Steinbeck and Those He Influenced (Ahem!)

Now I know what my husband does when he isn’t finding obscure movies and plays for us to go to. He’s surfing the Web. But lucky me! He found these quotes for me from John Steinbeck, one of my favorite writers. In fact, Grapes of Wrath was probably instrumental in my choice of themes for both my novel This Is the Place (www.budurl.com/ThisIsthePlace )and my lots of my poetry. I thought you’d love them, too, so here they are:


~The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business.
~The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.
~Unless a reviewer has the courage to give you unqualified praise, I say ignore the bastard.
~Writers are a little below clowns and a little above trained seals.
~I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature.

~In utter loneliness a writer tries to explain the inexplicable.

~No one wants advice - only corroboration.

~The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty.

By the way, my This Is the Place is out of print. You can see from the Amazon widget above that it is still available as a used book. I just love to have it read! So go for it. Basically it will cost only shipping! But if used books don't appeal to you, I will be re-editing it and publishing it on my own soon. And it will be issued as an e-book.


----- Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Dana Lynn Smith Tells How To Entice Libraries to Buy Books

How to Sell to Libraries – Top 10 Strategies for Independent Authors and Publishers


by Dana Lynn Smith

America's 123,000 libraries purchase nearly $2 billion worth of books annually, according to statistics from the American Library Association and the Book Industry Study Group. Nonfiction books are especially well suited to library sales. To sell fiction to libraries, it's helpful to have reviews in journals, book awards, or a strong local tie-in, such as a novel being set in the region.
Here are ten tips on how to sell to libraries:

1. Publish a library-friendly book. Library books take a lot of abuse, so libraries prefer books that are sturdy. However, given the choice between a hardcover and paperback edition, they may choose the paperback because it's less expensive. Libraries generally will not purchase books with spiral or other nontraditional binding, and they don't like books with "fill-in-the-blank" pages. Nonfiction books should have a good index and preferably a bibliography. Librarians also prefer to purchase books that are cataloged using CIP (cataloging-in-publication) data.

2. Get your book reviewed in a library journal. Library purchasing decisions are based largely on reviews in the major journals. It's impossible for librarians to keep up with the huge volume of books being published, and they value the screening process that the journals provide. Eligibility and submission instructions vary by publication, so read the requirements carefully. Unfortunately, the journals can review only a small percentage of the books submitted to them. If you aren't able to get reviewed in major journals, play up your other reviews in your marketing materials.

3. Make sure your book is available through major library wholesalers such as Baker & Taylor and Ingram. The majority of library book purchases are made through wholesalers, and some libraries won't order directly from small publishers.

4. Apply to work with a library distributor such as Quality Books or Unique Books, if you have a nonfiction book to sell to libraries.

5. Solicit testimonials from librarians to add to your marketing materials, and play up any awards the book has won.

6. Contact libraries in your area to inquire about programs for local authors, and contact libraries in towns you visit. Let the library know about your events or media coverage in the area, such as book signings, radio interviews, or newspaper feature stories.

7. Look into speaking opportunities at libraries, like lectures and readings. In some cases you can sell copies of your book at your event or even get paid a speaking fee. Sometimes these events are organized by the "friends of the library" or other similar volunteer groups.

8. Send direct mail to libraries, either on your own or through co-operative mailings. Address mail to the Collection Development Librarian for your subject area, and include a flier with book details and a list of wholesalers and distributors that carry your book.

9. Consider donating a sample copy of your book to a few top library systems, to encourage purchases for branch libraries.

10. Exhibit at library tradeshows through co-operative exhibit programs such as those offered through the Independent Book Publishers Association, Combined Book Exhibit, and other organizations to sell your book to libraries.

~Excerpted from The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Selling Your Book to Libraries by Dana Lynn Smith. For more book marketing tips, follow www.twitter.com/BookMarketer  on Twitter and get Dana's free Top Book Marketing Tips e-book when you visit her book marketing blog. She blogs on book marketing at:  http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/ .

~The Frugal Book Promoter  by Carolyn Howard-Johnson has a chapter on getting reviews in the kinds of journals that acquisition librarians use as guides for their book buying. Use the Index to learn more about the process including some little-known ways to snag a big-time review.


