An Interview With Rick Hipson
An Interview With Rick Hipson on A Reviewer’s Guide to Writing Book Reviews
Rick Hipson is a seasoned book reviewer whose reviews have graced the pages of great magazines such as Rue Morgue and Cemetery Dance as well as countless other presses both large and small. He’s had his fingers on the pulse of good horror for decades and is sharing his hard won knowledge for others that might care to travel a similar path.
JG: Do you think you’ll add anymore writing resources like this to your resume?
RH: Anything is possible! I am working on creating a workshop presentation that will be an accessible, condensed version of my guidebook. There are still some details to work out, but so far I am hoping to make this available as one of the workshops on Crystal Lake’s Shadows and Ink portal to go along with all the other awesome resources Joe Mynhardt (Crystal Lake publisher/owner) has already put together.
I did consider a resource for interviewing, but I’m not sure that could fill a book. Maybe I will update my guidebook with a section on interviewing a bit further down the road.
JG: You seemed very comfortable with the teaching aspect. Your book was easy to read and to see how to use the information in the real world. Will you be updating this as time goes on or let it stand on its own merits? In this digital age I imagine it wouldn’t be too difficult to go in and add things here and there if you wanted.
RH: Thanks so much for the kind words! I found it a balancing act trying to teach how to write a book review without making it seem like a boring lecture, so I am happy to hear you found it easy to read and use. To drag part of my answer from your last question into this one, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to add to it with an updated edition at some point, such as with that interview section I mentioned. I believe the thing about any guidebook is there is always something else to remember putting in it after the fact. Plus, if I get feedback from readers who claim they wish I had included something they felt was missing or wish I had expanded on even more, I would need to take that into consideration as well as working out with Crystal Lake what they feel would be the best way to tackle anything new I may wish to add later. Anything can change but at this exact moment, while you’re right about being able to change things on the fly in this digital age, I’m not sure I would want to do that without also changing what would be available in paperback. I wouldn’t want one set of readers to feel as though they were forced out of the updated club based on their preference of how they like to read.
JG: Why did you get into reviewing? I know for me it was a combination of getting into print and being able to get paid to read. Have you ever written any fiction?
RH: I suppose I’ve always been “that reader” who, whenever I’ve finished a particularly profound book or one that really resonated with me for any number of reasons, I couldn’t help but tell anyone who cared about it. I always loved to get book recommendations from friends and likewise, I always got a buzz from hearing a book I suggested to a friend had a similar impact on them as it had on me. I have always also been a bit of a loner and so in a lot of ways, books were among my best friends, so it always seemed natural to want to share my best literary friends from those in the real world.
I think my first couple of book reviews were done for books which I was lucky enough to get ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) well before publication. It was such a thrill to feel like the kid with a big secret that got to see inside the box before most everyone else even know it existed. If memory serves, the first or second review I ever did made it, in part, on to the front cover of the book. I believe that was Shadows Over Somerset, Bob Freeman’s debut novel. The second book – or it may have been the first – was an ARC of Only Child by Jack Ketchum, which I loved and which also launched a long-standing relationship with Gauntlet Press publisher Barry Hoffman, which I maintain to this day and have been extremely grateful for throughout the years since. I was hooked on reviewing books after that to say the vey least. Eventually getting paid for them was just a bonus, though a bonus that very much keeps me going now that I am an adult with adult responsibilities stretching my available time to the point of snapping.
JG: Have you ever written any fiction?
RH: I have! I’ve always been a writer and did start out with fiction as early as a couple of short stories in grades two and three respectively. I think I started writing poems around the age of seventeen in an effort to impress a girl, and ended up being impressed with some of the stuff I came up with that was often more horrific than anything that might impress a girl. I would go on to write several short stories, generally geared towards the darker side of the literary spectrum. Oddly enough, I published my first short story called Dig in Insidious Reflections in their last digital issue before they went to print, and I jumped on board as a non-fiction staff writer. I’ve only published one flash piece of fiction since, although I do certainly have several short stories I wish to polish and complete for submissions. In fact, as I type this, I am waiting on my first short novel manuscript to come back from an editor to see if this fiction thing is something I might be able to hang with. Fingers crossed!
