I am trying to find more authors to utilize this great Authors' Coalition service! This is the place where you can recycle your favorite review. Whether you're a reader, an author or a reviewer! Won't you help me pass the word by clicking on the Technorati button to make it this blog one of your favorites. It's on the left! (-:
Technorati Profile
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
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.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
A Book to Transform Your LIfe
Mindfulness and The Art of Choice: Transform Your Life
By Dr. Karen Sherman
www.ChoiceRelationships.com
Self-help
ISBN: 978-1-932690-51-4
Reviewed by Tina Avon for Front Street Reviews
4/5 stars
I am a believer that the best healers are those who have have been through their own nightmares and have come out stronger.
This certainly describes Karen Sherman, who by her own admission, grew up in a highly dysfunctional home only to become a very discontented and restless adult. However, one day, she made the conscious choice of changing her life and became a much happier and well-rounded person and she has written this book in the hopes that she can pass along some of the experiences she has lived over the years both as a therapist, but more imporantly as a person who has 'been there'.
Sherman's basic theory is that we are all a product of our own environment and that most of who we are today was created in our childhood. In fact, she argues that this is where most of our emotions, thoughts and coping patterns are established and that we will continue to return to these sources again and again when we need to unless we can reprogram these negative patterns. As a matter of fact we will become so good at it that it will become second nature to us (she calls it auto-pilot). However, what once served us as children, may no longer be helpful to us as adults and may, in fact, be the major cause of much of our discontent.
One of the important aspects of this particular book and what sets it apart from many others is the term that Sherman uses - Art of Choice. The author believes that we all have a choice in how we live our lives and that we can choose to change something if we wish to. Of course, its not quite as simple as that and Sherman explains, in practical and helpful chapters, the step by step process that we must be willing to go through to get to a much healthier and happier place.
I liked this book. It was quite short, but extremely well written and informative. Sherman does not speak down to us and neither does she use lots of scientific and technical terms to explain the processes. At the end of each chapter, we find specific exercises that we are encouraged to complete.
This type of book needs to be read over and over again as I believe I will pick up some new information everytime I read it.
I was extremely encouraged by this book - I like the concept that we can change our patterns, that we can re-program our way of thinking, feeling and reacting in order to find a what we are looking for.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
By Dr. Karen Sherman
www.ChoiceRelationships.com
Self-help
ISBN: 978-1-932690-51-4
Reviewed by Tina Avon for Front Street Reviews
4/5 stars
I am a believer that the best healers are those who have have been through their own nightmares and have come out stronger.
This certainly describes Karen Sherman, who by her own admission, grew up in a highly dysfunctional home only to become a very discontented and restless adult. However, one day, she made the conscious choice of changing her life and became a much happier and well-rounded person and she has written this book in the hopes that she can pass along some of the experiences she has lived over the years both as a therapist, but more imporantly as a person who has 'been there'.
Sherman's basic theory is that we are all a product of our own environment and that most of who we are today was created in our childhood. In fact, she argues that this is where most of our emotions, thoughts and coping patterns are established and that we will continue to return to these sources again and again when we need to unless we can reprogram these negative patterns. As a matter of fact we will become so good at it that it will become second nature to us (she calls it auto-pilot). However, what once served us as children, may no longer be helpful to us as adults and may, in fact, be the major cause of much of our discontent.
One of the important aspects of this particular book and what sets it apart from many others is the term that Sherman uses - Art of Choice. The author believes that we all have a choice in how we live our lives and that we can choose to change something if we wish to. Of course, its not quite as simple as that and Sherman explains, in practical and helpful chapters, the step by step process that we must be willing to go through to get to a much healthier and happier place.
I liked this book. It was quite short, but extremely well written and informative. Sherman does not speak down to us and neither does she use lots of scientific and technical terms to explain the processes. At the end of each chapter, we find specific exercises that we are encouraged to complete.
This type of book needs to be read over and over again as I believe I will pick up some new information everytime I read it.
I was extremely encouraged by this book - I like the concept that we can change our patterns, that we can re-program our way of thinking, feeling and reacting in order to find a what we are looking for.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Jill Lublin Shares Expertise for Businesses: Books are Business, Too
Get Noticed . . . Get Referrals
By Jill Lublin with Mark Steisel
Subtitle: Build Your Client Base and Your Business by Making a Name for Yourself
McGraw Hill, 2008
ISBN 9780071508278
Nonfiction/Business/Promotion
Contact Reviewer: HoJoNews@aol.com
Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of three books of fiction and poetry and The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success
Advice.