----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Lobbing Publicity Stones or Peristence Counts

Publicity is like the little waves you make when you toss pebbles into a lake. The waves travel, travel, travel and eventually come back to you, but if you stop lobbing little stones, you lose momentum. I can’t tell you how many authors I’ve seen give up on flinging those promotion stones into a pond just about the time they would start to see results if they stuck with it. 


I was reminded of this metaphor (one that I repeat often!) recently when someone tweeted their choice for the top ten books on editing. It included my The Frugal Editor (www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor) and it is an ongoing list from Thornton Publishing. Here is the tweet:

passivillionare #Publishing voted best book: http://ping.fm/bMnCb The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success e-Book

I am glad that the principals of that company understand that a sound knowledge of editing (and clean submissions!) help them produce more professional books and that Thornton is making an effort to help their authors do a better job of that necessary partnering process.

That this came up, also gives me a chance to remind you that it’s never too late and it’s never too early to promote your book. And that you can’t let your efforts lag. Rearrange your thinking. Marketing isn’t about a single book. It’s about building a career. And new books can build on the momentum created by an earlier book. If you keep the faith. So, review the marketing ideas in The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) for new promotion ideas if you are tiring of the old ones, rearrange your schedule a bit to find the time, and keep at it.





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 Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Writing for Your Audience Vs. Writing for Yourself

I recently read an article/editorial from Jeff Rivers, the founder of http://www.HowToWriteaQueryLetter.comin Dan Poynter’s newsletter. It was titled “What I Learned from Janet Evanovich: Write for your Audience.”

It is hard to argue with experts like Jeff and Janet. But I do disagree-or at least mostly disagree. Certainly authors like Evanovich and James Patterson have done very well for themselves and for their readers by “Writing for Your Audience.” I do a bit of acting and learned that new actors should learn to give to the director not what they he or she wants, but to give of themselves—to give what they feel is best to give. But life has thrown me mixed messages. When I was a retailer, I certainly learned that one couldn’t “buy for oneself” when it came to selecting merchandise for my store. When I did, I very often brought whatever I bought home because my customers wouldn’t buy it.

But back to writing!

That same balanced note is a good one for writers to follow, too. Certainly, they must keep their audience in mind. As an example, they must trust their audience to be readers. They, after all, have been reading their whole lives. So we authors don’t want to insult them.

And certainly authors of nonfiction books should do some research before writing the same book someone else has written. There are probably many other aspects of “Write for your Audience” that I haven’t covered here.

Still, there is another side of the coin and here it is:

When you write for yourself, your audience will follow. Do not mistake this for advice that writers go off willy-nilly with no training in craft, no awareness of rules (which we may then choose to break). But we must love what we do to be successful. Find your voice and your passion. Keep at it. Market it. And your audience will find you.

I’m an eternal optimist. I believe we can balance the two philosophies. But I also see some real danger for the author who denies his or her dream and considers only what he figures someone else wants of him.

----- Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Frugal Authors Keep Post Costs Down!

Thanks to longtime subscriber to my SharingwithWriters newsletter Raff Ellis for this guest post. Postage is definitely a consideration for business-minded authors. I think the environment is equally important. And I, like you, suspect this new policy has nothing to do with security.  By the way, articles like this appear in SharingwithWriters newsletter, too. Subscribe and get a free booklet by going to the home page of my Web site, http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/. Find the subscription form in the upper right corner of the page.

The cost of mailing books is going up!



I have been selling autographed copies of my book Kisses from a Distance from my home for over three years. Readers order through my web site or by mail, which is quite convenient for me and them.
Early on I invested in a Dymo label maker and subscribed to Dymo Stamps, which allows me to print the proper postage. I have literally sent out hundreds of copies by simply printing the label, postage for the envelope, and putting them in my mailbox. If I have more than three going at the same time, I will run them down to the Post Office. I once took eighty at the same time and the postal clerk wasn't happy. He groused about the media mail option, “Don’t know why we even have this rate,” he snarled. In any event, I like to do it myself, and just put them in my big mailbox at the curb.
Imagine my surprise when a recent envelope came back to me two days after I handed it off to my mailman. The sticker on it says that if a package is over 13 oz. it must be taken to the Post Office, and handed to a clerk. I know this limitation applies to mailboxes on the street, and to boxes outside the Post Office. Little did I know that giving it to my postman was the same as putting it in a mailbox. This never happened before.

