Professional Marketer Gives Frugal Book Promoter Five Stars

The Frugal Book Promoter, Second Edition
Subtitle: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher.
Published by HowToDoItFrugally
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Cover by Chaz DeSimone, www.chazdesimone.com
ISBN: 9781463743291
Order at www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo
Also available for Kindle

Reviewed by

Eric V. Van Der Hope (Fox Hills - Culver City, California) originally for Amazon

This review is from: The Frugal Book Promoter: Second Edition: (Paperback)

My first `introduction' of Carolyn Howard-Johnson was after reading her first edition of `The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't' back in 2007. Definitely a book full of useful ideas, strategies & techniques to implement a promotional `plan of attack' for any book! Many authors don't have the means necessary to afford big advertising campaigns to fund their marketing, promotion or publicity. Carolyn is able to share with her readers how they can be just as effective with publicity without having deep pockets. This book was one of my first marketing/publicity resources that I purchased before publishing my first book and it's one of the reasons why my own book Mastering Niche Marketing' has seen the success it has.

If you can compare a book to something of value, I'd say that Carolyn's First Edition was like Silver! However, Carolyn's Second Edition of `The Frugal Book Promoter: Second Edition: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher' can be compared in value to GOLD.

This edition is an update to her first book (128 more pages full of valuable content) that contains additional promotional and marketing techniques that can be used on a limited budget but doesn't take away from the effectiveness. Carolyn is able to draw from her own experience in the industry and reveal how authors can do their own promotion more effectively, better than that of the publisher (who probably wouldn't do it at all) and even a professional publicist. It's been said that the author of a book knows their book best and thus they'd probably be in a position to know what their readers are searching for. `The Frugal Book Promoter: Second Edition: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher' should be one of the first books on your list to get if you wish to promote your book successfully. It's practical and full of useful techniques and strategies that even well-seasoned publishers, authors and publicists would benefit from!

What are you waiting for . . . ? Still undecided . . . ? Then the 100+ reviews from Carolyn's First Edition of `The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't' should be a motivating factor that this book should be read, studied and used (put into action)!

~Reviewer Eric V. Van Der Hope is a  publisher and #1 Best-selling Author of 'Mastering Niche Marketing'

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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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Site Offers Foreword Review FREE

There is a new free service that will benefit readers. The media release is below. Authors  seeding reviews will also find the information about Foreword Reviews magazine useful, I'm sure. ~ Carolyn Howard-Johnson 

ForeWord Reviews Offered FREE on Zinio!

Same resourceful literary magazine,
now available digitally online

TRAVERSE CITY, MI; Sept  20, 2011―ForeWord Reviews, the only book review magazine to feature independent publishers exclusively, is now available online free from Zinio, one of the world’s largest online magazine and newspaper sources!

In response to our readership’s expanded use of digital devices and online sources,
and evidencing a growing concern for the environment, ForeWord has
partnered with Zinio to deliver professional, independent book reviews online. Read ForeWord Reviews from your iPad, iPhone, Android device, desktop, or laptop—book reviews, peer opinion pieces, and author interviews accessible at a moment’s notice while still preserving the aesthetic of the magazine.

"For the first time, in addition to our regular print magazine, ForeWord’s readers can subscribe to a digital version for easy access—anytime, anywhere," said ForeWord Reviews Publisher Victoria Sutherland. "The digital version of ForeWord Reviews allows us to better serve readers by providing enriched content from advertisers, such as links and videos, and by giving free, immediate access to all the outstanding articles and reviews you’ve come to expect from ForeWord Reviews."

Benefits of ForeWord Online to librarians and booksellers:

• Timely and immediate access to ForeWord’s professionally written reviews
• Eliminate the hassle and clutter of storing hard copies
• Shop for books with one click, right from the magazine
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• Instantly archived editions
• Easy to sync ForeWord Reviews with your computer and mobile devices
• Share a link electronically with colleagues
• Reduce your paper use!

Sign up for your free subscription! It’s easy, and it’s free. Receiving the digital version of ForeWord Reviews from
Zinio is easy.

