The New Book Review

This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.

Friday, May 12, 2017

Aussie Bloke Reviews "Guardian Angel"


Title: Guardian Angel
Author: Dr. Bob Rich
Reviewer: Gary Clough garyclough@gmail.com
ASIN: B0711C623T
ISBN: 9781521212677
Kindle version 0.99 c
Paperback version $10
Book description


Reviewed by Gary Clough

I’m a builder: a simple bloke with no pretensions to high-faluting knowledge about anything much. So, I don’t know how accurate Bob Rich’s picture of the Victorian times is. All I can say is that he took me there. It was real.
Like, a 12 year old boy from a wealthy family was near death, and his parents couldn’t show him any love. It was NOT DONE. A poor convict servant could. This seems right.
I used to have Koori man work for me, and some of the stories he told me of the life of his family make me believe everything Bob Rich writes about things like “buck hunts” and casual rape of Aboriginal women, and then judging them as sluts.
But in a way, all this is background. The story told in that setting is powerful, unputtable-down, even makes you pass up on the shows on the idiot box. I spent much of a weekend just reading, till the end, which can only be described as beautiful.
Do yourself a favour and read this story when you have a chance.
I know Bob is working on the sequel, and I hope he hurries up about it.





MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
Dr Bob Rich edits the eclectic free newsletter, Bobbin' Around. Subscribe at http://wp.me/P3Xihq-1.  He says his best book of fiction is Ascendinghttp://bobswriting.com/ascending.html and his mottoes are "Commit random acts of kindness and "Live simply so you may simply live."
Learn more about his work at http://bobswriting.com.


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. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Monday, May 8, 2017

Book Reviews? Here's Expert Advice in Entertaining Interview Format

Jim Cox and I have been acquaintances for several years. He is the editor-in-chief of the Midwest Book Review, and says--in his modest fashion--that he " from time to time get [s] requests to be interviewed for publication in some magazine, journal, newsletter, book, or blog. I'm always happy to oblige for two reasons. Firstly, it's an opportunity to promote the Midwest Book Review and secondly, I have a pretty healthy ego and enjoy the attention! :-)"
Because most of readers and visitors of this New Book Review blog are either authors who need to know as much about reviews as possible for the sake of their books or are readers who use and sometimes depend on reviews, I thought it important for you to see this one from Shelby London-Heath.  It's long, but hang in there. You'll learn a lot! 

For writers visiting this blog who sometimes conduct interviews of their own, you'll want to pay attention to the effectiveness of both the questions and the answers! (-: 
INTERVIEW OF JIM COX BY SHELBY LONDYN-HEATH
WITH PERMISSION TO REPRINT

