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 Midwest Book Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Midwest Book Review. Show all posts

Saturday, August 5, 2023

Celebrating the 3rd Edition of The Frugal Editor

The Frugal Editor
Third Edition
Subtitle: Do-It-Yourself Editing Secrets
Author:  Carolyn Howard-Johnson 
Publisher:: Modern History Press
Hard Copy: 9781615996018, $41.95, 296pp
E-book: $8.95
Paperback book: $26.95
Review from Midwest Review may now be seen on Midwest’s Writing/Publishing Shelf  

Reviewed by Jim, Editor in Chief of Midwest Book Review


Synopsis: Whether you are a new or experienced author, this updated and expanded third edition of "The Frugal Editor: Do-It-Yourself Editing Secrets-From Your Query Letters to Final Manuscript to the Marketing of Your New Bestseller" by veteran author, editor and book marketer Carolyn Howard-Johnson will dramatically assist aspiring and experienced authors to present whistle-clean copy from a one-page cover letter to their entire manuscript in ways that will convince those with the power to say "yea" or "nay" to their book.

This third edition of "The Frugal Editor", is part of Carolyn's multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for writers and has been awarded accolades from Reader Views Literary Award, Dan Poynter's Global Ebook Award, the coveted Irwin Award, and many others. This fully updated edition includes the new help you need from managing gender pronouns to maximizing the usefulness of front and back matter. Altogether, "The Frugal Editor" now provides 50% more information designed for the success of an author's title.

Critique: Speaking as the editor-in-chief of the Midwest Book Review, one of the most common problems that self- published authors exhibit is a lack of much needed editing with respect to the books they present for my review and for sale to libraries and the general public.

While this newly revised and expanded third edition of "The Frugal Editor: Do-It-Yourself Editing Secrets-From Your Query Letters to Final Manuscript to the Marketing of Your New Bestseller" should be considered as mandatory reading for beginners, and even the more experienced authors will benefit substantially from the experience, expertise, wit and hard earned wisdom of writing and publishing expert Carolyn Howard-Johnson.

While also available for personal reading lists in a paperback edition (9781615996001, $26.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.95), "The Frugal Editor" is a seminal and unreservedly recommended addition to professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections and supplemental Writing/Publishing Workshop curriculum studies lists

Editorial Note: Carolyn Howard-Johnson (www.HowToDoItFrugally.com) was the youngest person ever hired as a staff writer for The Salt Lake Tribune where she wrote features for the society page and a column under the name of Debra Paige. That gave her insight into the needs of editors, the very people authors must work with to get free ink and the ones likely to spot unprofessional editing when they see it. Being familiar with the way news is handled helps her see how different books fit into different news cycles.

Later in New York, she was an editorial assistant at Good Housekeeping Magazine. In the Big Apple she also handled accounts for fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert who instituted the first Ten Best Dressed List. There she started writing media releases (then called press releases) for celebrity designers of the day including Pauline Trigere, Rudy Gernreich, and Christian Dior instead of being one of those dreaded gatekeepers of releases who get to say yay or nay.

Carolyn has worked as columnist, reviewer, and staff writer for the Pasadena Star-News, Home Decor Buyer, the Glendale News-Press (an affiliate of the LA Times), and others. She learned marketing skills both in college (University of Utah, and University of Southern California) and as founder and operator of a chain of retail stores. That molded her understanding of how authors might best collaborate with retailers to affect both of their bottom lines. Carolyn's experience in journalism and as a poet and author of fiction and nonfiction helped the multi award-winning author understand how different marketing techniques might be used for each genre.

She was an instructor for UCLA Extension's renowned Writers' Program for nearly a decade and earned an instructor's certificate from that school. She studied writing at Cambridge University, United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University in Prague.

Carolyn turned her knowledge toward helping other writers with her HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Her marketing campaign for the first edition of this book won Reader Views Award, USA Book News Award, and the marketing campaign for it won the Next Generation Indie Award for marketing.



 

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Jim Cox Review Dr. Judith Briles New Book on Crowdfunding

How to Create Crowdfunding Success for Authors and Writers
Dr. Judith Briles
Mile High Press
ISBN: 9781885331922, $20.00, PB, 114pp
Available on Amazon
 
Reviewed by Jim Cox, Editor of Midwest Book Review
 
Synopsis: "How to Create Crowdfunding Success for Authors and Writers" by Dr. Judith Briles is the ideal 'how-to' manual for aspiring self published authors who need money for design and printing; money for marketing; money to develop a website; even money for a PR campaign.
 
