Editorial Review Writing

As an editorial intern I had the opportunity to write an editorial review of a manuscript which has been chosen to be published by Berrett Koehler. In some aspects it felt like writing a book report for school. I had to critically assess the content, explain what was the most enlightening and educational as well as the areas that were the least effective or interesting. On the other hand, it was unlike anything I had written before. I had to think about the details of the book in a way I don't usually think about while reading. I looked at things like the structure, format and language more analytically. It was an interesting task because I wanted to show what stood out to me personally, which might not be what resonated with others. The hardest part is suggesting changes because I am not the author, it feels a bit presumptuous to assume that my critique is valid when it is just one opinion. It only takes one other person with the exact opposite opinion to cancel mine out. Since the readers of the book are going to be from different backgrounds and will be using the book for different purposes, I guess all reviews are valuable to the author. Jeevan said that its really good if the author makes 50% of the suggestions from the editorial review process. I am curious to find out how authors take criticism and how much they will end up changing. Ultimately, the editor just wants to help produce the best book possible, which means they have the best of intentions. That is how I approached writing the editorial review.