The New Book Review

This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.

Showing posts with label Leslie C. Halpern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leslie C. Halpern. Show all posts

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Invitation to Upper Michigan for Writers' Conference and a Review...

...of the flagship book in my #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books now in its third edition and published by Modern History Press.  In time, I hope for you to make reservations for the conference in June.  If you won't be there but have other writers' conference plans--and I hope you do--this review will remind you to learn more about making writers' conferences more successful in #TheFrugalBookPromoter.  Just use the index to find plan-ahead suggestions, conference possibilities you may not know about and a whole lot more!

Please scroll down for details on the writers' conference and here is the review from MyShelf.com with many thanks to reviewer Leslie C. Halpern:

The Frugal Book Promoter, 3rd editionHow To Get Nearly Free Publicity On Your Own Or By Partnering With Your Publisherby Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Modern History Press / Reader’s Digest
September 2019/ ISBN 978-1615994694
Nonfiction / Writing / Publishing

Reviewed by Leslie C. Halpern
From the author’s popular “How to Do It Frugally Series,” comes this third edition of The Frugal Book Promoter, a nonfiction guide to getting no-and-low-cost publicity. As the publishing industry has changed over the years—primarily
because of the internet—each new edition provides updates accordingly. This latest version of the first book in the series has been reorganized to help readers better understand promotion, and provides up-to-the minute advice on producing effective media releases, query letters, and media kits.
Divided into seven sections (along with helpful appendixes with writing samples and an index), the book focuses on getting started, using publicity basics, working independently or with a publicity partner, promoting a book through writing other material, understanding the media, standard promotions that still work, and tips for rejuvenating earlier publications. Sections are broken down into chapters, and chapters are further broken down into subheadings and bulleted points. These methods of dividing material into smaller chunks of information should keep the abundance of advice from overwhelming readers.

Some of the updated internet information is contained in Chapter 21 “Game Changers.” Howard-Johnson, an award-winning author and former publicist, encourages writers to consider blogging as a social network where they can establish their personal brand, promote their work, build name recognition, and network with others in the publishing world. The chapter provides specific ways to begin a blog, find content for posting, and nearly a dozen ways to promote it. “We use our blogs to promote, obviously. What isn’t so obvious is that the blog itself must be promoted. One of the most important ways to do both things is to integrate it with all the other entities you use for networking on the web.”

Whether authors are first-timers or adding the next book to their series, this book offers helpful suggestions for authors of fiction and nonfiction (and all genres within these categories). The book also provides links, publication titles, and other helpful resources for additional information. All authors who want to spread the word about their publications should have a copy of The Frugal Book Promoter on their bookshelf.
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Leslie C. Halpern is the author of four nonfiction books, including 200 Love Lessons from the Movies and four children's books, including Silly Sleepytime Poems.

MORE ABOUT UPPER PENINSULA PUBLISHES WRITERS' CONFERENCE 

The 21st annual Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA) Spring Conference will be held June 6th 2020 at the Olson Library on the campus of Northern Michigan University, Marquette Michigan.  Attendance is free for UPPAA members and $50 for non-members.  The Spring Conference will be preceded by a pre-conference Fiction Writing Workshop hosted by Red Ore Writers.

Authors who attend will learn best practices for writing, marketing, and selling their work from a broad selection of industry professionals.  This year's special topics include: romance writing, children's picture books, social media marketing, and writing/researching your historical fiction/non-fiction books. Our keynote speaker is Carolyn Howard-Johnson who will present "Your Frugal Book Launch:  The first 100 days to success".  Updates will be posted at www.UPPAA.org

Invitation to Upper Michigan for Writers' Conference and a Review...


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. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. 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.

#TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing #writersconferences

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Leslie C. Halpern Collects Her Best Columns on Life and Entertainment Industry

Scantily Clad Truths
Subtitle: Essays on Life with Clothes (and without)
Author: Leslie C. Halpern
Cautious Optimist Publishing 2018
ISBN: 9780999376331
Genre: Essays/Memoir
Contact Reviewer: HoJoNews@aol.com
Rating: 5 of 5

                  From Bill Cosby to “Homeless and Sexy” 

 

Veteran Journalist Shares Memories 


True to journalistic ethics, here, a disclaimer. I started out in journalism. Printers ink has colored my thumbs (and given me asthma) since I first wrote kitschy columns for my high school newspaper, and I loved fashion and New York even in its grittier days when I was a publicist for the firm that developed the “10 Best Dressed List” and ogled the samples of Christian Dior samples in the stockpile of “props” the business kept for photo shoot emergencies. 

