This year, the happy job of posting on Christmas Day has fallen to me, and I couldn’t be more grateful––for you, our readers, and for the chance to share even just a hint of the love and boundless joy at the end of what has been, for many of us, one of if not the most difficult years on record.
I took a moment this morning to think back over what we have already overcome in the last twelve months:
COVID-19,
Quarantine,
Isolation,
Separation from friends, family, and loved ones,
Intense regulation,
Civil unrest and a hotly debated political season,
Countless disruptions to routine,
Financial hardships, and
Loss and grief over all of the above …
And I just have to say, my friends, that you are absolute champions. You’ve made it through so much. And no, I don’t necessarily think that making it through to everyone’s favorite holiday or even turning the calendar page onto a new year will magically ease all of our burdens, but I do truly think we are on the cusp of something new and good. For some of us that may be the comforts that a favorite holiday or a new year will bring, and for others it might be the time to finally work on that next book, and for still others it might just be the space to finally draw breath and think of something other than surviving the next week with food on the table and a loved one to hug.
This has been a long, hard year. But amidst all of the hardship, I have been so very blessed to write to you, read your responses, and work alongside you to make the world just a little bit better, a little bit richer, by having your words and your stories in it.
Thank you.
You are not alone. ♣︎
Do you have ideas to share? Please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section, below.
ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Outskirts Press. The Sales and Marketing departments are composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, 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.
Stella wasn’t like all the other stars in the skies above Bethlehem. She was a four-pointed star in a five-pointed world, and the other stars teased her because of it. Then one day, the stars heard an important event was about to happen-and God would choose one star to play a crucial role.
Could that star be Stella? Not if the other stars get their way, and they will do anything to stop her!
Stella’s story shows us that often the ones considered different in the world are the ones who shine the brightest through their faith, hope, and love.
Stella the Rejected Star was written by Marc McCormack when he was eleven. Almost forty years later, Stella’s story has turned out to be his son Brady’s story. Brady, who is blind and nonverbal with autism, navigates his way through the world as both a star who has sometimes been rejected, and one of the brightest-shining ones.
Set against the first Nativity, Stella the Rejected Star is more than a Christmas story and is for everyone, especially those young readers with four points in a five-pointed world.
Stella’s story is the perfect one to teach children the importance of empathy and acceptance. If your child loves Christmas and stars, even mischievous ones, they will love Stella the Rejected Star!
Some of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to autism-related charities.
REVIEW:
Once upon a time ….
The first time I read Stella the Rejected Star, I found myself humming “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” aloud to myself. There are definitely some parallels between the stories of Rudolph and Stella––bullying by one’s peers, physical difference as a subject to be grappled with, a sort of “inspecting of the troops” or competition to guide an important process, and a message involving the triumph of the innocent over the cruel––and I think this parallel provides a unique and interesting starting point for discussions between parents (or grandparents, or caregivers) and young children.
How are these stories similar? It certainly doesn’t hurt that both Rudolph and Stella literally as well as metaphorically shine brighter than their peers, or that when Stella and Rudolph are both brought to the attention of God and Santa respectively, they take the high road and refrain from punishing their peers, even though they have acquired the power to do so.
(A quick aside: I still feel uncomfortable about having put Santa into the same sentence as God, particularly since I grew up in a household where the secularization of Christmas was a regular discussion. Whatever your or my personal stances might be on this particular depiction of the divine, I think it’s pretty safe to assume we’re all aware that the Nativity story occupies a sacred and beloved space in many households around the world, and I definitely do not want to imply I do not take the faiths of my friends, family, and neighbors seriously. I do think it’s important to specify that this book resonates specifically with mainstream Christianity as experienced in America, to prevent confusion.)
How are these stories different? Well, we’ve established that God is not Santa (and vice versa). And while Rudolph’s mission is one of spreading good cheer, Stella’s is to lead the shepherds and wise men to the newborn Jesus. McCormack also distinguishes his story with an added twist: in Stella the Rejected Star, faithfulness magnifies a star’s light, while the bully stars discover that their unkindness leads to a loss of this same light. Not only does this provide an opportunity to talk about bad behavior and bullying with kids, but it also introduces the concept of faithfulness and the relationship between faithfulness and behavior.
I find it incredible that an 11-year-old wrote this story, but that’s the background: McCormick wrote it as a boy and published it in honor of his son Brady, who has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). That Brady was himself was a preemie and only surviving twin underscores the importance of this story, both to McCormick, and to those who learn from his picture book. Beyond the value of teaching children to empathize with and be kind to those who stand out for their differences, there is another moral to this story. Hardship, McCormick hints, provides a backdrop against which both heartbreaking and incredibly beautiful stories can play out. All of this in 32 pages, half of them Seth A. Thompson’s colorful and evocative illustrations. I can’t imagine a better way for families of faith to finish out 2020 than with a story of hope, faith, and maintaining joy through hard times.
You can find another detailed review of Stella the Rejected Star on the Readers’ Favorite website, reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford. It is encouraging to me personally that other highly-rated reviewers have begun to pick up on McCormack’s wonderful story.
