What are trade and starred reviews?
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website | instagram | linktree | NEW! preorder the glade | order the bruising of qilwa | order the white guy dies first | tip jar Welcome to the Tuesday Telegrams, a semimonthly newsletter from award-winning author Naseem Jamnia. You're currently reading a writing-related Telegram, where I update you on projects, offer behind-the-scenes looks, delve into craft, and other publishing and writing topics. If you follow authors on social media, you may see that many of them talk about receiving "trade reviews" or "starred reviews" for their books. But what exactly do those mean, and why are they important? If you're familiar at all with traditional publishing, you'll know that there are a lot of gatekeepers. First up is the literary agent, who represents an author to editors at publishing houses; next are those editors, who are one of many people (other editors, marketing team, acquisition team, the publisher who ultimately okays all the books...) who read and fight for a manuscript before it's bought. The book then goes through the publishing process: edits and more edits, then copyedits (where not only grammar but continuity, internal consistency, and fact checking happen), then layout, then proofreads, and then it's off to the printer. (THE GLADE is currently off to the printer! I turned in proofs a couple weeks ago!) But there is more that goes on behind the scenes, too. After the text has been put into book format (the layout), but before the final proofread, advanced readers/reviewer copies (or ARCs) get created. Sometimes these are printed, but especially after COVID, there are always digital copies available. When you see someone has reviewed a book before it's come out, it's because they've received an ARC. Most publishers have a list of book bloggers/influencers/grammers/Tokers/etc that they've worked with in the past, and those individuals often get notification of new, available ARCs and can request a copy as such. But others are able to receive digital ARCs via websites like NetGalley or Edelweiss. Edelweiss is mainly (but not exclusively) for booksellers, librarians, and educators, and NetGalley often for hobby reviewers who promote books for the love of them. (I don't mean hobby in a pejorative sense here—I mean this in contrast to what I'm about to talk about next.) ARCs are also separately sent to trade publications (more on those below) to be read by professional reviewers. These anonymous (to the public) reviews are then read by people who buy books in bulk—like booksellers, librarians, and educators—to make their purchasing decisions. Professional/trade reviewers may be booksellers, librarians, and educators themselves, or they may be other authors, or they may be readers whose reviews have been vetted by industry professionals because they've written a lot of them and understand the standards by which professionals in the field examine and judge books. (Keep in mind that books that receive wide popularity are not necessarily ones that critics have lauded. I'm not going to get into an "art vs entertainment"-type debate, but suffice it to say that some books are bestsellers, and some are award-winners, and many times, books are not both.) Anyway, these professional reviewers tend to write their trade reviews for trade publications, or publications for aforementioned professionals. Such publications may be affiliated with the American Library Association, American Booksellers Association, a prestigious newspaper, or be independent but established enough for their opinions to have weight. Some big trade publications include The Library Journal (or its children's counterpart, School Library Journal), Booklist, Publisher's Weekly, and the dreaded Kirkus Reviews. (Many authors dread Kirkus because they pull no punches.) But because there are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of books published each Tuesday, there's another step to distinguish books in the midst of these reviews, and that's the decision to grant a book a starred review. Receiving a star is exactly what it sounds like—it's the reviewer and trade publication telling others that the book is not just worth checking out, but worth purchasing. These are professionals giving your book a literal gold star. And when you get multiple starred reviews, people tend to sit up and pay attention. Starred reviews are not the end all be all—there are examples of award-winning books (and, as mentioned, many bestselling books) that did not receive stars from certain publications. But for pre-publication (or, as is often the case in kidlit, even post-publication) buzz, they are extremely, extremely nice to have. I was lucky enough to get two starred reviews for The Bruising of Qilwa, and I hope to get at least one for The Glade, but it's entirely out of my control, so we'll see! If you are a librarian or educator and would like a physical or digital ARC of THE GLADE, please respond to this email!Let's also talk school visits! News from The Glade: Our first trade review!So, as you may have guessed, we received our first trade review—and it's from Kirkus! Tween campers discover a magical—but deadly—dream world.
Nestled near Wanderers National Park, Camp Clear Skies promises Pina Ahmadi and her bestie, Jo Manalo, a transformative two weeks away from family. For Pina, this means a chance to become “Pina 2.0” and rely less on Jo as her protector. For Jo, it’s an opportunity to explore their gender identity through new pronouns. Pina and Jo quickly find friends in fellow 12-year-olds Arish and Eddy. Their collective bond deepens when mysteriously glowing woods lure the quartet out of their cabins past curfew to investigate. Later, shared lucid dreams turn their fascination into horror. As the woods continue to beckon, the kids discover that something sinister is afoot. But is it already too late to stop it? Former neuroscientist Jamnia’s middle-grade debut is a lushly atmospheric summer camp horror with an unexpected ecological twist. The overall plot is deliciously tropey and also infused with insightful social commentary that naturally incorporates the four leads’ identities: Pina is white and Persian, Jo is white and Filipino, Arish’s family is Pakistani, and Eddy is Black. Vivid sensory details, from sickening smells to mushroom-encrusted spiders, create a memorable ambience. The slow reveal mixes local lore with Pina’s first-person narration, infused with natural science. A triumphant epilogue provides a satisfying conclusion.
A scary good time that expands the middle-grade horror canon. (Horror. 9-13)
It's unclear what makes Kirkus give a star versus not for positive reviews, but I'll take it—not a single criticism in sight! If this is making you itch to read the book and you have a NetGalley account, you can get the digital ARC here!(Using this link helps me track how many people request it; you won't be resubscribed to the Telegrams twice.) Solidarity CornerIf you have organizations or causes you'd like me to spotlight here, please send those links my way. We get through these things when we do so together. This section needs to be updated—I'd like to find reputable groups who may be helping in the wake of the airstrikes on Yemen (Muslim Hands may be one), for example, and Know Your Rights for those targeted by ICE. For now, as I recover from surgery, I hope these will still help.
To help Palestinians facing genocide:
Other groups undergoing atrocities:
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