So, if I go to the Post Office, even though I have the proper postage affixed, I must go inside stand in line, and hand it to a “retail service associate.” Now I will have to use a dollar’s worth of gas (one-third of a gallon @ $3.00/gal.) to make a round trip of 6.4 miles. I also have to spend the better part of a half-hour of my time, if there are no crowds at the Post Office, that is. And I owe it all to “heightened security” requirements. Do they really think I would send a bomb from my home, with my return address on it? Also a note on the package said it can be sent via surface transportation only. I don’t know how long it’ll now take a book to get to California.
I guess I will now have to charge more for shipping and handling. I had been billing $3.00 per order for shipping. The postage (including the fee for printing the stamp from home) and the padded envelope, discounting the cost of the mailing label and any time spent in preparation, is $3.55. Because of this inane security requirement, it has now gone up to $4.55. This is how we reduce our carbon footprint, I guess.

So, thanks a lot Uncle Sam. I feel eminently safer now that I saw the clerk toss my package into a bin without so much as a glance at it. Now that I know you are using such common sense in protecting us from ourselves, I will rest easier.

Today's guest blogger is author and lecturer Raff Ellis (http://raffellis.com/Raffs_new_site/Site_Entry.html). He blogs at http://raffellis.blogspot.com/ and you can see the trailer for his book at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohsvMi-VCjI.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

How Do You Get A Review on The New Book Review?

Another in the Q&A a la Ann Landers series from my Sharing with Writers newsletter. BTW, you can subscribe to that letter and get a free e-copy of The Great First Impression Book Proposal by going to http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/ and using the signin link in the upper right column of the home page.  Or order it in paperback for $6.95 using the widget to the left.




QUESTION:

Hi Carolyn,

Please let me know the process to submit a book for review to your site. Or do we post independently to the reviewers listed on your site?

Best regards,
Martin Carriere, Author of Carrying the Chalice Forward and Other Secret Stories of North America

ANSWER:

Martin, thank you for taking the time to ask. I assume we're talking about The New Book Review, right? (http://www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/ ). The submission guidelines are in the left column of that blog. As you can see, the reviews get sent to me via e-mail and I post them. They can come from the authors themselves, reviewers, or readers who want to share books they love.

Just a reminder, though. Authors can also research reviewers on that blogsite and query them individually. I have no idea how many people do that, but I always hoped writers would use it as a resource for that purpose. It’s also good for finding names of alternative publishers. And, of course, good books to read.

Best,
CHJ

PS: Authors should ask for the reviewer's permission to re-publish their review--and let me know that they've done so. 
 
PPS: The New Book Review is a free service.
 
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Book Review Controversies: Jim Cox and Carolyn Exchange Views

INTRODUCTION:
Today I am posting a string of e-mails reprinted, in part, from "The Jim Cox Report." With Jim's permission, of course. I'm also reprinting a string of e-mails between Jim and me that were the result of that newsletter. I'm warning you, this is long. But it is worth hanging in there for the resources Jim provides and a better insight in the review process which seems to confuse many writers.Including those who don't think they are confused by it! (-:I am also reprinting because Jim is an expert on the subject and runs one of the few reputable review journals/sites that is fully open to review books regardless of how they are published. To encourage you, I'll tell you that when I published this in my SharingwithWriters newsletter (sign up form is on the left of this blog), it resulted in more letters to the editor than anything I've ever printed. Folks seemed especially interested in our pay-for-review discussion.

Exchanges about personal matters between Jim and me and the name of the aggrieved author have been edited out.

FROM THE JIM COX REPORT

Publisher Folk, Friends & Family:

When you are in the business of working with people--and most especially self-published authors--it is inevitable that from time to time you have to engage with disappointment, disaffection, disillusion, and even outrage. The key to success in such dealings is to remain calm, compassionate, realistic, and informational.

