Book Reviews Rock - Plus Hint #Eleven for Getting Them

BOOK REVIEWS ROCK, PLUS HINT # ELEVEN

Hint Number Eleven for Getting them

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Hint # Eleven

(When asking for reviews)"Don't overlook staff members at bookstores where you have given presentations. A large percentage are avid readers, and many are fellow writers. Some do reviews for the store's newsletter. Your personal thank you to them should be a signed copy of your book."

Page 105: How to Get Great Book Reviews

________________________________________

One thing I know for sure . . .  Authors are a wonderful group of people, and by and large so willing to help one another. 

It's just that life has a way of keeping us all so busy. 

________________________________

 BRIGHT IDEA

SO HERE'S MY BRIGHT IDEA FOR SOLVING THIS PROBLEM:

 1. CHOOSE ONE BOOK  FROM THE LIST BELOW THAT INTERESTS YOU.

 2. ASK THAT AUTHOR TO SUGGEST JUST 50 PAGES TO GIVE YOU ITS FLAVOR.

 3. READ THOSE FEW PAGES.

 4. THEN WRITE YOUR AMAZON REVIEW, POSTING IT WITHIN 30 DAYS.

*** USE YOUR REVIEW TO HELP PROMOTE YOURSELF AS WELL. ***

HOW? 

JUST END IT WITH THE WORDS: AUTHOR OF (YOUR BOOK TITLE)  

________________________________________

TITLE: SOLAR DIVIDENDS: How Solar Energy Can Generate a Basic Income for Everyone on Earth

NUMBER OF PAGES: 144

DESCRIPTION: puts forth a bold original plan for solving global poverty and global warming with a single program. In brief: we set up every person on the planet with a big section of solar panels, sell the electricity the panels generate, and deliver the money as solar dividends to the person as their basic income, for the rest of their life. The book provides compelling reasons and a detailed blueprint for this inspiring program.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Robert Stayton

E-MAIL: stayton.robert@gmail.com

FORMAT: paperback, PDF, Kindle, or Epub

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Adult

AMAZON URL: https://tinyurl.com/wlaeydr

                                          ________________________________________

TITLE: NOVEMBER TO JULY

NUMBER OF PAGES: 282

DESCRIPTION: Eleanor Simons has been serving as a nurse in the Great War. When the fighting stops, she faces bleak prospects. Her fiancé, a fighter pilot, is dead. In Paris, where she now lives, a conference of delegates from around the globe is meeting to remake the maps of Europe, Asia and Africa. Their effort to create a peaceful world is doomed; but through it, Eleanor faces the challenge of shaping a better future for herself.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Marilyn Oser

E-MAIL: marilynoser@gmail.com

FORMAT: PDF, E-BOOK, TRADE PAPERBACK 

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: adult 

AMAZON URL: https://tinyurl.com/tk5n62y

                                         ________________________________________

TITLE: ONCE UPON AND EVER AFTER

NUMBER OF PAGES: 15 ebook, 32 paperback

DESCRIPTION:  After years of training the prince is finally ready for his quest to rescue a princess.  But can h e find a princess who needs to be rescued and what happens if he can't?

AUTHOR'S NAME: Caroline L Thornton

E-MAIL: carolinelthornton@outlook.com

FORMAT:  Mobi

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Up to 8

AMAZON URL:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZG2WNXL

                                         ________________________________________

TITLE: NUMBER EIGHT CRISPY CHICKEN

NUMBER OF PAGES: 232

DESCRIPTION: Immigration minister, Peter Ruddick, is enroute to remote Pulcherrima, the site of his latest privately-run, fast-food chain-inspired detention centre. But chaos ensues when Peter misses his connecting flight and finds himself confined to Turgrael airport, without a lounge in sight. Stranded with nothing but crispy chicken burgers to eat and nobody but a bleeding-heart liberal for company, Peter’s misunderstandings of Turgistani language and culture 

AUTHOR'S NAME: Sarah Neofield

E-MAIL: sarahneofield@gmail.com

FORMAT: (PDF, E-BOOK)

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Mainstream adult fiction

AMAZON URL: https://tinyurl.com/NumberEightCrispyChicken

                                         ________________________________________

TITLE: TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE OPAL COLLECTION

NUMBER OF PAGES: 125

DESCRIPTION:  A collection of 16 non-fiction short stories by contest winning authors participating in the 2019 Tales2Inspire® contest. The theme for this Opal Collection, Stronger Today Because, is portrayed in both words and original photographs reflecting the true experiences of these authors. 

