Guest Post: The Big Lie About Book Reviews

Today's guest post by loannis Tsiokos debunks one of those myths authors hear about reviews but also offers a new resource--one you don't want to miss! Watch for future guest posts on this blog from this new force in the world of book reviews. If you are having trouble getting book reviews, try #TheNewBookReview's Lois W. Stern's free book-review-getting service by going to https://bit.ly/FreeBookReviewMatchingService on this blog. Use the link or go to the tab at the top of the home page. It's part of Lois's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors project.

 

The big lie about book reviews

By loannis Tsiokos

Here is the big lie they told you about book reviews.

“You need sales to get reviews”

You most certainly need reviews to get sales, but the reverse is not true. In fact, book sales is the slowest process when it comes to reviews.

To get reviews you must put your book in the hands of Book Reviewers. That simple.

The three kinds of book reviewers.

Professional reviewers, book bloggers and casual reviewers.

Book bloggers and casual reviewers are almost always interested in the content of a book. They don’t care much about the publication year or publisher’s name.

The good news is that, although professional reviews can be a lot harder to get, casual and blogger reviews can be just as valuable.

The bad news is that finding casual reviewers to review your book on Amazon is still not easy.

That is perhaps because, you are not supposed to find them.

They need to find you.

Sure, you can give a book to somebody and ask them to review it, but if they were not already looking for that kind of book (and the chances of that are slim), getting them to read it and review it (for free as per Amazon’s terms) is not going to happen.

Note that I did not say that it’s hard to give away free books to people and ask them for reviews. People will happily accept freebies, but you will need to push several thousands of copies to get a handful of reviews. And to do that, you need marketing dollars and marketing knowledge.

Don’t get me wrong, there is no way to avoid marketing. The idea is to make is cost effective and worth the effort.

So, how do you get reviewers to find your book?

Think of the perfect reviewer. No, that’s not the one who would leave you a five-star review although I see where you are coming from. The ideal reviewer is the person who would have bought your book even if it was not a free review copy. Therefore, the ideal reviewer is nothing more than your target reader.

Once your target readers finds your book, you can offer them a free copy and ask for a review. You cannot offer a free copy “in exchange” as per Amazon, so be careful of the language you use here.

By free copy, I mean one of three things. You can either send them the ebook file or you can send them a Prepaid Amazon link, or a Gift Amazon link. The first one is self-explanatory. Amazon pre-paid and gift links are basically secret Amazon links where somebody can claim a free Kindle version of your book.

Prepaid and Gift links are not the same although they appear to be. One important difference is that prepaid links cannot be exchanged for credit whereas gift links can. Therefore, with prepaid links you can be 100% sure that the recipient will get the book (and you will also get the royalty payment back). However, prepaid links result to Unverified reviews whereas Gift links result to Verified reviews.

Getting your review copy to the hands of your target reader will also require a marketing budget and marketing knowledge. However, you will end up spending way less per review.

So, what’s your next step?

Unfortunately, you cannot use Amazon ads to offer free review copies in exchange for reviews. BookPub does not allow links to lead funnels so that can be restrictive. That leaves you with Google and Facebook ads, but you have to know what you are doing.

If you use Google, you will have to host a page where you kindly ask for a review and offer a free review copy.

If you use Facebook, you could ask for people to get in touch with you through your page. A better strategy is to ask readers to simply comment on a post and have a bot reply back to them with the review copy. This process, and even the follow up, can be automated entirely.

Finally, you might just want to try Fiveabook, a website that I started to help authors and publishers get reviews for their books.

MORE ABOUT TODAY’S GUEST BLOGGER

Ioannis Tsiokos is a programmer, author, book publisher and entrepreneur. He has published over 100 non-fiction titles. He owns and is managing director of Fiveabook.com,  a website that connects authors who want reviews for their books with readers that enjoy free books. Find him on Twitter @fiveabook.

MORE ABOUT THE BLOG, THIS BLOG AND ITS BENEFIT FOR WRITERS

 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 ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everything from Amazon Vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

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.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you a badge similar to this one to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too! 

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 :

Marketing for Writers Book Gets 5-Star Review from Veteran Reviewer

The Frugal Book Promoter

Subtitle: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author's Web site: www.howtodoitfrugally.com
Genre: Nonfiction/How-to/Business/Book Marketing/ Book Promotion/PR
Available paperback/Kindle www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo

Reviewed by Robert Medak

The Frugal Book Promoter is a book every author needs in their library for consultation when promoting their book without spending every dime in their piggy bank.

