ERCB Book Reviewer's Guidelines

Interested in writing book reviews for ERCB? Here are some guidelines!

1. Read a sampling of reviews currently on the ERCB site for style, length, and content.
2. Write reviews about books that are in your area of expertise. You should be thoroughly familiar with the existing books on the same topic for comparison purposes.
3. Read the entire book -- don't just browse or skim it. Let your impressions gell for a few days after finishing the book before you sit down to write the review.
4. Be direct! Be honest! Be complete! Assume a high level of technical expertise on the reader's part. Talk to the reader as a peer.
5. Don't equivocate or hedge your opinions -- there is nothing wrong with expressing a strong opinion, as long as it is based on your personal experience and knowledge of the book's topic area and related books.
6. Don't reach for things to praise, but don't stint on praise where it is deserved. Don't be afraid to bash a book if it deserves it. Direct the reader to alternative books on the same topic whenever they cover the topic more accurately or in more depth.
7. Avoid product-specific and version-specific books. For example, books about Java as a programming language are fine, books like "Tricks of the Symantec Café version 1.1 Masters" or "Kick-Ass Microsoft Visual Java version 1.1 Programming" are not fine.
8. Don't review books that you had any personal involvement with (e.g. a technical edit or technical review paid for by the publisher), or books that compete with a book that you yourself have written.
9. Don't review mediocre books just because you happen to receive a free copy -- select books to review that are a cut above the pack and have lasting significance. Exception: reviewing and debunking books that are ghostwritten, rely on celebrity marketing, or are forcefully marketed but grossly flawed.

Review Characteristics

Brief reviews are 300-500 words plus the Vital Statistics section and the ERCB Quick Rating scale.

Feature reviews are 1000+ words plus the Vital Statistics section, the ERCB Quick Rating scale, a table of contents, and a excerpt from the book. When selecting an excerpt, look for material that particularly demonstrates the author's writing style and the strengths of the book. The excerpt should not be longer than 1000 words.

Each review should be accompanied by a TIFF, GIF, or JPEG scan of the cover at full size, unless the book is already in the ERCB "Books Received" section (in which case we already have a scan of the cover and the other information in hand). The image can be compressed for transmission in either ZIP (PC) or SIT (Macintosh) format. We'll reduce the scan to our standard size as needed.

The items in the ERCB Quick Rating scale address the full spectrum of the writing, editing, and publishing process. If you do not understand the intent of any specific item, please discuss it with us before assigning a rating. Do not alter or delete any of the items in the standard rating scale.

• Category Ratings
  • 0 stars means the work in that category verges on criminal neglect
  • 1 star means a shoddy job (fairly common, unfortunately)
  • 2 stars is comparable to an average run of the mill trade book
  • 3 stars is above average but with minor flaws
  • 4 stars is the book that is head and shoulders above the competition in that category.
• Overall Ratings
  • 0 stars means the book has no redeeming virtues whatsoever
  • 1 star is a don't buy recommendation
  • 2 stars means the book is acceptable but there is no special reason to buy this book instead of competing books
  • 3 stars is a book that is above average and recommended to buy
  • 4 stars is a book that is a "must-have" -- you would only expect to run into a few new books a year that would have a 4 stars rating overall.

Submission Method

Most of our book reviews are written by prior arrangement with reviewers who are well known to DDJ and ERCB, or are on the staff of DDJ or ERCB. In such cases, the topic, length, and fee are agreed upon in advance, and ERCB or DDJ will supply the reviewer with a copy of the book being reviewed (if necessary).

However, we will be happy to consider unsolicited book reviews for electronic publication. Unsolicited reviews can be sent by electronic mail to webmaster@ercb.com. We will notify you within 48 hours whether your review is accepted. If we do not accept the review, our decision is not open to discussion, but you are free to submit the review for publication elsewhere.

We reserve the right to edit any review that is accepted for length and style as we see fit , although we will not change your assigned ratings without discussing it with you first.

Review Fees

We pay $100 for electronic publishing rights for brief reviews, and $250 for feature reviews.

When your review is accepted for electronic publication, Dr. Dobb's Journal will send you an author's agreement, which you must sign and return directly to DDJ. When the signed agreement is received by DDJ, a check will be mailed to you.

We reserve the right to promote a brief review to a feature review by adding a table of contents and book excerpt ourselves, or to shorten a feature review and publish it as a brief review, and these editing decisions are not open for discussion. The payment amount will be based on the final, electronically published form of the review.

Dr. Dobb's Journal also reserves the right to print any review that is published on ERCB. If DDJ uses the review in print, you will receive an additional payment.