AUTHOR'S NAME: Lois W. Stern

E-MAIL: tales2Inspire@optimum.net

FORMAT: 5 Paperbacks, PDF, Epub

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Young adult and adult

AMAZON URL: http://tiny.cc/po1ahz

                                         ________________________________________

TITLE: I AM ME: Teen Artists and Writers Speak Out On Being Yourself 

NUMBER OF PAGES: 104 (a quick read)

DESCRIPTION: This book pairs award winning poetry and art to empower young teens to shake off the negative power of the media and peers to realize it is okay to be themselves.  This anthology is a fresh voice that lets teens know that you don’t have to achieve “perfection" to be “perfect.” Created from over 100,000 submissions of art and poetry.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Tom Worthen, Ph.D.

E-MAIL: tiffani@poeticpower.com

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL:   Teens – 12-18

AMAZON URL:  TinyURL.com/rhjdyt4

                                         ________________________________________

TITLE: WOULD YOU RATHER BE IN THE COFFIN THAN GIVE THE EULOGY? - how to take the terror out of public speaking: A PRACTICAL guide for all types of speeches

DESCRIPTION: Your career prospects may depend on your ability to speak in public. Authors, sports stars, actors and business people may also be asked to ‘give a talk’ about their success, which can be an intimidating prospect. This step-by-step guide gives you practical advice for giving many types of speeches, with examples that show you what to do, what not to do - and what can go hilariously wrong! (Some things are only learned by experience).

AUTHOR: jannev@mweb.co.za

FORMAT: (PDF, E-BOOK)

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL:  High school age and upwards

AMAZON URL: https://amzn.to/2KpE4w8

                                         ________________________________________

ABOUT YOUR TRUSTED BLOGGER, LOIS W. STERN

http://www.tales2inspire.com

        Tales2inspire was a kernel of an idea I started in 2012. It has grown to proportions even I didn’t dare to envision. My innate curiosity about potentially fascinating human interest stories was the spark that ignited this idea, but it was the confused state of traditional publishing that propelled me forward. Tales2inspire delivers exactly what it promises as both an authors-helping-authors project and a contest. Winners get their stories published in print, e-book, and some even in video formats, with their names, headshot photos, and mini-autobiographies. Then I spread the word about the winners and their stories on my blog, my monthly newsletter, and on several select social networks. Free to enter, this competition is open to talented newbies and seasoned authors alike. 

Learn more about me and the Tales2Inspire project at: www.tales2Inspire.com

and get a FREE sampler filled with six published T2I stories at: www.tales2inspire.com/gift

Lois is also a regular contributor to this blog.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2

_______________________________

                       

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. 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 on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Valerie Allen Offers Valentine's Anthology for the Big Day!

This isn't the usual New Book Review review. It is just a brief reminder that Valentine's Day is a very good time to send love to fellow authors and support the publishing industry. And author (and in this case anthology editor!) is an author advocate all year long. It's a great time to pay it forward and give something meaningful to someone you love.  It is: 

 Love Stories for Your Valentine.

Amazon.com/dp/B083ZM8R18

It is a book and ebook. Check for the large print edition, too. .

Love can be strange and wondrous!

A collection of short stories for those who have loved and been loved. Love brings romance, passion, pain and tears.Love arrives in many forms and comes to us at different times throughout our life.  

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND EDITOR OF THIS ANTHOLOGY: -- 

~  Valerie Allen  ~

ValerieAllenWriter.com                                                    VAllenWriter@gmail.com

Amazon.com/author/valerieallen

AUTHOR OF 

Write, Publish, Sell! 2 ed

Beyond the Inkblots: Confusion to Harmony

Amazing Grace
Sins of the Father

Suffer The Little Children

The Prodigal Son

Stories for the Man in Your Life

A Gift for Mom: Short Story Collection

'Tis Herself: Short Story Volume One

'Tis Herself: Short Story Volume Two

'Tis Herself: Short Story Volume Three

The Sun and The Moon

Summer School for Smarties

Bad Hair, Good Hat, New Friends

PS: Google Valerie for her book fairs and writers' conferences at a frugal price--in person or book display! 

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER, THIS BLOG, AND ITS BENEFITS 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 the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too.

Adoption Matters: Orphan Train to Modern Day Nonfiction Short Stories of Adoption & Foster Care

Title Adoption Matters: Orphan Train to Modern Day Nonfiction Short Stories of Adoption & Foster Care 
Author Dianne L. Rowe
Publisher:  Dianne L. Rowe
ISBN-10: 057861524X

ISBN-13: 978-0578615240

ASIN  B0847J48XX
Price $10 paperback, $4.99 Kindle
Page Count 208 pages
Formats (PB, Kindle)

A brand new book with a variety of adoption stories has just been published. Fifteen writers tell of their own experiences. The children were in orphanages abroad, adopted directly from hospitals, were foster children, or even arrived by orphan train. We hope you will enjoy our book!