The principle promise of Dr. Briles is that if your financial resources are low, there are ways to increase it. You want the odds to be on your side. You want to be in the 35 percent minority that succeeds if you are an author or authortobe. Not the 65 percent that don't.
 
It's the power of OPM (Other People's Money!).
 
"How to Create Crowdfunding Success for Authors and Writers" shows how to:
 
Create rewards that your donors want.
Identify timelines: pre, during and post a crowdfunding campaign.
Determine which crowdfunding sites are best for authors and writers.
Pinpoint the essentials that every successful crowdfunding campaign has.
Get hot tips for creating momentum and the final push.
Structure a social media checklist that's ideal for your project.
 
Here is the perfect step-by-step instructional guide on the subject of how to set budgets and limit costs.
 
Does crowdfunding work for financing authors and writers? Yes it is. Can you as an author or writer succeed at it? Absolutely -- Start with a careful reading of "How to Create Crowdfunding Success for Authors and Writers"
 
Critique: It costs money to turn a manuscript into a book. It costs money to persuasively bring a book to the attention of its intended readership. Over the years, Dr. Judith Briles has earned her nickname of 'The Book Shepherd' and is one of the most respected and knowledgeable book marketing and promotion experts in the publishing industry today. Simply stated, anyone and everyone that aspires to becoming a successfully self-published author needs to give a careful 'note-taking' read of "How to Create Crowdfunding Success for Authors and Writers". While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections, it should be noted that "How to Create Crowdfunding Success for Authors and Writers" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.67).
 
MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Dr. Judith Briles (http://www.milehighpress.com) is the author of 43 books and known as The Book Shepherd, working with authors globally to create and publish books in all subject categories and genres. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Briles) A number of her titles have been previously reviewed and archived by the Midwest Book Review website at www.midwestbookreview.com

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Jim Cox is the Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Review and also of his frequent newsletter where he published reviews of new writer-oriented books including ths one. Subscribe on the Midwest Book Review website. 

MORE ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW 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 in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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

Monday, October 17, 2022

Donovan's Literary Services Shares Bob Freeman's "Tech Manual for a Future"

TITLE : H2LiftShips - Bosons Wave Vol 3

SUBTITLE : "A Tech Manual for a Future"

ISBN: 978-1-64456-483-7   
 
AUTHOR: Bob Freeman 


Twitter: @h2lift

GENRE: SciFiTech

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Teen Nerd to Ancient Nerd

NUMBER OF PAGES: 244

PURCHASE LINKS

PUBLISHER: Indies United Publishing House, LL

Note: Reviews of other books in this series to follow

Reviewed by D. Donovan of Donovan's Literary Services 
             

H2LiftShips - Bosons Wave recounts the ongoing story of Captain Graciela and the crew of the H2LiftShip LunaCola, whose secret mission involves a journey that embraces family and political drama in this third volume of an intriguing space opera adventure. It's set in a world that simultaneously feels both familiar and alien.

Donovan's Literary Services Shares Bob Freeman's "Tech Manual for a Future"



This is a world of space pirates and high-tech oddities, from algae rocket ships to an odd marriage between advanced technology and old-world devices—bioGel laser rifles and HAM radios, for example.

It's a scenario in which Captain Graciela and her crew battle the brainless algae which have joined with angry bioGel computers to challenge both sides with impossible situations.

From Jovian clouds integrated with DNA computers to gamblers who operate in a space casino against the backdrop of intrigue and conflict, Bob Freeman crafts an environment that will especially please prior series readers with more than just a fast pace.

Freeman takes the time to incorporate vivid descriptions into his world-building space opera, marking them with a wry sense of humor that overlays the action: "Mort ships, the transports for boxed cellular remains of sentients, preferred dark colors for the ship and sails. The color scheme wasn't required for the job, but it matched their ethos."

The descriptions of both heady clashes and everyday activities build a strong sense of place to contrast extraordinary events with ordinary life pursuits, but with a twist: "The 'gelTxt was moderately successful. She got the rope, nutrients, and some leads on fresh manure and grains. It was time to hit the regolith and search for some more supplies and tasty snacks for the long journey ahead. Captain Grace was in her element, picking out products to re-sell, for a serious profit. She was looking for bargains and kept away from the central storehouses."
Readers of the prior books in this series will find Bosons Wave a powerful survey of risky experiments, HiveSister concerns and sentient developments, and the crew's struggle to avoid disaster.

Ironic, delightful phrasing fosters a stream of ironic observation through the story: "The green monster's visit was not as friendly as it seemed."

The result is a fitting compliment to the other books in the series, expanding the escapades of this Navy crew's space-faring struggles as they tackle interstellar emergencies, family issues, and military operations with equal ability.

