Star Wars Book Review Etiquette: The Do's and Don'ts of Critiquing Stories of a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Should you tag authors in your reviews? What do you do if you don't like a Star Wars book?
I’ve been reviewing Star Wars books for over five years — for almost half my career as a journalist. I began my semi-professional life as a Star Wars book reviewer the same way everyone does: I started reviewing books on my own. I didn’t receive my first review copy until almost three years into promoting these books — it took a long time to get good at it.
Here are all the usual questions I get about Star Wars book reviewing, plus some etiquette guidelines I’ve developed to help potential reviewers stay on the right track.
How to Get Star Wars Review Copies
This is by far the most common question I get as a reviewer. People see my advanced copies (copies of books sent to reviewers ahead of the book’s publication date) and want to know how they can get them, too. We should first clarify what advanced review copies of books are for.
Most of the people who receive Star Wars review copies are journalists, podcasters, and influencers. This is because review copies serve exactly one purpose: book promotion. If you receive a review copy of a book, you are doing so in exchange for creating content, for free, to promote said book.
The reason not everyone gets review copies is simple: If everyone got the book for free, it wouldn’t make any money, and artists deserve to get paid. So only a small group of people are given the chance to review them early, and these people have previously proven they are dedicated and able to create high-quality content for the purpose of promoting a Star Wars book.
There isn’t a particular set of criteria that makes you eligible to receive Star Wars review copies. But typically, reviewers are already reviewing, discussing, and promoting these books before they officially become reviewers. I reviewed Star Wars books for over two years before receiving my first review copy. Patience, hard work, and consistency really do pay off, no matter how tired you might be of hearing that.
So, the best way to increase your chances of becoming a reviewer? Start reviewing Star Wars books. You don’t need to do this in advance. You can do it anytime, in any format you’re comfortable with.
How to Start Reviewing Star Wars Books
Most book reviewers start off by reviewing the books they like most. The best reviews feature readers sharing their thoughts and opinions about a book — it doesn’t have to be anything fancy. You don’t have to write for a fan site or have a ton of followers on social media. Anyone can review books — on YouTube, TikTok, on a podcast, or wherever you feel you can most effectively get your points across.
Don’t feel pressured to review a book the second it comes out. No matter when you publish your review, chances are someone out there has just finished reading it and will appreciate hearing your thoughts on it. Starting slow and small is always the best way to do it. Start with Star Wars books you’ve already read and loved and play around with formats and styles until you figure out your own personal brand of reviewing. Once you’ve done that — keep doing it!
Star Wars Book Review Do’s and Don’ts
Don’t break embargo dates. By receiving review copies (if you do), you are agreeing to abide by the provided embargo. Don’t talk about a book before its embargo date. Just don’t do it.
Do give a brief summary of the book. Provide the reader with some context — again, you’re trying to get people to read it.
Do mostly avoid spoilers. You don’t want to turn someone away from your review who hasn’t read the book yet — and most people who seek out reviews probably haven’t read it yet, but might want to.
Do get personal. Don’t be afraid to talk about how a book changed your thinking or forced you to re-evaluate an opinion. Readers like to connect with other readers on a more personal level.
Do focus on selling the book. Even if you don’t agree with a book’s potential selling points, you’re reviewing a book with the purpose of promoting a book. Talk about how it might appeal to a more general audience, even if you didn’t vibe with the book yourself.
Don’t tag authors in negative posts or reviews. It’s just not nice and it’s never necessary. Authors really don’t appreciate it, and it’s not a good look for you. Authors do love it when you tag them in kind reviews, though! Definitely do that.
Star Wars Book Criticism vs. Negativity
When you review a Star Wars book, you are acting as a critic. Therefore, you’re bound to have some criticisms of the book in question, even if they’re small. That’s OK, and it’s also valid and important. You’re not going to like every Star Wars book you read.
But there is such thing as too much negativity, and crossing the line from critical to harmful happens a lot in this fandom. You don’t have to like a book, understand a book, or want other people to read a book. But as a reviewer, it is not up to you to make a potential reader’s choice for them.
And it is especially frowned upon to pursue creators and other fans or reviewers who are praising a book you did not like. Do not harass an author or editor about a book you did not enjoy. The rule is usually this: If you did not like a book, just don’t talk about it. If you don’t want to promote a book, accomplish that with your silence.
There is already a lot of negative energy online when it comes to Star Wars. While no one is obligated or expected to like everything, if you’re not having a good time, maybe focus your energy on something else and let other people enjoy the party.
Do note — and I talk more about this in the companion podcast episode to this post — that sometimes, books and authors aren’t perfect. Not everything is always handled with the sensitivity it deserves. When authors and other creators are wrong, it’s OK to talk about that. It’s OK to call attention to things in books that were mishandled. You will not be punished for that. There is a right and wrong way to go about this, however. Address your concerns and make your voice heard. That is your right. But targeting people in a harmful way is not going to get you the results you want. Push the boundaries, but do not cross them.
Book reviewing, in itself, is an art. It takes a lot of practice and persistence to get it right and to get your reviews out there. But if I can do it, having previously published almost nothing about Star Wars on the internet before I wrote my first review of a book, you can do it too.
Now This Is Lit is a podcast (and newsletter!) about Star Wars books, the people who make them, and the readers who just can’t get enough of them. You can find the show wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to the Substack for more deep dives, guides, interview transcripts, and book love.
Very insightful, thanks for sharing!