Are you intending to allow/disallow reviews of books that were the subjects of the previous contest? if you don't want duplicates, a link to the list might appreciated.
I wanted to try last year, but I fizzled out after a page or so. I'm glad I didn't follow through, because I got to see what the finalists looked like and what works for this kind of contest. I'm going to try this year: I give myself a 65% chance of submitting something.
I noticed that all of the books reviewed by finalists last year were nonfiction. Nearly all of them had political implications. Most of them were sorta speculative. If I was gaming the system to maximize my chances, I'd keep those factors in mind when selecting a book.
Google Docs let you see the author's username - does this mean we shouldn't use a Google account we use for anything else community-linked, so as to be anonymous?
Can we do reviews of book-like things that aren't books? I'd like to do a review of a court decision that's about 180 pages long and is more a dissertation about a group of people abusing the judicial system than the specific case being ruled on.
If you are MarxBro and still post here: would you be interested in co-authoring a review of Das Kapital (or some other seminal Marxist work of your choosing)? I am a reasonably good writer and a lapsed socialist so I'd enjoy the opportunity to steelman the ideas which I'm drifting away from
I'm not equipped to write a book review; however, I did forward this post to two friends, both published authors. I thought you might want to know that both declined immediately solely due to the choice to use Google.
Darn, I recently posted a book review I'm proud of ("How To Change" by Katy Milkman) though I guess it would've been hard to anonymize that one since it's all "look how Beeminder has all of behavioral economics figured out already".
Looking for book-to-review recommendations! Criteria:
- Nonfiction (-ish; fictionalized history, allegory, etc. are okay)
- Surprising or opinionated in some way (i.e. not just a popular introduction)
- On a subject you wouldn't be shocked to see an ACX post about (e.g. not a cookbook; topics of interest to me include history, philosophy, religion, language, and technology)
- Can be read and reviewed without deep research/background (not "dense" or over-academic)
- Old is fine, obscure is fine, both potentially a plus
Just submitted mine last night! Given that we still have access to our Google Docs, do you mind if we fix minor typos after the deadline? Or is it 100% pencils down.
Book Review Contest Rules 2022
At what point would we be able to cross-post submissions to personal blogs?
Is there a registry of books people are already doing? I have a couple of books I might want to review, but worry someone else already is.
Are you intending to allow/disallow reviews of books that were the subjects of the previous contest? if you don't want duplicates, a link to the list might appreciated.
Do you prefer reviews of recently published books, or would a book published in, say, 1960 be fair game?
I wanted to try last year, but I fizzled out after a page or so. I'm glad I didn't follow through, because I got to see what the finalists looked like and what works for this kind of contest. I'm going to try this year: I give myself a 65% chance of submitting something.
I wish everyone writing a review great skill, I'm excited to see what you all create.
Thanks for re-running the book review contest, Scott.
I noticed that all of the books reviewed by finalists last year were nonfiction. Nearly all of them had political implications. Most of them were sorta speculative. If I was gaming the system to maximize my chances, I'd keep those factors in mind when selecting a book.
Google Docs let you see the author's username - does this mean we shouldn't use a Google account we use for anything else community-linked, so as to be anonymous?
May one person submit more than one book review?
Can we review multiple books, either as a comparison or in a series?
Can we do reviews of book-like things that aren't books? I'd like to do a review of a court decision that's about 180 pages long and is more a dissertation about a group of people abusing the judicial system than the specific case being ruled on.
Admittedly I was only a finalist, but I did pitch you other articles!
If you are MarxBro and still post here: would you be interested in co-authoring a review of Das Kapital (or some other seminal Marxist work of your choosing)? I am a reasonably good writer and a lapsed socialist so I'd enjoy the opportunity to steelman the ideas which I'm drifting away from
Is there a list of already reviewed books, are duplicates allowed and are hostile reviews appreciated.
If anyone is looking for a cool book to review please consider this one. I don’t have the time or writing skills to enter the contest.
Brain, Mind and Computers https://www.amazon.com/dp/0895269074/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_YCF81K0CJRZ6BP4PKYCM
I'm not equipped to write a book review; however, I did forward this post to two friends, both published authors. I thought you might want to know that both declined immediately solely due to the choice to use Google.
Wonderful! I loved the previous book reviews, especially the one about the Land Value Tax, by George. Thank you for doing this, Scott!
Darn, I recently posted a book review I'm proud of ("How To Change" by Katy Milkman) though I guess it would've been hard to anonymize that one since it's all "look how Beeminder has all of behavioral economics figured out already".
Am I allowed to enter a book review I have published? I can think of at least two that might be of interest to people here.
Looking for book-to-review recommendations! Criteria:
- Nonfiction (-ish; fictionalized history, allegory, etc. are okay)
- Surprising or opinionated in some way (i.e. not just a popular introduction)
- On a subject you wouldn't be shocked to see an ACX post about (e.g. not a cookbook; topics of interest to me include history, philosophy, religion, language, and technology)
- Can be read and reviewed without deep research/background (not "dense" or over-academic)
- Old is fine, obscure is fine, both potentially a plus
- You would want to read a review of it
Will there be a people's choice awards this year, as with last year?
Due on April 5 at what time, and in what time zone?
Is there a rule that the book reviewed needs to be in English?
1. Are reviews by co-authors eligible?
2. Are we allowed to show drafts to, and get feedback from, a few other people while writing a review?
What time April 5th? 11:59 PM PST? or EST
(important for last-minute writers/editors!)
Should we see a confirmation email or anything after submitting?
Just submitted mine last night! Given that we still have access to our Google Docs, do you mind if we fix minor typos after the deadline? Or is it 100% pencils down.
Thanks so much for running this contest!