Month: December 2011

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Modern Disciples Volume 1

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review by Midwest Book Review:

Modern Disciples: Volume 1

Ian Anderson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432772703

Reviewer: Tracey Rock

Ryan Hunter always had dreams of becoming a bounty hunter. So when a mysterious woman offers him a job on one of her hunts, he willingly accepts. While they are out on the hunt, Ryan is struck and thrown aback. He doesn’t feel the impact of the blow, but he does feel heat coursing through his veins and he knows he is screaming. When he recovers from the impact, he realizes the world is different to him. He now finds that his senses are heightened. He is stronger and faster than before. Although he was told stories of Greek mythology as a child, it wasn’t until he was led to the Oracle by his keen sense of direction that he found out he was the son of Artemis and a disciple.

The patron gods are calling their disciples together to help them investigate activity that the Titans are orchestrating against them. Ryan, along with five other disciples, must find an indestructible alligator that is living in the Florida Everglades and destroy it. Upon completing their mission, the disciples come upon a town called Citrus Grove where there are no children and the women all adore their husbands! Upon further investigation of this strange town, the disciples soon realize that there are many other forces plotting against them.

“Modern Disciples: Volume 1” leads the reader through a myriad of folk-lore within its plot of non-stop mystery of intrigue. I don’t know that I have read a book that combined this many immortal characters. There were various cultures included such as  Greek, Norse, Hindu and Japanese Gods. From vampires to maenads, the disciples venture through Florida and have various encounters with numerous creatures. It’s a lot to take in within such a short period of time, including the modern “Stepford Wives” plot. New characters and sub-plots seemed to be popping up throughout the entire book. Brush up on your mythology or you could get lost on this one.

Book Reviews, Kelly Speaks

Kirkus Book Reviews: Best Indie Books of 2011

Kirkus Reviews recently released “Best Indie Books of 2011.” Congratulations to all of the 2011 winners!

This list is a great honor and promotion tool. Kirkus Reviews will be promoting the list for the remainder of the year, and the site features a social media sharing option for authors to share the page with friends and readers. This is a great way for authors to get the word out about their book and increase their credibility.

Kirkus Reviews provides critical, descriptive and concise reviews of forthcoming books. The review typically appears two to three months before publication. To learn more, visit www.kirkusreviews.com.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press.  In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Cheri Speaks, Choosing a Publisher

Self Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing

There are many similarities and differences between self publishing and traditional publishing. Before deciding which option is right for you, you need to understand the two types of publishing. Here is some information to get you started.

What Both Offer

The outcome of both types of publishing is the same: your book is published. Therefore, there are some services offered by both traditional publishing companies and self publishing companies. These services include:

  • wholesale distribution
  • automatic online listings with top online sellers
  • marketing support to help you sell your book
  • book orders are filled for you

What is Different

While the outcome is the same, the process is very different. For starters, authors who decide to publish with a traditional company must find an agent or submit query letters directly to publishers. This process can be daunting and discouraging since authors get more rejection letters than acceptance letters. Self-published authors must research companies prior to publishing, but they don’t have to worry about agents and editors determining the value of their book. They determine the value of their book.

Another main difference is the control. You determine the content, layout and price of your book. With this freedom, comes the responsibility to thoroughly review the galley proofs provided by your self publishing company. You will need to review the text and layout of the proofs.

When choosing a self publishing company, be sure to do your research. Find out what services the company offers. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or to talk to other authors to find out their experiences. Be sure to find a company, whether traditional or self publishing, that matches your goals and values.

Cheri Breeding ABOUT CHERI BREEDING: Since 2005 Cheri Breeding has been working as the Director of Production for Outskirts Press. In that time, she has been an instrumental component of every aspect of the Production Department, performing the roles of an Author Representative, Book Designer, Customer Service Representative, Title Production Supervisor, Production Manager and, Director of Production. She brings all that experience and knowledge, along with an unparalleled customer-service focus, to help self-publishing authors reach high-quality book publication more efficiently, professionally, and affordably.
Editing Your Self-Published Book, Wendy Speaks

Copyediting 101

You’ve spent weeks, months and maybe even years working on your book. You’ve read and revised the manuscript several times. Now it is ready for publication, right? Wrong. No matter how good of a writer you are or how many times you’ve proofread and revised your book, you need to consider professional copyediting if you want your book to be taken seriously. Here are three reasons why.

1) Copyediting is More than Proofreading

Most books are expected to adhere to the Chicago Manual of Style guidelines. (There are other styles  for certain books such as medical or scientific books.) The Chicago  Manual of Style has specific guidelines on everything from numbers to hyphens to spellings. The most important style issue is consistency. For instance, if you use the word “e-mail” in chapter one, you can’t later spell it as “email” in chapter six. While proofreaders can find obvious errors such as spelling mistakes or typos, they don’t find the larger errors a copyeditor looks for.

2) It is Almost Impossible to Edit Your Own Work

Sure, you can read your work several times and find mistakes, but most authors cannot thoroughly edit their own work. This is because you are so familiar with your manuscript that you look over mistakes a new set of eyes would find. Also, you may not have the skills needed to perform a copyedit. Copyeditors are considered professionals for a reason.

3) A Flawed Book Won’t be Taken Seriously

Yes, even books published by top publishing houses and well-known authors occasionally have errors. It is impossible for every writer and every editor to always catch every error, but professional books are almost 100% error free. If your book is riddled with errors, no one will take your book seriously. You will be subject to the harsh criticism that sometimes surrounds self-published authors. Prove to your readers and your critics that you value your book and you are a professional by hiring a professional copyeditor to review your book before publication.

If you are interested in hiring a professional copyeditor, find out what services are available through your self publishing company. You can also find professional copyeditors online or ask writer friends to recommend a copyeditor they have used.

I’d love to know, do you plan on hiring a copyeditor?

ABOUT WENDY STETINA: Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction, or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: How to Live the Good Life: A User’s Guide for Modern Humans

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review by Midwest Book Review:

 How to Live the Good Life: A User’s Guide for Modern Humans

Arthur Jackson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432767709

Reviewer: Joseph Yurt

Author Arthur Jackson is methodically passionate about helping humanity live a good life, as defined by him. I found the content of his book, “How to Live the Good Life: A User’s Guide for Modern Humans,” to be at once abstract and concrete, realistic and impractical, engaging and dissociating. In some instances, the author’s thoughts are brilliant; in others, enigmatic. The “good life” Jackson explores is far and away from the shallow pop culture concept of the “good life.” But, if you are an enlightened thinker and have a genuine interest in increasing your personal sense of well-being and in making the world a better place for humankind, the book merits your serious consideration.

The book is not an easy read. I imagine it was not an easy book to write either. Jackson’s forty-year journey to publication involved extensive research and study of religions, philosophies, social sciences and the natural order of the world. For Jackson, the obstacle, which he encountered all along the way, to achieving the good life was the conflict between traditional religion and the natural order. The necessity to resolve this conflict led to the author’s system for the science of religion and ethics. This combination of religion and science is at the core of Jackson’s work.

At the point in the book when Jackson begins to focus on the science of religion and ethics perspective, his ponderings and models became more concrete to me. For example, from this perspective, he reasons that “…the ultimate of reality is not the ULTIMATE that we have been led to believe in. The ideas we have been taught about ULTIMATE are as erroneous as most of the other basic ideas we have been taught.” The ultimate‟ we can reach is to develop ourselves as fully as possible to achieve a sustainable feeling that our life has meaning.”

The last ten of the book’s eighteen chapters are given over to Jackson’s presentation of his “eleven principles of the Way to Wisdom.” It is the author’s contention that an individual’s potential for wisdom is the key to developing moral character, a sense of personal well-being, and a thought process that will make the world better. Details and benefits of each of the eleven wisdom principles are considered and scrutinized in-depth.

In pondering several drafts of my review of this book, I concluded that by its very nature, the breadth and depth of the content included in “How to Live the Good Life” makes adequate summarization impossible. The reality is that this book must be read thoroughly and thoughtfully and in its entirety. And as with Arthur Jackson’s principles, comprehending the layers of this book is not for those among us who are unenlightened.