Q. Jim, you started Midwest Book Review in 1976. That is over forty years ago. Why do you think Midwest Book Review has been so successful?
A. The three key elements to the success of the Midwest Book Review are:
1. We always provide authors or their publishers with a copy of our review of their book and an accompanying cover letter telling them all the places we have posted or published that review.
2. We give special consideration whenever possible to self-published authors and small press publishers.
3. We do not charge authors or publishers for reviewing their books as long as those books or published print editions (hardcover or paperback) and the book is in print and available to librarians and the general reading public.
Q. What was the original mission of your business and what drove you to act on it?
A. The original (and continuing) mission of the Midwest Book Review is to promote literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. My motivation for these past 40 years as the editor-in-chief of this enterprise derives from my life-long love of books, the personal importance libraries have played in my life, and the continued expressions of appreciation and support I receive from librarians, booksellers, authors, publishers, and the general reading public.
Q. Did you have money and backers when you started out?
A. I received a $1000 loan from my father-in-law which I used to buy stationary and postage stamps. Everything else was provided free of charge (such as the radio station from which I broadcast my two weekly shows (Madison Review of Books; The Science Fiction & Fantasy Hour), and the labor of unpaid volunteers.
Q. Did family members help you get started? If so, do they still help you? What is the advantage of having family members involved with your business?
A. Other than a loan from my father-in-law (which I paid back in full some six months later), I wasn't helped by family members -- but I did get a great deal of help from a large number of volunteers.
It wasn't until a decade or so later that my daughter came to work for me as my Managing Editor, and then my wife eventually began to review books for two of our monthly book review publications (MBR Bookwatch & Children's Bookwatch).
Occupations and services that they continue to provide to this very day.
Q. Jim, did you experience skepticism when you began your business─ people who wanted to talk you out of your foolish idea?
A. Not really. I started out as a 30 hour a week unpaid volunteer myself in 1976 and it wasn't until 1980 that I turned into a full time paid professional. My book review operation was a success from the very beginning in terms of attracting publishers wanting to submit books for review and being able to pay any overhead expenses using review copies as a source of income by selling them to local bookstores and community libraries in Madison, Wisconsin and other surrounding small communities hereabouts.
Q. What is the best part of owning a book review business?
A. Being my own boss. I had spent 21 years as a social worker laboring away in bureaucratic systems and it was a special joy being able to make my own unimpeded decisions.
Q. What is the worst?
A. The hours I had to put into the Midwest Book Review when I 'turned pro' jumped from 30 a week to 70 or 80. There was no taking time off, no weekends, no holidays. I had that kind of schedule from 1980 to 2001. It got a little better after that, but it wasn't until I got old enough for Social Security and Medicare that I was able to semi-retire and now only work 2 to 3 hours each morning -- seven days a week.
Q. Jim, for many years you did not charge for book reviews. How did you survive financially? Did you ever come close to shutting down your business because of limited finances? What has kept you committed to Midwest Book Review, when you could have done something more lucrative?
A. Quite early on I started to receive two annual foundation grants to support our mission statement.
We were able to cover expenses quite nicely given that all of our reviewer's are unpaid volunteers, and the disposal of review copies generated enough revenue to take care of our budgeted outlays (utilities, phone, stationary, etc.).
Thanks to author and publisher donations to our postage stamp fund I haven't had to buy stamps for more than 30 years now.
While I started out with print editions of our book review publications, when we switched over to on-line editions of those same publications I was relived of an enormous monthly printing expense, -- and never received a single complaint from the publishing industry. Up to that time, printing our book review publications was the single biggest monthly expense by far.
It also helps that I own the building that houses the Midwest Book Review so there are no rent or mortgage expenses.
I was never was in danger of having to close down the Midwest Book Review because of financial issues. Not even when the Great Recession hit. By that time we were down to two paid employees who worked 35 hours a week for minimum wage (which in Wisconsin is $7.50 an hour).
I've been a book person all my life. I'm also a successfully published author in my own right. For many years (until my semi-retirement) I gave talks and did workshops at publisher conventions and for author groups.
I never wanted to do anything else no matter how lucrative that something else might have been. It has been an interesting serendipity how my social work skills transferred so effectively and applicably into my editorial responsibilities.
Q. Before we move to authors and books, do you have a word of advice for business owners such as bloggers, publishers, and writers, as they step into the business world?
A. Yes! Please spend some time reading basic 'how to' books on successfully operating a small business venture. You can find them in any public library. There are reviews of a great many good ones on the Midwest Book Review web site at:
Keep careful records of all your income and expenses. Become knowledgeable of all possible state and federal tax deductions.
Strive to expand the audience for your reviews at all times. For example, of the 81 reviewers I have currently on our roster, about 1/4 of them utilize the Midwest Book Review as a secondary forum for their work. Their primary forum being their own newspaper column or blogg. This allows them to expand their original audience to include the librarians, booksellers, and general reading public that are my audience.