Dianne L. Rowe had the initial inspiration for this book. She wrote three stories for it which included one about her mother who was adopted from an orphan train. She adopted a child through Catholic Charities and so that is one of her other stories.

Ann Kalin writes a detailed story as she adopted two children from two different adoption agencies in Minnesota. When one agency said they were only placing one child per family, she found she could adopt another with a different one.

Christopher Luehr is a storyteller, attorney, professional speaker, coach, dinner-table comedian, and North Minneapolis resident. Through his organization, Joyful Noize (joyfulnoize.net), he helps mission-driven organizations promote their message through story. You can be assured he has an excellent story in the book.

John Strahan says, “This is a story that I have told more than once and am willing to tell it to anyone who will listen. Without fail, it brings tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart. I gladly responded to Dianne Rowe’s request to share our story. It is over 53 years old but still worth telling.” It is a charming story.

Lois Miller Caswell has two stories in the book as she also adopted two of her three children. With her fantastic memory for details, readers will feel like they are talking to her over a cup of coffee in the kitchen while enjoying the stories.

Leif Wallin received a phone call and the caller said, ““Leif sit down. We found her. She was from Great Falls, Montana. Her name was Sandy.” Intriguing, isn’t it? The story is pretty amazing.

Esther Holgate beings her story this way: “There once was a very little girl who was born in the far-away country of South Korea.” This is a story of adoption from an orphanage in Seoul, South Korea.

David Zander was born in London. In July 1940, During WW2, at a time that America had not yet entered the war. He says, “My first memories are of war, being carried down into an Air raid shelter during the nightly air raids.” To top it off, he found out his first family was not his birth family when he was still very young. His story is quite interesting.

Dawn McClean learned she was not the eldest child in the family after all. How could that happen? You can imagine, but this story tells of her feelings about learning the truth.

Mary (Marge) Smith had to have her family vote about a situation related to adoption, It was not for the actual adoption, but part of a rather complicated story. In the picture on the left, you can see Marge with Patti.

E. Irene Theis says, “Saturday, July 30th, 2016, was the special day when I first met Stephanie, my granddaughter, and Susan, my great-granddaughter.”  Another amazing story!

Jackie Maher and Katie DeCosse now see each other often, but it wasn’t true over the decades they could not find each other. They each have stories in this anthology.

Irene Reuteler tells a family story which is about the adoption situation for relatives. She was able to predict the future to some extent and help guide them to successful adoption.

Carolyn Wilhelm also has a story of an adoption from South Korea through the Children’s Home Society located in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has also authored children’s picture books about the experience.

Thank you for reading, Carolyn Wilhelm

Carolyn Wilhelm is the author of The Wise Owl Factory site and blog. She has an MS in Gifted Education and second educational masters in Curriculum and Instruction K-12.

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. 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 on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

BlacKkKlansman Book Discussion Questions

BlacKkKlansman Book Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions

BlackkKlansman:

Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime 
By Ron Stallworth

Publisher:  Flatiron Books, Sold by Macmillian
ISBN-10: 1250299055

ISBN-13: 978-1250299055

ASIN: B078X26S6C

Click on this link to get your free instant download of the discussion questions for your book club.

This nonfiction book might not be what you expect as it is different from some of the movies available with about the same title. In this story, the author, Ron Stallworth, was working in the police force. At first, he only thought he would earn money and become a high school teacher. We are lucky he did not and became a writer who shares such informative reading material.

Stallworth was the frequent voice on the phone to people like David Duke in the KKK, while another white officer went to the in-person events. The two men team worked together to investigate the KKK while pretending to be enthusiastic members. They had to be careful much of the time to not reveal the truth of what they were doing. Besides fooling the people in high positions within the Klan, they had to keep their true feelings to themselves. It was a difficult "acting" assignment, and there were some close calls. The book has some humorous portions, but overall this was a very serious project.

Included in the book are photos that prove the author's story. His very own KKK membership card and other memorabilia are in the special images section. The entire investigation didn't last that long and was successful as by knowing when crosses would be burned, the author could tip of the police in his office. The police would then drive by and in that way stop the activities. Although the Klan and other racist groups were in the area, no high profile problems occurred.

I had no idea of many of the activities and pledges people made to these groups. It seems to be the basis of some of the white supremacy hate speech going on today. There were hundreds of thousands of members in the one location mostly described in the book.

