Book Reviews – Page 26 – Self Publishing Advisor

Book Reviews, from the archives, Kelly Speaks

From the Archives: “Should You Pay for a Book Review?”

Welcome back to our Tuesday segment, where we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular posts from the last few years. What’s stayed the same? And what’s changed? We’ll be updating you on the facts, and taking a new (and hopefully refreshing) angle on a few timeless classics of Self Publishing Advisor.

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[ Originally posted: April 15th, 2011 ]

As an author in the self-publishing industry, reviews for your book are very important. A book published by an unknown author has little chance of gaining attention, while the same book (and the same “unknown” author) with a number of positive reviews can begin to gain momentum. Those positive reviews can help persuade potential new readers to buy the book and the word-of-mouth continues.

You may have already received reviews from some of your friends or colleagues, so what next? There are some free review services where you can send a copy of your book. These services are a great resource; however, because they are free, the reviewers get inundated with books and can’t review every book they receive. Their services can also take several months and the reviews are not guaranteed to be good.

In addition to free review services, there are some services available where you can pay to be guaranteed a review. That said, the review is still not guaranteed to be good, but if you are confident in your book (which you should be, after all you wrote and published it!), you shouldn’t need to worry about that.

Here are three pay-for-review services you can start with:

BLUE INK REVIEW

A Standard Review is $395 for the review to be completed in 7-9 weeks.

A Fast Track Review is $495 for the review to be completed in 4-5 weeks.

BlueInk considers for review any book that has been published (self-published and indie published). They review e-books, on-demand books, printed books in any format, English translations and English-language submissions from outside the United States, as well as galleys. They do not review manuscripts pre-publication.

FOREWORD CLARION REVIEW

The cost is ~~$305~~ $499* and turnaround time is ~~6-8~~ 4-6* weeks.

Open to all books and publishers, Clarion promises an objective 400 – 500 word review/critique with a quick six to eight week turnaround. The review will be posted on the ForeWord website (if the publisher desires), licensed to the three top wholesale databases, and made available to the book’s publisher. This service is ideal for books that haven’t received review attention elsewhere.

KIRKUS INDIE REVIEW

Standard review is completed in 7-9 weeks for $425.

Express review is completed in 3-4 weeks for $575.

The Kirkus Indie program gives independent authors a chance to obtain an unbiased, professional review of their work, written in the same format as a traditional Kirkus review. A book review can be an essential and powerful tool for promoting your book to literary agents, traditional publishing houses, booksellers, and, most importantly, potential readers.

– by Kelly Schuknecht

When it comes to reviews, there’s so much to say that it’s almost inevitable that I would have to update and expand upon what I wrote back in 2011–after all, the world doesn’t hold still for anyone, and that’s certainly true of both the internet and the publishing industry, as well! You will note that I have already made note of several changes in regards to pricing and timing for the ForeWords Clarion review options (marked with an * each time), but what about the larger picture? Can we still mount a defense for paid reviews in a world where Amazon and Goodreads are king, where product pages provide ream after ream of short, easy-to-digest reviews from laypeople like you and me–and FREE reviews at that?

If you suspected I might have a simple and short answer for you, I’m sorry to let you down. Saying “yes” casts aside all of my many thoughts about the value of those unpaid product reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and saying “no” discounts the ongoing benefits that longform paid reviews still offer.

Let’s start with Amazon and Goodreads.

I’ve written in detail about the virtues of garnering lots of good reviews on Amazon and Goodreads before, specifically in my series on Self-Publishing and Merchandising from May of 2015, where I broke down the distinctions between these kinds of reviews and blog-based reviews. And the statistics speak with resounding and repeated certainty that readers use the metrics provided by Amazon and Goodreads as one of their first and most important decision-making tools. If readers search for a title they’re fairly certain they’re going to like, only to find that it has lots of poor reviews on Goodreads or a low star rating on Amazon, they’re not likely to follow through and buy it, no matter what else they’ve read that’s positive. And if readers stumble across a title by accident that they weren’t actually looking for, but it ends up having fabulous reviews, they’re actually fairly likely to pay money to purchase it! Search engines like Google have tweaked their algorithms to push books that are rated highly on Goodreads and Amazon to the top of their index, so you should never, never discount the importance of asking friends, family members, and other members of the public to post a positive review to these sites.

And what about paid reviews?

While longform essay book reviews have largely become the province of periodicals with paid subscription models like the London Review of Books or the New York Review of Books, they are far from dying out in terms of popularity–they’ve merely found their niche readership, and a powerful one at that. It’s hard to estimate the exact impact of one positive longform review, but collectively, consider: the discerning reader needs an evaluation of content, of structure, of tone, and of many other aspects of a book’s nature than what can be provided in a brief burst of opinion on Amazon. The discerning reader wants to know: what do the experts think? Not everyone is looking for the lowest common denominator of shared public opinion (or so one of my college professors once opined) … sometimes they want to hear from one learnéd voice, in detail, the full warp and weft of a book. This is why paid reviews are still worth their money–they reach the discerning reader. And guess what? Discerning readers are very likely to be a go-to resource to their friends and families, access points for dozens upon dozens of other new readers. Discerning readers are amplifiers, advocates, and arbiters of your book’s larger footprint. So yes, we shouldn’t forget about the paid review. It has a place in the larger scheme of things, the larger framework of reviews and marketing.

They do not determine or reflect the actual value of your book, but good reviews–both paid and unpaid–do determine who is likely to buy it next.

If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them. Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can. ♠

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com.

Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Saturday Book Review: “Ask More, Tell Less: A Practical Guide for Helping Children Achieve Self-Reliance”

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, courtesy of Parenting Like Hannah:

Ask More, Tell Less: A Practical Guide for Helping Children Achieve Self-Reliance

by Greg Warburton

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 978-1478708810

Synopsis:

When faced with a misbehaving child, do you find yourself resorting to lecturing, reminding, or even yelling? Do you sometimes feel helpless and panicky after you have tried everything you know to do and your child still seems “out of control” or withdrawn? Do you feel frustrated when nothing you are doing is moving your children to be responsible and achieve their unique potential? Ask More, Tell Less provides a new model of parenting that can help transform the growing-up years. Life will become fulfilling and enjoyable rather than an ongoing, painful collision of wills. Behavior troubles diminish or vanish when children discover that they have the power to make their lives run more smoothly. These methods are not a “cater to the children” approach. Instead, they take the pressure off parents and put the whole family on a positively different road, traveling together in a land of mutual dignity and respect, maturity, and lasting change. Greg Warburton brings time-tested, practical methods out from behind the counselor’s door to enable you to give your children the greatest gift of all: self-reliance. Through artful questioning, you can give them a clear and compelling road map for getting on with growing up in this rapidly changing world.

Critique:

Have you ever said “What in the world were you thinking” to a child? My guess is you didn’t get a very helpful response. Ask More, Tell Less: A Practical Guide for Helping Children Achieve Self-Reliance by Greg Warburton suggests asking the right questions can move you and your children from their reliance on your help to make good choices to their self-reliance.

Parts of this book were excellent and even introduced a couple of new ideas to me. I loved the idea of teaching kids not just to be honest with others, but honest with themselves. He accurately pointed out that often we lie to ourselves about our bad behaviors. Those lies keep us and our kids from making necessary changes. That is a perspective I don’t believe I have ever heard before and I believe it could be life changing for many kids (and adults).

I also appreciated the amount of time he put into helping parents understand the importance of really listening to your kids and asking questions that will help them reveal their hearts (my words, not his). He gives lots of examples of questions a parent could ask about a wide range of choices, attitudes and behaviors. While I believe some of his questions are not quite as open ended as he believes, they are definitely an improvement over the questions many parents typically ask.

Where I think the book falls a little short is that the author doesn’t really address Bloom’s taxonomy as it would apply to a child’s improved understanding of his/her behavior. The entire book is an attempt to move children from knowing the rules (facts) to understanding why those are rules and why it is important for them to be obeyed. Because the author doesn’t address scaffolding, he just barely touches on the need at times to “tell and lecture” rather than merely ask questions.

The reality is this method is probably most effective with elementary and perhaps middle school aged children (as it is written). Children of preschool age and below aren’t ready for the type of introspection this method requires. They are also still learning what a rule is and which rules they are supposed to follow. Teens would find many of these questions too childish in the way they are expressed. (Ex: “Are you growing up or growing down?”) I think the concept would still work with them, the questions would just need to be reworded to keep from alienating a teen.

My other concern was the author’s continued insistence on self-reliance. While I understand and agree with him to a point, self-reliance gone too far leaves no room for God.* This method also does nothing to address the need for God’s help in breaking bad habits. In fact, the author makes this method for changing a child’s behavior seem a little too easy. Once or twice he alluded to the fact a child did some backsliding, but I would imagine with any deeply ingrained bad habits the backsliding would be more common than was shared.

I also have a few concerns about celebrating “growing up” behaviors. While I do agree children should be celebrated when they master something like breaking a bad habit, the idea of a certificate for every tiny little step in the right direction seems a bit much. Personally, I skew a little more to the “life will not constantly reward you for doing what you are supposed to be doing” end of the scale. I am definitely an encourager, but I am afraid children who have every tiny appropriate action celebrated will go through life disappointed their friends and co-workers aren’t constantly giving them awards for doing what is expected (much less going the extra mile).

Whether you use this exact method or not, the author is correct in his basic premise. Your kids need to move from depending upon you to help them make good decisions to where they can make those godly choices without your help. The author’s questions are a good way to begin helping them make that transition. Having to answer questions that force them to take control of their actions and attitudes is a good first step..

[ reviewed by Thereasa Winnett of Parenting Like Hannah ]

* PLEASE NOTE: Self-Publishing Advisor does not endorse any specific faith ot religion.

Here’s what some other reviewers are saying:

I’ve been a child and adolescent psychologist for 30 years, but must admit I found Greg’s approach with young people and their families to be a breath of fresh air and a resource of fresh, doable ideas. It’s a great book for parents, but child-service professionals certainly would benefit from having it on their bookshelf.

In short, what Greg shares works, and it fosters deeper relationships. Greg understands the frustration of parents who struggle with a child’s behavior, and he shows Mom and Dad how to take a deeper look that, more often than not, reveals how an issue is not an attack against them at all. He shows them a perspective and skills that work to resolve REAL problems experienced by REAL parents.

It’s been long know that the best way to confront a youngster about his or her behavior is with a noncoercive approach, otherwise it’s possible to address one problem and end up with three more. (After all, who really LIKES confrontation?) Greg’s approach on HOW to approach that youngster with questions that don’t threaten but rather open up their ability to reflect on their behavior allows the child or teen to “fix” problems themselves. And that’s every parent’s dream.

– Amazon Reviewer James D. Sutton (5/5 stars)

We as parents have a way of telling our kids what they have done wrong instead of listening to why they did what they did. That ends up hurting the parents and the child and their relationship. Make the question as to why they forgot or why they didn’t do something, a positive thing. Sometimes questions that are asked in an angry tone only get you no where but more angry. It takes a lot of practice to learn when and what questions are right to ask. The more you practice this positive approach, the easier and more natural it becomes. When a child is constantly being yelled at because he hasn’t done what he should have, his self esteem goes lower and lowers. Without self esteem and confidence, a person becomes afraid to try new things. They would rather do nothing instead of try and fail. Failing causes people to yell at you. Communication is very important between people. Not just young people but everyone. When you communicate in a positive way, usually the response is positive. Positive thoughts help create self esteem and with self esteem comes confidence and self reliance. You begin to rely on yourself instead of letting everyone take care of what you should be taking care of. When a parent changes, they will find the child changing too. Parenting skills are not easy to acquire. But it is well worth the effort to keep trying. The family as a whole will become happier and healthier.

– Amazon Reviewer gayle pace (4/5 stars)

Book Trailer:

Thanks for reading! Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!

Self Publishing Advisor

Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review