I received a letter of complaint, accusation, demand, and threat from a [a self-published author], whose review copy submissions to the Midwest Book Review did not result in a review.

Professional book reviewers and book review publications all too often turn down self-published authors from consideration simply because every now and then they have to deal with the naiveté, emotional involvement, ignorance, unrealistic expectations from a few self-published authors ultimately resulting in threats and hard feelings against the reviewer, and/or the editorial staff of the book review organization.

I'm going to share my response to just such a contact with just such a self-published author. The reason why I put up with belligerent authors is that they are few and far between, plus I've always seen as part of my responsibility as the editor-in-chief of the Midwest Book Review to be that of an educator. So I want to share with other self-published authors information that will prove useful to them should they ever find themselves in [the author's] position.

Indeed, once the aggrieved self-published author learns the rules of the road with respect to book review guidelines and standards, often their tempers cool and they become more discriminating in their book review submission decisions. In other words, they become more professional and less emotional.

Here's my e-mail to that author:

Dear Mr. XX:

Your certified letter of November 9th has been received.

Your books arrived safely and passed my initial screening. Unfortunately they ultimately failed to achieve a review assignment. This is no reflection on the quality of your work because it made a quite favorable impression on me. Simply the unfortunate consequence of having only 76 reviewers to cope with the more than 2,300 titles a month arriving here for review consideration.

With respect to your concerns upon finding a review copy title for sale on the Internet there are some basic publishing industry standards that I would like to bring to your attention because as a self-published author your are apparently not aware of them.

All review copies submitted for review become the property of that reviewer and/or review publication to do with as they please, whether or not a review is generated, and whether or not a generated review is positive or negative with respect to the book in question.

There are several instructional articles with respect to book reviewing, the book review process, what to do with reviews, and avoiding scam artists posing as reviewers.

I would direct your attention to the following articles and strongly suggest you read them:

1. Rules Regarding Review Copies
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/rules.htm  
2. How To Spot A Phony Book Reviewer
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/phony.htm
3. Amazon Book Review Guidelines
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/amazguide.htm
4. Amazon Review Copy Policy
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/arcp.htm
5. A Conversation About Getting Your Book Reviewed
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/conversa.htm
6. Defacing Review Copies
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/deface.htm
7. Getting Reviews For Self Published Books
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/revself.htm
8. How The Book Review System Works
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/system.htm
9. On Book Reviews & Reviewers
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/bookrev.htm
10. On The Use Of Press Releases In Book Reviews
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/pressrel.htm
11. Publication & Book Review Timing
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/revcopy.htm
12. Publicity Released-Based Reviews
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/prbr.htm
13. Regarding Review Copies
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/regardin.htm
14. Reviewers, Accessibility, And Book Stamping
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/stamping.htm

One more general comment I'd like to make and it’s with regard to the overall tone of your letter. It's quite combative in nature, demanding that you be paid the full cover price for your review copies or dire consequences will result. I quote from your letter:

"Failing your immediate action, I will feel compelled to alert the authors of the two Self-Publishing manuals of my findings and alert the management of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA, of which I am a member to warn members of potential unethical actions by some in your company. I will also alert other Publishing/Author organizations of which I am associated with on the Internet, Facebook and Twitter."
This attitude is precisely why most book review operations will not deal with self-published authors.
You might be interested to note that the Midwest Book Review was founded in 1976 and that I personally have become something of an elder statesman with respect to the publishing industry--simply through longevity in the business which includes a well-earned reputation as being an advocate of small-press publishing and self-published authors whenever possible.

One of the ways in which I try to assist aspiring authors and novice publishers (this includes the self-published author) is to write a monthly column for the publishing industry called the "Jim Cox Report". This is a column of advice, commentary, "tips, tricks & techniques", and resources for the small-press community.

You will find my columns archived on the Midwest Book Review web site at:
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/jimcox.htm

Incidentally, all the information on the Midwest Book Review web site (including the "Jim Cox Report") are free of charge.

