Writing an MWSA Review

Philosophy

  • MWSA reviews should be honest assessments that members can use to market their books.

  • Detailed critical/negative observations should be noted in the private comments sections of the scoring form (Content, Style, Visual, Technical, Author Comments), not the public review.

General Guidelines

  • Do not include any recommendation of medal worthiness.

  • End with: Review by Your Name (Month Year).

  • Use quote marks (not all caps) for book title, since our online form cannot recognize italics.

Writing Recommendations

  • Two to four paragraphs are sufficient.

  • Write a short (3-4 line) synopsis of the book. What is the book about? Where does it take place? Make it short and interesting.

  • Write a short evaluation of the book in at least one of the four main evaluation areas: Content, Style, Visual, and Technical. You may mention an issue/problem area, but do so diplomatically:

    • Content-Believable. The bantering dialog rings true OR At times the storyline moved in directions that seemed to stretch the limits of credibility.

    • Style. This book is easy to read and moving OR At times the author's use of military jargon slowed the read as much as it added credibility.

    • Visual. This book had a striking, attention-grabbing cover OR The maps are too small to be useful.

    • Technical. The occasional grammatical error [or typo, punctuation error, etc.] would sometimes detract from this otherwise top-notch novel.

  • If the book's scoring doesn't reach award level, the review can touch on the main reason(s) the scoring ended up that way.

    • Be tactful.

    • Mention one or two shortfalls, a hint or two that something wasn't quite right.

  • If you feel the book is worth recommending to a specific audience, write something that would endear it to the audience it was written to reach.

  • Issues to avoid:

    • Overly praising a book that doesn’t meet MWSA standards or compromises your integrity.

      • If you can’t find anything good to say about the book, write a brief summary.

      • If you can’t do that, tell the Awards Directors, who will reassign the writing of the review to another reviewer.

    • Hypercritical comments: This is a marketing review, not a critique.

      • Focus on what it is, not what it isn’t.

      • Tell the reader what to expect from the book without embarrassing the author.

    • Gushing: Whether you like the book or not is immaterial. Personal comments are okay, but be wary of making the review about you and not about the book.

Low-Scoring Books

Although there are only a few each year, books scoring below our minimum standard are designated as low-scoring books. As such they MUST include comments indicating where/how it fell short

  • This ensures the credibility of our review system (i.e. seriously flawed books don't get "glowing marketing reviews").

  • The author is given a choice between a "caveated" review, or no MWSA review.

  • Boilerplate caveats. If the #1 reviewer would rather not indicate the specific problem areas noted, the Awards Directors will append the appropriate boilerplate to the end of the review:

    • For Low Tech Score: MWSA's evaluation of this book found technical problems—including some combination of misspellings, grammar, punctuation, or capitalization errors.

    • For Low Tech AND Overall: MWSA's evaluation found technical problems (misspellings, grammar, punctuation, or capitalization) as well as other issues in content or style.

    • For Low Overall: MWSA's evaluation found problems in one or more of our evaluation areas: content, style, visual, and/or technical.


Sample Review

MWSA Review

Truly Are the Free by Jeffrey K. Walker is a carefully woven tapestry of nationality, race, sex, and prejudice during a difficult time in world history during the early 1900s. The textures of this literary fabric are rich and thought-provoking, rough in spots (war), smooth in others (peace), but always intriguing.

Author Walker creates a life-changing intersection for two extraordinary men. One is American Ned Tobin, a World War I veteran who has seen the ravages of war. Harlem-born attorney, Chester Dawkins, raised in a respectable, tightly knit black family, is the second character to give texture to this story. Chester joins the military with a strong sense of patriotism and pride, to become an officer in an all-black regiment dubbed Harlem’s Hell Fighters. Ned is tasked as a liaison with Chester’s regiment, and he and Chester are sent into battle against the German forces. The two officers form an unbreakable bond in battle as they fight for survival from brutal enemy attacks.

In a compelling writing style, Walker weaves the stories of these two families during and after the war in the tumultuous years of the Roaring 1920s. Readers are treated to a journey of love, war, loss, and redemption through the artist community of Paris, prohibition-era Harlem, and the lush green farm country of Ireland as the tale threads itself in and out of the lives of both men.

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2022)