Author: selfpublishingadvisor

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self-Publishing Weekly Book Review: A Conspiracy of Mirrors

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’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:

A Conspiracy of Mirrors

David McLeod

 Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432771331

Genre: Poetry

Everyone is the sum of their lives, a reflection of those around them. “A Conspiracy of Mirrors” is a collection of poetry from David McLeod who discusses these reflections and their impact on our lives as a whole. Also blended in throughout the poetry is color artwork from Patrick Coyne & Paolo Sabella. “A Conspiracy of Mirrors” is worth checking out for poetry fans.

Book Reviews

Self-Publishing Weekly Book Review: Tales of Little Bear and Little Buffalo

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’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:

Tales of Little Bear and Little Buffalo

Roy Naquin

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432766276

Genre: Children’s Book/ Native American

“Tales of Little Bear and Little Buffalo” is a collection of authentic family stories about two Choctaw-Chitimacha Indian boys who lived on Isle de Jean Charles near Houma, Louisiana, during the early 1900’s, when traditional life was changing rapidly. Little Bear and Little Buffalo are descended from a chief of the Choctaw-Chitimacha Indian tribe who chose to settle on the Isle de Jean Charles, close neighbors of the Cajun French speaking community. Little Bear and Little Buffalo face many challenges and adventures in their daily lives. Just walking to school is a great danger as certain hungry swamp predators are hunting early in the morning when the boys need to be going to school.

Little Bear and Little Buffalo manage to accomplish a deed of great value to the tribe in trapping, roping and catching a huge alligator who had been eating calves and livestock. Even though he tries to keep his deed secret, Little Bear is awarded with his own dugout by his father as a sign of respect and acknowledgement that he had done something for the good of the tribe. Other tales of Little Bear and Little Buffalo are filled with many more examples of adventures, near misses, escapes, and also values and lessons learned. Loyalty, friendship, and courtesy and respect for elders, and responsibility for the good of the family and the tribe are recurring themes.

 “Tales of Little Bear and Little Buffalo” originated as family stories and verbal histories, and their sharing and retelling enriches a wide audience. Young readers age 8 and up will enjoy these exciting tales of a different time, an exotic place and a life that was very close to nature.

 

 

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self-Publishing Weekly Book Review: The High-Tech Gooseneck Putter by Samuel DiMatteo & Kristin Johnson

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’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:


The High-Tech Gooseneck Putter

Samuel DiMatteo & Kristin Johnson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432764500

Genre: Children’s Book/Sports

Reviewed by Midwest Book Review

To be a champion is the goal of anyone who seeks a sport seriously. “The High-Tech Gooseneck Putter” is a children’s book. It is a story of Sami DeMani,   a golfing gander whose his career ruined when his luck goes over. But with the help of technology, Sami might very well be able to play again. The authors present a story of perseverance and tenacity in the face of ill fortune. “The High-Tech Gooseneck Putter” is worth considering for reading for any golf lover and their children.

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week: Irises to Ashes by Charlie Hudson

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’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 Kaye Trout at Midwest Book Review:

Irises to Ashes

Charlie Hudson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432773892

Genre: Fiction – Family/Adventure/Dreams

Reviewed by: K. Trout for Amazon

Rating: Very Good

According  to the back cover, Irises to Ashes is

“A BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EVER STRUGGLED TO PURSUE A DREAM.” The cover also declares that “Charlie Hudson, military veteran and author, brings a different type of book in Irises to Ashes. Her comfortable writing style and touches of humor are still present in a story that explores self-discovery and the price we sometimes pay for choices that we make. See all of Charlie’s books at www.charliehunson.net.”

“Young Maggie Stewart loves the beaches of the Outer Banks, but that doesn’t take away from her desire to travel beyond the ocean’s edge. She knows that her family expects her to marry and settle down. It is an unexpected encounter with Amelia Hatcher, the village recluse, that leads to surprising opportunities that can open a path for Maggie to find a new future. Thus begins the intertwined stories of Maggie and Amelia: a fifteen year relationship between a young woman seeking to find her own way and an older woman seeking redemption for a past she has kept shrouded in secret.”

Irises to Ashes is divided into three parts: Part One – Maggie’s Beginning – Summer 1976 – Summer 1978, Part Two – Maggie’s Time – Fall 1978 – Spring 1992, and Part Three – Amelia’s Secrets – April 1992. This is not only a novel about young Maggie Stewart’s self-discovery but also about the de-mystification of Amelia Hatcher. Throughout Hudson’s novel, the page-turning tension flows from one page to the next, starting with: will she give up her virginity to Billy Ray?; how can she get to know the recluse Amelia?; how will they keep their relationship a secret; how will she work around obstinate parents; how will she get to Paris; will she succeed?; how will she deal with negative family jealousy; will she have to choose between family expectations and a successful career; and why is there no meaningful relationships? Then, you find out the secrets that led Amelia to choose the life of a recluse.

Irises To Ashes has a great beginning to pull you in, tension to keep you turning, and a satisfying conclusion to fit the title. Hudson excels at descriptive writing and character development, which bring this story to life. Can you relate to  Maggie? Might you distort the truth to get what you want? And, in some ways, Irises to Ashes is a light mystery. Will she break from family? Will she succeed? What are Amelia’s dark secrets? Other books by Charlie Hudson include: Your Room at the End, Parallel Worlds, Islands in the Sand, Orchids in the Snow, Shades of Murder,  and Parents’ Guide to Business Travel. And yes, I can highly recommend this novel.

Editing Your Self-Published Book

I’ve Hired an Editor – Will My Book Be Perfect?

Today’s post was written by professional copyeditor, Joan Rogers.

When authors are deciding whether to purchase copyediting services, the question is sometimes asked: “Will my book be perfect when you’re done?”

The answer is no, it won’t be perfect. But it will be greatly improved. Authors who see my copyediting samples are often amazed that a small, randomly selected portion of text – a thousand words or fewer – will have dozens of style errors. This doesn’t mean that the author isn’t a good writer; storytelling, pacing, dialogue, and character development are skills and talents separate from knowing the exact usage of a semicolon. But it is the case that technical and style errors can be distracting to a reader. In the case of nonfiction, errors can undermine the writer’s authority, particularly if the text is educational or informational.

Is it possible to achieve a perfect book? Probably not. It’s useful for writers to know that a once-through edit will not catch all errors. This is true regardless of the editing service used; when a book is published with a traditional publisher, it usually goes to a copyeditor, and then to a proofreader. Even with this, extant errors are common in published books; I saw several in Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, one of the major releases in literary fiction last year.

I work on a large number of manuscripts that have already been edited once by professional editors prior to being submitted to me, and I still find errors. This is not because the original editor didn’t do a good job; it’s reflective of the fact that editing and proofreading are two parts of a process.

Joan Rogers ABOUT JOAN ROGERS:
Joan Rogers has provided services as an Author Representative and Editor for Outskirts Press since 2008. She studied at Oberlin College Conservatory. She also edits for several academic and scientific researchers at UC Berkeley, as well as for a nationally known journalist. 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.