1. Simply click on this Zinio link.
2. • Click on ForeWord Reviews if you’re a Zinio subscriber; or
   • Fill out the fields provided to create a Zinio account.
3. Enjoy reading ForeWord Reviews online at your convenience!

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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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Update on What Review Blogs Can Do for You!

Title: Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery

Author: Lois W. Stern
Author's Web site:  www.sexliesandcosmeticsurgery.com
Genre: Nonfciton: Self-Help/Beauty/Health
ISBN #: 0-7414-3220-X

Reviewed by Nancy Welker, editor-in-chief of FIT BEAUTIFUL MAGAZINE, (now a subscription only membership).

FIRST IMPRESSION

Don’t let the title put you off, this book is both serious and educational. More than one hundred people contributed to the creative process, including women who have added their own experiences anonymously. The author, Lois W. Stern, gives us the stark and touching truth about what happened to her as a plastic surgery patient, and brings to light some of the truths and misconceptions about this very personal journey.

The book is designed to act as a guide for any woman who is considering a cosmetic surgery procedure, and includes worksheets and questionnaires on some delicate subjects such as your self-esteem, your sexuality, signs of depression and testing your body image. “Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery” means to give a woman insights as to how she might react to the emotional aspects of permanently changing her face and/or body appearance, which is something the author feels strongly needs to be addressed. Every chapter in this book is filled with in-your-face honesty, and the author clearly feels that this is how every woman needs to communicate with herself before going under the knife.

A LOOK UNDER THE HOOD
Chapters 5 and 6 are especially thought-provoking as Ms. Stern opens up about her feelings toward the doctor who performed the plastic surgery. The term “transference” is brought into the picture, and the author recounts her own, in her words , “humiliating” experience. In short, I found this book to be one that I could not put down, and frankly, nothing like the scandal sheet type stories we all too often see.

This is not meant to deter any woman from the plastic surgery experience, in fact the author herself had favorable results from a facelift, instead the idea is to make women aware of the possibility of feeling as though you’ve “fallen head over heels” in love with your plastic surgeon, and that it happens more often than most people realize. The message here is that if you do find yourself in that situation, you need to seek out competent help from a professional, and know that this is a transient emotional issue that you can get past with guidance and patience.

YEA OR NAY
Living in an age of “Nip Tuck” and other TV shows that make plastic surgery seem like either a ridiculous choice that insecure women make, or gloss over the fact that medical doctors think it’s fine and okay to have sex with their patients, this book is a candid and intelligent source of reliable information. I liked the fact that the author made it clear that in general it was unethical for an M.D. to become intimate with a patient, but that she showed compassion for the human side of our nature as well, and said that in some rare cases the relationship might be worth pursuing.. Overall an empowering and uplifting book, I recommend “Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery” to any woman who is seriously considering undergoing a cosmetic surgical procedure.

A Note From the Author

I felt both gratified and most appreciative of the totally unsolicited review the editor of FitBeautiful placed on her blog. I was overwhelmed by the number of women who added thoughtful comments - 52 and counting - the most I have ever seen appear on any interactive blog. No doubt the topic of transference had hit hard! Women could identify. They wanted - no needed - to talk about it. I told them that Utter Humiliation was the most difficult chapter I ever wrote. Well, let me rephrase that a bit. It was the most difficult chapter for me to decide if I should write, knowing I might be setting myself up as an open target. Then why did I do it? Simply because deep down I knew that if I had experienced such an emotional upheaval, I couldn't be alone. I could help other cosmetic surgery patients handle transference issues with more ease and comfort. The truth has a way of setting us free.

Reader Comments
Posted by Joelyn
I’ve heard of women who fall in love with their plastic surgeons. I had a nose job when I was 30 and my surgeon (thank god) was not at all attractive to me. He did good work but I didn’t think twice about him! This book is really something every woman should read. I feel sorry for those who have no idea what might happen and are going through this emotional turmoil after the surgery.