Readers seeking a rollicking good read from a modern space opera will find H2LiftShips - Bosons Wave a fine adventure that employs many futuristic descriptions to power its characters and their dilemmas.


From the Reviewer:

Please feel free to quote any pieces from my reviews for your publicity purposes (with credit to Donovan's Literary Services or Midwest Book Review, as the review will appear in both places). 
Reviews by D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

More About the Author


The author is a retired Public Health Microbiologist/Lab Director/LIMS Software designer and a confirmed science geek. 
With expertise in anaerobic microbiology and writing an exorbitant number of tech manuals and protocols, the only logical path going forward was to write what I wished.
Misunderstanding the common SciFi tropes of the day, the author builds complex worlds, adds a few interesting characters, and lets them have at it.
Further expanding on tropes, the stories are not boom/bang/fight from the start and every third page, but explicitly designed to not be interesting to an eight-year-old male. Interesting kids of any age or sex may enjoy the work even with the lack of explosions.
The author began writing SciFi in 2021 at the tender age of 70 and is writing short stories before tackling his 4th novel in the LiftShip series.

Thanks

Bob 
------------ 
Bob Freeman

BtB Software, LLC www.btbsoftware.com

SciFi Stories: 
www.h2liftship.com/beyondluna    
www.h2liftship.com/backstory 
www.h2liftship.com/bosonswave 

LinkedIn:   linkedin.com/in/freemanbob






More About #TheNewBookReview 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 in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Highly Rated Translation of Aristotle's Poetics for Busy Authors--Finally!

Jim Cox, Editor and Chief of Midwest Book Review gives me (and everyone else) permission to reprint the reviews he publishes in his glorious newsletter for writers (my words, not his! (-:  ) I am particularly fond of this one because classic literature is rarely translated in a way the works well for our busy world.  I you keep telling yourself that you would like to read this to benefit your own writing career, Jim and I think the time has finally come for you to do it! 

 Reviewed by Jim Cox for his Midwest Review newsletter and other Midwest publications

How to Tell a Story
Aristotle, author
Philip Freeman, translator
Princeton University Press
41 William Street, Princeton, NJ 08540
http://press.princeton.edu
9780691205274, $16.95, HC, 264pp

Synopsis: Handed down from ancient Greek literature, Aristotle's Poetics is arguably the most important book ever written for writers and readers of stories -- whether it be novels, short fiction, plays, screenplays, or nonfiction.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) was the first to identify the keys to plot, character, audience perception, tragic pleasure, and dozens of other critical points of good storytelling. Despite being written more than 2,000 years ago, the Poetics remains essential reading for anyone who wants to learn how to write a captivating story -- or understand how such stories work and achieve their psychological effects.

Yet for all its influence, the Poetics is too little read because it comes down to us in a form that is often difficult to follow, and even the best translations are geared more to specialists than to general readers who simply want to grasp Aristotle's profound and practical insights.

With the publication of "How to Tell a Story: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Storytelling for Writers and Readers" ably translated into English for an American readership by Philip Freeman contemporary and aspiring authors and readers are provided with the most readable translation of the Poetics ever yet produced, making it an indispensable handbook that is more accessible, engaging, and useful than ever before.

In addition to its inviting and reliable translation, a commentary on each section, and the original Greek on facing pages, this edition of "How to Tell a Story: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Storytelling for Writers and Readers" features unique bullet points, chapter headings, and section numbers to help guide readers through Aristotle's unmatched introduction to the art of writing and reading stories.

Critique: A complete course of Aristotelean instruction that is impressively 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "How to Tell a Story: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Storytelling for Writers and Readers" must be considered essential reading by anyone aspiring to write stories that would be successfully attractive to an author's intended audience. This splendid edition from the Princeton University Press is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Literary Studies collections and as a textbook for creative writing workshops curriculums.

It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, aspiring (and experienced) writers that "How to Tell a Story: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Storytelling for Writers and Readers" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note #1: Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Lyceum, the Peripatetic school of philosophy, and the Aristotelian tradition.

Editorial Note #2: Philip Freeman is the author of more than twenty books on the ancient world, including the Cicero translations How to Think about God, How to Be a Friend, How to Grow Old, and How to Run a Country (all from Princeton University Press). He also holds the Fletcher Jones Chair in Humanities at Pepperdine University.


Highly Rated Translation of Aristotle's Poetics for Busy Authors--Finally!


Watch for the 3rd Edition coming in September! 