Q. As you know Jim, many authors, even those who are traditionally published, have to promote and market their books. This does not come naturally to people who spend a long time dreaming in front of their keyboards. What advice do you have for authors who need to build platforms for their books? What steps should they take to market their books?
A. There are a great many 'how to' books devoted specifically to this issue. My advice is to read at least one of them every month. You'll find scores of them reviewed and recommended on the Midwest Book Review web site at that same link:
My advice is to jot down the titles of 3 or 4 of them, then go to your local community library and ask that they be procured for you through your public library's free Interlibrary Loan System.
When you get them, read them with pen and paper at hand to make notes and jot down ideas.
If you find one that is so useful you want to have it for your own personal reference shelf you can then buy it from the publisher or order it through your favorite bookstore, or even go up onto Amazon to buy it.
Q. Jim, let’s talk about your review process. Books arrive by mail to Midwest Book Review. How many arrive in a month?
A. We receive an average of 2,000 titles a month from the publishing industry.
Q. Out of all those books, how many actually get reviewed?
A. 600 to 700 a month on average.
Q. Who opens the packages and reads the books when they arrive?
A. My mail room guy. He pops them out of their packages and boxes, puts the accompanying paperwork (cover letters & PRs) into the book, then stacks them on my desk to be screened and sorted out by me.
Q. What are the biggest reasons books get rejected after their first readings?
A. Here are the reasons for rejection:
1. It's a pre-publication manuscript, a galley, an uncorrected proofs, or an advanced reading copy (ARC) and we require a published, finished copy the way it would be encountered in a bookstore or a library.
2. It is disfigured by being stickered or written on -- most often with the message 'Review Copy - Not for Sale'.
3. The cover art is atrocious and renders the book uncommercial when competing with other titles in the same genre.
4. There is a serious production flaw with the books such as the binding, or the print is too small for the intended readership.
Q. What are the qualities of a book that drive it deeper into the review process?
A. Here are the reasons for passing the initial screening and being eligible for a review assignment:
1. It arrives with the proper paperwork
2. Attractive in appearance making it visually competitive in its genre or subject
3. It's in a genre or on a subject that is of interest to one or more of my reviewers
4. It's by a self-published author or small press publisher
5. It's from a freelance publicist that I have good experience with and respect their judgement
6. It's of a unique or new to me subject matter or something that is currently a hot topic
Q. Are there differing levels that a book goes through to get to a final review? If so, what are the levels?
A. It's all pretty simple and straight forward. There are no levels beyond the initial screening. Once a book has passed my initial screening there is a 4 to 6 week 'window of opportunity' for it to be assigned out for review. When a book is assigned out for review the reviewer as 30 days in which to review the book and submit their review to me.
Q. Do you have an editorial team that agrees on final book reviews? If you do, what happens if the members have varying opinions on a book?
A. I don't operate on a team consensus basis. I am the sole arbiter of whether or not a book will become available for review and to which reviewer it will be assigned. Reviewers can express their preferences and they will be adhered to as much as possible.
The Managing Editor decides which review will go into which of our nine monthly book review publications.
Q. Do you have affiliate book review sites or alternative channels, where authors may fish for book reviews if they don’t make it through Midwest Book Review?
A. No. But I did create "Other Reviewers" as a section of the Midwest Book Review web site. "Other Reviewers" is a database of freelance book reviewers, book review magazines and publications, book review web sites and blogs. The databse link is:
Click on "Other Reviewers" and it opens the database. The trick is to go down the list (and it's a long list because it is a huge databas). When you seek one that looks promising, click on it and you'll be zapped to that particular web site. Read through that other web site and you'll be able to determine if that reviewer or review resource is thematically appropriate for your particular book -- and if it is, what their book review submission guidelines are.
Q. What about interested book reviewers? Do you have open spots for them, and how do you determine the quality of their reviews?
A. We always welcome new reviewers. I have a form letter I send out in response to such inquiries called "Reviewer Guidelines" which lays everything out that they will need to know to be a volunteer book reviewer for the Midwest Book Review.
Their first few reviews pretty much will tell me how good they are at it. Sometimes, if it would be helpful, I give a word of advice or counsel as to what might improve their work. I see that as part of my job as a book review editor.
There are no word limits to a review. My advice is for reviewers to say everything they think needed to be said in their critique of a book.
Q. Jim, I notice you send out reviews electronically to bookstores and libraries across the U.S. and Canada? What does this process involve? What do the agencies and companies do with the information you send them?
A. The Managing Editor takes care of electronically posting the reviews to authors, publishers, subscribers to our publications, and Gale Cengage Learning (for their Book Review Index data base program for library systems throughout the U.S. and Canada). We have a database of email addresses so it's just a matter of plugging an email address into an email confirmation notification letter and hitting 'Send'.