Posted by Nola
I worked for a family council center for 5 years so I know what transference can be. Women who have just had surgery are especially vulnerable anyway and can actually come to think that the surgeon is some kind of knight on a white horse who has no flaws at all. It’s not something that’s going to fade away without help. This book could save a lot of women from the humilation the author herself went through. Good review!

Posted by Dianne
My mother had a facelift 5 years ago and I couldn’t understand what was wrong with her after that. She looked beautiful, and everyone complimented her on the results, but she still would sit crying for no apparent reason. I had no idea what this was, but after reading your review last night, I went to the links you have and started reading from there. There’s no doubt in my mind that my mom was going through emotional issues due to the surgery. My dad and she had had some problems but it seemed to suddenly get huge when she was recovering. I’m glad I know more about this. I’m buying this book and giving it to my mom. I want her to know that I love her and support her.
Thanks, Nancy (editor of NutraBeauty).

Posted by Marianna
I had not even thought about the emotional side of plastic surgery! It really is more about how you feel than you look when you think about it. And wow, if a women gets great results she probably can fall for her doc! I do want to get a facelift – as soon as I can afford it – but, first, I’m buying this book!

Posted by Christina
If I had read a book like this before my surgery I would’ve been much better equipped to deal with the emotional side of it. It’s very real and unless you’ve been through it you really don’t understand it.

Posted by Cupcakes
There are some good points made here. It really does depend on the man/woman in question. If two people are lucky enough to find each other the rest of the world should be happy for them. Yes, the woman probably does need to find another doctor, but there should be no shame in it for either of them! Also, the book looks very good. I’ve seen it before and wondered about it. Thanks for letting us know that it’s not just another trashy kind of book!

Posted by PurpleHat
After reading your review, I went out and got this book. It really is as good as you said it is!

Posted by ItalianFlower
My mother used to say all the time that she fell in love with Dr. Kildaire when that show was on tv! I agree that every woman feels some kind of attachment to a real-life doctor sometime in her life. When I was pregnant I had very warm feelings toward my doctor, and when I told the nurse she laughed and said that I was one of a dozen other patients who felt the same way! This is a very good book, I have it, and I will follow the author’s advise and ask myself every question in it before I get plastic surgery!----- 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

YA Fiction Recommended for Professionals

Title: The Battle for Tomorrow: a Fable

Author: Dr Stuart Jeanne Bramhall

Website: www.stuartbramhall.com

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

ISBN: 978-1-61204-219-0

Reviewed by Stephanie Laymon, originally for Five Alarm Reviews

I was eager to find out how Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall would deal with the very real and tough issues in The Battle For Tomorrow. While I anticipated a lot of clinical verbage and a bit of disconnect with the reality of what a teen like Ange would experience, I found an incredibly well written and realistic read. So realistic, in fact, that I found parts incredibly hard to take on.

 

Ange’s experiences are unique in comparison to the average adolescent struggles because of the severity of her situation and at times I could see where some readers may mistakenly take offense to some of the things that Ange chooses to do. I say mistakenly because I felt that it was more important to understand Ange and her struggles than to agree with her.

Although I have found this book listed for YA’s, I tend to disagree. While there are some extremely mature teens that this might be appropriate for, I would recommend it for a more mature group. The Battle For Tomorrow: A Fable by Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall is a remarkable book for adults working with teens, women’s studies and reading groups because of the numerous discussion opportunities.

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  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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

World War II Fiction Reviewed

TITLE: 1106 Grand Boulevard

AUTHOR: Betty Dravis

PUBLISHER: Canterbury House Publishing, Ltd.,

http://www.canterburyhousepublishing.com

FORMATS: E-book

PRICE: Kindle $4.99 (US), £3.58

PAGES: 312

ASIN: B00564TQ28

Reviews by Deb Hockenberry

Let’s travel back in time to the 1930’s. It’s evening and an argument has just broken and Billie Jean accidentally gets shot in the shoulder by her husband, Cal. Running for her life she hides from her husband in the bushes. Naturally, she goes back to her childhood home…1106 Grand Boulevard. This is one woman’s story of her search for true love during and after the turbulent World War II years.