More About #TheNewBookReview 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 in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Midwest Book Review Shares Their Review of Bernard Jones' Discovery of Troy


TITLE: The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History
AUTHOR: Bernard Jones
AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: www.trojanhistory.com
GENRE: HISTORY - NON-FICTION
AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: From 14/15 Years upward
ISBN: 9781916499218, 
PAGES: 400 
AWARDS:
1.America's Reader Views Literary Awards 2020; 1st Place History Category.
2.America's Reader Views Literary Awards 2020; Global Award - Best History    Book (Europe).
3.Canada's IAN Book of the Year Awards; Finalist - History Category.
PUBLISHER: Trojan History Press


Originally Reviewed by Midwest Book Review's Small Press Bookwatch

 

Synopsis: The Trojan War was the greatest catastrophe of the ancient Hellenic world. We are told that it devastated Europe and Asia and plunged the known world into a Dark Age that lasted 500 years. 


Midwest Book Review Shares Their Review of Bernard Jones' Discovery of Troy

 

Thirty years of painstaking investigative research has finally resolved this 3,000-year-old mystery as author and historian Bernard Jones uncovered the evidence piece by piece, separating fact from fiction, and unlocking the secrets of the past. Unbelievably, Bernard's research showed that the Trojan War could not have taken place in the Aegean area, or even in the Mediterranean world. This evidence turns our accepted geography on its head and leads us on a fascinating journey of discovery back to the real world in which the Trojans lived. Here, we discover who the Greeks and the Trojans really were, and the parts they played in Homer's Bronze Age world. 

 

Secret knowledge concealed in the "Iliad" reveals Homer's work to be a genuine historical record. Yet, only in the corrected Bronze Age environment can it be understood. Deciphering Homer's coded information becomes the key to finding the location of the Trojan War and the Bronze Age city of Troy itself. Lost histories also tell the whole story of the migrations that took place following the Trojan War and the nations that arose out of the ashes of Troy. The records of these nations independently verify the author's findings, and they overturn the theory of a 'Dark Age'. 

 

Critique: An absolutely fascinating and iconoclastic read from beginning to end, "The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented. Impressively informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History" is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Ancient History collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History" is also available in a paperback edition (9781916499201, $22.99). 

 

This review will also appear in the Cengage Learning, Gale interactive CD-ROM series "Book Review Index" which is published four times yearly for academic, corporate, and public library systems. Additionally, this review will be archived on our Midwest Book Review website for the next five years at http://www.midwestbookreview.com 



AUTHOR BIO:


Bernard Jones was, until recently, a multi-disciplinary professional; a Chartered Practitioner and Chartered Fellow with a lifetime of scientific, technical, investigative and research work behind him. In addition to his professional vocation, he is a historian of some 35 plus years.


He completed his post graduate research in ancient philosophy/mythology and ancient history. For the last three decades he has applied his professional skills to his work as a historian, the result of which is two extraordinary books. The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History is the first of these. 


His second book, The Voyage of Aeneas of Troy is scheduled for publication in 2022.




More About #TheNewBookReview 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 in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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

Saturday, September 5, 2020

Midwest Book Review Chief Reviews Second Edition of Editing Tips Book

Title: Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers
Series: HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Publisher: Modern History Press
Genre: Nonfiction: Business/Writers/Editing/Self-Help
ISBN: 9781615995257, $24.95, HC, 56pp
Available on Amazon



Reviewed by Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Review


Synopsis: In "Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Reference Guide for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy", book publicist, journalist, marketer, editor, and retailer, Carolyn Howard-Johnson picks the trip-you-up words that her clients struggle with and puts them in a quick reference guide light enough and small e
nough to be used as an quickie gift that the recipient can tuck into a glove compartment or purse to keep their homonym skills fresh and explains why following grammar rules assiduously isn't always the best choice for writers.

Critique: An absolute 'must' for aspiring authors seeking publication for their work, and having substantial value for even the more experienced writer, "Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Reference Guide for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy" is the ideal DIY instructional guide and 'how to' reference directly addressing the most common failing that authors (especially self-published authors) have -- an insufficient editing of their work.

Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Reference Guide for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Writing/Publishing collections. It should be noted that it is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781450507653, $6.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).




MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Jim Cox is editor-in-chief of Midwest Book Review archives all of the previous issues of his "Jim Cox Report" the Midwest Book Review website at www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/jimcox.htm. If you'd like to receive the "Jim Cox Report" directly (and for free), just send him an email asking to be signed up for it at http://www.midwestbookreview.com. And watch for more reprints of some his author-and-publishing related reviews here on this blog.

 

 

 




Friday, April 10, 2020

Diane C. Donovan Reviews Important Resource for Writers

The Big Book of Small Presses and Independent Publishers
Author: Marylee MacDonald
Grand Canyon Press
www.grandcanyonpress.com
9781951479190 
$20.99 pbk
9781951479046 
$9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Diane C. Donovan Reviewer, originally for Midwest Book Review


The Big Book of Small Presses & Independent Publishers is packed with listings of small presses, contests where book publication is one of the prizes, university presses, and others accepting works from authors. It should be the reference of choice for would-be authors who don't want to self-publish, but who find themselves stymied by the lack of an agent.

Marylee MacDonald avoids the pitfall of listing vanity publishers (those who publish for a fee) and features a wide range of presses who publish in all genres of fiction and nonfiction.

It should be noted that these listings are alphabetical, not segregated into genre. But lest an author think they have to read every description to arrive at a list of, say, romance publishers, it should be noted that the 'find' search approach in the e-manuscript works fine for skipping through the listings to locate publishers accepting work in a specific genre.

Each listing includes an assessment of the submission process, contact information, a web link for writer's guidelines, and special notes about what a cover letter should ideally hold to attract them. Listings also include company history (where available) and any special notes about the publisher's philosophy, backlist, and interactions with authors.

This isn't the only book to provide lists of publishers (Writer's Market is the most extensive such reference, for one example), but it's been well-researched to include publishers especially open to new authors and manuscripts, who have a reputation of doing good work.

As a basic reference of publisher contacts in the small-to-medium press world, The Big Book of Small Presses & Independent Publishers can't be beat. It holds all the basics necessary to appeal to authors who eschew self-publishing and agents, and who want to approach that segment of the publishing industry particularly willing to work with new authors.

Diane C. Donovan Reviews Important Resource for Writers


MORE ABOUT THE  BLOGGER AND WAYS TO GET THE MOST FROM THIS BLOG

 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 or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too!

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Poet Carol Smallwood Interviews Indie Friendly Review Pioneer


This interview may be a first for this #TheNewBookReview blog. I try to be choosy about what appears here beyond book reviews. I have long been an adversary of #bookbigoty and any other kind of bigotry so this blog features any submission as long as it is family friendly and has the permission of the original reviewer to reprint it. But "extra" material--that is anything beyond these reviews must help readers, publishers, reviewers, authors and anyone else associated with the publishing industry in a pertinent way.  And, yep! I get to choose. A disclaimer here: Jim Cox has reviewed most if not all of my books--my self-published ones as well as my traditionally published ones--and included them in his newsletter.  And I, because I see the value of what he does, highly recommend Midwest Book Review in several of my HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers.  The interviewer, Carol Smallwood, is also a valued contributor of reviews to this blog. So, have fun.  Print or save some of the valuable resource material you are about to find here! (-:
The Carol Smallwood Interview Of Jim Cox 

Jim Cox is the founder of the the highly popular and comprehensive Midwest Book Review. Since 1976 it has  hosted 9 monthly book review magazines such as the Reviewer’s Bookwatch and Internet Bookwatch which are written by volunteer reviewers while the other related magazines are by Midwest Book Review principals and associates.

Smallwood: How did you become the Editor-in-Chief of The Midwest Book Review physically located in Wisconsin?

Jim Cox: In the summer of 1976 I was sitting in a Wednesday night meeting of the Madison Science Fiction Club in a State Street restaurant. The purpose of our weekly get-togethers was to socialize with like minded folk for whom fantasy and science fiction were something more than just another hobby.

Into that night's gathering came a good friend of mine by the name of Hank Luttrell. Hank was a mail order book dealer specializing in comics, mysteries, and science fiction - and whose ambition was to create his own bookstore (which he subsequently did and it's still in business here in Madison, Wisconsin, as 20th Century Books).

Hank came in with a copy of an expensive coffee-table sized book called "The Toynbee-Ikeda Dialogue," It was a compilation of correspondences over the years between the late British historian Arnold J. Toynbee and the Japanese philosophy/educator Isadeu Ikeda.

Hank knew that I was a history buff and well versed in the writings of Toynbee. He said to me: "How would you like to have this book for free?" I said to him: "Whose kneecaps do you want me to break?"

It turned out that all I had to do was read the book and then on Saturday go down to a new radio station that had just opened up in Madison a few weeks earlier. It was WORT-FM,  a non-commercial, counter-culture, community supported radio station of the leftish persuasion.

I was to go on a talk show with a fellow named John Ohliger and take three minutes to tell him (and his audience) what I thought of the book - and then I could keep it for myself!

I said to Hank: "Hand me the book and tell me where this radio thing is located."

