SFCrowsnest Needs You.
For SFCrowsnest, late autumn is the more intense time for recruitment. We want people all the year around but this time of the year with the darker nights, you might well be wondering what to do with spare time reading. The two could meet. We supply the books. You review them and get more books. You control the rate you read and I try to match to your tastes as I get to know you. The details at the end of the monthly editorial is a lot of the technical detail. If you’re as geeky as us, that can be important but not essential. The main things are the ability to read and write about the experience.
Although for paper books, we really only need people from the UK because of the post, internationally, we can arrange for ebooks. Don’t just think we only cover the books we review. You’re only seeing the tip of the pile of what we are sent. We might well have your favourite author tucked away, especially when it comes to book series. If you read a wide range of books, you’ll be well at home. I can be accommodating providing you’re not necessarily jumping on another reviewer’s preferences and even then you can become a back-up.
What is more you don’t need previous experience to review. After a few books, you’ll have that knowledge under your hat and I’m supposed to be a good teacher. It actually helps sometimes if you haven’t written reviews before. Of course, you’ll need to be able to write. No emojees. No scores or stars. Who reads those anyway? People come to us to read what we write.
A brief synopsis, being careful with spoilers and then being able to express a balanced opinion or three about the book. No repetitions. No badmouthing an author. Unlimited size to write depending on how much you want to say about the book. It’s the product we want to know about. No looking at what other people have written. SFC is known for honest reviews. People emulate what they see here, not the other way around. As one of my reviewing team pointed out to me, my magic fingers makes anyone’s poor grammar look good although it’s a godsend if you know something about that or prepared to learn.
The only catch is you have to show me you can write a review first. That’s the audition. If it’s a book you’ve recently read and we haven’t so much the better.
You choose your own hours but if you read a lot, that shouldn’t be a problem. The books are free so if you’re on a tight budget, you have the means to increase your book collection for the price of a review.
Did I say you have to be able to read books?
If you love books, this is your match in heaven.
I’m also willing to look at articles and short stories not used elsewhere to go on-line, so don’t think those are never under consideration.
Geoff Willmetts
editor: www.SFCrowsnest.info
email a sample review and tell me about yourself to:-
gfwillmetts at hotmail.com
you know ’at’ means ampersand, don’t you?