IN SUMMARY:
Stella the Rejected Star is a sweet and wholesome picture book for those looking to re-invest the holiday season with the magic of love and kindness present in the Nativity story. Marc McCormack’s story and Seth A. Thompson’s illustrations combine to create what will quickly become a modern classic for English-speaking Christian families.
WHERE TO BUY?
You can find Stella the Rejected Star wherever good books are sold, including Bookshop.org, Barnes & Nobleand Amazon. You can also find out more about Marc McCormack’s work on the book’s Outskirts Press author page.
WHAT NEXT?
There are several more children’s books in my TBR pile for me to get through before the end of 2020, with my next review scheduled for the afternoon of January 1st. I can’t imagine a better way to start off a new year than with a good book!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
ABOUT KENDRA M.: With nine years in library service, six years of working within the self-publishing world, as well as extensive experience in creative writing, freelance online content creation, and podcast editing, Kendra seeks to amplify the voices of those who need and deserve most to be heard.
ook 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:
Susan writes of adventures common to children, and fondly recalled by many adults. Her rhymes flow sweetly along with the illustrations and are written in a format easy to read to children or for helping a child beginning to read for themselves. Cat lovers will relate to Stealthy Cat that climbs, and then descends the Christmas tree, and they will be tempted to adlib sharing experiences of their own.
Susan’s poems display loving family relationships. Growing up, many of her days were spent playing with her sister, two brothers, and neighborhood friends. Being outdoors in nature gave Susan the inspiration she needed to express her feelings through writing. Winters brought lots of snow and the making of snow angels as she swished her arms and legs while looking up at the sky dreaming, snowflakes falling, melting on her face. Like many little girls then and now, she loved dolls. She recalls having only a few, her favorite being Tinker Bell, who sprinkled fairy dust as she flew.
Susan writes in her first book, The Strongest Bond, that while growing up she believed in the magic of love that could wave a wizard’s wand, and change her from a scullery maid into Cinderella. In this book of beautifully illustrated poems for children, she looks to captivate imaginations with Christmas memories of when she was a child. She shares them in the spirit of the magic of Christmas.
* courtesy of Amazon.com
Featured Review
A Christmas Story for All Seasons
Most adults retain childhood memories of Christmas, which seem, in retrospect. so much better than the memories made today. In this lovely illustrated book, Author Susan Brougher relates both memories past and present in a storytelling poem, which is both lively and cheerful. The meter is off a bit but not enough to detract from the beauty and charm of this book.
It’s important for children to learn of the past while enjoying the present. The author puts the birth of Jesus into her poems, where He belongs this time of year. The subtle yet natural way that the author blends Christmas with the night Christ was born is beautifully and tastefully done.Children will also love hearing about picking out real trees, instead of the poor imitations in today’s world.Yet this poem teaches as well. We need to save the trees to protect them and the earth.
This is a book which encourages children from 2-7 to ask questions. It’s a perfect ‘read to’ book as well as for those just learning to read on their own–a book young ones will treasure throughout the year. Both the poem and illustrations make this book a delightful story for adults of all ages, taking them back to memories of their own youth; bringing back a little of its magic
This is the type of Christmas my own children enjoyed and will be perfect for my grandchildren. There is something about Christmas past that is lacking in today’s technological world. Author Susan Brougher brings it back to readers with a little ‘fairy dust.’
Delightful Poems, Great Artwork, Fabulous Choice for Parents & Grandparents for Christmas Gifts
I can’t remember the last children’s book I read that consisted of poems and color illustrations. Probably it was as a youth, reading Dr. Seuss.
Any author who opens with a quote from Laura Engalls Wilder is certainly on the right track to my childhood days.
The poems are quick, snappy, upbeat and should keep every listener glued to every word. But, the real eye-catcher? Excellent, full color illustrations of boys, girls, and a seemingly sassy cat not unlike my youngest, Candy. Oh, because of her antics, similar to those hinted at in the poem, we close off the den after decorating for Christmas.
Recollecting those memories mentioned above is, I suggest, strong evidence that The Magic of Christmas is indeed The Magic of Love, making this book a great purchase for any parent or grandparent.
This book contains five enjoyable and beautiful Christmas poems for children, along with many full-page colored illustrations. Two of them include Jesus, which I was happy to see. But if you’re not a Christian, you can still enjoy the other three just as wonderful poems that include Santa Claus.
The poems are full of Christmas atmosphere while playing in the snow (didn’t do much of that in Los Angeles as a kid haha), and picking a Christmas tree, which was a fun childhood reminder.
This is a great book to enjoy with your children or grandchildren especially if your Christmas is cold and you’re sitting near a fireplace.
It’s a fashionable thing to limit our conversations about gratitude to the time around Thanksgiving, when all the stationary and gift displays and card racks at Hallmark all feature gratitude as their main theme. But I’m here today to advocate for extending that period of gratitude to include the Christmas and New Year’s holidays—because while Thanksgiving is lovely and wonderful and should definitely have its own marketing space, there are things we are grateful for closer to the end of the year that have their own nature, their own set of qualities, that makes them both poignant … and a potential platform for further holiday marketing, as I’ll get into here today.
