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 Nonfiction: Writers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nonfiction: Writers. Show all posts

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Sci-Fi Author Joy V. Smith Shares Writing Tips from The Frugal Editor

Title: The New Book Review
Subtitle: HowtoDoItFrugally Series of books for Writers
Edition: 3rd Edition
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johhson
Publisher: Modern History Press
Buy on Amazon
Multi award-winner including Reader Views, The Irwin Award
Pages 279

Reviewed by Joy V. Smith 

 From beginning to end, I learned what I needed to know--and there was so much I didn't realize I needed to know--to help me with my writing. She covers editing helps and resources, grammar, punctuation, computer aids, agents' pet peeves and warnings about CAPs, quotation marks, and exclamation points (one of my pet peeves), And a lot more! (heh, heh)

Of course I can't remember everything so I've used a lot of little flags. In checking some out for this review, I came across the cut and paste warning. Btw, that ruined a recent ms I sent out (the paste ended up after the end of my story). And I see there's a copyright shortcut. Don't miss the dialogue warning (cut back on those italics). Ah, there's helpful advice about hyphens and prefixes, etc. And helpful background on Smashwords and Kindle, plus info re: formatting. (I had to hire formatters for them.) I also needed to focus on front and back matter recently. (A little late....)

I wish I could memorize all that essential info, but that's what my little flags are for. (I'm glad we can end a sentence with a preposition.) I'll be rereading it.... Highly recommended because it'll save you from writing and publishing mistakes. (Nah, I'll skip the exclamation point this time.)

Note: I received a review copy from the publisher in return for an unbiased and honest review. 

 

More About the Reviewer

Joy V. Smith has been writing stories since she was a kid and made her own little books. Later she wrote articles--including interviews with editors, artists, and writers--and short stories. The closest she came to writing long stories was writing sequels to her stories. Then she learned about NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. She started writing novels then and finished several over the years; there was a lot of editing to be done; Joy owes a lot to her patient editors. Her books include: Strike ThreeSugar Time, Taboo TechVelvet of SwordsWell Met by Water, Detour TrailCold New PlanetPretty Pink PlanetHot Yellow Planet, Hidebound, and The Doorway and Other Stories. 
 
She also collects books by her favorite authors and pop-up books, and, of course, reference books and books on writing.

Friday, June 30, 2017

Review from Andrea's Bookshelf at Midwest Book Review

How do you thank a reviewer when you can't trace her down? It's in my How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Using The New Book Review is a good idea, but it doesn't quite cut it as a real thank you!  (-:  Anyway, here it is from the "shelf" of the almost anonymous Midwest Book Reviewer, Andrea, with permission to reprint as Midwest always does for its reviewers and reviewed authors!

Title: 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
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Third in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for writers
From the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Press
www.howtodoitfrugally.com
9781536948370 $17.95 pbk
$9.95 Kindle amazon.com


The third book in the "How to Do It Frugally" series by award-winning author Carolyn Howard-Johnson, How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically lives up to its title, as an instructional guidebook for maximizing publicity from sources of free reviews in order to build a sustainable writing career. Chapters discuss how to avoid scams (especially pay-for-review scams), how to create a query letter for reviews that stands out from the pack, what to do with good reviews once they're obtained, how to respond to negative reviews or manage Amazon reviews, and much more. "Authors should not ask professional reviewers or journalists, 'Are you interested in an interview, too.' Just like literary agents prefer you to pitch one book at a time in your query letter, reviewers, too, will be more easily convinced if you focus on the review." How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically is an absolute "must-have" for any aspiring or practicing author! Also highly recommended are the previous books in the series, "The Frugal Editor" (9781505712117, $17.95 pbk / $3.99) and "The Frugal Book Promoter, second edition" (9781463743291, $17.95 pbk / $5.99 Kindle).




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.

Friday, May 5, 2017

Ghostwriter "Highly Recommends" How-To Book on Getting Reviews

Title: How to Get Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically
Subtitle: Reviews as part of a viable and ongoing campaign for self-published and traditionally published books
Series: The Multi Award-Winning Series of books for writers
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Genre: Nonfiction: How-to/Writing/Marketing 
ISBN: 13: 978-1536948370
Available as Paperback and E-Book at http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews

Reviewed by Karen Cioffi, originally for her WritersontheMove blog and Goodreads

How to Get Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically is another powerhouse tool from Carolyn Howard-Johnson for authors to be used as part of their book marketing strategy. 

From Section I on through the Appendices and with her tons of experience, Carolyn has created an invaluable book to help authors not only get reviews but also make the most of them. As a bonus, it includes lots of information on how to write reviews for other authors (she tells you the marketing benefits in doing this).

In addition to getting and writing reviews, there’s information on how to ethically use an excerpt of a review, dealing with criticism, how to boost your Amazon ranking (hint: reviews are a part of it), what to do when your book sales get musty, and so much more.

Here’s one eye-opening tidbit in Chapter Two on why reviews are so important:
“Reviews grow footprints on Google, Bing, and Goodsearch. You can use free services like Addme.com to get your Web site listed on these and other search engines.”

What I especially liked about this Frugal book is Carolyn has included her own helpful quotes at the beginning of each section and chapter. The one in Section 1 is my favorite:
“Experience is a very good teacher, but contrary to belief, perhaps not the best. Learning what we need before we fail has obvious benefits.” 