This copy of The Frugal Book Promoter is a revised and expanded work by Carolyn that tells it like it is as only she can.

This reviewer read and reviewed the original copy of The Frugal Book Promoter, but his copy holds even more information than the original with links to more information, people you might want to contact for help with book covers and marketing your book, which authors need to take on in today’s publishing environment.

It is a sad fact, that publishers are not what they used to be as far as publicity and marketing for your book. More responsibility rests on the shoulders of authors for getting out and making your book sell. The more you can do on your own will save you money, which most authors do not have for hiring a publicist or marketer. It is now up to the author to learn how to do this.

Yes, authors are no longer just authors. They are authors, salespersons, marketers, publicists, and anything else to get their book into the hands of readers.

In The Frugal Book Promoter, authors will find frugal ways to market and promote their books.

Authors need to add The Frugal Book Promoter to their required reference books in writer’s library.

This reviewer highly recommends The Frugal Book Promoter as a must read for anyone thinking of writing a book and getting it into the hands of readers.

The Frugal Book Promoter receives a five out of five star rating from this reviewer who is adding it to other reference books in his library.

~Robert Medak, Freelance Writer/Editor/Reviewer/Marketer

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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 :

Basics for Authors Considering DIY Publishing

Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing and an Insider's Look at a Misunderstood Industry (Paperback)

Reviewed by

Carolyn Howard-Johnson "Author 'This is the Place,' 'Harkening,' 'Tracings' and 'The Frugal Book Promoter'" originally for Amazon

Well, here it is. In a little 79-page nutshell. The basics for any writer thinking about publishing a book on his or her own. It dispels the idea that anyone can or should self-publish. As Author Michele DeFilippo says, "It ain't easy." She then provides a roadmap--indeed a very succinct Mapquest directional--to the basics an author needs to know in order to produce a professional product (and yes, a book is a product!). Indeed, it will help authors evaluate whether this is a project they really want to tackle. And to avoid some pitfalls many first-time authors fall into when they decide to go for it.

"Publish Like the Pros" is a little short on resources, but a book can't be everything to everyone. This book calls itself a "Brief Guide." It also uses the words "QUALITY Self-Publishing." Generally speaking, this is the perfect way to get started. "Brief" and "Quality" being keywords.

There are tons of other books to delve into that cover any all aspects of self-publishing once an author has determined he or she wants to go that route. That includes books like:
Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Your Books with Print on Demand and Online Book Marketing on Amazon.com,

From Word to Kindle: Self Publishing Your Kindle Book with Microsoft Word, or Tips and Secrets for Formatting Your Text in MS Word and Converting Your Document to a Kindle Ebook (Version 2),

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote and Sell Your Own Book,

The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writer),

Book Promo 101: Learn the basics of Book Promotion,

The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly  free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher,

1001 Ways to Market Your Books (1001 Ways to Market Your Books: For Authors and Publishers),

From Book to Bestseller: An Insider's Guide to Publicizing and Marketing Your Book!

Mosquito Marketing for Authors: How I self-published an award-winning book that is a consistent best seller in its category
and dozens of others.

The reason I'm recommending other books as well is that, though the author of this book is the owner of a service that helps writers publish and do it professionally (This little book is proof of that!), I worry that many beginning authors overspend on both production and marketing. They often spend more than they will ever earn unless they are among the very talented and very lucky few. Thus it is is wise to start with this very, very valuable overview. And--once committed--to learn as much as possible the frugal way (with books!) in order to determine what they might learn to do themselves or at least better understand how to hire the best at the best possible price.


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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 :

SELLING BOOKS FROM THE ZODIAC ~ A MARKETING TIP FROM LOIS W. STERN

NAME: Lois W. Stern

CREDENTIALS:: Author, Editor, Publisher 

TITLE(S) OF BOOK(S) YOU SUCCESSFULLY MARKETED: Tales2Inspire ~ The Jewel Collection (Emerald, Topaz, Ruby, Sapphire, Pearl, Opal, Crystal, Garnet, Jade, Moonstone 1, Moonstone 2, Agate); Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collections - Series I, II, III, IV, V, VI)

MARKETING TIP ITSELF, of course!