At her childhood home, she is welcomed with open arms by her family. Naturally, her parents admit her to the hospital where the doctors repair her shoulder.

Now that sixteen-year-old Billie Jean is married, can she stay at her childhood home or will her stern mother make her go back to her manic husband?

Aunt Tommie enters the story here. She believes in marrying rich and having the best of everything. She takes Billie Jean to Arizona to live with her and her uncle. Billie Jean is schooled in the proper way to get a rich husband. Aunt Tommie teaches her how to walk, talk and behave like a lady around the ‘right’ people. At her coming out party, Billie meets a handsome man in his twenties named Jackson. Of course, Jackson is struck by Billie Jean’s beauty and wants to marry her.

By this time, Billie Jean is used to the high life and the attention shown to her by men. She flits from man to man searching for someone who can take Cal’s place. She marries several of these men. Each time she marries, Billie Jean is sure she is in love. But is she?

Six times she goes home to 1106 Grand Boulevard where her sister helps her drown her sorrows by going shopping. She goes back to 1106 Grand Boulevard each time a husband dies or when Billie Jean goes through a divorce. Once she went back when her then husband went off to fight in World War II. Will there be a seventh homecoming for Billie? Will Billie Jean ever find true love or will she keep flitting from man to man like a bee flits from flower to flower?

There are a couple of ways to find out more about the author of this love story. You can go to Ms. Dravis’ website at: http://www.bettydravis.com and click on the ‘Bio’ tab. You can also surf here to read more about her: http://kindlenationdaily.com/2011/08/who-is-betty-dravis.

You can find out more about 1106 Grand Boulevard by going to her website at: http://www.bettydravis.com. Just click on the ‘Books and Stories’ tab.

You can pick up this excellent e-book at several places. Among them are Amazon (US) (click on the widget in this column) and Amazon (UK) http://www.amazon.co.uk. Go to the kindle store at Amazon to find this story of life during the World War II era. You can also find it at Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com and at Barnes & Noble for the Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com.

Reviewed by Deb Hockenberry

The Bumpy Road http://thebumpyroadtopublishing.blogspot.com

Deb's Book Nook http://debsbookreviews.blogspot.com

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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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Nonfiction Book That Leads to Better Teamwork Tours

Leadership Soup, A Healthy Yet Tasty Recipe for Living and Leading on Purpose
By Kamran Akbarzadeah
Available in hardcover and paperback
Publisher: Xlibris 

Leadership Soup, A Healthy Yet Tasty Recipe for Living and Leading lets you attain productivity, profit, and prosperity by linking purpose, passion, and people; Leadership Soup provides you a healthy yet tasty recipe for living on purpose and leading on purpose. 

This book is full of simple and powerful insights, tools, and solutions for becoming a profound and authrentic leader who leads with his or her heart and empowers others to soar to greatness no matter who they are and what they do. This book will show you and your team how to lead and succeed. www.leadershipsoupbook.com

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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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Kristin Johnson Reviews Young Adult Book with Asian Influence

1. 

Title: WALKING THROUGH WALLS

Author: Karen Cioffi
Illustrator: Aidana WillowRaven
Publisher: 4RV Publishing, LLC
Genre: Middle Grade/Young Adult

Reviewed by Kristin Johnson

Wang bound the last bunch of wheat stalks as the sun beat down on the field. Sweat poured from the back of his neck drenching the cotton shirt he wore.

I hate doing this work. He hurled the bundles on a cart. “Father, the bales are stacked. I am going home; it is too hot.”

Twelve-year-old Wang longed to be an Eternal. He craved wealth . . . and power….

So opens Karen Cioffi’s retelling of a classic Chinese fable. In just a few sentences of this 61-page children’s book, she establishes the main character, a disgruntled twelve-year-old boy, and the conflict, his dreams of a life away from unending hard work on his family farm. She also hints at a mystery: what is an Eternal?