What the recipients do if so motivated by the review we send them is use the reviews to make out purchase orders. Authors and publishers utilize the reviews in the context of their own publicity, promotion, and marketing campaigns.
Q. Do you have catalogs and print-out reviews that you mail out? If so, who writes them and where are they sent to?
A. We don't have catalogs. For those authors and publishers who would like to have a hard cover of a review on our letter head stationary we print them out, put them in an envelope, add a stamp, and snail-mail them along with a form letter. All our reviews are archived on the Midwest Book Review web site for five years.
Q. You have a review section called Reviewer’s Choice. What is that?
A. Reviewer's Choice is a monthly book review column that is reserved for:
1. Reviews of books that cover more than one subject area (e.g. biography & military history; or photography & wildlife).
2. A given reviewer who only has one review submitted in a given month (it takes 2 or more reviews to have your own byline column).
3. The review is one furnished by the author or publisher by a non-Midwest Book Reviewer because, while the book passed my initial screening, it didn't get a review assignment in the allotted time frame only because of 'too many books, not enough reviewers'.
This is a 'safety net' idea I came up with so that we could provide some modicum of value to authors or publishers who made an investment in submitting a copy of their book to us. This at least gives those folk access to our audiences and the review is posted in the "Reviewer's Choice" column in their behalf and under the reviewer's byline.
Q. Is there a category of books that you do not accept? Why not?
A. Pornography. We only review books that you would find in a general bookstore or a community library.
Q. What do you think is the most popular book genre or book category in today’s market?
A. Adult coloring books are hot right now. Other enduringly popular categories include: cookbooks, art books, military books, needlecraft books.
Q. What is your favorite kind of book to read when you are not working?
A. My personal recreational reading is currently dominated by Large Print Editions of western novels distributed by Ulverscroft. I also am partial to graphic novels and science fiction/fantasy.
Q. Jim, what do you think about the decreasing role of book critics in newspapers and other journals nowadays?
A. I have mixed emotions. One the one hand it saddens me because it is a reflection of how the reading of books as a pastime pursuit has been a diminishing trend over the last 30 years. On the other hand it has benefit the Midwest Book Review immensely because many of those book critics who lost their newspaper or journal columns now send their review to me!
But one only has to look at the growing number of book review oriented blogs and Amazon comments on line to realize that there is still a huge number of people who enjoy sharing with others their opinions, comments, and recommendations on what they've been reading.
Q. What do you believe is causing this decline, and what do you predict the literary consequences will be?
This decline is directly related to the advancing popularity and increasing 'market share' of electronic based pastimes. It all began with the advent of television in the homes of America. Nowadays it's the rise of the Smart Phone and all those apps that are further eroding the reading of books for recreation and continues to shrink the percentage of the population that reads/buys books -- and therefore decreases the revenues that magazines and journals can derive from the publishing of book review columns.
Q. What is your opinion of the current trend of laypersons doing reviews for books on sites such as Amazon and internet bookstores? Do you think this is a fair way to determine the quality of a book?
A. You are talking to a man whose mentor (John Ohliger) first brought me into the book review game because he wanted to take what had been a kind of academic white tower of book reviewing reserved for the literary elites into the province of the common folk -- housewives, cab drivers, students, (and in my case) social workers. Ordinary folk who wanted to share their opinions about what they were reading but otherwise had no forum to do so until our little weekly radio show came along.
The 40 year success of the Midwest Book Review and our continuing popular reputation within the publishing industry is a very positive reflection on the contention that having 'laypersons' reviewing books is a very fair way to determine the quality of a book for its intended readership.
Q. Have you ever been the first to spot a book or author that would become a huge success during your company’s review process?
A. There is a very successful science fiction author by the name of Kevin J. Anderson. He was a teenager attending the Oregon Highschool here where I live and had written a science fiction story and wanted my opinion. I had him as a guest on my radio show and told him based upon what I had read that he had talent. That was more than 35 years ago.
And there have been others down through the years -- but Kevin was the first.
Q. Do you still personally review books?
A. Every day.
Q. What has been the most dramatic aftermath of a book review you have ever experienced at Midwest Book Review?
A. For me personally it would be receiving the 2012 Lifetime Achievement in Publishing award from the late Dan Poynter and his publisher association out in Santa Barbara, California.
For the Midwest Book Review it would be opening up an author 'thank you' letter about twenty years ago and finding an unsolicited check for our Postage Stamp Fund in the amount of $1,000.00 -- it was from a lady in New York whose three self-published books I had reviewed. It turned out I was the only one she had approached (and apparently there were a lot of them) that had done her that service -- and not asked anything of her.
Q. Okay, let’s get to the topic everyone is talking about nowadays: self-published authors. Why do you think there is a growing influx of Indie authors, and how are they impacting the publishing world?