The following Saturday morning I went down to the ugliest one-story cinder block building I had ever seen. I was introduced to this older gent who was some kind of liberal University of Wisconsin college professor. After John Ohliger made his introductory remarks I commenced to tell him (and his audience) about Toynbee, Ikeda, and this book of theirs.

I was still going strong when John reached over and gently tapped me on the arm and said he had to wrap things up; his thirty minute program was over. While John was signing off I sat there mentally upbraiding myself for the motor-mouth I had been and prepared to apologize profusely for hogging his whole show.

John had a stack of books by his elbow. After we were off the air and before I could launch into my abject grovel, he pushed that stack of books across the table to me and asked if I could look through these books and come back next week.

Thus my career as a book reviewer was born!

Three months later I was hosting that show ("The Madison Review of Books") myself. A couple of months later I had expanded it to one hour (thirty minutes was just way to short!); and a few months after that I had added a second one-hour book show that specialized on science fiction ("The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Hour with James Andrew Cox" - I think I was born with an ego as big as that program title!).

John Ohliger was a professor in the field of Adult Education and Life Long Learning. He was also an ardent social activist. He had been one of the key people to establish WORT-FM as a commercial free "talk show" radio forum for public issues. He started up "The Madison Review Of Books" as one of his experiments in adult education. He wanted to see what would happen if you put brand new books in the hands of ordinary folk - cab drivers, housewives, students, social workers, janitors, etc. - and then gave them a forum from which they could express their opinions and critiques to the community at large.

Back in the 70s, book reviewing (as it had been for pretty much the previous century) was largely an elitist operation of the New York/East Coast literati. John Ohliger (populist and leftist agitator that he was) wanted to break that stranglehold and see what would happen.

So John Ohliger started up his little radio show, got 15 of the major publishers to send him some books, and sent folks like Hank Luttrell out into the Madison community to recruit folks like me into sharing our views of what we were reading and what was being published.

I, along with a half-dozen others, banded together with John Ohliger and operated that little book review. I hosted the radio show and did most of the grunt work of publisher notification, book solicitation, and assigned reviewer follow-ups.

Then two years later, John Ohliger was working with still another group of citizens who wanted to insure a public access channel in the newly arriving television cable company (if I remember rightly it was Viking Media) that was then wiring up Madison. John talked me into going with him to endless meetings in small non-air-conditioned rooms over that sidewalk egg-frying Wisconsin summer. In the end, we were charted by the City of Madison and contracted with the cable company as the Madison Community Access Center - Cable Channel 4. The first show we taped was with a heart specialist doctor. The second show we taped was the television version of our little radio book review show.

I still remember that first television production. I hosted. We had one black/white television camera. We had one chair. We also had one guest. I introduced the book review program. Then a huge poster board sign was held by hand directly in front of the camera lens. I jumped up out of the one chair we had. Our guest sat down in it. Then I proceeded to interview him while standing next to the camera. When we were ready to wrap, the poster board sign went back up in front of the camera lens. The guest got up. I sat down. The poster board sign was whipped away. And I said farewell to the viewing audience.

The whole affair was the very definition of amateur - but we were all thrilled to enter this new medium of public access television and spread the word about books.

That show became "Bookwatch" and ran from 1978 to 2003 with me as its host. Our crew were always volunteers who donated their time for a sheer love of the cause. And the studio quality of our productions would match and occasionally surpass what PBS was doing.

Because of health problems slowing me down I finally had to retire after almost three decades from the television part of our Midwest Book Review operation in January 2003. But the show didn't disappear from the air for another 8 months or so. My producer/director had such a large backlog of old shows that he ran them in our regular Wednesday night time slot on WYOU-TV (which emerged in the early 1980s out of that original MCAC group) until finally the archives were exhausted.

In 1980 my job as a Developmental Disabilities Coordinator (a glorified kind of school social worker) for the Broadhead School District was terminated through lack of funding. Ronald Reagan had been elected president and one of the things he did in collusion with a conservative congress was to gut the money devoted to special education. Another program funding that was gutted had to do with Federal money for public library systems.

As a social worker I saw the writing on the wall for social services spending for the next few years. So I took my 30 hour a week "hobby" as a book reviewer and turned it into a full time profession. John Ohliger and I parted company over that. He was an altruist and a social reformer who felt that his little experiment should remain as band of local Madison community part-timers who were in it for the honor of it all. I wanted to go national, launch a library newsletter, expand out onto the internet, and be able to support myself.