Perhaps this disclaimer explains why I was hooked from the first moment I heard the title of Leslie C. Halpern’s slim book Scantily Clad Truths. Add that to the amazing list of media outlets Halpern has written for and this provocative teaser on the back cover of the book: “What really happened when this young entertainment journalist in a sexy gold dress rode the elevator with Bill Cosby?” and I was ready to have some fun. 

It turns out Scantily Clad was not quite what I expected. It was much more. Call it a memoir of a journalist presented in a permanent collection of her best material. Bit by bit, a reader becomes familiar with Halpern. Her exceptional sense of detail. Her humor. Her occasional bravery about drawing conclusions about life as she explores life-altering anecdotes. And, yes. They somehow all have something to do with clothing from Mary Lou’s red lace panties to Homeless and Sexy’s no-shirt-at-all.

Because Halpern had to select only the columns and essays that fit with her theme, it made me wonder how many more books are to come. Halpern’s work is easy to read, refreshing. Most of us probably need her gentle take on life and humor in these political times.  

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a multi award-winning author of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Her HowToDoItFrugally series of books has helped writers and retailers worldwide. She runs this blog with lots of generous contributions from Carolyn Wilhelm and Lois W. Stern. 

memoir-of-a-journalist-scantily-clad-truths


MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS AND ANOTHER FREEBIE

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog 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.



Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. C. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Carolyn the link to this post, too! 



Monday, August 27, 2018

Leslie C. Halpern Reviews How-To Book for Writers






Title: How to Get Great Reviews Frugally and Ethically
Subtitle: The Ins and Outs of Using Free Reviews to Build and Sustain a Writing Career
Series: HowtoDoItFrugally Series for Writers, Volume 3
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Publisher: Createspace 
ISBN: 9781536948370 (Oct. 2016)
Genre: Nonfiction/How-To/Writing

Reviewed by Leslie C. Halpern originally for MyShelf.com

Many writers possess only a vague idea of how reviews sell books or establish an author’s brand. Former marketer/publicist Carolyn Howard-Johnson provides a definitive 340-page guide explaining why authors need reviews, how to find reviewers, sending books out for review, Amazon.com’s role in reviews, building a platform based on reviews, writing reviews, planning a media kit, and other essential tools for successfully launching a book and enjoying future sales.

Divided into six sections and 15 chapters – plus appendices with resources and sample letters – the text allows for skipping around from chapter to chapter. Anywhere in the writing process, from idea development to years after publication, authors can find advice for acquiring or using reviews to help promote sales. For instance, Howard-Johnson recommends organizing a list of potential reviewers long before publication, and assigning codes to them. “NAT for national media; LOC for local; LIB for libraries; BKST for bookstores; CAT for catalogs; BLOG for bloggers; and, of course, BIG REV for the prestigious, sought-after journals (the ones with firm deadlines and submission guidelines); and RDR REV for readers, bloggers, and others who are more interested in the content of a book than the press it’s printed on or the year of the copyright.”

She suggests different ideas for renewing interest in titles long after publication. One of these ideas involves contacting reviewers who wrote about previous books when a new book is about to be released. Remind these reviewers what they wrote before and suggest they review the upcoming book. This practice not only helps the author secure more reviews, but shows the reviewer their work is valued and appreciated. She also recommends sending thank you notes and/or gifts to reviewers afterward (but never before, as it would look like a bribe).

There’s also a chapter on writing reviews, because authors are often called upon to reciprocate. This chapter includes information on writing professional reviews, writing for online bookstores, and writing ten-best reads lists. Novice authors should read the entire book in the order it was written, but experienced authors may prefer to pick and choose specific areas where they lack knowledge or previous success. Whatever the level of experience, however, anyone who plans to write a book can benefit.


  
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Leslie C. Halpern is a poet, author, and essayist with more than 4,000 published articles and ten published books. Her most recent book release is titled "Scantily Clad Truths" (2018) and contains a collection of personal essays. Her other recent titles include “200 Love Lessons from the Movies" and the children's book "Silly Sleepytime Poems." Winner of the Grand Prize for Essay Writing from Mentor & Protege and the Gwendolyn Brooks Writers Association Editor’s Award for Poetry, her poems have appeared in numerous anthologies including Encore Prize Poems 2018, The Journal of Graduate Liberal Studies, Revelry, and Other Orlandos. As an entertainment journalist, she wrote for The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Variety, and Orlando Sentinel, and currently writes a blog called “Seen It, Done It, Reviewed It,” located on her website at www.LeslieHalpern.com
Get to know Leslie's books and networks:







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.