Book Reviews Rock - Plus Hint #Eleven for Getting Them

BOOK REVIEWS ROCK, PLUS HINT # ELEVEN

Hint Number Eleven for Getting them

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Hint # Eleven

(When asking for reviews)"Don't overlook staff members at bookstores where you have given presentations. A large percentage are avid readers, and many are fellow writers. Some do reviews for the store's newsletter. Your personal thank you to them should be a signed copy of your book."

Page 105: How to Get Great Book Reviews

________________________________________

One thing I know for sure . . .  Authors are a wonderful group of people, and by and large so willing to help one another. 

It's just that life has a way of keeping us all so busy. 

________________________________

 BRIGHT IDEA

SO HERE'S MY BRIGHT IDEA FOR SOLVING THIS PROBLEM:

 1. CHOOSE ONE BOOK  FROM THE LIST BELOW THAT INTERESTS YOU.

 2. ASK THAT AUTHOR TO SUGGEST JUST 50 PAGES TO GIVE YOU ITS FLAVOR.

 3. READ THOSE FEW PAGES.

 4. THEN WRITE YOUR AMAZON REVIEW, POSTING IT WITHIN 30 DAYS.

*** USE YOUR REVIEW TO HELP PROMOTE YOURSELF AS WELL. ***

HOW? 

JUST END IT WITH THE WORDS: AUTHOR OF (YOUR BOOK TITLE)  

________________________________________

TITLE: SOLAR DIVIDENDS: How Solar Energy Can Generate a Basic Income for Everyone on Earth

NUMBER OF PAGES: 144

DESCRIPTION: puts forth a bold original plan for solving global poverty and global warming with a single program. In brief: we set up every person on the planet with a big section of solar panels, sell the electricity the panels generate, and deliver the money as solar dividends to the person as their basic income, for the rest of their life. The book provides compelling reasons and a detailed blueprint for this inspiring program.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Robert Stayton

E-MAIL: stayton.robert@gmail.com

FORMAT: paperback, PDF, Kindle, or Epub

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Adult

AMAZON URL: https://tinyurl.com/wlaeydr

                                          ________________________________________

TITLE: NOVEMBER TO JULY

NUMBER OF PAGES: 282

DESCRIPTION: Eleanor Simons has been serving as a nurse in the Great War. When the fighting stops, she faces bleak prospects. Her fiancé, a fighter pilot, is dead. In Paris, where she now lives, a conference of delegates from around the globe is meeting to remake the maps of Europe, Asia and Africa. Their effort to create a peaceful world is doomed; but through it, Eleanor faces the challenge of shaping a better future for herself.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Marilyn Oser

E-MAIL: marilynoser@gmail.com

FORMAT: PDF, E-BOOK, TRADE PAPERBACK 

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: adult 

AMAZON URL: https://tinyurl.com/tk5n62y

                                         ________________________________________

TITLE: ONCE UPON AND EVER AFTER

NUMBER OF PAGES: 15 ebook, 32 paperback

DESCRIPTION:  After years of training the prince is finally ready for his quest to rescue a princess.  But can h e find a princess who needs to be rescued and what happens if he can't?

AUTHOR'S NAME: Caroline L Thornton

E-MAIL: carolinelthornton@outlook.com

FORMAT:  Mobi

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Up to 8

AMAZON URL:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZG2WNXL

                                         ________________________________________

TITLE: NUMBER EIGHT CRISPY CHICKEN

NUMBER OF PAGES: 232

DESCRIPTION: Immigration minister, Peter Ruddick, is enroute to remote Pulcherrima, the site of his latest privately-run, fast-food chain-inspired detention centre. But chaos ensues when Peter misses his connecting flight and finds himself confined to Turgrael airport, without a lounge in sight. Stranded with nothing but crispy chicken burgers to eat and nobody but a bleeding-heart liberal for company, Peter’s misunderstandings of Turgistani language and culture 

AUTHOR'S NAME: Sarah Neofield

E-MAIL: sarahneofield@gmail.com

FORMAT: (PDF, E-BOOK)

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Mainstream adult fiction

AMAZON URL: https://tinyurl.com/NumberEightCrispyChicken

                                         ________________________________________

TITLE: TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE OPAL COLLECTION

NUMBER OF PAGES: 125

DESCRIPTION:  A collection of 16 non-fiction short stories by contest winning authors participating in the 2019 Tales2Inspire® contest. The theme for this Opal Collection, Stronger Today Because, is portrayed in both words and original photographs reflecting the true experiences of these authors. 

AUTHOR'S NAME: Lois W. Stern

E-MAIL: tales2Inspire@optimum.net

FORMAT: 5 Paperbacks, PDF, Epub

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Young adult and adult

AMAZON URL: http://tiny.cc/po1ahz

                                         ________________________________________

TITLE: I AM ME: Teen Artists and Writers Speak Out On Being Yourself 

NUMBER OF PAGES: 104 (a quick read)

DESCRIPTION: This book pairs award winning poetry and art to empower young teens to shake off the negative power of the media and peers to realize it is okay to be themselves.  This anthology is a fresh voice that lets teens know that you don’t have to achieve “perfection" to be “perfect.” Created from over 100,000 submissions of art and poetry.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Tom Worthen, Ph.D.

E-MAIL: tiffani@poeticpower.com

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL:   Teens – 12-18

AMAZON URL:  TinyURL.com/rhjdyt4

                                         ________________________________________

TITLE: WOULD YOU RATHER BE IN THE COFFIN THAN GIVE THE EULOGY? - how to take the terror out of public speaking: A PRACTICAL guide for all types of speeches

DESCRIPTION: Your career prospects may depend on your ability to speak in public. Authors, sports stars, actors and business people may also be asked to ‘give a talk’ about their success, which can be an intimidating prospect. This step-by-step guide gives you practical advice for giving many types of speeches, with examples that show you what to do, what not to do - and what can go hilariously wrong! (Some things are only learned by experience).

AUTHOR: jannev@mweb.co.za

FORMAT: (PDF, E-BOOK)

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL:  High school age and upwards

AMAZON URL: https://amzn.to/2KpE4w8

                                         ________________________________________

ABOUT YOUR TRUSTED BLOGGER, LOIS W. STERN

http://www.tales2inspire.com

        Tales2inspire was a kernel of an idea I started in 2012. It has grown to proportions even I didn’t dare to envision. My innate curiosity about potentially fascinating human interest stories was the spark that ignited this idea, but it was the confused state of traditional publishing that propelled me forward. Tales2inspire delivers exactly what it promises as both an authors-helping-authors project and a contest. Winners get their stories published in print, e-book, and some even in video formats, with their names, headshot photos, and mini-autobiographies. Then I spread the word about the winners and their stories on my blog, my monthly newsletter, and on several select social networks. Free to enter, this competition is open to talented newbies and seasoned authors alike. 

Learn more about me and the Tales2Inspire project at: www.tales2Inspire.com

and get a FREE sampler filled with six published T2I stories at: www.tales2inspire.com/gift

Lois is also a regular contributor to this blog.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2

_______________________________

                       

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

Magic Bullets to Getting Book Reviews (Plus Review Hint #Ten For Getting Them)

ANOTHER AUTHORS HELPING AUTHORS MARKETING TIP
Plus HINT #TEN

by TheNewBookReview Acquisition Coordinator, Lois W. Stern

"Reviews are directly linked to book sales on Amazon because that’s what drives their algorithms. The more reviews you have, the more people will see your book. The more people that see your book, the greater the chances are that someone will buy it, and therefore review it. You see where this is going, right? Due to Amazon’s algorithms, if you have less than 10 good reviews, your book will likely never be seen."

Jeniffer Thompson, Personal Branding Expert & Digital Marketing Strategist, San Diego, Ca.

Two things I know for sure: How important it is to get Amazon posted reviews and how hard it is to get them! So here are a couple of ideas I have tried to make it easier for potential reviewers:
http://www.tales2inspire.com


1.  On a time crunch? Aren’t we all! Suggest that potential reviewers read a specific portion of your book to get its flavor. (Maybe 35-50 pages). Honest, you don’t have to read the entire book to get a good feel for it. 

2. Try offering some discussion questions to help target several key points in your book. I have made it super easy for my readers by posting BOOK REVIEW DISCUSSION QUESTIONS at the end of each Tales2Inspire book. (Click here to view the Book Club Discussion Questions I added to the end of my Opal Collection book.)

3. And be sure to offer folks a FREE book in exchange for an honest review. (Ask that they post it within 30 days or they are likely to forget.)

Want a Review for Your Book? We've Got Your Back and Hope You Have Ours Too - Plus Hint #8

Lois W. Stern, an author advocate and former educator, is a frequent contributor to this blog and now offers readers of #TheNewBookReview a path to getting free and ethical reviews for their books. No kidding!  She explains how to do it at the end of this blog, and you'll learn more about her other projects that help writers in her biography below that. Please feel free to let those in the publishing industry know about this service. ~CHJ

Want a Review for Your Book? We've Got Your Back.

Plus Hint Number 8

By Your Get Reviews Advocate, Lois W. Stern

__________________________________________________

This is an "Authors Helping Authors" Project. 

We post your reviews but ask that you:

a) Submit your request in the exact format requested. CLICK HERE.

b) Return the favor by reviewing one of our listed books of interest to you -

 CLICK HERE to select a book from your preferred genre choice and contact that author.

__________________________________________________

CAROLYN'S HINT NUMBER 8 

"Online book tours are relatively easy and inexpensive compared to old fashioned book tours . . . and can reach hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of readers with comparatively www.tales2inspire.com  little work." - How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically - Page 103 - Carolyn Howard-Johnson.

                             __________________________________________________

Lois is a multi award winning author whose work has been featured in the New York Times, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in many varied venues. She has now published ten Tales2Inspire books of her contest winners' stories. Fans of Chicken Soup for the Soul are particularly enamored of Tales2Inspire books, because aside from their inspirational themes, they are filled with original photos to enhance the power of each story. Lois invites interested readers to get a FREE Tales2Inspire sampler book at: www.tales2inspire.com/gifts and to learn more about entering the next Tales2Inspire contest at: www.tales2inspire.com/contest

Learn more about Lois at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2

__________________________________________________

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

Unique Opportunity for Getting Reviews!

This blog is usually reserved for reviews. It was inspired by the difficulty so many authors have getting reviews and getting those reviews exposed to readers after they have one they love. So . . . I decided to let the many authors and other industry professionals know about this unique opportunity. It is an opportunity I recommend to my clients because it has worked for me. Note: There is space for only five more books! Open to non members Deadline September 20 for next issue Room for only 5 more books View this email in your browser

Get your book in front of 1,800+ book reviewers and book bloggers The mystery of getting a book in front of legitimate reviewers baffles most indie authors and small publishers. Where do I find these people? What do I present to them? Do I send a print book or ebook? Feature your book in the new service from SPAWN,  open to members and nonmembers. Sign up now and be part of New Releases from... Deadline for next issue is September 20, 2017 Book must have been released this year. Looking for Winter 2017 releases for advance reviews. View the June Issue Praise for New Releases from...SPAWN "As much as I am a do-it-yourself kind of marketer, one author can only do so much! SPAWN's outreach to reviewers got results--one of the best pay-for-help services I ever used!" ~ Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically  "WOW! We already received three book order from reviewers in less than 24 hours. Thanks, so much." - Bob Osland, Surepoint Publishing DO YOU HAVE A BOOK PLANNED FOR WINTER RELEASE? Editors had a positive response to New Releases from...SPAWN. One thing several wanted were unreleased books, those coming out in the Winter.

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.

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

How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically

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

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

Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson

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

Cover: Chaz DeSimone

Genre: Nonfiction/Writers/Marketing

ISBN 9788-1-5369-4837-0

Purchase paperback of e-book on Amazon

Reviewed by Barbara McNichol originally for Amazon

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

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

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

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

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MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

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

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

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

Jan Peregrine Reviews How to Get Great Reviews Frugally and Ethically

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

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Nonfiction: Writers/HowTo/Marketing

ISBN: 978-1536948370

Available on Amazon as E-book and Paperback 

Reviewed by Jan Peregrine originally for Facebook

The title and subtitle of this book live up beautifully to their claims! Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi-award-winning How to Do It Frugally Series of books for writers, emphatically reminds me of yesteryear book titles with that nonfrugal use of words in her title/subtitle! The generous text carries on this theme with six sections, appendix, and close to 300 pages. This ARC e-book, free until it's print-published, is my introduction to the author and it won't be the last book of hers that I read. We're FB friends now and she published my White Trash book review on her blog. Not only a cool lady, but a very helpful one!

Howard-Johnson's latest e-book is the kind of self-help book that serious writers need. I sure do. While I have the book-writing part down, nary a writer's block to dog me, I unfortunately am messing up big time on the promotional part. Maybe I should blame the former dysfunctional review site I wrote for. Not making much money for my writing has become second nature to me...or something like that.

First she shows us the ropes to build the backdrop of our artistic performances to the reading/listening public That means getting to know who's out there who may help us to promote our books. There are lists we can make of people, reviewers, and publishers who are potential interested parties, especially if we hook them with a blurb about our book. I'd never thought of that. Also she encourages writers to review books where other similar authors will likely read them. That's a great suggestion and Howard-Johnson knows of review opportunities I've never heard of.

She really has a lot of useful tips and links, but I have one for her. Recently I read a young adult novel by Sonya Sones and since she included her email address on the back flap, I emailed her about my concerns regarding her story. I was thrilled to hear back from her right away! She had the erroneous impression that I hated it and would give it a bad review. While I did email back and clarified my impressions, I'll be more careful the next time I email an author. Brief reviews via email don't seem like a good idea.

So now I feel more confident that I'll be better able to promote my own books with effort put into it, even if they're self-published, because Howard-Johnson knows of reviewers who welcome self-published books and are not book bigots, heh.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Jan Peregrine writes reviews for Amazon, Goodreads and her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/jansbooks/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel. She plans to be a fequent contributor to The New Book 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. 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.

Beth Cox Reminds Authors to Apply for Reviews NOW

I borrowed this guest post from my #SharingwithWriters newsletter and from Beth Cox's Midwest Book Review newsletter. (You can tell I believe in recycling--especially when it something my subscribers and visitors need to know!). Thank you, Beth, for your perpetual permission to shout out your services for authors! And for offering your reviews for paperback books free! 

Now’s the Time to Get Reviews

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpted from Midwest Book Review’s Newsletter
Edited by Beth Cox, Managing Editor

“Almost always, when The Midwest Review passes over a book for review consideration, it's simply because of "too many books, not enough reviewers, and not enough hours in a day". Over the years, we have noticed that review copy submissions tend to follow a seasonal cycle: they peak before Christmas, then sharply drop off.

“This means that, if you'd like to get your book reviewed in 2017, right now is the best time to submit it to The Midwest Book Review, while you're up against much less competition! Our full submission guidelines can be found on our website at

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/get_rev.htm 

“I've recently updated our guidelines to read ‘there is an approximate 4 to 6-week window of opportunity for a book to be assigned out for review’ - the turnaround time window used to be much longer, but we've since become more efficient at managing our workload.”

----

Note from Carolyn: For my #SharingwithWriters newsletter subscribers, this seasonal tip means that it is also time to update, refresh, or learn anew all the intricacies of a smashing review-getting campaign with the newest in my HowToDoItFrugally Series of book for writers, How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career now in release as an e-book or paper. http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews. And, yes, I guarantee there is at least one great new way to use reviews in it that even veteran writers don’t know or don’t use.

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.