JG: What is your most memorable reviewer moment (good, bad or both)? What was the hardest review you had to write? Why?
RH: Phew, great questions! I have several of each, so let me think a moment on this. Okay, let’s go with the bad first and get that out of the way. This one will be familiar with anyone who reads my guidebook. After I was lucky enough to corner the editor of Rue Morgue magazine and convince her to take a look at my reviews (ok, I didn’t exactly corner her. In fact, we met at a reading of Brian Keene back and others back in 2006 and then met for lunch the following day. If I tried to corner her, she would have easily and rightfully kicked my ass, but I digress.) I sent her a review for the now-defunct Grim Reader section. These were strictly 60-word mini-reviews. After I got one or two published, I pitched the editor, Monica, a book review for their main Ninth Circle review sections, and she agreed to have me send it. I made it! Well, not quite. After I wrote my review, which I felt was well done, I was told that it was not up to the pro standards RM readers expected to enjoy in the magazine. Don’t quote me on that, as this is just my general recollection of this. I was told that the editor did everything they could to try and clean it up, and unfortunately, because of deadlines to get to the printer, there was no time to replace my review with another. So rather than take it on the chin and being told it needed work and to learn from it for my next pitch and that it wouldn’t be accepted after all, I took it straight between the eyes and got to see my review in the magazine, despite its flaws. That sucked big time, was a massive learning experience, and thankfully looking back, I have come a long way and am grateful they gave me another shot to prove myself. And no, I won’t mention the book and the issue it was reviewed here, but anyone is welcome to guess (laughs).
Best review experience? I was sent a copy of Closing the Wound, an excellent novella by AJ Brown. I know the story was a very personal one as it was AJ’s story about the time a childhood friend of his was murdered on Halloween night. The murder was never solved. This was AJ’s way of trying to fit as many pieces together as he could in the telling of this tragic tale. It was a way for him to find sense in it all, but most importantly was a way for him to, well, close the wound, and move on. By now you’re probably thinking what’s wrong with me if such a personally tragic event in an author’s life could being one of my best memories. Well, as I am accustomed to doing, I sent my completed review over to AJ so he could take a sneak peek of it. His response was that I nailed exactly what he was going for in the book and that he and his wife talked about how grateful they are that I “got it” and was able to put it into words the way I had. Knowing how much the book meant to AJ, that meant a lot to me. I try to nail it with every book, and I don’t always quite get it down, but with this review I was able to pull it off and get it printed in Rue Morgue, which meant a lot to both AJ and myself.
And, to your third part, I have written a few reviews that were more challenging than usual for one reason or another. One of the toughest though was reviewing the sixth and final book in John Urbancik’s Dark Walker series. While each book in the series is rather short, thanks to Johns craftmanship, each book presented itself as a sprawling world of dark fantasy where so much is going on. And while you could certainly read each book on its own, knowledge for what came before is essentially to fully measure what is at stake in the next book, especially in the final one I was set to review. In other words, I had to find a way to review a single book while also referencing the five that came before so that readers would have an accurate sense of what book six was all about. And I had to do it in 300 words, which is Rue Morgue’s word count limit for book reviews. That took a few drafts to get just right, but in the end, I feel I pulled it off quite well, and learned from the process of having done so.
JG: Out of everything you have read, who are your top five authors? Why?
RH: Ask me this every day of the week, and I will likely give you five different top authors based on my mood and other factors. But, gun to the head, five overall? Well, I suppose my Mount Rushmore of authors would be Richard Matheson, Jack Ketchum, Clive Barker, Poppy Z. Brite (AKA Billy Martin), and Elmore Leanord. These are the authors who have had the greatest impact to me as a writer, a reader and human being in general. These authors have consistently given me stories which have shaped the way I think and write and were early to shape the standards of what I feel contrasting a memorable, impactful, important story is all about. Obviously, only one of these is not a horror writer, but I would be remiss not to mention Elmore Leanard who is the absolute master of dialogue and can tell volumes by what his characters don’t say on top of being an expert on setting false traps within his stories so I have no choice but to keep reading and keep being compelled by his complex, interesting as hell characters from start to finish.And screw it, I’m going to cheat and give you five more authors I would put next to my original Mount Rushmore based on the past few years. Those authors, in no particular order, would be Red Lagoe, Kristopher Triana, Eric LaRocca, Danial Braum, and Aaron Dries. Why? Because I believe these writers represent everything that is right with the genre today. They provide fresh new voices and beautifully horrific perspectives that this genre needs to keep relevant. Obviously, this is gun to the head, but given the chance, there are so many more new voices I could mention who are holding down the old fort while adding to the new one in unique ways with diversified voices which all leads up to telling stories that are both provocative, vital and downright scary in the best possible ways. So many other authors could probably make my list as well, but I would have to read more than just one of their books before I could feel fair in adding them.
