Joe Ponepinto Knows It When He Sees It

Recently I’ve received some questions regarding how we select books for review at LAR. Surprisingly, there is a method.

Approximately six to nine months before the next issue (depending on publication schedule), I survey catalogs and press releases of recent and upcoming titles from about 30 small publishers from around the country. I pay close attention to publication dates, due to our very long lead time, and try to have the books reviewed coincide as closely as possible with our release date.

From the hundreds of books offered I select about two dozen. This includes fiction, poetry and nonfiction. Subjects or authors with a tie to Southern California do get special consideration, since we are a SoCal publication. I am primarily looking for works that appear to have literary merit.

What do I mean by “literary merit?” I am tempted to recall the words of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, who said, “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it.” Of course, he was talking about pornography…

But let me try. To me, literary merit implies a work that has an intrinsic concern with the development of character and attempts to identify some truth about the human experience. The writing induces the reader to reevaluate, rather than reinforce his/her perceptions of the subject addressed. The author is aware of and influenced by the good writing that precedes the book. And, it appears to be just damn good writing—inventive and, even with fiction or nonfiction, occasionally poetic.

And how do I deduce these qualities from a marketing blurb or press release? Well, um, er … let’s just say I know it when I see it.

When my decisions are made, I create a list with detailed info about each book. I send it to my dozen or so reviewers (all of whom have considerable book review or publishing experience). They select one or two books each for review. I then contact the publishers and have the books sent directly to the reviewers.

We have recently revamped our review section. We now feature one major review that covers two or three books that address a specific theme and is written by a prominent guest writer. Following this are 10-15 brief reviews of about 200 words each. We’re looking forward to this change and hope our readers enjoy the new format.

Next time: why we don’t review self published books.

by LAR Book Reviews Editor, Joe Ponepino.