Yes, I definitely read book reviews. I read them as a writer, to see who is writing in my field, and as a reader, to see what I want to read next. Because I write at the (very niche, I know!) intersection of Japanese and Jewish histories, I read reviews from the Jewish Book Council, Discover Nikkei, Densho, and the Jewish Review of Books.
For those of us writing cross-over or trade books, one thing I find helpful about reading reviews is that it gives me ideas about people who might blurb my books. I think this would be relevant too, for people publishing with academic publishers, but maybe less so. I know blurbs are (maybe?) on the way out, but either way, it's good to know who is working either as a writer or reviewer in fields related to mine, since it never hurts to broaden our networks, I think!
Yes, I definitely read book reviews. I read them as a writer, to see who is writing in my field, and as a reader, to see what I want to read next. Because I write at the (very niche, I know!) intersection of Japanese and Jewish histories, I read reviews from the Jewish Book Council, Discover Nikkei, Densho, and the Jewish Review of Books.
For those of us writing cross-over or trade books, one thing I find helpful about reading reviews is that it gives me ideas about people who might blurb my books. I think this would be relevant too, for people publishing with academic publishers, but maybe less so. I know blurbs are (maybe?) on the way out, but either way, it's good to know who is working either as a writer or reviewer in fields related to mine, since it never hurts to broaden our networks, I think!