Even good advice is often not believable. And writers are especially immune. Many of us tend not to believe in ourselves, anyway. As writers, we get more advice than we need— well intended perhaps— but mostly uninspired. When to write, how to write, how to query editors, how to punctuate.
The beauty of Jill Lublin's Get Noticed . . . Get Referrals is that what she tells us about promotion and the business world (and, yes, it translates directly to the book biz) comes from her expertise. It also comes from her heart.
That kind of personal involvement is a motivator for anyone and is intended to be. There is way too much talk out there about "self-promotion," a term that reeks of misguided give me this and gimme that tactics. This book is about true public relations.
The word "relations" is the tipoff. Good promotion and the profession of PR is all about relationships and though most of us think we know how to form those, there is lots we may not know. Especially in the business world—whatever business we may be in. Good business relationships don't just happen, they need to be worked like a good marriage. (Come to think of it, some of Jill's approaches to getting noticed and getting referrals might help some marriages out there!)
Then there's the word "public." For those of us who write books, it is an essential word, the word that lets people know enough about us and our books so that we can share what we write with others. That's the whole idea, isn't it?
My favorite chapter is Number Ten (p. 128), "Build on Your Passions." Most writers are passionate about the business of writing—of telling a story or sharing expertise. Much of what is in this chapter is not new but it is reaffirming. Further, it may help writers understand that to be successful their passion must extend beyond the writing of something to the getting of that something into the public consciousness. One of the hints I liked was for people who are having trouble doing it. Lublin says, "Fake it . . . at least initially." Psychologists ascribe to the same theory. You simply "act as if" and you find your life (and your career and maybe even your book sales!) improving.
I am a person who thinks tips and anecdotes are among the best ways to reach people. They give people what they need or want in little easily-read and easily-related to pieces. Jill knows that, too. Her book is scatted with small shaded areas that clip the best and the most pithy stuff from her book and make it easy for you to internalize them in a few seconds.
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The reviewer is an instructor for UCLA Extension's Writers’ Program. She is the author of two award-winning books, THIS IS THE PLACE and HARKENING. TRACINGS, an award-winning chapbook of poetry, is available at www.finishinglinepress.com. Her how-to book for writers, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON’T, is the winner of USA Book News' Best Professional Book of 2004 and the Irwin Award and her new book THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS is also a USA Book News Best Book and a winner of Reader Views Literary Award.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
By Jill Lublin with Mark Steisel
Subtitle: Build Your Client Base and Your Business by Making a Name for Yourself
McGraw Hill, 2008
ISBN 9780071508278
Nonfiction/Business/Promotion
Contact Reviewer: HoJoNews@aol.com
Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of three books of fiction and poetry and The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success
Advice.
Even good advice is often not believable. And writers are especially immune. Many of us tend not to believe in ourselves, anyway. As writers, we get more advice than we need— well intended perhaps— but mostly uninspired. When to write, how to write, how to query editors, how to punctuate.
The beauty of Jill Lublin's Get Noticed . . . Get Referrals is that what she tells us about promotion and the business world (and, yes, it translates directly to the book biz) comes from her expertise. It also comes from her heart.
That kind of personal involvement is a motivator for anyone and is intended to be. There is way too much talk out there about "self-promotion," a term that reeks of misguided give me this and gimme that tactics. This book is about true public relations.
The word "relations" is the tipoff. Good promotion and the profession of PR is all about relationships and though most of us think we know how to form those, there is lots we may not know. Especially in the business world—whatever business we may be in. Good business relationships don't just happen, they need to be worked like a good marriage. (Come to think of it, some of Jill's approaches to getting noticed and getting referrals might help some marriages out there!)
Then there's the word "public." For those of us who write books, it is an essential word, the word that lets people know enough about us and our books so that we can share what we write with others. That's the whole idea, isn't it?
My favorite chapter is Number Ten (p. 128), "Build on Your Passions." Most writers are passionate about the business of writing—of telling a story or sharing expertise. Much of what is in this chapter is not new but it is reaffirming. Further, it may help writers understand that to be successful their passion must extend beyond the writing of something to the getting of that something into the public consciousness. One of the hints I liked was for people who are having trouble doing it. Lublin says, "Fake it . . . at least initially." Psychologists ascribe to the same theory. You simply "act as if" and you find your life (and your career and maybe even your book sales!) improving.
I am a person who thinks tips and anecdotes are among the best ways to reach people. They give people what they need or want in little easily-read and easily-related to pieces. Jill knows that, too. Her book is scatted with small shaded areas that clip the best and the most pithy stuff from her book and make it easy for you to internalize them in a few seconds.
-------------
The reviewer is an instructor for UCLA Extension's Writers’ Program. She is the author of two award-winning books, THIS IS THE PLACE and HARKENING. TRACINGS, an award-winning chapbook of poetry, is available at www.finishinglinepress.com. Her how-to book for writers, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON’T, is the winner of USA Book News' Best Professional Book of 2004 and the Irwin Award and her new book THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS is also a USA Book News Best Book and a winner of Reader Views Literary Award.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Free (and True!) Story Offered
Olga - A Daughter's Tale
By Marie-Thérèse Browne
Website: www.lulu.com/mariecampbell
Family saga
ISBN: 978-1-84753-047-9
Publisher: Lulu
Reviewed by Marie Campbell
Based on a true story a fascinating and moving book about an inspirational personal life, which has an epic feel about it from Jamaica to England amidst World War II. Olga - A Daughter's Tale is story of one woman's inspirational life.
Marie-Thérèse Browne, the author, realized as her mother lay seriously ill in hospital in Brighton, England in 1994 that had she died so too would Marie's chance of finding out about her mother's past, her family in Jamaica and, of particular importance to Marie, who her father was. All information her mother had resolutely refused to share with her. So she resolved to find out for herself.
Marie discovered her mother's real name was Olga Browney, born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica - one of eleven children from a close-knit, coloured Catholic family. A kind, naïve and gentle girl, Olga arrived in London in 1939 to stay with a malevolent, alcoholic aunt and intending to remain for only six months. However, world events, personal tragedy and malicious intent all combined to prevent her from returning home to Kingston .
Olga – A Daughter's Tale is about cruelty, revenge and jealousy inflicted on an innocent young woman and about her moral courage, dignity, resilience and, in particular, love. It is the story of a remarkable woman who, because of circumstances, made a choice, which resulted in her losing contact with her beloved family in Jamaica. That is, until nearly half a century later, when her past caught up her.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie-Thérèse Browne was born in London in 1943. At the age of five she was sent to a Catholic boarding school in Dartford, Kent. From there she moved to a Catholic day convent in Brighton where she lived on and off for the next fifty years, until she emigrated to Australia. Her book Olga – A Daughter's Tale was written as a tribute to her mother after Marie discovered the truth about her mother's past, and also as a record for future generations of her family. Olga – A Daughter's Tale is her first book and is available to buy on www.lulu.com/mariecampbell
For a limited time a PDF copy can be downloaded free from www.olga-a-daughters-tale.com
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
By Marie-Thérèse Browne
Website: www.lulu.com/mariecampbell
Family saga
ISBN: 978-1-84753-047-9
Publisher: Lulu
Reviewed by Marie Campbell
Based on a true story a fascinating and moving book about an inspirational personal life, which has an epic feel about it from Jamaica to England amidst World War II. Olga - A Daughter's Tale is story of one woman's inspirational life.
Marie-Thérèse Browne, the author, realized as her mother lay seriously ill in hospital in Brighton, England in 1994 that had she died so too would Marie's chance of finding out about her mother's past, her family in Jamaica and, of particular importance to Marie, who her father was. All information her mother had resolutely refused to share with her. So she resolved to find out for herself.
Marie discovered her mother's real name was Olga Browney, born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica - one of eleven children from a close-knit, coloured Catholic family. A kind, naïve and gentle girl, Olga arrived in London in 1939 to stay with a malevolent, alcoholic aunt and intending to remain for only six months. However, world events, personal tragedy and malicious intent all combined to prevent her from returning home to Kingston .
Olga – A Daughter's Tale is about cruelty, revenge and jealousy inflicted on an innocent young woman and about her moral courage, dignity, resilience and, in particular, love. It is the story of a remarkable woman who, because of circumstances, made a choice, which resulted in her losing contact with her beloved family in Jamaica. That is, until nearly half a century later, when her past caught up her.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie-Thérèse Browne was born in London in 1943. At the age of five she was sent to a Catholic boarding school in Dartford, Kent. From there she moved to a Catholic day convent in Brighton where she lived on and off for the next fifty years, until she emigrated to Australia. Her book Olga – A Daughter's Tale was written as a tribute to her mother after Marie discovered the truth about her mother's past, and also as a record for future generations of her family. Olga – A Daughter's Tale is her first book and is available to buy on www.lulu.com/mariecampbell
For a limited time a PDF copy can be downloaded free from www.olga-a-daughters-tale.com
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
A Book On Spelling? There's Nothing Like It Except Maybe Library Edition Dictionaries...
...and most of us--even those of us who love etyomology--aren't that crazy about reading dictionaries. That is part of it. The other is the getting of the history of words with a dictionary is haphazard at best.
Along comes Righting the Mother Tongue: From Olde English to Email, the Tangled Story of English Spelling. I know of no other book quite like it. I love June Casagrande's Mortal Syntax: 101 Language Choices That Will Get You Clobbered by the Grammar Snobs--Even If You're Right and Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite and even Lynn Truss's British hardass take on punctuation, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. I remember reading a book on the origins of the alphabet back in the early 60s. This, however, is the only one I know that capsulates the history of spelling (more or less).
I found it funny and disturbing. (I don't suppose one expects a book on spelling to be disturbing.) But take the word "e-mail." As an editor I've been fighting to keep the hyphen because the word is short for electronic mail and the hyphen preserves that origin. There! There on the cover is "e-mail" spelled "email." Guess I'm fighting a losing battle. Which, after all, is the point of this book.
Don't let the fact that you now know the point keep you from reading it. If you love words and history, you'll be entertained.
Thank you, David Wolman.
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Reviewed for Amazon by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the award-winning Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
Along comes Righting the Mother Tongue: From Olde English to Email, the Tangled Story of English Spelling. I know of no other book quite like it. I love June Casagrande's Mortal Syntax: 101 Language Choices That Will Get You Clobbered by the Grammar Snobs--Even If You're Right and Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite and even Lynn Truss's British hardass take on punctuation, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. I remember reading a book on the origins of the alphabet back in the early 60s. This, however, is the only one I know that capsulates the history of spelling (more or less).
I found it funny and disturbing. (I don't suppose one expects a book on spelling to be disturbing.) But take the word "e-mail." As an editor I've been fighting to keep the hyphen because the word is short for electronic mail and the hyphen preserves that origin. There! There on the cover is "e-mail" spelled "email." Guess I'm fighting a losing battle. Which, after all, is the point of this book.
Don't let the fact that you now know the point keep you from reading it. If you love words and history, you'll be entertained.
Thank you, David Wolman.
------
Reviewed for Amazon by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the award-winning Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Early Bird Special for LA Times Festival of Books
Dear Subscribers and Authors' Coalition Members:
Join us now as a signing author at the Authors' Coalition booth at the LA Times Festival of Books on the beautiful UCLA campus and get a substantial discount. It is the last weekend of April 2009. The book-signing portion of the fair requires that you attend but other value-added promotions do not. You'll hear more about those later.
Authors' Coalition will again be sponsoring a booth at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books on April 2009. We focus on making a humdrum fair into a sizzling success; we make changes every year based on what we learned the year before and the year before that.
Register before August 15th and receive an early bird discount for the signing slots. One hour signing segments (50 minutes to allow set up) cost $100 for the first and $80 for a second hour. After August 15, the fee will return to its regular $150 for the first and $100 for the second day. The fee includes display or your book, your order forms and your bookmark or business card and a poster for the full two days, Those who are not members of Authors' Coalition will be asked to join at the Silver Membership level. The regular cost is $25, but will be discounted to $20 for those signing. Participants whose memberships from last year come due in April can join for only $10 in addition to the signing fee.
Last year we had our booth televised on the Internet. Rey Ybarra from Best Selling Author Television was there to cover the event. He conducted short three-minute interviews with the several authors. The program proved to be a great success. Rey will be there with his crew again this year. (To see the 2008 video made by Rey Ybarra, go to Best Selling Author Television site at : http://www.veoh.com/channels/BSATV)
The advantages of our LA Times Booth:
