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Weekly Self-Published Book Review: I Want To Know My Future

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:

I Want To Know My Future

Linda Dipman

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432773526

Reviewer: Carol Hoyer, PhD,

Elizabeth thought she had the ideal life — a wonderful loving husband and great kids and faith in God. What she didn’t know was all of that would be tested when she and her husband Eric got a divorce. Eric was highly involved in their church and presented himself as an upstanding citizen and loving husband, but behind closed doors, he was totally different. He seemed intent on getting revenge on Tori, his wife’s good friend, as he thought they were having a homosexual relationship. He was embarrassed about the relationship and started turning the church against Elizabeth and Tori.

Tori had her own set of problems as she got an emergency divorce from her abusive husband, Alan. Not only had Alan verbally, emotionally and physically abused her, he did the same to their son. Due to the abuse Alan inflicted on his son, there was some concern the son might have a learning disability or brain damage, but Alan wouldn’t do what the courts asked him to do in getting his son evaluated.

Even though Elizabeth and Tori were doing all they could to get custody of their children, they realized that they were fighting a corrupt court system and an intoxicated judge. In one final desperate attempt, Tori and Elizabeth decided to run away with their children. All this did for them was land them in jail and irritate their ex-husbands even more.

Both Elizabeth and Tori were tired of fighting the system, their church and their parents, so they turned to God to let it be in his hands. Each and every time they were tested, God found a solution for them. God spoke to them in a variety of ways, always ensuring them that he had made them into the people they were and no one else had the power to do that. Elizabeth took the spoken words of God and studied the messages, read her Bible and learned how God chose to make some with homosexual lifestyles.

Once readers start “I Want To Know My Future” by Linda Dipman, they will not be able to put it down. It is fast paced, keeps your interest and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Through the book, when Elizabeth is going through a crisis or tough times, God speaks to her by saying “My ways are not human ways. Trust in me. God has spoken.” “I Want To Know My Future” isn’t just about leading a different lifestyle; it is about how God hears prayers and guides all his children through life.

Jodee Speaks

The Barnes and Noble Experience for Self Publishing Authors

Many self-publishing authors dream of seeing their books sold by Barnes and Noble, one of the most powerful book sellers in the country, and readers often expect to find your book through Barnes and Noble. This is even more true as many people continue to purchase the store’s Nook, an electronic reader comparable to a Kindle. As a self-publishing author, you want to take advantage of two options available to Barnes and Noble authors: Nook format and Look Inside.

Nook Format

As the holidays approach, e-readers are going to become even more popular. You can expect many people to receive an e-reader as a holiday gift, which means they will be purchasing e-books. (This is in addition to all the readers who already buy and read e-books.) To take advantage of this trend, make sure you offer your book in Nook format. Many self-publishing companies offer this option.

Look Inside

This feature allows readers to get a sneak peek at the pages inside your book. It is the modern-day equivalent of a reader browsing through a bookstore, picking your book off the shelf, and flipping through the pages. It has been suggested that authors who take advantage of this feature have higher sales rates than those who do not. Check with your self-publishing company to find out more details.

I’d love to know, do you prefer books that take advantage of the Look Inside feature?

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in   sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services   for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department   is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants;   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, Jodee Thayer can put you   on the right path.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Puppies and Poems

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:

Puppies and Poems

Nancy Sack

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432784706

Reviewer: Miles Cassells (age 2) and Mom

“Puppies and Poems” by Nancy Sack is a really cute book. It has rhymes for everything from a party leading up to bedtime. I didn’t connect with the rhythm on every page. Sometimes, I felt myself re-reading the lines because they didn’t really rhyme. Since Miles is only two, he didn’t notice.

His reactions to this book were good. He pointed at each illustration and said the words he knows, like dog and cat. I think that Miles enjoyed the book, and even though he cannot really tell us how much, his big smiles looking at the pictures make the point that he was interested.

The illustrations are so pretty and vibrant, and the words are short and simple. However, I do not know that I would purchase this book for $19.99. We will, however, keep “Puppies and Poems” by Nancy Sack on the shelf, and it will be a part of our book reading rotation.

Jodee Speaks, Kindle

The Amazon Experience for Self Publishing Authors

Amazon, the single largest book retailer, couldn’t be friendlier in helping self-publishing authors sell their books. Whether you’ve already published your book or are still in the writing or production process, prepare these Amazon options to maximize your books sales.

Amazon Look Inside the Book: This is the online equivalent to readers picking your book up off the shelf and flipping through the pages. An optional feature, “Look Inside” provides an icon over your book’s cover image and allows readers to browse through portions of your interior content. Amazon claims that books utilizing this option see considerably higher sales over those that do not.

Amazon Key Word Submission: Amazon allows readers to browse by category or key words. Imagine being transported instantly around a bookstore the size of football fields without having to use a map or ask an employee for directions. This is the experience Amazon customers find in typing in a simple keyword or phrase. (Few readers browse by titles or author; this is especially true for first-time authors.) The key is determining  the top ten keywords for your book.

Amazon Kindle: The Kindle is everywhere, and for good reason. It is a revolutionary digital reading device that allows individuals to instantly purchase books anywhere, anytime. One source noted that Kindle owners, on average, buy three times more books than non-Kindle owners. Kindle editions must be submitted through special formatting, which some self-publishing companies offer.

Amazon Reviews: Finally, email, call, and knock on the doors of everyone you know who can contribute a credible review of your self-published book and have them post their feedback on your book’s Amazon listing page. This will help convince readers that your book is worth buying.

I’d love to know, what is your favorite Amazon feature?

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in   sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services   for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department   is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants;   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, Jodee Thayer can put you   on the right path.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Bodacious Blues

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:

Bodacious Blues

Whitney J. LeBlanc

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432773793

Reviewer: Deb Shunamon

Establishing a career in Hollywood is not easy, particularly if it is the 1980s and you are a young Creole actor. Author Whitney J. LeBlanc, a television director in Hollywood for many years, has clearly based “Bodacious Blues” on what he knows well.

To experience the inner workings of television at a time when series such as “Good Times,” “The Jeffersons” and “The Rhoda Show” were airing, this book is a must read. Had he been visually identifiable as a black man, I’m sure his stories would have been different, but Les easily passes for white so readers are given access to a wide variety of the often harsh experiences and people that Hollywood offers. And when he returns back home to Estilette, Louisiana, readers learn a bit more about Les’ family and its members. However, to truly experience and understand the family, I think the first two books in the series should be read beforehand. (This is the third book in the series.) Without their background it was difficult to understand Les’ actions at times, not to mention that some of his relatives were fascinating. I wished I had known more about them.

A delightful part of this book is the Reviewer Comments at its beginning, which show that LeBlanc has clearly touched many people with his stories and characters. By all accounts, “Bodacious Blues” by Whitney J. LeBlanc appears to be a satisfying conclusion to his series. Entertaining and relevant, this is also a good novel about following dreams, Hollywood and Louisiana cultures, and the maturing of a young man.