A. The numbers are proliferating because of the ease at which POD (Publishing On Demand) companies can turn a manuscript into a book; because of the rise of the Kindle and such publishing sales outlets as Smashwords; because of the increasing difficulties of an unknown author being able to persuade the established major publishers into accepting them.
Being a self-published authors, and putting in the work of effective marketing, thereby being able to secure potential buyers through the use of social media and the internet is what is driving their numbers up.
Q. Do you have an opinion about authors and traditional publishers? For instance, do you think it is fair for authors to give away 90% of their royalties to publishers?
A. Traditional publishers have been squeezing authors since the invention of the printing press. What's going on these days is that Amazon is squeezing publishers just as hard as publisher squeeze authors.
By way of an example, here is my view on what a break down for a $10 book should look like:
$3 for the publisher manufacturing the book
$1 for publicity/promotion/marketing
$1 for distribution/wholesaling
$4 for the bookstore
$1 for the author
Q. Do you think the rise of Independent authors will change the ratio of royalties between authors and publishers in the future?
A. No. I'm afraid not. Unless an author is willing to learn how to market a book -- and put in the time necessary, the advantage will always be on the publisher side of the financial equation.
Q. Jim, I notice your company reviews self-published writers and also reviews books from small presses. Why are you so supportive of the lower hierarchy in the publishing world?
A. There are two reasons: One professional & One personal
1. I needed a niche, something that would help the Midwest Book Review stand out against such book reviewing competitors as the Publishers Weekly, the Library Journal, The New York Times Book Review, etc.
That niche turned out to be an emphasis on self-published authors and small press publishers that the other established book review publications routinely ignored.
I've never had a problem getting books from the big publishing firms, but it was the job that I was doing (in terms of the quality of the reviews I and the other volunteers were personally churning out) of the little guys (and the audience for those reviews that I was also generating and expanding) that demonstrated to the publishing industry that I was a legitimate and desirable person to send review copies too.
That's the professional reason. Here's the personal reason:
I am myself a self-published author. When I was in college I wrote a book called "The Social Contributions of Joseph Smith to Plural Marriage". My stepfather owned a hand operated printing press as a hobby. I printed out, collated, and bound 1,000 copies (which sold out in six months).
I had to hawk copies to bookstores in Salt Lake City, as well as the campus bookstore at BYU (where I was a student).
So I got a first hand exposure to what it was like to be a self-published author and have to market my own wares.
That left me with a life-long appreciation for what self-published authors have to go through and a firm desire to help them out whenever and however I could.
Q. There are still companies that will not review self-published writers. Why do you think some literary doors remain closed to independent writers? What do you think it will take to change the reputation of Indie authors?
A. A lack of proper editing is what created a negative image of self-published authors that still exists to this day. To change that reputation only an emphasis on editing what you publish will help.
Q. I know from reviewing books myself, that there are many poorly-edited books, but I have also read self-published books that are superbly edited and are literary gems. Do you think there will ever be a self-published book that wins a Nobel Prize?
A. Yes. The means and process of turning a manuscript into a book by an author working on their own is improving year by year. In my opinion it is only a matter of time before a self-published book wins a literary award as prestigious as the Nobel Prize.
Q. Will it take something that drastic for closed literary doors to finally swing open for independent authors?
A. No. What it will take is for great literary works having been self-published raise an awareness among librarians and the general reading public that they exist. The means to do so is improving annually through the means of social media and the internet -- and (all modesty aside) the organizations like the Midwest Book Review.
Q. Although Indie authors are left out of book reviews and grant opportunities, there are still places where they are welcomed. As mentioned before, Midwest Book Review accepts Indie authors’ books and so does Publisher’s Weekly. At the same time, independent authors cannot apply for the National Endowment for the Arts, although they can apply for the Pulitzer Prize. Do you think literary discrimination exists against Indie authors? If so, based on your experience, is it warranted?
A. Of course there is literary discrimination against self-published author. Of course it is not fair. But it is based upon the personal and professional experience of reviewers, editors, and publishers having waded through a great deal of self-published books that are poorly written and badly in need of even the most basic editing.
I think this will change as self-published authors get more sophisticated -- and as more sophisticated software (beginning with simple spell checkers and evolving into manuscript editing programs) become available and easier to use.
Q. Jim, I am aware that you won a Publisher’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Will you describe what that is and what the experience was like for you?
A. The late Dan Poynter was an icon in the self-publishing community. He and I knew each other, and worked with each other for decades. The group he started was for ebook publishers and authors. Both myself and the Midwest Book Review were very well known in that community on a national basis.
In September of 2012 I was invited to be a speaker at their convention in Santa Barbara, California. When I got there I was given the award in recognition of my work in behalf of self-published authors and small presses. As was usual at such conventions, I was provided with a room in which to give a workshop (How to Get Your eBook Reviewed).