The author was also invited to some secret meetings, like offices inside what appeared to be a mountain. Another time, he was able to see some confidential files with valuable information, although he could only take notes in the limited amount of time provided. It was all news to me and very interesting reading. It is a fairly fast read because of the "police blotter" style of writing and the author's clear language. This book would be good for book club discussions or reading to learn for oneself.

Thank you for reading!

Carolyn Wilhelm, UDEMY Instructor for Self-Publishing from the Very, Very Beginning

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS AND ANOTHER FREEBIE

 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 ) It has 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 shoutout praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines in the left column of this page or in the tab at the top of the home 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 the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too! 

Accidental Angel by Tess Thompson -- Romance!

Title Accidental Angel
Authors Tess Thompson (Sisters Charlene Tess and Judy Thompson)
Publisher Independently Published
Publisher Address Denver, CO

Publisher Email Address novelsbytessthompson@gmail.com

ISBN-10: 1986033988

ISBN-13: 978-1986033985

ASIN: B004WSPXVM

Price $4.99 Kindle
Page Count 309 Pages
Formats (Kindle)

Accidental Angel by Tess Thompson  (the pen name for two writing sisters, Charlene Tess and Judi Thompson) is a true romance novel in every sense of the word. Almost engaged, Dr. Shane Madden finally meets a new right girl and things develop quickly. Although he ends the superficial and materialistic relationship with Elizabeth, he doesn’t inform his new true love, Dena.

Elizabeth was the caviar and martini type who grew up in a family concerned with appearances. Shane grew up in a happy family, and was the blue jeans and outdoors type. Their relationship wasn’t meant to be, but requires quite a bit of disentanglement as Elizabeth’s father, Dr. Fitzpatrick, is the head of the hospital. Will Shane be able to continue working there if he breaks up with Elizabeth? He is threatened with his job unless she marries Elizabeth.

With her divorce almost final, Dena has moved to a small town in Colorado without giving her controlling and abusive ex the address. She begins a job as a pediatric nurse and loves to help her patients. Being a stay-at-home without children only to meet the needs of a demanding man was not what she had wanted. She is worried she may only meet abusive men.

As events unfold, she thinks Shane might be trouble. She grew up with dysfunction and abuse. Shane has a car accident and Dena pulls him out of the car before it explodes. People think Shane falls for her only because she saved his life. He knows better as he never had truly been in love before, but is not able to convince anyone, especially Dena.

Shane moves home to California. His mother, Hollywood Madden, has an at-home kennel to care for animals. His visit home provides a backdrop to know Shane is a caring and responsible person. He becomes a contract doctor to allow Dena time to think. What will she decide? 

Carolyn Wilhelm Reviewer
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. 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 on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Acclaimed Poetry Chapbook Doubles as Valentine Greeting Card

Title:  Cherished Pulse

Subtitle: Unconventional Love Poetry 

Series: Celebration Series of Poetry Chapbooks
Authors:  Magdalena Ball and Carolyn Howard-Johnson  
Publisher: Independently Published
Publisher Website Address http://www.compulsivereader.com/ISBN-10: 1449546056

ISBN-13: 978-1449546052

ASIN: B004HB1W9Q
Price $ 5.95 paperback, $2.99 Kindle
Page Count 42 pages
Formats (PB, Kindle)

Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm

The Celebration Series of Poetry Chapbooks covers many aspects of life, seasons, and holidays. Cherished Pulse is appropriate for loved ones. It is small enough to fit inside a greeting card envelope or could be used instead of a card for a memorable gift. 

Magdalena Ball’s poems focus on nature and deep feelings at the same time. “Ocean,” “Great Sky,” “Aurora,” and the rest speak beautifully of deep love, longing, and intimate relationships. 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s portion of the book includes poems such as “A Woman’s Heart,” and “Watching My Daughter Say Goodbye to a Fleeting Love” speak of life and how perspective changes through the years regarding love. 

The poems are profound and moving. The book is definitely a read and read again. 

 -----

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Carolyn Wilhelm is a regular contributor to #TheNewBookReview where she reviews books and writes occasion study guides for popular books turned to film. (Teachers and parents can use this blog's search engine to find her guides on works like Black Klansman and Green Book.) She is also an author. Her most recent book is Climate Change Captives 2035. Learn more about her with links below. 

Carolyn Wilhelm Climate Change Captives 2035 and Project Save, Wise Owl Factory LLC cwilhelm@thewiseowlfactory.com  The Wise Owl Factory

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. 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 on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Compulsive Reader Managing Editor Reviews The Frugal Book Promoter

Title: The Frugal Book Promoter

Subtitle: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher

Edition: Three

Awards for all editions: Winner USA Book News, coveted Irwin Award

Award, USA Book News winner, silver medal from Military Writers Society of America, honored by Global Ebook Awards

Publisher: Modern History Press

Publisher’s Website: www.modernhistorypress.com

ISBN: 9781615994687

ASIN: 978161594694

Available in hard cover, print and ebook onAmazon

Reviewed by Magdalena Ball, originally for CompulsiveReader.com

I first read, and reviewed Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s The Frugal Book Promoter in 2011, when the second edition came out. Since then it has been my go-to for ideas on ways to promote my books cheaply – which is, of course, what every author needs these days. It’s a noisy world, and no matter how well-written, or what kind of publisher support you may have, if you don’t promote well, it’s unlikely that your books will attract notice. Few of us have big budgets for promotion, and most of us have a budget close to zero. Creative and effective ideas for book promotion are more than just nice-to-haves, they’re critical, and Howard-Johnson is about as knowledgeable as it gets on the subject. Of course books like this go out of date quickly, so the re-releases are also vital, as they allow for technological and cultural change. 

The 3rd edition came out recently and is right up-to-the-minute, exploring new ways of branding, developing a platform, and getting your work out into the world. Howard-Johnson’s prose remains utterly clear, accessible, and warm–like having a very helpful, clued-up conversation with your best friend–and the book is as inspirational as it is practical.

The latest version of the book contains nearly 300 pages (quite a lot more than the first edition!) of high quality information on every thing from how to promote your work ethically, public relations, creating media releases and a media kit, querying for reviews (and believe me, this is a much needed skill!), making use of radio and other media, using the internet and social media (and how not to use it), including ensuring that you use online bookstores correctly, making the most of reading groups, revitalizing old titles, recycling your work, and so much more. As with the original version, the book comes with a number of handy template, scripts, codes and examples, but these have been updated so that they continue to remain relevant to a modern author. The book is beautifully structured and well indexed, so you can find what you need when you need it fast. Howard-Johnson has created a number of mnemonics to help simplify the overall promotion process:

“The Six-P maxim is the one that makes me a nag. The more organized you are, the more you know early on, the earlier you start to practice promotion and publicity magic, the more good it will do for your book. The more you learn the easier it is. And that leads me to the three most important Ps for marketing books. Platform, Publicity, Public Relations.”

Throughout the book, there is careful attention paid to ethics, which I love. The Frugal Book Promoter is most certainly not about buying likes, reviews, unsolicited mailings, or manipulating people into purchasing something they don’t want. These practices happen all too frequently, and sometimes they work in the short term, but they are unsustainable and no way to manage a lifelong career. Ethical marketing all about relationships, giving people work they will get value from, and working within carefully obtained permissions. It’s about creating a brand that people will continue to trust, so you’re not just selling one book, but yourself as a person. This kind of work builds on itself and each thing that you do increases the overall messages you’re putting out, creating a cumulative effect:

“Good PR, of course, is carefully targeted. But mostly PR is connecting with people in a way that makes them feel cared for, and those connections are made—with love and expertise—over and over again. Those are the essentials and they work. Done this way, great publicity becomes great public relations and vice versa.”

I won’t give away too many of Howard-Johnson’s marvelous tips here, but suffice to say that the book is full of them—many of them inventive, and all of them focusing on credibility and multi-tasking – getting impact for your effort. As the title suggests, most of the ideas here are either inexpensive or free, though not without effort. There are a few chapters which are worth the whole cost of the book. These include, to my mind, chapters on querying and pitching–something I repeatedly see done badly—and the chapter on creating a media kit. I have not seen either of these topics covered in such detail, or with such clarity.  Even seasoned self-promoters will learn new things from these chapters. The reviews section too, is particularly thorough, with plenty of current links and samples. There are also lots of tips about what doesn’t work and where to save your money, your time, your sanity, and how to best manage your all-important networks–for the long run. Put simply, The Frugal Book Promoter is one of the best all-purpose books for developing a promotional plan for your work that won’t break the bank or destroy your relationships. This is a book keeps on providing practical, easy to apply ideas to get your work noticed, and to create a viable, sustainable, ethical platform that will continue to create valuable promotion for authors of all genres.  It’s one of those guides that should be on every author’s bookshelf.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Magdalena Ball is an award-winning novelist, poet, reviewer and interviewer, and is Managing Editor of Compulsive Reader, one of the internet’s most respected and long-running review sites.  She is the author of several novels and poetry books, the most recent of which, High Wire Step, was published in 2018 by Flying Island Books. Find out more about Magdalena at http://www.magdalenaball.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. 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 on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing