Laura Sturza Recommends The Frugal Editor to Her Students

Title: The Frugal Editor
Subtitle: Do-It-Yourself Editing Secrets
Edition: Third Edition
Publisher: Modern History Press
ISBN: 9761615996001
Available on Amazon Hardcover, Paperback, E-book
Awards: 
       USA Book News, Reader Views Literary Award, 
       Next Generation Marketing Awardm Next Generation Indie Book Award, 
       Dan Poynter's Global E-Book Award

Reviewed by Laura Sturza originally for Amazon 

I am a writer and a writing teacher and I highly recommend this book to my students. It is particularly helpful for those writing a book as it includes detailed information about presenting the best version of one's manuscript when submitting it to agents and publishers. There is also lots of information to help those submitting work to magazines and newspapers so that editors don't reject an excellent story because it includes editing errors. While I have been steeped in the writing business for decades, this book taught me so much and helped me refine other essentials, such as decisions about a book's layout. Years ago, I met the author when she ran a writing group. By using personal stories and humor, Howard-Johnson brings that same, warm, conversational style to relaying information that I have found challenging to absorb from other sources. There were grammar corrections she covered that I have struggled with for years, and which she simplified. The book is also full of resources to further explore the topics covered. My copy is full of sticky notes to help me as I continue to edit my first book. When it is published, I have the author to thank for helping me create the strongest possible version of it so that readers can enjoy the story without the distraction of editing flubs.

Disclaimer: I received a book from the publisher of this book so I could write a fair and honest review.

 

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

 Laura Sturza is a writer/teacher living in Rockville, Maryland after 20 years in L.A., which remains her other home. Her work is published in The Washington Post, Shondaland, The Boston Globe Magazine, AARP's The Girlfriend, The LA Times, Lunch Ticket, and Hippocampus, among others. Laura is completing the memoir, Better Late: My Midlife First-Time Marriage. She was a nonfiction editor on the forthcoming book, Transformation: A Women Who Submit Anthology. She wrote, produced, and starred in the one-woman show, Finding the Perfect Place to Live in 111 Gyrations  laurasturza.com

MORE ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW BLOG

 

Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in the right column of this blog home page (a silver and gold badge and threee silver-gray circles beneath it. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator, she also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. 

Another Tales2Inspire Jewel: Tales2Inspire ~ The Jade Collection (True Adventure Stories)

Author’s Name: Lois W. Stern (Creator, editor, contributor)

Author’s email: tales2Inspire2@gmail.com

Title of Book: TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE JADE COLLECTION

Subtitle: Amazing Adventures

Award winning stories of varied adventures: joyful, challenging, light hearted, risky, . . . but each ultimately emerging as a story that has enriched that author’s life in some unique way: travel adventures, from childhood memories of climbing mountains beneath waterfalls, to the journey of three adventurers traveling from their hometown in Venezuela to Detroit, Michigan, simply to meet their inspiration, Henry Ford;  challenging adventures, as the aspiring videographer stranded in Iceland, just below the mountain peaks where The Game of Thrones was filmed; to the fun filled antics of the young American hired to teach his Japanese students how to have fun.

Number of pages: 129

Age/Interest level: 10 +

Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Tales2Inspire-Jade-Collection-Amazing-Adventures/dp/B0CGL85TK2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=TALES2INSPIRE&qid=1696604837&sr=8-1

Formats being offered: Paperback, Ebook, PDF

Review of The Heiress in Kent by Gregory Kopp

TITLE OF YOUR BOOK: The Heiress in Kent

AUTHOR OF BOOK's NAME: Gregory KoppAUTHOR'S EMAIL ADDRESS  greg.kopp@kopp-company.com

 

 

AUTHOR'S FAVORITE LINKS:

 

Website: https://www.kopp-company.com/publishing.html

Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Gregory-Kopp/author/B01LVWZJD7

 

ADD THIS ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW: 

 _X_ Yes, I have received permission from the reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety. 

 

REVIEWER’S BYLINE: Doanné Deventer for Readers’ Favorite 

 

INCLUDE THE THE REVIEW ITSELF, of course! Gregory Kopp's novel The Heiress in Kent takes place in 19th-century London and New York. Sir Richard Mayne and Her Majesty the Queen ordered Scotland Yard detective Richard Cordwell to investigate urgent matters regarding the British throne's financial investments in the American railroads. During a global financial crisis, Cordwell embarks on his journey to uncover the truth and meets new and interesting people along the way. The handsome detective is entrusted with a secret mission from the queen herself that keeps him on his toes. While traveling to different towns to investigate the financial fraud that could negatively impact Britain's economy, he finds himself in challenging situations to complete this secret mission. The burning question on everyone's mind is, who exactly is The Heiress in Kent?

The Heiress in Kent, a historical mystery novel by Gregory Kopp, is a delightful and easy-to-read book. Kopp skillfully introduces several characters in the plot, including two based on his great-grandparents. He has portrayed the era and two different countries remarkably well and has also conveyed the challenging times faced by the characters to the reader in a touching manner. The financial difficulties that the characters experience are relatable to our current economic situation. Kopp has conducted extensive research on the eras and history of both Britain and America, which is evident from the detailed annexures containing references to some of the characters and other relevant information. The book is fast-paced, and not overly complicated. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey it took me on.

REVIEWED BY: Doanné Deventer for Readers’ Favorite

Review Rating: 4 Stars

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR WHOSE BOOK IS BEING REVIEWED: Gregory Kopp is an Amazon and Goodreads 5-Star Author, Graduate of Northwestern University and a Principal Consultant for Kopp Company, a privately held firm. Gregory is also a Talent Ambassador for The Walt Disney Company. The Amazon and Goodreads 5-Star acclaimed Kopp Chronicles series of novels have been nominated for Reader's Choice Awards, Goodreads Choice Awards and have received glowing reviews and been featured in “First Lines” of "BookLife Publishers Weekly" (,https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-981089-24-6)  an international news website of book publishing nd bookselling and by Readers’ Favorite respected by renowned publishers such asRandom House, Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins. They have also received numerous "Cover of the Month" & "Book of the Day" Honors.  

This Review for Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series II Says It All!!

Now the recipient of a National Indie Excellence (NIEA) Finalist Award

_________________________________________________________________________

Author’s Name: Lois W. Stern (Creator, editor, contributor)

Author’s email: tales2Inspire2@gmail.com

Title of Book: TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE DIAMOND COLLECTION - SERIES II

The complete editions of the Ruby (Gifts of Compassion) and Sapphire (Timeless Memories)  Collections under one cover 

Number of pages: 268

Age/Interest level: 10 +

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1507618050
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1507618059

Amazon link: bit.ly/3sQ8AbO

Reviewed by: Foluso Falaye 

Posted on: Readers' Favorite

Review: Tales2Inspire: The Diamond Collection - Series II is created by Lois W. Stern is a riveting collection of nonfiction short stories by award-winning authors. Each story inspires consciousness, empathy, and appreciation for the little things we take for granted. The book is divided into two sections. The first part focuses on stories of compassion while the second one is about timeless memories. In one story, we see how training dogs helps in teaching dropouts to be responsible. Another story reveals the effect of the horrors of the Holocaust on a survivor. An assistant DA shares the values he stands by while relating an encounter with some good-looking burglars. As these stories are told, each author is introduced with an "about the author" page that follows their brilliant contribution. We experience their amazing stories and connect with their important memories, as well as the life-changing messages they hold.

I found several parts of the book quite relatable, especially being judged by a lover's parent for having different hair. Additionally, I loved that each story doesn't have too many characters or themes but maintains a concise structure that allows for quick assimilation and deep intrigue. The collection includes themes of family, loss, health challenges, pets, sports, mental illness, and romance. Apart from the stories, readers are engaged with the book's other fantastic features, including book club discussion questions, pictures of protagonists and authors, and an "about" section. I loved all the tales so much that I am now convinced that everyone should tell their story. Like the authors in Tales2Inspire: The Diamond Collection Series II, everyone has a profound experience of life that sheds light on what truly matters. All nonfiction short story fans will be happy to read this beautiful, heartwarming book by Lois W. Stern.

Title: Prequel

Author: Rachel Maddow

Publisher: Crown

As Reviewed on Maddow's Amazon Buy Page

     I am considering this a review and hope you will, too.  It is slightly edited from a recommendation I sent to a housebound relative who reads voraciously and sends recommendations to me--about three a week. You will see I found some reasons for reading it that might be quite different from the usual reader.  Here it it is:

Dear Reader: 

     You don't know Rachel?  Rachel is a highly  talented …and educated…MSNBC host, podcaster, writer…She writes with humour and much irony. And she avoids lots of unnecessary latinate words, and that's the kind of thing someone who also makes her living with words notices.  Her knowledge of political  history is prodigious. She is an antidote to the crap going on in the world right now. 

     You said you avoid TV.  I think many thinking people turned away from  TV because of all the misinformation that’s going on there. My trajectory was just the opposite.  A long, long time ago when I was in my writing/retailing/getting-an-education era of my life I didn’t watch much, either —almost never. I started watching because I found it an antidote to all the misinformation we have been inundated with in these times of mass media--including the internet. \

     You may recall, I am pretty fussy about what I read. Or not. We had the decade-long gap where we didn't communicate. To update you, I am an ex journalist major, as well as a recovering journalist. I am truly grateful to my journalism experience because of the perspective it has given me and, frankly, the background it has given me for my other writing.  I am pretty much settled on NBC and MSNBC as a major TV news resource because they have a huge staff of trained journalist/reporters stationed all over the world. They even cover financials with a separate cable station, CNBC.   CNN  is my next favorite as a reliable resource, but it seems their new CEO is letting it (or causing it) to slip lately.  And I probably haven't missed a "60 Minutes" on CBS segment in decade.

    Make no mistake, I listen and read from resources that are on both sides of the political spectrum.  I even recommend Dr. Frank Luntz’s, “Words that Work," in the Appendix of several of my books. One needs to know how both sides of politics manipulate the words they use. (Luntz even includes a list of words that can be used when one wants/needs to influence (copywriting and advertising are good examples ). He tries to be fair and noncommittal about politics but sometimes slips. His expertise in the worlds of marketing and politics is prodigious. His readers come to understand how our entire population is being manipulated with words and that saddens me.  That said, I think you find much to learn from Luntz and much to love in Rachel Maddow's newest book.  Even history buffs will be surprised at what they didn't know.

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in the right column of this blog home page (a silver and gold badge and threee silver-gray circles beneath it. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator, she also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing HowToDoItFrugally http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews. Pre-format the post editor for each new post. Cancel Save Post published

Boost Book Sales with a BOGO Offer (Buy One, Get One Free)

Hi there fellow authors,

It's Lois W. Stern here, your NewBookReview Blog Spot Review Acquisition Coordinator, sharing another helpful tip with you: 

This is a great way to grow book sales and brand awareness on a small budget.

The supermarkets do this all the time: BOGO (Buy One, Get One Free) and you can use this same idea to boost book sales.

 

Try bundling a couple of your titles into a 2 for 1 offer. Then send your offer out to your list, post it on your social media pages, add dit to your newsletter, and promote it in any other creative places you can think of. 

Your offer might look like this: “Buy (1st book title) at (add list price) and get (2nd book title) for FREE. And if you decide to include free shipping, be sure to use USA MEDIA RATE. When you ship your books, include a friendly message thanking them for their interest and telling them you hope they enjoy your books. This will cost you only a couple of dollars, but you can get barrels full of free PR in return.

(Here are a few ways to benefit from your investment. 

Just be sure to ask permission first, as courtesy builds trust.)

• Add their name to your newsletter list.
• Ask them if they could write a testimonial about your books. Then use that testimonial to further spread the word about your books.
• Post a thank you to them for purchasing your books on your social media pages, while adding a picture of your book cover. 
• If they give you a great testimonial, ask them if they would expand it into a review, then post it on any of the creditable online book review sites, and send you the link once that review is posted.
• Submit their review to The New Book Review blog spot, following the format provided at:

https://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/2023/05/send-us-your-fav-book-review.html .

If you think it’s worth a small investment to get the word out about your books, 

how about giving BOGO a try?

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

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

Reviewed by Joy V. Smith 

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

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

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

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

 

More About the Reviewer

Joy V. Smith has been writing stories since she was a kid and made her own little books. Later she wrote articles--including interviews with editors, artists, and writers--and short stories. The closest she came to writing long stories was writing sequels to her stories. Then she learned about NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. She started writing novels then and finished several over the years; there was a lot of editing to be done; Joy owes a lot to her patient editors. Her books include: Strike Three, Sugar Time, Taboo Tech, Velvet of Swords, Well Met by Water, Detour Trail, Cold New Planet, Pretty Pink Planet, Hot Yellow Planet, Hidebound, and The Doorway and Other Stories. 

 

She also collects books by her favorite authors and pop-up books, and, of course, reference books and books on writing.