That rather large room was packed with people. There was, quite literally, standing room only with folks lining the two side walls and the back of the room. I understand that even then some folks had to be turned away because of a lack of room for them to even stand.
It was particularly memorable for me because attending that same event was my West Coast Editor, Diane Donovan, a volunteer reviewer with whom I had been working for at least 25 years up to that time -- but I had never met her in person! She lived in California, I live in Wisconsin. In all that time (she is co-editor of three of our monthly publications in addition to having her own monthly bylined review column) she had only been a voice on the phone or an email correspondent.
It was a thrill of a life time. I still have that award hanging on a hook in my office. Dan Poynter is gone now -- but I still remember him and honor him as one of my most important mentors in those early years of the Midwest Book Review.
Q. Usually, when someone wins a Lifetime Achievement Award, it is because they never stopped doing what they were passionate about and they kept moving ahead─ even if it meant breaking cultural boundaries. It takes courage not to quit. What challenge did you have to meet to keep Midwest Review evolving on your terms?
A. If I had any challenges to keeping the Midwest Book Review running, I don't seem to be able to recognize them as such. I get up in the morning and every morning is like Christmas as I see what books the mails have brought. I enjoy answering the phone myself and talking to people about their books, about their publishing houses, about the Midwest Book Review.
I deeply enjoyed going to conventions and giving talks or holding workshops. I can't do that anymore because of age-related health issues. But I still enjoy puttering in the office every morning. Dealing with the snail-mail and the email. Reading and writing opinions of what I've read. And generally striving to help writers to write better, publishers to publisher more profitably, and being instrumental in bringing to the attention of librarians (as well as the general reading public) good books that they might otherwise never know existed.
Q. Jim, what did you grow up thinking you would do with your life?
A. I grew up the product of a broken home. My teen years were those of a delinquent. The significant people in my life were cops and social workers. The local library was my place of refuge and sanctuary.
I knew I wanted to be a Social Worker -- and was one for 21 years.
I didn't even now that being a book reviewer could be an occupation. I stumbled into that as first a hobby, and then as a career as an unexpected and unintended surprise. Just one of life's lucky little cicumstances!
Q. What is your definition of success?
A. Living a mellow life with enough revenue to cover the basics. Having something interesting to read, something interesting to do, something worthwhile to strive for, someone to love and be loved by.
Q. Have you achieved your version of success?
A. In a word -- YES.
Q. What are your interests and hobbies?
A. Playing poker, reading, watching old movies on TV.
Q. Did you always like reading books?
A. As far back as memory goes. I think I was born a book worm. Before becoming a book reviewer I would spend about 1/4 of my income on books and magazines. When I found that by being a book reviewer I would get them for free it was as if I'd gotten a 25% raise of my disposable income.
Q. Did you ever want to be a writer? If so, what would you like to write about?
A. I never wanted to write the Great American Novel. My ambitions were always far more modest. I merely wanted to achieve the power of life and death over those who did! :-)
As I've mention earlier I am a published author. But beyond that, I write a monthly column of advice, tips, tricks & techniques for authors and publishers called the "Jim Cox Report". They are all archived on the Midwest Book Review web site at:
Q. When you look back, did you achieve the business mission you envisioned when you were a dreamy-eyed man four decades ago?
A. The historical reality has far exceeded my expectations. The Midwest Book Review, as a business, has operated in the black without exception in the entirety of its 40 years. One of the fundamental financial underpinnings are the grants, another basic source are the donations from authors and publishers, a third revenue source is in the form of twice yearly royalty checks for my reviews, fourthly are the volunteers contributions of their time and effort, and fifthly is the revenue derived from the sale of review copies to two local Madison, Wisconsin bookstores.
Q. Is there anything you wish you had done differently?
A. Nothing comes to mind.
Q. What are you most proud of?
A. All the people that have made the Midwest Book Review such a success within the publishing industry down through the years.
Q. What do you want the legacy of Midwest Book Review to be?
A. A source of recommendable value for authors, publishers, librarians, booksellers, and the general reading public, long after my time on Earth is done. I take a measure of immense satisfaction in knowing that my daughter (who is our Managing Editor) will continue the Midwest Book Review when I no longer can.
Q. Is there anything I have left out or anything you would like to add to this interview? Do you have parting advice for aspiring writers?
A. There are three fundamental reasons to write a book:
1. You have a compulsion to put your ideas or stories down on paper and yearn to have others read them.
2. You want to financially support yourself by writing as a career.
3. You have a cause to promote.
No matter which of these (or any combinations of these) applies to you, be aware that none of them will materialize unless you learn how to publicize, promote, and market what you have written, what you have published, what you have to offer the readers of your work.
Thank you for this interview, Jim. I appreciate that you remain down-to-earth and are accessible to writers and reviewers. You are an asset to the world of authors and books. I personally thank you for your many years of devotion and hard work.
Now on to some more current reviews of new titles that I recommend for authors and/or publishers:
The Writing/Publishing Shelf


