is not lost if every slot is filled! Keep watching your notifications�

5. Participants in sign-up order:

Authors:

1. Justin Coogle ______________

2. Cortez Law III _____________

3. Rondi Bauer Olson ___________

4. John Kramer ______________

5. Jeanette O'Hagan ___________

6. J.M. Hackman _____________

7. Guy L. Pace ______________

8. Sean Elliot Russell __________

9. J.F. Rogers _______________

10. C.S. Wachter _____________

11. Kenyon Henry ____________

12. A.L. Buehrer _____________


Readers:

13. Gbraden, /user/show/2...

14. RC Curtis, /user/show/5...

15. Lara Lee

16. Michelle R. Wood, /user/show/5...

17. Ann, /user/show/7...

18. M.H. Elrich, /user/show/2...

6. Please confirm or sign up in this thread, providing your GR profile link and, if you’re an author, the GR link to the book you want reviewed.

At the same time, please let me know if any book of yours has already been reviewed by any of the other participants.

(There are further notes in the next thread.)

How it works, continued:

7. I will allocate books to reviewers in such a way that in round 1 (June–July) all the authors will review another author (without any two people reviewing each other; and ensuring that no author is reviewed by someone who has reviewed them before). This provides 1 review per book. Each of the readers will also review one of the books—providing 1 review for 6 of the 12 books. So at the end of round 1, 6 authors will have one review each and 6 authors will have 2 reviews each.

Then in round 2 (July–August) the same will happen again with different author–author pairs, and with the readers covering the remaining 6 books. So at the end of round 2 every book will have received 3 reviews.

8. How will participants receive the books they are to review? Since there are wide discrepancies in cost between different books—and not everyone subscribes to Kindle Unlimitedâ€�it will be the responsibility of the author to contact his or her reviewers and work out how to get them a free review copy. If the book is on KU and they can read it there, fine. Alternatively the author can send the reviewer a private message on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to ask for their email address, and then email them a file (mobi, epub or pdf), or provide a link for them to obtain a free Kindle version.

9. When a review is finished, the reviewer will post it to Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and to their local Amazon site; and will also post links to both reviews in this thread to share them with the rest of the group. (There is one exception to this: see point â€�13 below.) Any practical difficulties en route can be brought up here.

10. Please understand that allocated reviewer–book pairs cannot easily be changed. Allocating the pairs to avoid reciprocal reviews and making sure no pairs are the same as in previous sessions will be difficult enough without also trying to accommodate personal preferences. Everyone taking part in this session must be willing to accept that they may not get exactly the book they might have chosen to review. Part of the reviewing exercise is to be objective enough to give credit for good writing, even if the subject matter is not entirely to your taste.

11. Please note that the only acceptable response from an author to a reviewer is “Thank you.� Authors should never enter into a dispute with a reviewer about things they disagree with in their review. If they feel strongly that the review and rating are unfair, they should contact me as mod, not the reviewer.

12. Reviewers, when you rate a book, please take into account the different meanings of the stars on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and Amazon: On GR, 3 stars means “liked itâ€� (mouse over the stars in a 3-star review to see this). So 3 stars on GR is a positive review. But on Amazon, 3 stars is just an average: the reviewer neither liked it nor disliked it. Which translates as a negative for customers: if you couldn’t decide whether you liked the book, why should I buy it?

Please, therefore, think very hard before you give a book 3 stars on Amazon. Many of us assign different ratings on GR and Amazon for this reason.

13. And please note that only reviews of 3 stars or more should be posted to GR and Amazon. If a reviewer truly feels a book is not worth more than 2 stars, he/she should complete the review, but send it as a private message to the author with a clear description of the areas where they feel the book falls short, and how these might be corrected. They should also send the review in a pm to me, so I’m aware they’ve done this.

14. In parallel with this session, we will be opening a number of discussion threads about reviewing, both in general and with particular regard to its role in marketing. We would encourage you to take part in these: either to learn, if you’re a little unsure about reviewing; or to contribute your own experience to the discussion.