This e-mail to you in response to your certified letter of November 9, 2010 and will be included in the [next issue of ] "Jim Cox Report" to benefit other self-published authors who may be in need of educating themselves as to the book review process and publishing industry standards with respect to review copy submissions.
Jim Cox
Midwest Book Review

Mr. XX then responded to the above email:

Dear Mr. Cox,

It is unfortunate that you believe my letter was primarily frustration or anger over my book not receiving a review. As such, you have missed the point. I thought you would want to know what was happening in your company but I'm astonished that you believe you are operating within normal trade procedures and are indeed defending the process as your right. I believe that while it may be legal, it is unethical for any review copy to appear for sale on Amazon within three weeks of being sent, in direct competition with the publishers own books. I appreciate the articles you sent and they explain a lot. It is obvious that some Reviewers feel it is their right to dispose of the review copies "as they see fit" (some seem to have even institutionalize the process) and must rejoice when they receive copies not marked as such, thereby increasing the value of them. You are right this is a good learning experience for me. I will never send out a Review copy again without "Review Copy" stamped on it.

Sincerely,
XX

Another e-mail excerpt from Jim to XX:

Thank you for your response. Publishers have every right to mark their review copies as they deem fit.

I appreciate the civility of your latest email. In return perhaps I can provide one more service to you. On the Midwest Book Review there is a book review data base called "Other Reviewers". You will find it at:
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/links/othr_rev.htm

This is an extensive listing of freelance book reviewers, book review publications, book review web sites, etc. A few (like Forward Magazine) are "pay for play" in that they charge for their reviews, but most are free of charge. Some are specialized (e.g. children's books, poetry, science fiction, etc) while others are more general in nature.

[Note: You will find another list of reviewers at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/reviewers_and_review_journals.htm ]

The trick is to go down the list (and it's a long one), when you see one that sounds promising, click on it and you'll be zapped to their particular Web site. Read through the Web site and you will be able to determine if they are thematically appropriate for your particular book. And if they are--what their submission guidelines are.

I wish you well in your endeavors and will include this latest exchange along with the first one in the next issue of my "Jim Cox Report.” It has a subscription list of about 3,000 and I believe our two exchanges will be to the benefit of a great many folk who are also trying to understand the publishing industry standards and issues that involve the book review process.

Jim Cox
Midwest Book Review

Jim continues in his newsletter:

Something to remember is that whenever confrontation occurs it is often quite possible that offended persons may well be having stress in other parts of their lives--and you just happen to be standing in the direct line of fire at the time.

But to balance this particular experience--just in this same past month I also received a letter containing a postage stamp contribution to "support the cause.” What's unique is that the letter containing the postage stamp contribution came from a self-published author who asked in that same letter that the review of their title be removed from Amazon and from the Midwest Book Review web site because it was so badly flawed.

I investigated--and sure enough, a new reviewer for whom this was their first assignment had so badly botched the review that I was compelled to delete it and remove the reviewer from any further considerations for assignments.

The old dictum that you can't please everybody holds true. But you can make disappointing them a teaching moment for themselves and for yourself.

Please remember that reviewers, like authors, come in three basic categories: The Good; The Bad; and The Mediocre. That's why dealing carefully and courteously with reviewers and with authors is always a good idea.

EXCERPT FROM MY NOTE TO JIM:

Oh, my gosh, Jim. Thank you for this issue. I too have had to deal with a couple frustrated authors after I worked hard trying to help market their books. Both times that happened around my now defunct Authors' Coalition and the book fair booths I put together on behalf of authors under its banner.

I took a different path. I did some hard thinking and decided that I'd rather be writing and teaching. I now only publish my books, my blogs [including this one] and, about once a year, teach a class at UCLA Extension.

I'm so glad you didn't give up as easily as I. What you do for subsidy- and self-published authors is rare indeed. We need more patient educators, not fewer.

I definitely can see the temptation to charge for e-book reviews (or any kind) and know lots of people who charge and try very hard to maintain ethical standards as they do so. The trouble is, can they? The other issue is how are those reviews then perceived? Even Kirkus has lost some of its professional status with the "paid for" segment it started a couple years ago. And, to take it one step farther. Do we really think bookstore buyers and others put any credence in them? Witness how many have begun to distrust Amazon reviews. And how many have begun to misuse them.