1. Ongoing education on PR and promotion for participants during the planning of the booth.
2. Value-added promotions designed to draw readers to our booth (more to come on these later.)
3. Cross promotion benefits of many participating authors rather than of only a few.
4. Excellent location at the fair for a fraction of the cost of an individual booth.
5. Association with a recognized name and with other authors with recognized names.
6. A stable, high trafficked booth location and a booth with an established history among return visitors to the fair.
7. A booth with double the usual frontage of most (The booth size is subject to the number participating).
8. Assorted ways to participate, some available to authors who don't live in the area (more on those later).
9. A limited number of books and authors accepted to increase visibility.
10. Display of the books of signing authors for the full two days of the fair.
11. Display of your poster for the full two days of the fair.
12. Exposure of your name and book's title on Authors' Coalition blogs.
13. Your book listed on an Amazon Listmania.
14. The credibility of being associated with a well-planned booth sponsored by a professional organization.
15. Associated value-added promotion like our catalog for booksellers, our video special, our tote program, our slide show and our gift with purchase help attract interest in the booth, help encourage sales, and help us keep cross-promotional efforts going long after the fair.
16. You participation in signing and display, includes an ad on the Authors' Coalition website for one month at no additional charge.
17. An opportunity to have your favorite review posted at The New Book Review (www.newbookreview.blogspot.com).
Here's What's NEW In 2009
Poetry reading
Story time for kids
Promotional Tote Bags
We are planning to have a poetry-reading hour and a children's story reading hour in the afternoon slots. The cost will be approximately $25.00 for a 15 minutes-reading time. This is new and details will be provided in the subsequent issues. Please let me (Christine Alexanians) know of your interest and I'll put you on the list. I am not taking deposits at this time. Imagine, saying you read from your work at this prestigious fair!
DISPLAY:
Books on display will be shown on a bookstand, not tossed into a bin with hundreds of others. There is room near each participant's book to have a flier 4 x 5 3/4 and, to give away bookmarks or business cards--any two of the three. Each author may also supply laminated signs with grommets to be hung around the perimeter of the booth. Note: We are not offering display to anyone not signing this year. All books on display will be those of signing authors.
SALES
No books will be sold out of the booth except by signing authors at the time of their signing. Books will be displayed with order forms when they are not signing. (See above.).
BLOG
Our Authors' Coalition fair-focused blog is open to all. It further exposes our participants' books. We use the blog as a kind of journal of our experiences and the blog comments as a way to share promotion ideas and ask questions. It is an ideal way to keep a record but also to share with other writers who might be planning a fair booth elsewhere.
We also offer a free review blog (www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com) where participants can have their favorite reviews (with permission from the reviewer) posted.
SIGNING SEGMENTS AT THE FAIR
Local authors or authors willing to travel may purchase one hour segments of signing time. Signings will be posted in the booth (Sorry, but the LA Times Festival of Books administration does not provide a way to list multiple authors in the brochures, etc. that the LA Times sends out.) Thus signing authors will be responsible for their own promotions including media releases and invitations to drive traffic to their signing. In fact, for everyone to benefit we will ask for a pledge that each of them will do so.)
One hour (50 minutes to allow set up) signing segments cost $150 for the first and $100 for a second hour. We offer a discounted cost of $100 and $80 for authors signing before August 15th, 2008. The fee includes display in the booth for the full two days. If you choose to sign, we strongly recommend that participants consider the stands and banners we tested last year to make their signing times a standout. (Information on these amazingly-effective stands to come and at www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com )
All signing positions are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We have had authors with books traditionally published as well as subsidy--and self-published. We only ask that no one with pornographic material apply because we are located near the children's section and sometimes have children's authors as signers. Those who are not members of Authors' Coalition will be asked to join at the Silver Membership level. The regular cost is $25, but will be discounted to $20 for those signing or reading. Participants whose memberships come due in April can join for only $10 in addition to the signing fee.
Training:
It is our policy to supply ideas, templates and resources for book fair promotion. We begin early which is one reason to take advantage of this early bird special. Many find this an educational experience equivalent to taking an expensive class in promotion.
Disposal of Fair Materials and Limitations:
Books and promotion materials will not be returned. Display books will be donated to a library after the fair.
Other terms: Because of the training process and because we must pay our expenses early, fees must be paid upon signing and cannot be refunded. There are also no refunds for natural or unnatural disasters and, yes, that includes rain. An author must participate in the signing segment to actually sell books. They sell their own books in our booth only during their signing time and handle their own sales (or bring an assistant to do that for them.)