15. Finally, I’m sure this is something you’re aware of, but if at all possible avoid including spoilers in your reviews. If you feel your review will be seriously hampered if you can’t talk about the solution to certain mystery or reveal an unexpected plot twist, then put a large notice at the beginning saying, “SPOILER ALERT� or “BEWARE: This review may contain spoilers�.


I will put up the reviewer–book allocations (next post) as soon as everyone has added their links in this thread. Don’t forget to let me know if any book of yours has already been reviewed by any of the other participants.

Looking forward to a great session! Above all, enjoy! In writing these reviews we are really helping our (fellow-)authors, as well as enjoying some great stories in the genre we love.

REVIEW PAIRINGS for Round 1 (June 18th to July 13th)


A. Who reviews What:
1. Justin Coogle reviews Rondi Olson’s All Things Now Living.
2. Cortez Law reviews John Kramer’s Blythe.
3. Rondi Olson reviews Jeanette O’Hagan’s Akrad’s Children.
4. John Kramer reviews J.M. Hackman’s Spark.
5. Jeanette O’Hagan reviews Guy L. Pace’s Nasty Leftovers.
6. J.M. Hackman reviews Sean Russell’s The Jesus Boy.
7. Guy L. Pace reviews J.F. Rogers� Astray.
8. Sean Russell reviews C.S. Wachter’s The Sorcerer’s Bane.
9. J.F. Rogers reviews Kenyon Henry’s Trials of the Mighty.
10. C.S. Wachter reviews A.L. Buehrer’s Dronefall.
11. Kenyon Henry reviews Justin Coogle’s Kingdom Come.
12. A.L. Buehrer reviews Cortez Law’s S.Y.P.H.E.N.
13. Gbraden reviews Justin Coogle’s Kingdom Come.
14. RC Curtis reviews Cortez Law’s S.Y.P.H.E.N.
15. Lara Lee reviews Rondi Olson’s All Things Now Living.
16. Michelle R. Wood reviews John Kramer’s Blythe.
17. Ann reviews Jeanette O’Hagan’s Akrad’s Children.
18. M.H. Elrich reviews J.M. Hackman’s Spark.


B. Who is reviewed by Whom (for exchanging review copies):
1. Justin Coogle is reviewed by Kenyon Henry and Gbraden.
2. Cortez Law is reviewed by A.L. Buehrer and RC Curtis.
3. Rondi Olson is reviewed by Justin Coogle and Lara Lee.
4. John Kramer is reviewed by Cortez Law and Michelle R. Wood.
5. Jeanette O’Hagan is reviewed by Rondi Olson and Ann.
6. J.M. Hackman is reviewed by John Kramer and M.H. Elrich.
7. Guy L. Pace is reviewed by Jeanette O’Hagan.
8. Sean Russell is reviewed by J.M. Hackman.
9. J.F. Rogers is reviewed by Guy L. Pace.
10. C.S. Wachter is reviewed by Sean Russell.
11. Kenyon Henry is reviewed by J.F. Rogers.
12. A.L. Buehrer is reviewed by C.S. Wachter.



REVIEW PAIRINGS for Round 2 (July 16th to August 10th)

A. Who reviews What:
1. Justin Coogle reviews J.M. Hackman’s Spark.
2. Cortez Law reviews Guy L. Pace’s Nasty Leftovers.
3. Rondi Olson reviews J.F. Rogers� Astray.
4. John Kramer reviews Sean Russell’s The Jesus Boy.
5. Jeanette O’Hagan reviews C.S. Wachter’s The Sorcerer’s Bane.
6. J.M. Hackman reviews Kenyon Henry’s Trials of the Mighty.
7. Guy L. Pace reviews A.L. Buehrer’s Dronefall.
8. Sean Russell reviews Justin Coogle’s Kingdom Come.
9. J.F. Rogers reviews Cortez Law’s S.Y.P.H.E.N.
10. C.S. Wachter reviews Rondi Olson’s All Things Now Living.
11. Kenyon Henry reviews John Kramer’s Blythe.
12. A.L. Buehrer reviews Jeanette O’Hagan’s Akrad’s Children.
13. Gbraden reviews Guy L. Pace’s Nasty Leftovers.
14. RC Curtis reviews Sean Russell’s The Jesus Boy.
15. Lara Lee reviews J.F. Rogers� Astray.
16. Michelle R. Wood reviews C.S. Wachter’s The Sorcerer’s Bane.
17. Ann reviews Kenyon Henry’s Trials of the Mighty.
18. M.H. Elrich reviews A.L. Buehrer’s Dronefall.


