Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self Published Book Review of the Week: Turkey’s Treat

Turkey’s Treat

by Marie Sanderlin Metroke

This self-published book was recently reviewed by Midwest Book Review:

“The Turkey’s Treat” is a great holiday paperback tale that teaches young Jeff a new definition of Christmas dinner. Humorous illustrations impel each page turn through the end, which has a few unexpected twists and turns. A fine way to learn about respectfulness for others and the true underlying meaning of a winter holiday, “The Turkey’s Treat” will be a hit with readers age 6 and up.

The Turkey’s Treat
Marie Sanderlin Metroke, author
Victor Guiza, illustrator
Outskirts Press, Inc.
9781432733247, $9.95, www.amazon.com

For more information or to order the book, visit the author’s webpage: www.outskirtspress.com/MarieMetroke


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Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self Published Book Review of the Week: Embellish

Embellish

by R.L. Sloan

This self-published book was recently reviewed by Reader Views:

This book is a fun addition to the vampire romance novels in circulation. The book begins with a frightening description of a distressing event in the main character Solis Burkes’ life. This event would determine the rest of her life. Her past is known by her family and a secret admirer. The premise is that a group of very evil people have begun to take control of the town and threaten to influence everyone with their dark magic and voodoo. Solis Burkes decides that she will exact revenge on these evil people. She joins forces with a man who has been watching over her for many years. She wants revenge, and she gets it. Her family and friends are all in danger with her involvement in revenge against the evil doers. Solis must make a decision to save her family and friends or continue with her revenge.

Overall, this is a great book and the most unique part is the addition of such a young character’s voice. She is funny and brave, and her inner thoughts are fun to read. I thought the author did a good job capturing a young teen’s voice. For example, Sloan writes: “I once again slammed the phone down as hard as I could. It felt good to do that! It might have been childish for me to do, but I was beginning to feel a newfound confidence that was starting to make me feel alive. It made me want to start regarding myself with some value, and not be pushed around or taken for granted anymore.” The characters are very interesting to read about, a protective grandmother, a nice teen with a big heart and a sad past, and a secret admirer, are all well developed. It is a very good read, both fast-paced and thrilling.

I think anyone would enjoy this book, especially if you like romance and the paranormal. It is the first book in a series, but is very worthwhile to read. R. L. Sloan is a good writer; she captures a youthful voice perfectly and she makes it fun to read about Solis and find out what will happen to her next. The dialogue between the characters is very interesting because she uses New Orleans colloquialisms and the characters’ names are very unique, for example Childress, Olvignia, and Erland. “Embellish” is simply a good book, and hopefully the sequel will come out soon!

For more information or to order the book, visit the author’s webpage: www.outskirtspress.com/Embellish

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Uncategorized

Self-Publishing Advice: Writing for your Market

The Book Doctor chimes in…

Q: I’ve written a short story [synopsis deleted]. I had three people–one fellow writer and two avid readers who are not writers–read this story and provide feedback. They all love the story, except each one told me that she doesn’t like the ending. Each offered suggestions for alternative endings that range from fairy tale to Barney the Dinosaur endings. (I love you; you love me; oh, how happy we will be.)

I ended it the way I did because it made more sense to me. [The protagonist] grew up a little and learned that sometimes it’s okay to assert himself, even if it brings conflict. Our hero was content with the way the story ended.

I know I’m writing for a market, and I want my stories to entertain and satisfy readers. But I don’t feel right ending a story in a way that I personally think is a cheesy cliché. Should I write something I wouldn’t read myself, just because others like it? Can I even trust the response of such a small sample of readers, even though their independent feedback concerning the ending is resounding and consistent? I know this is a terribly subjective question, but I’d like to know what you would do.

A: You may be asking the wrong person. To be able to make a living writing, I have made it my motto that “I’ll write anything for money.” As a result I have written and/or edited many things that did not reflect my personal opinions.

Examine your motives. If indeed you are writing to sell your work, you do have to consider the market, and if you consider the market–your focus group sounds like a small but good specimen–you will change the ending to suit the market. If you write for yourself without hope of selling your work, you can write anything you want, including gibberish, and it won’t matter. In that case, you can make the ending as unpleasing to the public as you wish, because in reality the public will probably never see it.

You are the god who created your story. You can control the outcome, depending upon your goals. As you know, the endings of many movies have been changed when focus groups did not like the first ending. As a result, some movies have become blockbusters that may have otherwise bombed, if the ending had not changed.



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Bobbie Christmas, book doctor, author of Write In Style (Union Square Publishing), and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the Book Doctor”

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self Published Book Review of the Week: Portraits in Lavender

Portraits in Lavender

by Connie Torrisi

This self-published book was recently reviewed by Rainbow Reviews:

Portraits in Lavender (subtitled Flash Biographies of Some Famous Lesbians for the Newly Out Lesbian) is a historical biography with a double purpose. First of all, the goal is to reach lesbians who are newly out, whether young adults, adolescents, or chronologically mature women just stepping out of the closet. Second, the book intends to bring out of the historical closet the lives of fifteen divergent figures whose actions have marked civilization, yet whose orientation has either been overlooked or deliberately obscured. Included are famous writers, activists, a President’s First Lady, and even a notorious “criminal.”

Portraits in Lavender is not intended as a book of erotica nor as a call to lesbianism, but rather is an awakening for readers ~ gay and straight alike ~ to understand the lives of historical figures whose sexual orientation only deepened, not denigrated, their achievements. Some of those mentioned are widely known but others may be new to the reader.

The importance of this book is to alert readers to a depth of history previously unexplored, and to inspire them to investigate further into the lives of these individuals, and to commemorate their accomplishments, both public and private. This reviewer, for example, is intrigued to read further into the works of some of the very special writers mentioned in this collection. The short biographies are easy but thought-provoking reading for all of us: gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or straight.

For more information or to order the book, visit the author’s webpage: www.outskirtspress.com/PortraitsinLavender


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Self-Publishing

Self-publishing on the Road to Self-publishing

The Internet is great. Really. There has been perhaps no more organic, democratizing invention in the world since Gutenberg’s printing press. How empowering is the ability to compose an original idea, or start a new novel, and upload it to a website for the world to see within minutes.

If you are like me and find great pleasure and power sharing your writing with the world, be sure to bring it to an appropriate forum, preferably in a place where it will provide long-term promotion assistance for itself down the road. You also want to post where you trust the people to provide worthwhile feedback, rather than pilfering your ideas for their own or criticizing your writing for the sake of self-promotion.

Where do you start?

The answer depends upon what you hope to achieve, and the way in which you want to “spread the word.” Writing online is no easier than writing offline. In fact, it may seem harder at first. The extra effort is worth it later on.

If you’re seeking instant feedback on your writing from other people, I would suggest participating in online writing groups and forums. Yahoo offers “Groups” specific to a wide array of writing subjects. You can access the Groups section by going to the Yahoo main page at http://www.yahoo.com

Google offers groups also, and you can find them on the Groups link on Google at http://www.google.com

By conducting a subject or category search from either of these venues you can find a number of possible groups in which to participate.

I recommend you spend some time exploring Yahoo and Google groups. Register for an account with the one you like best. Don’t necessarily start writing online yet. That comes later. Instead, just look around and become familiar with the “environment.”

Then, down the road you’ve accomplished two things in one – established a platform or presence in your market and generated content to bring to your self-publishing option for production into a book.


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