Editor and WordTrippers Queen Recommends Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Latest How-To Book

How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically

Subtitle: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career

Series: Multi Award-Winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers

Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Author's Web site: http://HowToDoItFrugally.com

Cover: Chaz DeSimone

Genre: Nonfiction/Writers/Marketing

ISBN 9788-1-5369-4837-0

Purchase paperback of e-book on Amazon

Reviewed by Barbara McNichol originally for Amazon

This title and subtitle sets up a huge expectation, and the text adeptly delivers on it with excellence!

Carolyn Howard-Johnson addresses the good, the bad, and (at times) the ugly of book reviews in this comprehensive and highly readable resource. She teaches authors how to take control of the process of obtaining book reviews in today’s robust (and bursting) publishing climate. Throughout the book, this expert repeatedly brings to mind the value of book reviews in marketing—a superior move to paying for ads. And she cautions against paid-for reviews. “Authors who buy reviews spend their valuable promotion budget on something that doesn’t impress anybody, even most readers,” she writes.

This resource dares to cite a number of Review-Trippers that can trip up both first-time and experienced authors. They include long lead times and biases based on who published the book (called book bigotry). They also include a misconception that publicity (including book reviews) automatically results in sales (not so). True to her mission of practicality, Howard-Johnson shows how reviews can work cumulatively with other marketing activities.  

I highly recommend reading this book during your book-writing journey. Attempt to understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of getting reviews and making them work for you. Written with a humorous touch, this book is your frugal guide with advice that won’t let you stray ethically.

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MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Barbara McNichol edits nonfiction books and is queen of helping helping writers with word trippers. Reach her at Barbara McNichol Editorial, 520 615 7910 or editor@barbaraMcNichol.com.  Check out her  Word Trippers book and ebook. 

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.