Tag: book review

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self Published Book Review: The Trojan Horse Conspiracy: The Infiltration and Destruction of American Democracy

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:

the trojan horse

The Trojan Horse Conspiracy: The Infiltration and Destruction of American Democracy

Dick Nelson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432795085

Reviewed by Leslie Granier

The original idea of a Trojan horse is found in Homer’s works. They recount how the Greeks were unable to overtake the Trojans militarily causing them to come up with a clever plan to infiltrate from within. They offered a large wooden horse. which the Trojans accepted as a peace-offering. However, inside the horse were Greek soldiers who, using the element of surprise, defeated the Trojans to win the war. In “The Trojan Horse Conspiracy” by Dick Nelson, the Russian and Chinese governments team up to formulate a long-term plan to secretly manipulate people and events to cause the US economy and government to crumble without any blood being shed. Through the use of timely political figures (beginning with Ronald Reagan) and events (including the 9/11 terrorist attacks) the author demonstrates just how far people are willing to go to attain world domination.

At the center of the story is Brad Tilsdale, a US government agent who is not big on following rules. However, he is extremely perceptive and has an excellent track record. As he gets close to uncovering the foreign governments’ plot, moles in the US government constantly shuffle him to different projects to keep their scheme intact. As he begins to realize something is not quite right with the situation, Brad really has to be careful about whom he can trust as he sifts through government bureaucracy and cover-ups.
“The Trojan Horse Conspiracy” is an amazing book. The author laid out the plot in such a way that the reader was allowed to know what was going to happen but had absolutely no idea what events would unfold to reach the endpoint. There were numerous plot twists, which made it more exciting to watch the story unravel. No one was above suspicion in this tangled web for the quest for political dominance.

I highly recommend “The Trojan Horse Conspiracy” by Dick Nelson. It will appeal to an adult audience of both genders. Having an interest in politics is not required for the reader to enjoy this story. Anyone who appreciates a finely crafted work that challenges the mind and soul will be pleased with this selection. I definitely will seek out new releases from this author.

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self Published Book Review: The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude

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:

the upside of down times

The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude

Lisa Ryan

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432790554

Reviewed by Jennifer Hass

I have to say that “The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude” by Lisa Ryan is just what I needed. In my own personal journey, it has been suggested that I work on being grateful for what I have. It is a struggle at times to remember that when it seems everything is going wrong, it’s not really everything.
This workbook has really good exercises that forces you to dig deep to find the good. In most cases, it’s not really that hard; it’s really about if you want to recognize it. Looking at things from a positive perspective is not something I do easily or even very often.
The first exercise follows a short story about a trip to a restaurant where Lisa had experienced exceptional service. She asked for the general manager’s business card and sent a note about the server. The next time she came in, he remembered her and had written her a poem of gratitude and how her small note touched his life in a huge way. The exercise says to write to or about someone who has provided excellent service to you. This one I had to skip because I haven’t been out much. I will do this the very next time I have a great experience.

Lisa goes on to say “Gratitude is in the details” and “gratitude is not a now-and-then thing.” Boy is that true! It takes practice to make it a part of your everyday life, something I have not ever done in mine. No wonder I haven’t had much positive reactions to life.
Another exercise is to go about your day and make a point to bring a smile to someone’s face and log what you have learned from the experience. This is just another exercise from the introduction part of the book.

This book is filled with great ways to reflect on yourself and remember the good in the life you have, even when everything is not at its best. I believe this is a great tool for me. I can imagine this would be great for someone in the process of recovery, and I mean recovery of all types; mine is co-dependency, so I am working on making my life more enjoyable and setting the past free.
“The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude” by Lisa Ryan is a workbook I will work over and over, so I chose not to write in the book but rather in a notebook so I can do this over and over. This is part of my new self-loving program, and I will even purchase copies for my friends that have similar struggles!

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self Published Book Review: The Puppet’s Secret

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:

the puppets secret

The Puppet’s Secret

Alex Samms

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432790349

Reviewed by Tracey Rock

“The Puppet’s Secret” by Alex Samms is a story that journals the life of a woman named Angela, who falls into an obscure obsession with a man that she had a very brief encounter with while at a local beach. To Angela, this man is “the one.” Her obsession with him becomes so extreme that she finds herself completely consumed with the pursuit of this nameless man. Soon, this obsession turns into something darker.
Although Angela is forty-two-years old and married with children, she now finds herself willing to give up everything just to be with the stranger on the beach. To her, any of the consequences that come out of this soon-to-be romance will just be fate. At this point, Angela accepts that she is no longer in control of her obsession. She knows that from here on out, her mind is calling all the shots and she is merely a puppet. Angela knows that she will now do anything to be with her love, including murder.
How far would you go to be with the person of your dreams? What if by the time you found that person you were already married and had kids? Would it matter? Would you give up everything? Author Alex Samms has written a story that pulls the reader into the mind of the main character with a chronological step into the dark side of love. On the surface, this forty-six page novella shows love at its fundamental level. Love at first sight, finding the person of your dreams, etc. Search deeper and you will find that the storyline has more of a psychotic undertone but still allows the reader to relate to the characters and think deeper about how far a person would really go for love.
“The Puppet’s Secret” by Alex Samms is a very interesting book. I think this would be a great topic for a book club discussion. There are a lot of other things going on in the story that are surprisingly not apparent until the end. This is one that you will have to read over and over. However, I would not recommend this to younger readers. It does have adult content.

Elise Speaks, Marketing Your Self-Published Book

Getting the Good Out of Bad Book Reviews

“No statue has ever been erected to a critic.” – Jean Sibelius

As much as every writer wants to bask in the accolades that come with a job well done, most of us don’t get through the writing process unscathed. If, by the time you publish, an editor or proofreader hasn’t zeroed in on all your writing flaws, at least one book reviewer is bound to do just that.

Let’s face it: Bad reviews sting! No matter how much praise your book gets, that one negative critique is usually the one that stands out. But as painful as it is to face the poisoned pen of a critic, it’s our mistakes that have the most to teach us. If you’re smart about your response, bad reviews could be the best thing that happens to you as a writer.

Before you fire off an angry retort or fashion a mojo doll in someone’s likeness, take a slow, deep breath. Don’t do anything in haste. Just cool your jets awhile, then take a few steps to get the ball rolling toward that silver lining:

  • Make sure the “reviewer” isn’t a competing author or a serial malcontent. Look up their other reviews. If they’ve posted an inordinate number of malicious reviews – perhaps all similarly worded – you can probably, at the very least, put very little stock in their comments.
  • Take action when necessary. If you suspect a reviewer is sabotaging your efforts to boost their own book sales or some other reason, contact Amazon, Nook or whatever book selling site is involved. You may be able to have bogus reviews taken down.
  • Answer your critics. Build a little goodwill by answering less-than-glowing endorsements with a personal reply. Let them know you’re sorry the book wasn’t their cup of tea, but you appreciate their comments (OK, you may have to fake that part). Solicit specific likes and dislikes, if they haven’t already spelled it out.

Once that’s out of the way, start making lemonade. It’s up to you to sweeten all the sour bits and turn them into something palatable. And believe me, there is something positive to be found in even the nastiest feedback:

  •  Look for specifics. A review that merely hurls vague insults is meaningless. It may be that the review was based solely on the reader’s preferences and personal biases and has little else to offer. Disregard those reviews, or those parts of reviews, and look for specific critical input. Did the reviewer complain about spelling errors? Were there factual errors in your book? Did he/she provide specific feedback about why the narrative failed to move the story along, or why the characters fell flat?
  • Learn from your critics. You may find that some reviewers have identified a weakness, your Achilles heel as a writer. Use that insight to buttress your flaws; it’ll make you a better writer in the long run.
  • Focus on what you can change. At times, reviewers are going to take a swipe at your style: the way you phrase things, the type of language you use, the type of characters you write about, the subject matter, etc. Often these choices make you you and aren’t up for discussion. Your style is your style. Period. As long as it’s not sloppy and incorrect, stay true to it.
  • Keep it in perspective. Even classics get bad reviews. Heck, huge bestsellers like Fifty Shades of Grey have received hundreds of negative reviews from readers and critics alike. Your story is simply not going to resonate with everyone.

While negative comments hurt, they’re not likely to sink a truly good book, and the innate desire to prove your critics wrong will inspire you to shore up your writing in the future. If you can muster the humor to laugh about your ugliest reviews, you might even frame the worst as wicked little good-luck charms or sorts – right next to your best-selling book!

Elise Connors ABOUT ELISE L. CONNORS:
Elise works as the Manager of Author Support of Outskirts Press.  She also contributes to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com.Elise and a group of talented book marketing experts assist self-publishing authors and professionals who are interested in getting the best possible exposure for their book.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Corinthia Falls

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:

Corinthia Falls

Kim Hutson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN:9781432771676

Reviewer: Olivera Baumgartner

There was little to make “Corinthia Falls” appealing to me at first glance. The book opened with scenes of two warring factions in a small church in Corinthia Falls and a bunch of the town’s teenagers, their ruminations, and pranks. While they were certainly funny, I was afraid that this would become one of those preachy reads on saving souls and superiority of their religion over any other. I could not have been more wrong. Sure, there was plenty of soul saving, but none of it ever became preachy or even remotely boring. I found myself totally engrossed in the little town of Corinthia Falls and the stories of its dwellers, particularly the newcomer, traveling evangelist Pavlos Lincoln Armstrong. As colorful as his name and truly multi-layered, he became a catalyst for a major change in the formerly rather sleepy congregation. Helped along by his bear-like canine companion Silas, as well as a posse of the town’s teenagers, Colonel Armstrong managed to bring together the “Standers” and the “Setters” as well as the former observers.

I’ve truly enjoyed the story and the wonderfully quirky characters in it, particularly the teenage cast. The narrative had a nostalgic, nearly dreamlike feel to it, and I found myself looking forward to each new chapter and each new victory that Colonel and his helpers managed to achieve. Timber, TJ, Anthony the Ant, the Sam’s boys – what a wonderful cast of young men to help change the dysfunctional course the church found itself on. And let’s not forget Becky and the tender love story developing between her and one of the main characters – what a treat! There was so much to enjoy in the first part of the story that I actually wished the story would have ended there.

While I understand the rationale about the “30 years later” second part of the story, and the showing of how goodness will bring positive results in the end, part of me wished that the author would have left that part unsaid. It felt slightly rushed, slightly forced, and not completely convincing. I guess that at times I would prefer to keep wondering how a certain character – or characters – fared later in life, and I found this second part of the story less heartfelt and less persuasive than the first one.

I would recommend “Corinthia Falls” to any lover of good fiction, particularly those readers who enjoy Christian and inspirational books. Corinthia Falls is a place they will enjoy getting to know