I would also note that one can be an entrepreneur—a self-starter, a self-published book author—and carry the burden of marketing lightly, and carry it without being obnoxious, or dissembling, or insincere, even in the midst of a world crowded with half-baked promotions and kitschy products designed to capitalize on people’s sentimental holiday nostalgia.
Yes, you can be both a person who needs to market your book around the holidays, and utterly sincere about the messaging you send out into the universe around the holidays.
This holiday season, a friend of mine who happens to be an author (among other things) set about thanking those authors who were foundational to his development and evolution as a wordsmith on social media. Once a day, he has been tweeting about and to the authors who helped make him who he is. He hadn’t intended this to be anything other than a fun little project unconnected to anything else going on in his life, but it ended up putting him on the radar of a number of fantastic, high-profile authors who subsequently re-tweeted his tweets. In doing so, they broadcast his gratitude far and wide, raising his profile in the literary community and exposing numerous new readers to his name and brand.
I propose that we all do something similar. Having seen what has happened in my friend’s case, I can without reservation state that doing so will not only put your name in front of new potential readers, but it’s also a fun and worthwhile exercise to do on a personal level. It’s the gift that gives back, as expressing gratitude so often builds both giver and receiver up.
It’s the simplest thing to put together a quick social media campaign. If you decide to move forward with something similar, keep in mind a couple of our top tips here on the blog for successful posts:
Rinse & Repeat: Repetition, and routine, are the keys to growing your social media presence. Make sure to time your tweets and Facebook posts (and you can use a third-party scheduling app, like Hootsuite or Twitter & Facebook’s extant scheduling options to do so) for high-traffic times of day, and to tweet or post to Facebook regularly.
Attach Images. Analytics clearly and definitively prove that attaching images (that you have the rights to, of course) to your tweets, Facebook posts, and blog posts boost the visual impact and increase the “clicks” those posts receive. Snap a quick picture with your camera or grab a picture from online to accompany every post, and watch those clicks roll in.
Tag People. Both Twitter and Facebook (as well as Instagram and other social media platforms) allow creators to “tag” or “@” or “mention” or otherwise direct their posts to specific individuals. Doing so creates notifications which will make people aware that you are talking about them, which boosts the likelihood that they will respond or re-post your material, thus raising awareness about it.
Authenticity Matters. Social media is the best lie detector in existence. Twitter and Facebook users are highly attuned at present to inauthentic material (and will only continue to grow moreso as the conversation around “Fake News” becomes more advanced and nuanced) and are unafraid to call people out on it. The way to ensure that you put social media to work for you rather than against you is to treat your followers like you would your coworkers and your friends all at once. You have to be honest, and authentic, and you have to be able to stand behind every post you make in the years to come. (The Internet forgets nothing.)
Think of all the authors and creators who have influenced your journey. Who would you like to thank this holiday season? What are their footprints in your life? Whether you choose to mount a quick social media campaign around your gratitude list this holiday season or not, thinking of how far you’ve come and the people who have helped you along the way is just one more way to enjoy a bright and beautiful Christmas.
You are not alone. ♣︎
Do you have ideas to share? Please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section, and I’ll make sure to feature your thoughts and respond to them in my next post!
ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Outskirts Press. The Sales and Marketing departments are composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, 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.
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:
Secrets of Christmas Revealed! This edition of Christmas Secrets is a first in a series of Christmas books. This book allows adults and children alike to enjoy discovering the secrets of the holiday season together. Many of the children’s questions about Santa Claus and the Christmas season are answered. The stories are interactive with prompts and questions to encourage children to think, analyze and become involved in the adventure
* courtesy of Amazon.com
Featured Review
Adorable Throughout – Great for Interaction with Kids
Uncle Pappy has written GEM of a story – I read it first and smiled the whole way through, the illustrations make the magical aspects of the story seem very real! I was captivated and reminded of my childhood beliefs and fantasies of Christmas and all the goodness around it. Then, when my 8 year old niece visited I shared it with her, whereupon she took it from me so she could read it herself and gaze at the pictures, asking me a few questions… she is old enough to NOT believe in Santa and all but STILL seemed drawn by the miracles the story unfolds. For me, the book provided a rare bonding moment with my niece, sharing something wonderful together as this book and storyline. Smiling again.
– Verified reviewed on Amazon
Other Reviews
Interactive Christmas Story Focused on Entertaining Discussion
I bought this book for my grandchildren. It teaches children the merits of reading and discussing what is read to them. The interaction is a delight and very memorable. The illustrations are bright and colorful, filled with excitement. Bottom line: This is a story that can really help toddlers learn the merits of reading a book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who appreciates the thought of teaching by reading with entertainment….and bringing toddlers into the story.
Our family is always looking for a new, WONDERFUL Christmas story. It is very imaginative and makes a great gift for young kids and families. This book is interactive and encourages kids to love Christmas.
Self Publishing Advisor 