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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. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Friday, May 5, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

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

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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

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

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

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

Sunday, March 26, 2017

"Powerful and Funny" LGBT Story


 Title: Womb Man
Subtitle: How I Survived Growing Up in a Booby-Trapped World
Author: Kristine M Smith
Author Website: YellowBalloonPublications.com
Category: LGBT Studies
ISBN: 7881544200682
Reviewer: Shayne Laughter
Where to buy the book: YellowBalloonPublications.com or  http://amzn.to/2munFwP


Book Review for WOMB MAN: How I Survived Growing Up in a Booby-Trapped World

“What I love about Kris Smith's writing is that she is powerful and funny without being mean; compassionate and courageous without asking for a scrap of pity. WOMB-MAN is a fresh, fast read, full of information and rousing emotion.   This is the transgender life story you want to give your teen and pre-teen, your grandmother, pastor, congressman, barista and school counselor.   Kris is walking proof that humor and a focus on what we love saves lives.” - Joy Shayne Laughter, Author, Speaker

                                                                                                     
Synopsis  

                                                   

When I was 32, I did something that made my father immensely proud. Spontaneously, he proclaimed “That’s my boy!” Immediately realizing his error, he shot a panicked look at me, eyes wide with horror. 
Equally shocked and catching my breath, I responded, “It’s all right, Dad.”   
And it really was all right. Because—for the first time in my life—I felt recognized for who I really was: a remarkable man.  
We never spoke of it again. But I began to wonder why it had taken Dad 32 years to “get” me. Or had it? Did he know something I didn’t? And if he did, why was he keeping it a secret?

Was I born intersex and surgically altered as an infant to meet gender norms (the default solution in the mid 50’s for ambiguously-gendered babies, then called hermaphrodites)? Or am I naturally transgender—a man housed in a female body? 
 
There are countless people like me who don’t fit gender norms. Many feel the need to hide who they truly are, to exist without being scolded as strange or feared as foreign. You probably know several of them; they just might not trust you enough to tell you. 
 
Something needs to change. I hope my own story helps that happen. 

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

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

Friday, March 24, 2017

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


How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically
Subtitle: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career
Series: Multi Award-Winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author's Web site: http://HowToDoItFrugally.com
Genre: Nonfiction/Writers/Marketing
ISBN 9788-1-5369-4837-0
Purchase paperback of e-book on Amazon

Reviewed by Barbara McNichol originally for Amazon

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

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

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

Friday, March 3, 2017

Readers Favorite Award-Winner for Kids Released

Little Birdie Grows Up
by Wanda Luthman
A Children's Picture Book
ISBN 9780692745090
Reviewed by: Mamta Madhavan on Reader's Favorite
Little Birdie Grows Up received a 5 Star Review
Buy on Amazon


Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers Favorite Awards 


Little Birdie Grows Up by Wanda Luthman is the story of a little bird who is welcomed into the world by Mama Bird. Birdie snuggles up to Mama Bird and feels happy with her. Little Birdie is hungry and wants to eat something. Birdie thinks a worm will be good. Little Birdie also dreams of flying up high in the sky and at the same time is scared of falling. Little Birdie is proud of the first flight and lands down with a bump. Little Birdie has grown big and has become strong. This beautiful story captures the growth of Little Birdie from that of being a baby to an adult and leaving home.

Narrated from a bird’s point of view, the story takes the reader through the various stages of development and life changes of Little Birdie. The illustrations are lively and colorful and they add a good pace and movement to the story by breathing life into the scenes and characters. It is an excellent story for interactive sessions in classrooms and school libraries as it tells kids about growing up and leaving home. Parents and grandparents can use it for bedtime story-telling as it encourages children to grow and embrace the new changes that are going to happen in their lives while growing up. The concept and message are good and definitely helpful to child readers to look at their life, growth, and development with the right perspective. The rhyming verses make the narration lyrical and enjoyable for kids