I was primarily responsible for the necessary grunt work (read office work) that kept the wheels turning and the pump priming. Three weeks after I left his little book review operation it collapsed because no one wanted to take over the hard work of writing letters, sending out tear sheets, following-up review assignments, emptying the trash, manning the phone, etc.

It was sort of like the story of Henny Penny who easily found all manner of animal friends to eat her bread - but none to help her plant it, weed it, harvest the grain, prepare the dough, or even bake the loaf.

Everyone like the idea of free books (you got to keep the book you reviewed) but nobody wanted to do the day-to-day grind that insured there would be free books to hand out for review.

I borrowed $1000 from my father-in-law to buy letterhead stationary, a computer, and some postage - and never looked back.

Over the years John and I would come across one another. Madison is that kind of community. He was constantly involved in one or another group, issue, cause, or experiment. He hung out with the likes of Noam Chomsky and was always up for this or that demonstration or movement for social justice.

I always acknowledged my debt to John as my mentor and the man who made my subsequent career as a book reviewer and as the editor-in-chief of a multi-media book review operation possible.

The late John Ohliger (he died some years ago at the age of 77) was a dramatic and lasting influence on my life and career as a book reviewer and on the Midwest Book Review.

Smallwood: It was good to see that self-published authors are not turned away and you give priority consideration to small presses as well as the academic and that it is possible to have a book reviewed. There are so many resources on your web under Writing and Publishing. Also Reader Resources! Also a search option and site map for The Midwest Book Review. How do you keep up with all of these?

Jim Cox: What you see now on the Midwest Book Review is the cumulative work of more than 40 years. At the current age of 76 I work in my little office 3 to 4 hours a day, seven days a week. When I get an idea or write something that I think would be of value to authors, publishers, librarians, book publicists, and/or the general reading public I pass it along to my daughter (who is the web master and Managing Editor of our book review operation) to get it up on our web site. The same applies to discoveries I make out on the web, as well as items of interest and relevance that other people bring to my attention. So our web site is a constantly expanding repository of useful information and resources specific to the writing, publishing, and marketing of books.

Smallwood: Besides helping publishers and writers, please tell readers about how you make your reviews available to U.S. and Canadian libraries?

Jim Cox: We have two monthly contracts with companies that maintain book review databases for libraries and library systems.

One of them is the Gale Cengage Learning's 'Book Review Index'. Here are some links that describe and explain what that is:

The other one is CLCD Enterprise and has a book review database exclusive to children's books preschool through young adult, fiction and non-fiction. Here is a link to them:

In addition, we have library mailing lists for hundreds of community, academic, government, and corporate libraries for our monthly book review publications including the one specifically called "Library Bookwatch".

Smallwood: What seems the most heavily used links of all your resources offered on your web or the topics you get the most questions?

Jim Cox: The three most clicked on sections of our rather massive web site are:

Advice for Writers and Publishers (an archive of my 'how to' articles) found at:

Other Reviewers (a database I created of freelance book reviewers, book review publications, book review web sites and blogs) is at:

Jim Cox Report (my monthly column of advice, commentary, tips, tricks and techniques for marketing books) is at:

As for topics, I get asked about pretty much everything and anything that has to the publishing and marketing of books.

For example, just yesterday I got a phone call (asking me what she could do) from an author who used a POD (publish on demand) company who was apparently in continuous violation with respect to their contract.

The day before that I got a phone call asking about copyright law.

It's a rare week that goes by when someone doesn't email me or phone me with a question about some aspect of getting published or getting their books noticed in the highly competitive book business.

Smallwood: What resources do you have for the General Reading Public? Those interested in Children’s Books?

For the general reading public we archive all nine of our monthly book review publications on our website. Additionally, each of them can be directly subscribed to for free just by sending me an email asking to be signed up for one or more of them.

With specific reference to children's books, one of our nine monthly book review publications is the "Children's Bookwatch" for kids books, preschool through young adult, fiction and non-fiction. Here's a direct link to where they are archived on our web site:

Smallwood: Midwest Book Review has no advertising, banners. How does it manage? When I have submitted reviews, I’m informed when they are posted which is a great courtesy. Thank you for all you have done for writers! Do you have something new in the works for your amazing website?

Jim Cox: We are primarily funded by two annual foundation grants for the purpose of promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. That's why we accept no advertising or charge for the reviews of published (hardcover or paperback) books.

It's common place for us to receive more good books than we have the reviewer resources to handle them all. So for any book that passes our initial screening but ultimately fails to achieve a review assignment simply because of 'too many books, not enough reviewers' we have a kind of safety net option so that the book can at least be drawn to the attention of librarians, booksellers, and the general reading public subscribers. If that author or publisher has a review from anyone else, and if they obtain that reviewer's permission for us to do, so we will run that review in their behalf and under the reviewer's byline in our monthly book review publication "Reviewer's Bookwatch". There is no charge for this service.