JG: Are there any books or stories that you think every horror fan should read at least once?
RH: This is a bit of a tricky question for me to answer with much authority because reading tastes differ so much. Books I may think are essential, you might think are complete stinkers, and vice versa. Perhaps the best way for me to answer this is to give which books have affected me the most prominently, for one reason or another, and suggest others with similar tastes might discover them to provide a similar experience.
As far as the horror genre goes, I think it’s smart to go back and visit some of the classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Read Poe, too, while you’re at it. Even if it’s just to see how it was done back then, I think it’s important to understand our genre’s history in order to more fully appreciate and respect it. Plus, with most of us having less time for leisure than ever before, it’s improbable if not downright impossible to read all the books suggested as “must reads.” However, there some books I always suggest whenever I see someone new to the genre ponder over where to start and what to read.
For short story collections, I will always recommend my favoruites which are Wormwood by Poppy Z. Brite and Skeleton Crew by Stephen King along with all the Books of Blood collections by Clive Barker. If you don’t know what makes a great short horror story after reading either of those than maybe your dog consumed them before you could. Recently, I read a collection by Arron Dries called Cut To Care. That was grief horror done to perfection and a book everyone would do well to keep on their shelf. Rebecca Rowland also edited an anthology last years called American Cannibal. Despite every story involving cannibalism, you wouldn’t believe the incredible twists each of those authors put on their entry. I honestly thought it would win the Stoker award for which it was a finalist for.
Other books I always recommend include the coming-of-age novel from Brian Keene called Ghoul. Of course, everyone should also read The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum so that they know how much a book and hurt and piss them off for all the right reasons. The only book that devastated me more than that one is Arron Dries’ The Fallen Boys, so I must suggest that one, too. Anything from F. Paul Wilson, in particular his recent batch of novels, will show you how great dialogue can add to an already terrifying tale. And he also writes fantastic action scenes. Richard Matheson has several genre staples you would do well to grab. I Am Legend isn’t a bad one to start with. Why did you have to ask me this question? LOL As inevitably always happens, I know I will forget a bunch I should be telling you about, and also know there will always be more I’ll think of adding next week and the ones after that, though I feel like I should also mention an author I haven’t already mentioned yet. If you like werewolves, then you really ought to read The Werewolf Saga by Steve Wedel, or Bestial and Ravenous by the sadly recently departed Ray Garton, or the Frenzy Way trilogy from Greg Lamberson. And this is why there needn’t be any shame in have To Be Read piles you won’t likely read in a lifetime because there is just so many incredible books of horror out there that I can’t possibly remember every must-read book I think you need to have. It’s a great time to be a horror read to say the very least. And a great time to be a horror book reviewer also.
JG:That being asked, what other reviewing books would you recommend (if any)? RH: I’m afraid I won’t be able to give a very good answer for this one. When I set out to write my review guide, I searched for other book review guidebooks and there just weren’t all that many to pick from. The ones I did find weren’t overly comprehensive either and often only boasted as having one example of how to write a review, with the rest just instructions on how to do it. That said, good writing practices are good writing practices no matter what you’re writing be it a review, an article, or a novel. While books like Stephen King’s On Writing or Tim Waggoner’s Writing In the Dark books, or the Writers Workshop of Horror books that Michael Knost edits are excellent books for learning the craft of writing, they don’t specify how to write reviews. Still, a lot can be gleamed from these books and others like them that can help you better understand word economy, how to structure sentences for proper pacing and emotional impact and other great tool which can easily be transferred to writing better book reviews. Otherwise, the best thing a reviewer can do to hone their reviewing chops is to read as many reviews as they can and write as many reviews as they can. And when an editor provides advice or constructive criticism, pay close attention and analyze what they’re telling you even if you don’t always agree or understand why at first. Learn from everything.