B. Who is reviewed by Whom (for exchanging review copies):
1. Justin Coogle is reviewed by Sean Russell.
2. Cortez Law is reviewed by J.F. Rogers.
3. Rondi Olson is reviewed by C.S. Wachter.
4. John Kramer is reviewed by Kenyon Henry.
5. Jeanette O’Hagan is reviewed by A.L. Buehrer.
6. J.M. Hackman is reviewed by Justin Coogle.
7. Guy L. Pace is reviewed by Cortez Law and Gbraden.
8. Sean Russell is reviewed by John Kramer and RC Curtis.
9. J.F. Rogers is reviewed by Rondi Olson and Lara Lee.
10. C.S. Wachter is reviewed by Jeanette O’Hagan and Michelle R. Wood.
11. Kenyon Henry is reviewed by J.M. Hackman and Ann.
12. A.L. Buehrer is reviewed by Guy L. Pace and M.H. Elrich.

(Reserved for further general information.)

If you still have room, i’d like to be included in round 2.

OK, you’re the first responder, C.S.! I assume you're joining as an author—can I have the GR link to the book you want reviewed?

Steve wrote: "OK, you’re the first responder, C.S.! I assume you're joining as an author—can I have the GR link to the book you want reviewed?"

Yes, as an author. Here's the link. Sorry I didn't add it sooner. I just got a puppy and he keeps me on my toes.
/book/show/3...

Thanks, C.S., that's added.

Hi Steve,
I'd like to confirm my participation.

Here's the link to the book /book/show/3...

Thanks,

Jeanette

Confirming my participation as a reader/reviewer.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for including me. Here are my links:

My Profile: /author/show...

My book, Astray (Ariboslia Book I):
/book/show/3...

Jenn

Thanks for including me. Here are my links:

My Profile: /author/show...

My Book: /book/show/3...

Rondi

Please count me in as an author/reviewer.

profile: Kenyon Henry

Book:

Kenyon wrote: "Please count me in as an author/reviewer.

profile: Kenyon Henry

Book: "

Also, C.S. has already reviewed this book. By the way, thank you for that! :)

Count me in as as author.

A. L. Buehrer

Dronefall

C.F, Jeanette, Michelle, J.F., Rondi, Kenyon—welcome to session 2! Delighted to have you aboard. I've added your links to the top post, showing that you're "in".

Kenyon, thanks for mentioning that you've had a review from C.S. Duly noted.

And welcome to A.L., too. Hope you enjoy the session and find it helpful.

Sorry this is coming in bits but like I said earlier, the new puppy is a major distraction. I have, finally, added my profile link.
/author/show...

Thanks, C.S. I know how all-demanding a new pet can be—especially a young one!

yes, Steve, I would like to be included on the second session

As a reviewer /reader.

I would like to be included as a reviewer! Thanks for keeping me in the loop.

Please include me as a reader/reviewer

I am confirming my participation as an author.

Here is a link to my GR profile:
/author/show...

Here is a GR link to my novel, Blythe:
/book/show/3...

Confirming my participation as a reader. This should be fun! :-)

/user/show/5...

Ann, M.H. and John, welcome to the session! We hope you find it a blessing.

Gbraden, I'm sorry: as of now there are no reader slots left. But three of the pre-entered readers have not yet confirmed, so watch this space!