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MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Wanda Luthman has her Masters of Arts in both Mental Health Counseling and Guidance Counseling from Rollins College located in beautiful Winter Park, Florida. She worked at a local Community Mental Health Center for 10 years before transferring to the Public School System as a Guidance Counselor. She’s worked at a High School for the past 20 years. She has also been an Adjunct Professor at the local Community College and worked with teens who had lost a loved one through Hospice. She has always loved reading and writing and wrote many books and poems as a child growing up in Missouri. She presently resides in Brevard County Florida with her husband of 21 years and two dogs. Her daughter is away at college, like Little Birdie, she has left the nest. All of Wanda's books are available on Amazon at www.amazon.com/author/wandaluthman. She writes to encourage kids to be the best they can be! 
You can follow her blog at www.wandaluthman.wordpress.com or her Facebook Fanpage at www.facebook.com/wluthman. She is also the author of The Lilac Princess and A Turtle's Magical Adventure. Learn more about the author and all of her books at 

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.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Costa Rica Retiree Shares Journey

My Path to Retiring (and Writing!) in Costa Rica

By Helen Dunn Frame 

Review quote from Rowdy Rhodes

About 13 years ago, I faced the BIG decision. Should I retire or go up against the unseen wall preventing older citizens from obtaining a job despite extensive experience?

When the parent company filed bankruptcy, my job of a lifetime disappeared. I determined I did not want to return to the good-ole-boy commercial real estate business that I had battled for 25 years. I looked for something to supplement my income. One real estate company’s president wouldn’t hire me as a receptionist with the bonus of a broker’s license because he felt I would want to retire soon.

As part of my due diligence, I visited Costa Rica, a then financial friendly country, to assess living there. When I returned home, despite what many financial advisors would advise I took Social Security early based on the idea that money now is worth more than later. I ran the numbers and determined I would have to collect my benefit for at least 13 years to break even.

Like others, I had to decide if I wanted to retire full time, part time, or not at all. As I approached what could be the last quarter or even third of my life, I did a Ben Franklin and listed the pros and cons. My goal was to enjoy an adventure that would ensure my golden years would be happy, healthy, and content. To pay forward, I wrote a book, first published in 2012, called Retiring in Costa Rica or Doctors, Dogs and Pura Vida. This year I published the third edition to pinpoint the changes and growth in the country.

The book offers readers the first step, beginning with the new first Chapter, Retirement 101, in which I encourage you to look beyond your financial plans and to consider what you will do with your wonderful free hours. If Costa Rica is on your list of possible locations, you’ll learn about its environment. You’ll undoubtedly discover if retiring to this emerging nation is, or is not, for you. If your choice is retiring to another foreign country, the book will help you to recognize what you might face when adapting to a different culture. You could also decide to keep working, if only part-time, or to create a business and live near family and friends.

In Retiring, you will find a lot of data, including references to other books, links to websites, and much-needed phone numbers that will enable you to carry your research to the next level. And, you may contact me through my website to download a free Moving Guide and workbook, useful for any move.


Freelance Writer Rowdy Rhodes wrote: “If you are contemplating permanent retirement, investing, or even birding in the forest reserves in Costa Rica, then you must read this book. An in-depth, comprehensive guide by U.S. expat Helen Dunn Frame, it provides a systematic method for the entire process of making your tropical retirement dream easily come true."


MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Helen Dunn Frame, an accomplished businesswoman (formerly a commercial real estate broker in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, specializing in retail and restaurants), developed professional writing skills. Plus, living in England, Germany, and Costa Rica; and her love of travel (in 50 countries where she gained an appreciation of the value of diverse cultures) have provided background for several books. 

Helen wove many threads of her experiences into the fabric of GREEK GHOSTS followed by the second in the mystery series, WETUMPKA WIDOW. Living in Dallas during a major scandal resulted in SECRETS BEHIND THE BIG PENCIL. In a third edition this year, Helen advises Baby Boomers in her book about RETIRING IN COSTA RICA or Doctors, Dogs and Pura Vida. It features a new chapter, Retirement 101, which is also a booklet available on Kindle.

A graduate of Syracuse University (Journalism School), and New York University (Master’s Degree in Sociology/Anthropology), major newspapers and magazines as well as trade publications in the United States, Costa Rica, England, and Germany have published her writing. She has edited newsletters, a newspaper and other author's books, created business proposals for clients and spoken to groups. 

She is the author of Retiring in Costa Rica or Doctors, Dogs and Pura Vida (Third Edition); Greek Ghosts, Love and Danger; Wetumpka Widow, Murder for Wealth; Secrets Behind the Big Pencil, Inspired by an Actual Scandal, Retirement 101, Planning Beyond Financial Security. Get to know her on her Web site at  http://bit.ly/1KxXt7T ,  Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1COtMJn , her


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.