JG: I haven’t read Dark Bites yet (on my Kindle list). Will you be publishing more collections of your interviews and reviews?
RH: Yes! In fact, I am working on a massive collection of interviews and reviews now. Since nothing has been signed in blood just yet, I can say I got a verbal agreement from a very reputable, award-winning small press publisher that I am confident will be publishing this one in 2025. Depending on where I force myself to stop adding content, it will be at least 500 pages worth of interviews I have conducted over the past few years in various publications including my own Dark Bites podcast as well as several reviews of their work. The collection will feature conversations with folks such as Frank Darabont, Joe R. Lansdale, Andre Ovredal, Richard Christian Matheson, Brian Keene, Dacre Stoker, Philip Fracassi, Richard Chizmar, Wrath James White and so many others. Each interview will have an intro mentioning how the conversation came about and any other interesting tidbits about my subject I feel are relevant that ithers might enjoy kneeing about. I’m very excited to see this project completed and available for readers.
JG: Do you prefer in person, phone/video or email interviews?
RH: These days I much prefer video chats as they tend to be more organic and conversational. I used to prefer phone chats, but the quality of recording can be spotty, and since I have some decent studio equipment for conducting conversations on my podcast, that’s my new preferred method, as time consuming as transcribing a long conversation can be. Luckily, most people are cool with being on video, though some are not.
That said, I would be lying if I didn’t also claim how ridiculously convenient conducting an interview over email can be. I mean, I only write to write the questions while my subject does most of the work by writing their responses to them. The moment they send back their answers, all that’s left for me to do it format, do a quick edit and voila! I have a completed conversation can now send to a publisher. Even when I ask follow up questions, email interviews are still quite quick and painless and I can bang out more of them this way than if I had to transcribe each one I have on video or over the phone. Still, there’s no denying, a video chat or phone chat always makes for a better overall conversational experience for both me, my guest, and those reading it.
I also once conducted an interview via twitter tweets and that was…interesting. Hey, we do what we must though.
JG: How do you prefer your media? I, myself, prefer actual books. For me it is easier to flip through pages to find what I need than to try to go to it digitally. And I like the feel and smell of books. Needless to say I will be purchasing an actual physical copy of your book when it comes out. I think it is a great reference tool to have on one’s shelf.
RH: Thanks for saying that! And yeah, I’m with you on that. Books are just so much more convenient and accessible. I can have an extra 15 minutes of wait time for my train, for example, and rather than fumble with an Ebook, loading up a story, I can simply open a book and POOF! I am in. I also love the feel and smell of a book, and, I admit, I do enjoy showing off a sick cover while out in public and thinking someone might mentally make a note of what I’m reading and go look it up for themselves.
That said, I do understand that physical ARCs are expensive for publishers and since that is mostly what I read, I do tend to get a lot of digital books sent my way for that exact reason. Maybe this is also one of the reasons why some of my most treasured books are signed ARCs since I get so few of them these days.
One exception to both of these rules was when I consumed Dracula, a book I had been wanting to read for years, but for whatever reason, always had a hard time getting into, especially since most copies have small font which I find tougher to read the older I get. I stumbled across a YouTube channel in which a very talented narrated named Steven Garnett (goes by Red Fox) had uploaded a stunning reading of Dracula, unabridged, with different voices for each character he was reading. I listened to that one in its entirely while working and loved every moment of that experience.
When it comes down to it, I say read or listen to books any way you can. As you mentioned, though, refence books tend to be more practical I physical form, so you can easily grab off a shelf and flip to whatever section you need at the time you need it. Plus, it’s much easier to write your own reference notes in a physical book. Call me biased, but when it comes to, ay, my little guidebook, I say just buy both and you’re covered either way!
Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, Jen. It has been an absolute pleasure!
JG: Thank you for taking the time to do the interview! I look forward to reading more form you!