In short order, Cioffi also introduces us to a bit more of Wang’s personality. Like any 12-year-old, he fights with his sister and his father. He knows his father wants him to work on the farm rather than daydream about learning magic and being “the richest man in all of China”.  When he receives a dream visitation from the dragon illustrated on the cover—think ERAGON set in China—Wang decides his father can’t keep him on his peasant farm any more.

After Wang goes to the Elder of his village, a lemon-loving mystic, and asks the way to the Eternals’ home, he ends up more confused than ever. In typical martial-arts movie fashion the Elder speaks in cryptic messages before scolding Wang for seeking wealth and power for their own sake: “I cannot give you the information you seek. Your heart has already spoken. Go home and set your sights on learning patience and virtue.”

Oddly, Wang’s younger sister helps him, because of her sweet nature—or perhaps she wants to teach the arrogant Wang about a girl’s worth. The true value of a person—character, kindness, integrity—is a common theme in this story and Cioffi brings it out quite well. She also subtly highlights the Confucian society of the time, where “respect your elders, especially males” is paramount, and the Asian ethos, in which the group is much more important than the individual. Wang, like many child heroes, rebels against his family and society to seek his own way—and learns a lesson. You have to give Wang credit for pursuing what he wants and for undertaking his perilous journey to the distant mountaintop to find the Eternals (This is what you want: you must follow through, he thinks). While Wang’s journey may seem reckless, he shows some guts and courage in leaving his family to pursue his dream.

There’s a lovely moment in which Wang’s father gently touches him and asks him to stay. It’s an understated and in-character way of showing that Wang’s father is concerned, for the first time, about his son leaving home—a deeply human emotion.  Wang does not understand until much later—he is too excited about seeing the mystical temple of the Eternals materialize after his long perilous trek.

Wang’s impressions of the temple capture my own awe whenever I visit Asian temples such as Wat Pho, Senso-Ji, Sanjusangendo, and shrines in Taiwan, even though in keeping with a fable like this, the temple’s plain exterior belies its grand interior (representing, perhaps, the richness of the Eternals’ spiritual life). Although I have never met an Eternal Master, I imagine he (she?) would be just like the one in Walking Through Walls (many of the Buddhist rimbans and reverends I’ve met have senses of humor to package their lessons). The Eternal Master is the equivalent of a magical drill sergeant—not what Wang expected. Everything about the Eternals, from their strict regimen of simple food and hard work to their habit of appearing and disappearing, confounds Wang—although he begins to understand a bit more of the world when he meets his roommate Chen and hears of Chen’s quest to help his village and rescue his sister by becoming an Eternal. Chen’s story kindles compassion in Wang’s heart, but not enough to make him gain patience. With all the magic around him, Wang is hungry to become an Eternal himself, especially after he sees the more advanced students walking through walls after a midnight feast. Is it a dream? Is it a test? Wang decides he must learn to walk through walls.

Wang endures his peculiar education for a year before deciding to leave, despite his best friend Chen’s hope of having an ally in his quest. The Eternal Master teaches him the longed-for spell of walking through walls, even though he lectures Wang about not being pure of heart or worthy of the Eternals’ great power. Of course, Wang does learn the spell—and faces a test of his character once he returns home. During that test, I bit my nails and then screamed, “Don’t do it,” when Wang was about to make the wrong choice. Cioffi makes us care about Wang in spite of, or perhaps because, of his character flaws.

In addition to the magic of the storytelling, the sense of wonder never lets up—enchanted snakes and other creatures follow Wang as he chooses his destiny, and we learn that the Eternal Master is even more extraordinary than he appears…

In addition to the story, Cioffi provides dragon lore, a brief, easily readable history (and cultural facts) of the Ming Dynasty during which the story is set, and activities and questions for young readers.

You can check out the Walking Through Walls book trailer at:

http://youtu.be/90aJO5qHHWc

~Reviewer Kristin J. Johnson

Kristin is a three-time award-winning poet and short story writer, professional writer, screenwriter, travel blogger, freelance writer, full-time ghostwriter and children's book author. Her latest book is THE HIGH-TECH GOOSENECK PUTTER, written with Samuel DiMatteo. http://www.seo-writer.com/writers/

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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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :