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 The Fairview Review:
I Wonder: A Book for Children, Parents and Other Grownups
This book is a treasure! It is unusual in its endearing and educational verses and illustrations for children and in its engaging and varied pieces for parents – and other grownups. The rhymes are appealing, the illustrations are wonderful and the writings range from heartfelt to very funny. All in all a must read.
Critique:
In “I Wonder,” Jane Altman has created a poem that children will feel is familiar from the start. It has a similar structure to that of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” that will help young readers easily catch on to the rhythm of the text. Each verse opens up the possibility for discussion about the various animals that are mentioned, elephants, mice, bats, etc. And the illustration for the final verse also allows the child to paste a photo of him/herself into the book and making it very personal. There is also a fantasy story titled “The Glow-Stones,” which portrays the ability of children to perceive the magical when adults only see the commonplace.
Within the second part of the book, Altman has a collection of poetry that is tailored for the adults in the family. Some are nostalgic in tone – pieces wondering over how children will grow up, how one would feel on the very last day of the one-hundredth year of life, or why youth fades away. Others reflect on more everyday occurrences such as admiring flowers or pondering why grass can be so much work to maintain. And then there is the comedic piece about an undergarment that t’aint fittin’ any longer. The whole book feels like a peek into someone’s journal and catching their changing moods from day to day.
This is a book meant to be read together and enjoyed together.
The first section of part one contains a series of four line rhymes that generally have the same rhythm, one that reminded me of the song “Twinkle twinkle little star.” The structure is an image referencing the rhyme on the left side with the text on the right. There are fourteen such items, all but the last referring to animals. The last one is designed to reference the young reader.
The next section of part one is a short story about a small village near the ruins of a very old castle. No one ever goes into it and no one seems to care about it. When a young man decides to leave the village and go out in the world, a stone in the castle glows at him, so he stops to grab it and then takes it with him. Something similar happens when a young woman also starts her journey out of the village.
The two people then marry other people and have children, the story continues after their deaths when their children are going through their belongings and find what appear to be nondescript stones. They all return to the ancestral village and the children then see things in the castle that their parents cannot.
Part two is given the designation that it is for the parents and grownups and is a set of short segments of more complex verse. There are rhymes having various orders where the matches occur. For example, the section of verse called “What to Do?” has three line segments where the first two lines rhyme as well as the third lines of sequential sections. They are designed to be read to children, they will sound pretty good if the proper intonation is applied.
This is a good book for children, one that children will enjoy having read to them, for they have a natural affinity for rhyming verse.
WHAT IF… ALL iPhones, iPads, Nooks and Kindle Services Disappeared?
If you grew up in the 1960s—or are a youthful fan of classic TV—you’re probably familiar with THE TWILIGHT ZONE TV series. In stark black and white contrasts those 30 minute “short story dramatizations” offered viewers a wide variety of theories to ponder. My all-time favorite is titled: “Time Enough at Last.” It was adapted from a short story that appeared in a Science Fiction magazine in 1953. This fact alone should encourage all of us as we see what is written and published today can (and does) live into the future.
“Time Enough at Last” gave us the story of one man (Henry Bemis) who LOVED to READ. He carried a book with him wherever he went. However, he is surrounded by people who think he is foolish “reading all the time,” and they do all they can to prevent him having any time to read. Henry worked in a bank, and one day accidentally got locked inside. It was almost like a dream come true, because he had a book with him! Suddenly, there is an explosion! When Henry is able to pop the loosened door open, he finds the world had been decimated. He was all alone. As he stumbles through the rubble, he reaches some steps and sits down to rest. There is a hardbound book on the step below, and he realizes he’s sitting on the steps of the LIBRARY! BOOKS! ALL the books he could read in a lifetime! BOOKS! GLORIOUS BOOKS! And no one to stop him from reading each and every one!
Of course, there are multiple themes within this one short-story-episode—another one being to beware of our reliance on technology. Yet the one that continues to strike me is the possibility of a culture—a society—that no longer encourages reading. If fact, the societal attitudes toward books in this fiction story points a straight finger at those who attempt to keep people from reading as happens today in too many countries. This concept has stayed with me a whole lot of years, and as I look back I am so THANKFUL to that writer whose words watered the seed of writing—and getting my books published—deep within me.
So it is that I close this month of March with several quotes that have inspired and fortified me during times when I slouched at my writing desk.
First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, said: “There are many little ways to enlarge your world. Love of books is the best of all.”
From Charlie and the Chocolate Factory author, Roald Dahl: “So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall.”
Sci-Fi author, Stephen King said: “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
Singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift says: “Books train your mind to imagine and think big.”
DO WRITERS face challenges? Of course, as do all people of every career and every generation. However, the blessing we have is the ability to use words that create mind-imaginings and allow Readers the opportunity to think big—and BIGGER. The words we choose to write on the pages of our manuscripts have POWER. We must take care to use them wisely as they will impact our own lives—and the world. ⚓︎
ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.
Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena.
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
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..
* 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.
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.
Have you communicated with the 30-somethings (or younger) populous by TEXT or TWEET or INSTAGRAM lately? My teacher’s heart cringes and my writer’s heart cries. The art of communicating clearly is taking a big HIT in these times when people believe their time is so limited that they cannot take the time to express themselves well and write out full thoughts and/or sentences. While our (yours and my) children continue to be readers many hold a lukewarm attitude toward the value of reading. They seem to have lost the understanding that their reading abilities will gain them access to the whole world of knowledge. Too many of our grandchildren and great-grandchildren are leaving books on the shelves and accepting “sound-bite” information as the basis for life choices. I have no big answer to this problem other than to encourage excellent writers to KEEP WRITING and KEEP PUBLISHING. Someday, the next generations will return to “the books” to expand their knowledge base beyond song lyrics and media clips.
WAY back in the 1600s a French philosopher named Descartes wrote: “The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries.” And so it is! From his perspective only the “finest minds” wrote books, and he knew that from them we have the opportunity to learn great things on any subject! Plus he wrote with a passion “as if no one had written on these matters before,” and encouraged other writer/thinkers to do the same.
IF YOU THINK that being a writeris just a job or a bit of a unique career let me share a few statistics with you…
There are almost half-a-million words in our English Language (the largest language on earth) and people (those folks who buy and read our books) really need to know them—their meanings—and usage which will improve their lives.
Just 15 minutes a day of reading can expose us to more than a million words in a year.
Teachers today can barely find 5 minutes a day to devote to reading with individual students—even those who need help.
For a person to participate fully in the world and workplace of 2020, they will need powerful literacy abilities that until now have been achieved by only a small percentage of the world’s population.
Currently, more than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level. This is far below the level needed to earn a living wage.
IF you’re thinking that the challenge of dyslexia is a major cause of the above statistic you’d be wrong! The majority of dyslexic individuals work harder and more creatively to “learn to read” and because of this have been noticed by some of the largest employers on the planet. At NASA, over 50% of their employees are dyslexic. They are deliberately sought after because they have superb problem solving skills and excellent 3D and spatial awareness.
So, HOW can writers make a difference in the midst of these facts? KEEP WRITING! Make each word you place on a manuscript page zing so that people will be drawn to it whether you’re creating Science Fiction adventures or developing a game to teach world history. With almost 50 percent of our Nation’s unemployed youth (ages 16-21) labeled as “functionally illiterate,” we need to write books (and blogs and vlogs and…) that interest them while teaching them the skills they need to obtain good jobs. AND…should a question about writing rules come up, we always have The Elements of Style by Strunk & White which will take us back to basics with the English language. Together we can save the arts of reading and writing! ⚓︎
ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.
Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena.
Two weeks ago, I started us off on a month-long exploration of one of my favorite subjects: the intersection of reading with writing and publishing, a journey that I continued last week in honor of National Reading Awareness Month. I said it then but I think this bears repeating: here at Self-Publishing Advisor, we love the fact that there’s an entire month devoted to celebrating the written word–as well as the ways in which we can spread the joy of literacy–and so I would like to invite you to continue joining me in making reading a focus all month long, here in our Thursday blog post slot. How am I going about that? Well, for starters, I’m running down my go-to list of tips and tricks for the new and ingenue self-publishing author. This week, I’ll be starting with …
TIP EIGHT : Craft a “keep in touch” plan
Last week, we examined the benefits to putting together an active mailing list and/or using a Facebook group to keep in touch with your readers through direct messaging. But what’s next? Once you have put together your active mailing list, you’ll need to decide how you want to keep in touch. And by “how,” I’m talking about the content and quality of your communication, not just the platform. One thing is absolutely, unarguably true: over-sharing can prove more toxic to your message than bad grammar and condescension put together. I highly recommend that you find a reasonable frequency–for example, a monthly newsletter–to touch base with your readers. You can write about topics related to the genre of your book or other similar books that you think your readers would enjoy, or you can stick to more of a “behind-the-scenes” glimpse into your writing process, if you feel like you have enough to share without spoiling the reading experience itself. If you plan on publishing multiple books–say, in a series–your followers would no doubt love updates on the status of each upcoming book, the research you’re doing or interesting things you’ve discovered during the writing process. Give them just enough to whet their appetite, but not so much that they feel like they have to sift through an essay to find the important facts!
TIP NINE : Go to the Press
And by that, I mean: It’s time to start thinking about putting out a press release. Any time you have important news to share about your book–such as announcing its publication, the advent of a book signing event, or spreading the news about an award it has won– you should definitely look to your local newspapers, radio stations, and other media sources … but this shouldn’t preclude you from looking further afield, to national media outlets and popular blog sites, for example. You can use online press release distribution sites or try contacting your local newspaper as a first step, and if you’re working with a hybrid or full-service self-publishing company you should definitely check out their list of marketing options.
TIP TEN : Get your next manuscript off the drawing board
Hollywood scriptwriters and directors often talk about “development hell,” but this term isn’t the exclusive property of the rich and/or famous: it applies to authors of all kinds, too! We all know the dangers and struggles facing us in the form of the dreaded Writer’s Block, so if you’re ready to start publishing–or you’re getting close–you should definitely try to give yourself the necessary kick in the pants necessary to put the finishing touches on your manuscript and start the publication process today. Delay hurts no one more than you, and that’s the truth! Many companies offer publishing packages or offer the services of a Publishing Consultant to assist with this process, and sometimes a little help really is necessary. There’s no shame in turning to a professional for help if it means your book gets off of the drawing board and into the hands of your readers!
TIP ELEVEN : The book must be blogged!
An oft-overlooked component of a successful marketing strategy is the beloved book blogger. We love them, we read their posts, but we don’t often think of them as partners in our journey to publication. But they are! They really, most definitely, can give your book a boost in visibility. So, my last tip is more of a suggestion, really: Find those book bloggers you need to increase the exposure to your book. Check out websites such as BookBloggerList.com to find bloggers interested in the genre of your book, and look to the book bloggers you personally admire and find readable. Find out which bloggers would be open to reading and reviewing your book and contact them–or vice versa. You might even get a link to your website or your Amazon book page out of it!
I’ll be back next week with some more tips! And …
… always remember: you are not alone. ♣︎
ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 18 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, pre-production specialists, customer service reps and book marketing specialists; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process 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, Elizabeth Javor can put you on the right path.
Self Publishing Advisor 