I went to a writers’ conference several years ago where a “literary agent” was to address the group and offer individual consultations. This guy, Mark, while nicely dressed and good looking, was a dolt. He has NO appreciable skills and as such, decided he could be a literary agent, which would afford him a hefty income if he could find a highly saleable property (and someone desperate enough to work with him).

Sometimes, telling what the book is about only involves telling about a third or half the story. Try at all costs not to spoil major plot developments, let alone the ending, but do tell whether these things worked. Was it believable? Did it have a great finish or a weak one? Learn how to generalize in an artful and intelligent way.

Typically, a journal editor will ask you to review a submitted manuscript based on your record of publications, particularly publications that are in the area encompassed by the manuscript. When this happens, you are referred to as an “ad-hoc reviewer.” This process is hastened if your publications are cited in the manuscript. When this happens, do a thorough job and submit your review on time, or even early. Editors value thorough,

I wrote over a hundred dance reviews. I’ll tell the right way, and the way I did it. The right way is to follow essay form. Start with an idea, a conclusion of some kind. Find a clever way to state the idea, and that is your lead. The body is your discussion of how the idea applies to the dance. Conclusions aren’t too important because most readers don’t make it that far, but some conclusion is nice.