Since each of my twelve Jewel Colletion books is named for a different gemstone, (with a little nudge from Carolyn), I came up with the idea of timing the marketing of each book to the Zodiac gemstone of that time span. Lucky you! You can now order the paper edition of any Jewel Collection book for that special person in your life for only $10 (US shipping and handling included). But you must time the order of any Jewel Collection book to match its astrological time period. Just check out my handy-dandy Zodiac chart, below, and pick out one of the titles based on the gemstone representing the birthdate of someone special in your life. 

This Zodiac chart below is a way to mark the birthdates of all the special  people in your life. For example, if your sister was born under the sign of Aries, you could have ordered the Ruby Collection book (Gifts of Compassion), paperback edition for $10, or a free ebook of the same title if I received your order between March 21 an April 19th. 

SIGN UP HERE: Stay informed of Tales2Inspire Freebies and Specials.

IMAGES: 

And I created a Jotform for FREE so viewers can place hassle free orders. CLICK HERE to see how that works. 

Save this gem chart to record the birthdays of all the favorite people in your life.

BRIGHT IDEA

The Zodiac works perfectly for my Tales2Inspire books, but now it's your turn. Try to think of a gimmick that works for your books. How about National Pickle Day for a book about pickles, or National Friendship Day for a book to present to a good friend? Anyone have a calendar of celebrations? If so, how about writig an article to share on Sharing With Writers?

ABOUT ME, THE MARKETING GURU: I am an Associate & Review Coordinator for TheNewBookReview. But another hat that I wear is that of creator of Tales2Inspire®, an Authors Helping Authors project/contest, to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. And best of all, it’s Free. I have now published twelve Tales2Inspire® treasured Tales2Inspire Jewel Collection anthologies (as well as six Tales2Inspire 2-in-1 Diamond Collection anthologies). I am a multi award winning author whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As TheNewBookReview review coordinator, I serve as an outreach to help other authors brand themselves as authors of talent. 

 Get a FREE Tales2Inspire book at: www.tales2inspire.com/gifts       

Visit my Tales2Inspire blog HERE.

For some lively conversation, join me on my Facebook page HERE.

MY FAVE LINKS: https://www.tales2Inspire.com/; https://www.Facebook.com/tales2Inspire/;  https://www.amazon.com/tales2inspire/; https://author.amazon.com/home

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tales2inspire&i=stripbooks&crid=3SKYL8WCNMZF8&sprefix=tales2inspire%2Cstripbooks%2C307&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 ; 

MY E-MAIL ADDRESS: tales2Inspire2@gmail.com

Do you want this email to be included with your marketing tip?

X Yes ___ NO

Lois W. Stern, TheNewBookReview Associate and Facilitator, is the founder, editor and contributor to Tales2Inspire, an authors helping authors project to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. As such, she has now published twelve award winning Tales2Inspire® treasured gem collection anthologies of her contest winners' stories, republished in her double 2 for 1 Diamond Collection books. If you would like to participate in this No Fee contest, CLICK HERE for all details. Lois is a multi award winning author herself, whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As TheNewBookReview review coordinator, Lois serves as an outreach to help other authors brand themselves as authors of talent. 

                              CLICK HERE to get a FREE Tales2Inspire book with six of those award winning stories.

Join me on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/tales2inspire

MY NAME: LOIS W. STERN

CREDENTIALS:: Author,  Editor, Publisher, Associate at TheNewBookReviewBlogspot, Founder and editor of the #Tales2Inspire Series of anthologies, Contributing #AuthorsHelpingAuthors associate here and on the #SharingwithWriters Blog

TITLE(S) OF BOOK(S) I SUCCESSFULLY MARKETED: 12 Tales2Inspire Anthologies, 6 Tales2Inspire Diamond Collection Anthologies, Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery, Tick Tock, Stop the Clock ~ Getting Pretty on Your Lunch Hour

MARKETING TIP ITSELF: By Lois W. Stern, 

If you haven't yet read my article about Zelle, a popular tool for making online payments with NO additional charges, check it out here..