Another tidbit from the book in Section III that I love is:
“I wish all authors knew--deep down in their bones--that marketing tools are the magic that makes bestsellers.”

As an author, ghostwriter, and online marketing instructor, I have and truly appreciate all of Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s ‘Frugal’ books. I found How to Get Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically jammed-packed with usable information that I’ll taking advantage of. I highly recommend it.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, ghostwriter, and online marketing instructor. For tips on writing for children or help with your story, visit http://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com Check out the DIY Page also.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carolyn Howard-Johnson brings her experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, and retailer to the advice she gives in her HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers and the many classes she taught for nearly a decade as instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program. The books in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers have won multiple awards. That series includes both the first and second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor won awards from USA Book News, Readers’ Views Literary Award, the marketing award from Next Generation Indie Books and others including the coveted Irwin award. How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically is the newest book in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers.

Howard-Johnson is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of “Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts.  Her Web site is http://HowToDoItFrugally.com and she tweets @FrugalBookPromo. 

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.

Friday, March 24, 2017

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
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.
----- 

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.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Review and Mini Essay from Midwest Book Review


I am doing something a little different for this review. I am reprinting with permission a review of the newest in my multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers, How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. I was notified via Midwest Book Review's newsletter and what a surprise that was! But it also a fantastic example of what those personal contacts (like Letters-to-the-Editor and thank yous) I recommend to clients and readers of my books can do! I hope it will encourage you to do more of this kind of thing for and with your fellow authors and your readers! 
"Dear Publisher Folk, Friends & Family:

'We all know that book reviews can impact and influence librarians and the general reading public. What is perhaps underestimated is the impact and influence book reviews can have on the author. Last month I was vividly reminded of this fact while reading my review copy of "How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally And Ethically" by Carolyn Howard-Johnson.

'Here's what I came across in the introduction on page VIII:

"We have all had disasters if we've been around very long. My book of poetry, "Imperfect Echoes" (bit.ly/ImperfectEchoes) was released just after my husband broke his back trouncing around on our roof to save $140 on solar repairs. I became a full time caretaker and part time writer and had not time to market my book. I did occasionally send out a query far a review and one was so special that it made up for the sad reality that few will read the book because few will have heard about it. So, thank you to Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book review for that memorable gift."

"I had no idea at the time who Carolyn was or anything about her circumstances. It was just another self-published book of considerable merit by an unknown author and I was trying to establish the Midwest Book Review as a champion of just such folk.

"Since then Carolyn has gone on to a career of writing 'how to' books for authors and publishers and we became 'cyber-space pen pals'. When I thanked her for her very kind words in her introduction, she noted that we first met in person at a BEA convention in Chicago back in 2001. But as I was meeting hundreds (no exaggeration) of folks at that event I didn't remember her specifically.

"But I did recall meeting Carolyn at John Poynter's ebook publishers convention in Santa Barbara, California in 2012 when I was awarded that Life Time Achievement in Publishing award.

"I think she was also in the audience for my 'workshop' at that event -- I recall that one was 'standing room only' it was so crowded in that huge room. A few folks couldn't physically get in because there was no more room -- there was even a line of people standing along the back and side walls of the room. 

"Incidentally, that John Poynter convention was also the first time I met in person my managing editor Diane Donovan who for many years prior to our meeting in the flesh had (and continues to be) the editor for three of my nine monthly book review publication: The Bookwatch; California Bookwatch; Children's Bookwatch. Up until then she was a just a voice on the phone and an email correspondent only.

"I'm now in my 41st year as the editor-in-chief of the Midwest Book Review. That means at the age of 74 I have now spent more than half my life in this position!

"Every now and then I get an email or a letter expressing heartfelt appreciation for myself and the Midwest Book Review from authors and publishers for what we try to accomplish in their behalf. It's those messages of support and thanks that give me a reason to keep doing this job for as long as my health, my wife, and my daughter will allow.

"Here is the review of Carolyn's most recent publication and the one that started me down memory lane:"

How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically
Series:3rd in the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers, 
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
HowToDoItFrugally Publishing
Genre: Nonfiction: Writing/Book Marketing
www.howtodoitfrugally.com
http://facebook.com/carolynhowardjohnson
9781536948370, $17.95, PB, 340pp, www.amazon.com

In the pages of "How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically", Carolyn Howard-Johnson draws upon her many years of professional experience and expertise spent helping writers to avoid pitfalls, misconceptions, and out-and-out scams perpetrated on unsuspecting authors -- and helping them reach their dreams of obtaining great reviews, going on great book tours, and experiencing great launches.

Simply stated "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" comprises the complete, comprehensive, and core manual for obtaining reviews and utilizing them in a practical, effective, and successful marketing campaign that includes all those things and for building the readership necessary for a financially prosperous and emotionally satisfying writing career.

Covering every aspect of the book review process from solicitation to exploitation, "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, content, commentary, organization and presentation.

Basically, "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" is classified as a "must" for the instructional reference shelf of any and all authors and publishers be they novice beginners or seasoned professionals. While an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.95).

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.

Monday, January 30, 2017

Reviewer for Night Owl Reviews Gives How-To Book for Writers Five Stars


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.