We do have a $50 Reader Fee option for authors or publishers who want a review of a digital (Kindle) book, or a not yet published manuscript, galley, uncorrected proof, pdf file, or ARC (advanced reading copy). But under this option it should be noted that the reader fee goes directly to the authorized and assigned reviewer - not to the Midwest Book Review. What I get out of it for being the 'middle man' in getting the author and reviewer together is that if the author approves of the review then I get to run it in our own monthly book review publications.

As the editor-in-chief of a book review operation the very beginning of this little enterprise, I hit upon two strategies that have proven immensely successful over the decades.

The first was to give priority consideration to self-published and small press published authors because they were a part of the publishing industry that was deliberately neglected by the major book review publications back then – and to a large extent, even now.

The second was to always provide that author or publisher with a copy of the review and a cover letter informing them of all the places we had published or posted our review of their book - back then (and often still now) a practice not routinely done by the Publishers Weekly, library journals, or New York Times Review of Books of today.

So to leave your readers one last thought about the role and mission of the "Midwest Book Review" and its editor-in-chief: Our purpose and goal is to help writers to write better, publishers to publish more profitably, librarians to make more informed considerations for what they should add to their collections, and to bring to the attention of the general reading public worthwhile books that they might otherwise never know about.
Poet Carol Smallwood Interviews Indie Friendly Review Pioneer

 MORE ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER

Carol Smallwood, based in Michigan, is a prolific poet who also does freelance interviews . This one was originally published by The Bookends Review, an independent arts journal,  in November, 2019. Smallwood's recent book is Patterns: Moments in Time (WordTech Communications, 2019).

MORE ABOUT THE MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

In addition to running a juggernaut online book review site with resource pages galore, Jim cox also puts out a newsletter that primarily features his own reviews of books related to writing careers, everything from editing to publishing to marketing. He says, "All of the previous issues of the "Jim Cox Report" are archived on the Midwest Book Review website at www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/jimcox.htm. If you'd like to receive the "Jim Cox Report" directly (and for free), just send me an email asking to be signed up for it." You can reach him with your review queries (or requests for his newsletter) at mwbookrevw@aol.com. Other contact information is Jim Cox, Midwest Book Review, 278 Orchard Dr., Oregon, WI, 53575.  Several of his reviews have been featured on this blog, usually submitted by grateful independent authors (see the badge at the left or use the search function on the home page of this blog). 

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

Special thank yous to Carolyn Wilhelm for the badges she makes for participants in this review blog. Tweet with her @wiseowlfactory and find many of her free teacher's aids to promote literacy at Pinterest. 

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Review Shares Book on Pitching

Title: Story Selling
Heather Hale
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
ISBN: 9781615932818
$26.95, PB, 220pp
Available on www.amazon.com

Reviewed by Jim Cox originally for his Midwest Book Review Newsletter

Synopsis: Pitching is an art form that brings together content and communication channels. Regardless of what you're pitching, the universally applicable principles of Where, When and to Whom always apply. But it's how you pitch that matters most -- and there are countless strategies that combine elements in different combinations.

"Story Selling: How to Develop, Market, and Pitch Your Film & TV Projects", Heather Hale details all of them, their construction and applications, in a fun and interactive way that inspires her readers to create memorable and saleable pitches in order to get their own projects made.

Critique: Expertly organized and presented, "Story Selling: How to Develop, Market, and Pitch Your Film; TV Projects" offers a wealth of practical and effective tips, tricks and techniques that aspiring writers can immediately begin using when pitching their projects for television and movie productions. While unreservedly recommended for professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Story Selling" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.47).

Editorial Note: Heather Hale is a film and television producer, director, screenwriter, teacher and consultant. She directed, produced and co-wrote the million-dollar thriller Absolute Killers (2011) which was marketed at Le Marche du Film and the American Film Market. She wrote the $5.5 million-dollar Lifetime Original Movie The Courage to Love and has over 60 hours of produced reality credits which have won Emmys, Ace, and Telly awards. Her How to Work the Film & TV Markets: A Guide for Content Creators was published by Focal Press/Routledge. She was the Independent Film and Television Alliance's Industry Liaison for the 2013 American Film Market (AFM) and had a four-year development deal with NBC Universal (through IFTA).

Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Review Shares Book on Pitching

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER, THIS BLOG, AND ITS BENEFITS FOR WRITERS

 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 everything 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 or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too.