Welcome RC, thanks for confirming. Hope you do enjoy it! We're glad to have you.

If there is still an author slot, i'd like to volunteer. If i'm too late I totally understand!

Kingdom Come

Right now we're full, but hang in there: not all the pre-entered participants have confirmed. And even if they do, if there are enough 'extras' like you we'll consider enlarging this group or starting a second one.

I'd like to participate as an author if there's room. Thanks!

Here are my confirmation links, Steve:

/author/show...
/book/show/2...


Thanks!

J.M. wrote: "I'd like to participate as an author if there's room. Thanks!"

Hi J.M., thanks for your interest. As I said to Justin, all slots are taken at the moment, but if space becomes available I'll let you know.

Cortez wrote: "Here are my confirmation links, Steve�

Thanks, Cortez, and welcome! Hope you enjoy the session.

Add me in as a reader and reviewer. Nasty Leftovers could use some looks.

Guy wrote: "Add me in as a reader and reviewer. Nasty Leftovers could use some looks."

OK, so when you say "reader and reviewer", I assume you mean "author and reviewer"?

Glad to add you to the waiting list, Guy. As I've said in earlier posts, we're waiting now to see whether all the pre-entered participants confirm; and after that we can still decide whether to extend the group.

Yes. Got in a hurry. Thanks.

Hello Steve and everyone!
Yes, I'd like to participate as an author. The Jesus Boy

Kind regards,
Sean

Welcome, Sean! Glad to add you to the waiting list, as per my earlier posts.

OK, folks, the deadline for pre-entered participants to confirm has passed. That means the four authors on our waiting list neatly fill the four unconfirmed slots (see the list at the end of the first post in this thread).

J.M., we just need to know which book you'd like reviewed. Could you post the GR link? Many thanks.

Regarding readers, Gbraden joins the list—welcome! We hope you enjoy the session.

But, we still need one more reader to make the session viable. Any non-author interested in reading and reviewing two of these great stories? Do add a post here!

Thanks, Steve! I'd like to have Spark reviewed. Here's the GR link: /book/show/3...

Thanks again,
J.M.

Thanks, J.M., book added.

Steve, I'll go ahead and be the last reader for the review circle so we can get started. I'll be reading no matter what is going on around me anyways to unwind.

That's generous of you Lara, with everything else on your plate at the moment! Are you sure? (I'm still trying to finish my reading commitment for another group, or I would have taken that spot already.)

Steve wrote: "That's generous of you Lara, with everything else on your plate at the moment! Are you sure? (I'm still trying to finish my reading commitment for another group, or I would have taken that spot..."

It's no problem. I am always reading while waiting for appointments or at night. It would be this or something else. I'll just allow myself the whole time to finish rather than getting it done in the first three days like I typically do!

Fantastic! Then we're all set to go.

Everyone, watch for the review pairs for each round to be posted this weekend.

Oh, one other thing: With the list now finalised (see the end of the top post), please check and let me know if you have already been reviewed by any other participant.

If you have, then the sooner you can let me know, the better.

Thanks!

I'm late to the party. Do you still have any room?
Cheers,
Jo

Joanne, are you wanting to be an author or just a reader? If you want to just read, you could take my slot.

If we aren't switching, Steve, I have reviewed the Sorcerer's Bane. I think all the other books are different ones.

Lara wrote: "Joanne, are you wanting to be an author or just a reader? If you want to just read, you could take my slot..."

Thanks, Lara. Yes, so Joanne, we need to know whether you're wanting to have a book of your own reviewed, or if you're happy just to read others' books. I'll need to know before tomorrow, when I'll be finalising the reviewing pairs.

Steve wrote: "Oh, one other thing: With the list now finalised (see the end of the top post), please check and let me know if you have already been reviewed by any other participant.

If you have, then the soone..."

The Sorcerer's Bane has already been reviewed by Justin Coogle, Lara Lee, and M. H. Elrich.