A BIT OF BACKGROUND:

 First you need to know that each book in myTale2Inspire Jewel Collection is named for a specific Zodiac gem, and there's a specific reason for that pairing: The stories in each individual Jewel Collection book are theme based to match the symbolic meaning of that particular gemstone. For example, the Emerald is the gemstone symbolizing psychic powers. It’s named for the Tales2Inspire collection filled with Beyond Coincidence stories.

MY CREATIVE MARKETING IDEA: In marketing my books, here is one idea that has worked so well for me. 

I'd like to invite all my Tales2Inspire fans to go to https://www.tales2inspire.com/gifts to downlod a free Zodiac chart, an enlarged working copy of the miniature one you see below. Then add the name of each person special in your life to the line corresponding to their specific birthdate. 

Then, if looking for a unique way to let those near and dear know that they are indeed special to you, consider presenting some on your list with a gem collection book - one named for a gem listed under their Zodiac sign. (See column two on this chart for easy reference.)

What thoughtful little 'Thinking of you' gifts these Jewel Collection books make when paired to the Zodiac sign of one of your friends and/or family members. And here is a little bonus tip I learned from one of my authors: Write one sentence inside each book cover telling that person why they are special to you. 

Thank you, Adrienne Drake, MD

Can you just imagine how thrilled you would be to know that someone cared enough to think of you in such a speclal way!

I often run specials, announced through my monthly newsletter, and encourage my readers to use my Jotform at: https://form.jotform.com/260094023611041 to stock up on these little gift books at bargain prices. 

By thinking creatively, perhaps you can come up with a clever marketing idea to sell your books. If so, please enter our Book Marketing Contest to share one of your creative marketing strategies and possibly win a TNBR BlogSpot marketing  guru award. 

ABOUT TODAY’S CONTRIBUTOR

ABOUT MARKETING GURU, LOIS W. STERN

Lois W. Stern, TheNewBookReviewBlogSpot Associate, is the founder, editor and contributor to Tales2Inspire, an authors helping authors project to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. She has now published over a dozen Tales2Inspire® treasured Jewel Collection anthologies and  award winningsi award winning Diamond Collection anthologies of her contest winners' stories.

Lois is a multi award winning author herself, whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As TheNewBookReview review associate, Lois serves as an outreach to help other authors brand themselves as authors of talent. 

                              CLICK HERE to get a FREE Tales2Inspire Sampler book.

MY  FAVE LINKS: 

https://www.tales2inspire.com 

https://www.Facebook.com.tales2inspire

https://www.youtube.com/winningtales 

MY E-MAIL ADDRESS: tales2Inspire2@gmail.com

Do you want this email to be included with your marketing tip?

 X Yes ___ NO

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lois W. Stern is an Associate & Review Coordinator for TheNewBookReview. She is also the creator of Tales2Inspire®, an Authors Helping Authors project/contest to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. And best of all, it’s Free. Lois has now published twelve Tales2Inspire® treasured Tales2Inspire Jewel Collection anthologies and six award winning Tales2Inspire 2-in-1 Diamond Collection anthologies. She is a multi award winning author whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As TheNewBookReview review coordinator, Lois serves as an outreach to help other authors brand themselves as authors of talent. 

 Get a FREE Tales2Inspire book at: www.tales2inspire.com/gifts       

Visit her Tales2Inspire blog HERE.

For some lively conversation, join Lois on her Facebook page HERE.

Lois is an associate of TheNewBookReview, working with a passion to help other authors strengthen their visibility on this blog and elsewhere. Through her annual Tales2Inspire contest, a labor of love that has received worldwide recognition, she accepts entries from talented newbies and accomplished authors alike, and continues to feature her winning authors on an ongoing basis. True to her 'Authors Helping Authors' philosophy, she charges no submission fee for folks to enter her contest and receives no remuneration for any of her services. She hopes those who benefit from her efforts will express their appreciation by purchasing Tales2Inspire anthologies and writing reviews. In her continuing spirit of “Authors Helping Authors”, Lois provides several tips on how authors can help promote themselves while writing honest reviews for others. To read her article, Be a Hero: Make Some Magic for Yourself. CLICK HERE..

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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 Lois W. Stern’s silver circle icon in the right column of this blog, in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews . Find her guidelines in the right column of this blog’s home page (a silver and gold badge with three silver- circle icons 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  #SharingwithWriters and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing Learn more about Carolyn’s services at HowToDoItFrugally https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews.