Ian Jay thought his novel To Do or Die was “probably too techno for most readers but it isn’t overloaded with that stuff” and that “It’s a bit slow in the middle after a strong start. I shouldn’t have killed the dog!”. Also he wasn’t happy with the edit and production values. I thought the production values were fine but that the edit could have used more work. I asked Ian Jay about reviewing, and about the mistakes and shortcomings he’s seen in books.

READERSVOICE.COM: Is it better to just ignore a book that was badly written, or is just bad, rather than review it?

IAN JAY: I wish I could sometimes, but I stick with it and am as honest as possible. If an author writes the book and it’s released to the public, it’s fair game!

RV: With the books you’ve reviewed in recent years, what kinds of mistakes do you see?

IJ: Poor production values by authors, editors and publishers. Also, 1st versus 3rd person. Authors mix the two up and it can be confusing.
Weak endings, particularly with a strong build-up.

RV: If you could create a bit of a checklist of a few points, what should authors make sure their books have, in your view?

IJ: Every author should ask themselves this one question and ask it often: “What is the purpose of this book?”.

Also, read the draft after a good break in time. Then rip into the work and re-work it until it’s right. Have a couple of trusted reviewers but not too many. Authors can lose their way with too many opinions.

Get a good edit done; don’t skimp on this.

RV: When writing your thrillers To Do or Die, and its sequel Maximum Effort, did you have a critic’s voice in your head competing with the writer’s voice?

IJ: No. But reading them now, I can see the errors.

RV: Can you recommend a few of your favourite books of all time, fact or fiction?

IJ: Anything by Gerald Seymour (UK thriller author). [Novels include his first Harry’s Game (1975), The Glory Boys, The Contract, and A Line in the Sand].

I thought The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) was outstanding.

RV: How often do you do your talks on writing and publishing?

IJ: Not very often. Once or twice a year. My reviewing with ABC concludes this year [2009]as I need to get back to writing.
RV: If someone was serious about learning to write novels, what habits would you advise them to get into?

IJ: Read lots of books, and analyse them critically!

RV: Can you recommend a book or two, or a magazine, on writing?

IJ: That’s easy… On Writing by Stephen King.

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