PAYMENT
To participate send an e-mail to Christine Alexanians at chalexwrite@yahoo.com. She can invoice you for PayPal or give you an address to send a check. Please put "LA Times Fair" in the subject line and please let her know the programs you would like to participate in so she will know how to bill you. (As an example, you should tell her if you are already a CURRENT paid member of AC or if you need to be billed for your membership.) She will then send you details for participation and answer other questions regarding this show. The fair booth is under the auspices of Authors' Coalition and booth promotion will be handled by Christine and Carolyn Howard-Johnson.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
Join us now as a signing author at the Authors' Coalition booth at the LA Times Festival of Books on the beautiful UCLA campus and get a substantial discount. It is the last weekend of April 2009. The book-signing portion of the fair requires that you attend but other value-added promotions do not. You'll hear more about those later.
Authors' Coalition will again be sponsoring a booth at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books on April 2009. We focus on making a humdrum fair into a sizzling success; we make changes every year based on what we learned the year before and the year before that.
Register before August 15th and receive an early bird discount for the signing slots. One hour signing segments (50 minutes to allow set up) cost $100 for the first and $80 for a second hour. After August 15, the fee will return to its regular $150 for the first and $100 for the second day. The fee includes display or your book, your order forms and your bookmark or business card and a poster for the full two days, Those who are not members of Authors' Coalition will be asked to join at the Silver Membership level. The regular cost is $25, but will be discounted to $20 for those signing. Participants whose memberships from last year come due in April can join for only $10 in addition to the signing fee.
Last year we had our booth televised on the Internet. Rey Ybarra from Best Selling Author Television was there to cover the event. He conducted short three-minute interviews with the several authors. The program proved to be a great success. Rey will be there with his crew again this year. (To see the 2008 video made by Rey Ybarra, go to Best Selling Author Television site at : http://www.veoh.com/channels/BSATV)
The advantages of our LA Times Booth:
1. Ongoing education on PR and promotion for participants during the planning of the booth.
2. Value-added promotions designed to draw readers to our booth (more to come on these later.)
3. Cross promotion benefits of many participating authors rather than of only a few.
4. Excellent location at the fair for a fraction of the cost of an individual booth.
5. Association with a recognized name and with other authors with recognized names.
6. A stable, high trafficked booth location and a booth with an established history among return visitors to the fair.
7. A booth with double the usual frontage of most (The booth size is subject to the number participating).
8. Assorted ways to participate, some available to authors who don't live in the area (more on those later).
9. A limited number of books and authors accepted to increase visibility.
10. Display of the books of signing authors for the full two days of the fair.
11. Display of your poster for the full two days of the fair.
12. Exposure of your name and book's title on Authors' Coalition blogs.
13. Your book listed on an Amazon Listmania.
14. The credibility of being associated with a well-planned booth sponsored by a professional organization.
15. Associated value-added promotion like our catalog for booksellers, our video special, our tote program, our slide show and our gift with purchase help attract interest in the booth, help encourage sales, and help us keep cross-promotional efforts going long after the fair.
16. You participation in signing and display, includes an ad on the Authors' Coalition website for one month at no additional charge.
17. An opportunity to have your favorite review posted at The New Book Review (www.newbookreview.blogspot.com).
Here's What's NEW In 2009
Poetry reading
Story time for kids
Promotional Tote Bags
We are planning to have a poetry-reading hour and a children's story reading hour in the afternoon slots. The cost will be approximately $25.00 for a 15 minutes-reading time. This is new and details will be provided in the subsequent issues. Please let me (Christine Alexanians) know of your interest and I'll put you on the list. I am not taking deposits at this time. Imagine, saying you read from your work at this prestigious fair!
DISPLAY:
Books on display will be shown on a bookstand, not tossed into a bin with hundreds of others. There is room near each participant's book to have a flier 4 x 5 3/4 and, to give away bookmarks or business cards--any two of the three. Each author may also supply laminated signs with grommets to be hung around the perimeter of the booth. Note: We are not offering display to anyone not signing this year. All books on display will be those of signing authors.
SALES
No books will be sold out of the booth except by signing authors at the time of their signing. Books will be displayed with order forms when they are not signing. (See above.).
BLOG
Our Authors' Coalition fair-focused blog is open to all. It further exposes our participants' books. We use the blog as a kind of journal of our experiences and the blog comments as a way to share promotion ideas and ask questions. It is an ideal way to keep a record but also to share with other writers who might be planning a fair booth elsewhere.
We also offer a free review blog (www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com) where participants can have their favorite reviews (with permission from the reviewer) posted.
SIGNING SEGMENTS AT THE FAIR
Local authors or authors willing to travel may purchase one hour segments of signing time. Signings will be posted in the booth (Sorry, but the LA Times Festival of Books administration does not provide a way to list multiple authors in the brochures, etc. that the LA Times sends out.) Thus signing authors will be responsible for their own promotions including media releases and invitations to drive traffic to their signing. In fact, for everyone to benefit we will ask for a pledge that each of them will do so.)
One hour (50 minutes to allow set up) signing segments cost $150 for the first and $100 for a second hour. We offer a discounted cost of $100 and $80 for authors signing before August 15th, 2008. The fee includes display in the booth for the full two days. If you choose to sign, we strongly recommend that participants consider the stands and banners we tested last year to make their signing times a standout. (Information on these amazingly-effective stands to come and at www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com )
All signing positions are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We have had authors with books traditionally published as well as subsidy--and self-published. We only ask that no one with pornographic material apply because we are located near the children's section and sometimes have children's authors as signers. Those who are not members of Authors' Coalition will be asked to join at the Silver Membership level. The regular cost is $25, but will be discounted to $20 for those signing or reading. Participants whose memberships come due in April can join for only $10 in addition to the signing fee.
Training:
It is our policy to supply ideas, templates and resources for book fair promotion. We begin early which is one reason to take advantage of this early bird special. Many find this an educational experience equivalent to taking an expensive class in promotion.
Disposal of Fair Materials and Limitations:
Books and promotion materials will not be returned. Display books will be donated to a library after the fair.
Other terms: Because of the training process and because we must pay our expenses early, fees must be paid upon signing and cannot be refunded. There are also no refunds for natural or unnatural disasters and, yes, that includes rain. An author must participate in the signing segment to actually sell books. They sell their own books in our booth only during their signing time and handle their own sales (or bring an assistant to do that for them.)
PAYMENT
To participate send an e-mail to Christine Alexanians at chalexwrite@yahoo.com. She can invoice you for PayPal or give you an address to send a check. Please put "LA Times Fair" in the subject line and please let her know the programs you would like to participate in so she will know how to bill you. (As an example, you should tell her if you are already a CURRENT paid member of AC or if you need to be billed for your membership.) She will then send you details for participation and answer other questions regarding this show. The fair booth is under the auspices of Authors' Coalition and booth promotion will be handled by Christine and Carolyn Howard-Johnson.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Author Fictionalizes History of Hawaii
Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawaii-Her Epic Journey
By Linda Ballou
Historical Fiction
ISBN:10:1-932993-88-2
ISBN:13:978-1-932993-88-2
Reviewer Paul Wagner
www.AboutTeens
Reviewed by Paul Wagner for About Teens
This is an historical novel couched in magical realism set against the backdrop of Hawai’i’s most dynamic period between 1740 and 1820. Wai-nani’s character is inspired by Ka’ahumanu, the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great, who was responsible for ending the 2,000-year-old Polynesian “kapu system.” The turbulent romance of these Hawaiian icons and the events that changed an ancient culture forever is told by the author with passion and authenticity.
Wai-nani’s relationship with the ocean and a family of dolphins offers her uncomplicated freedom and expression, while her experiences with her people demand that she struggle physically, emotionally and spiritually against her traditional “place of standing.”
Author Ballou delivers a generous slice of Hawaiian history with details of land and sea as vivid as being there. It is an inspiring and absorbing read.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
By Linda Ballou
Historical Fiction
ISBN:10:1-932993-88-2
ISBN:13:978-1-932993-88-2
Reviewer Paul Wagner
www.AboutTeens
Reviewed by Paul Wagner for About Teens
This is an historical novel couched in magical realism set against the backdrop of Hawai’i’s most dynamic period between 1740 and 1820. Wai-nani’s character is inspired by Ka’ahumanu, the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great, who was responsible for ending the 2,000-year-old Polynesian “kapu system.” The turbulent romance of these Hawaiian icons and the events that changed an ancient culture forever is told by the author with passion and authenticity.
Wai-nani’s relationship with the ocean and a family of dolphins offers her uncomplicated freedom and expression, while her experiences with her people demand that she struggle physically, emotionally and spiritually against her traditional “place of standing.”
Author Ballou delivers a generous slice of Hawaiian history with details of land and sea as vivid as being there. It is an inspiring and absorbing read.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
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