Another thing. Do we really think that review begin to look like paid ads, that there is any point at all? That is what will happen eventually, no matter how careful some reviewers are to be impartial. Then we might as well just say we are selling paid advertising with a twist.

You have an amazing reputation and, unfortunately, the self- and subsidy-published books suffer from a poor one. Your acceptance of books based on quality--not the looks of its cover or the press it is printed on--is very nearly unique in the industry. I'd hate to see it compromised.

Just my two cents, as long as we're having this conversation and you mentioned it. (-: Guess it's the old journalist in me.

BTW, I think training in the field of publicity often helps with difficult situations in which we find ourselves. The question for me, is not whether I can handle it, it's whether I want to. Maybe a few years ago I would have felt it was worth it on the outside chance I could help, I'm beginning to understand that time is even more precious than I always thought it was.

I'm sure you know that the idea that reviewers should not resell their review copies has been going around the Web among writers for at least a decade. So many view it as unethical. Now we have the new tax laws that advise reviewers to include a disclaimer that they received a book "as payment." I find the idea laughable but more than that, I think it is misleading. The word "payment" suggests that the reviewer has been compensated for the review (and sufficiently!), which in turn removes a review from the ideal situation which is that they provide a completely unbiased opinion of the book because they haven't been paid. No wonder people are confused! Some of my old journalism professors would be turning over in their graves if they had lived long enough to see reviewers who consider a book adequate compensation for a review. Many don't mind doing it for the love of doing it, but this is not "pay." Those same professors would be scratching their heads trying to figure just how a reviewer might go about reviewing a book without a copy. Even e-copies have value. So how will reviewers figure the value of an e-copy to claim as income? It is all beyond belief. Journalism ethics dying on one hand and on the other ethics being carried to the edge of ludicrous.

Oh, by the way, I'm reprinting your article, too. You once gave me permission to do it (credited) at any time, and I take you at your word. In fact, I may include this whole discussion if that's OK.
Best,
Carolyn

ANSWER FROM JIM:

Dear Carolyn:

Thank you for your very kind words. They are greatly appreciated! My "Jim Cox Report" [on review] has certainly struck a chord with a lot of folk. I've had two requests for permission to reprint it.

I think it's my professional background as a social worker and counselor that has given me such a useful skill set in dealing with unhappy people.

Jim Cox
Midwest Book Review

Up next: How do you get your review posted on www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com? That's tomorrow. Come back, or better yet, subscribe to this blog. The subscribe gadget is in the left column.  
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Dichotomy of a Self-Run Online Book Launch

By Carolyn Poling Schriber

Carolyn asked me to reflect a bit on the virtual launch party I held for the release of my new Civil War novel, Beyond All Price. For those of you I am meeting for the first time, I am a retired history professor, now fulfilling a lifelong dream to become a novelist. Because I wanted to have my book available by the beginning of the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Civil War, I decided to self-publish the book.

Like most self-published and print-on-demand authors, I have complete responsibility for promoting and marketing the book. If I didn't call attention to it, no one else was going to. I also happen to be a firm believer in the future of the e-book, so it seemed particularly appropriate to have an e-party. It was also cheaper, of course, and a bit less congratulatory, to use the Internet for the book's introduction, rather than just holding a small party for the folks I knew. Here's how I went about it.


My publishing imprint is Katzenhaus Books, and the company Web site was already up and running at Vistaprint. I wanted the launch to be connected to that site somehow, but at the same time separate and special. The answer was a second site, opened for just a four-month period, that could be linked to the company materials when needed. I started planning the party in July 2010, just as soon as I had finished approving the final proofs for both the paperback and the Kindle editions. The party itself was set for September 15-17.

The party Web site had many pages, starting with a welcome page that set a festive tone with balloons and confetti. The book itself had its own page, with pictures of the cover, the cover blurb, an excerpt, and links to the company Web site, including the ordering information. Next came a fun page--what's a party without a few games? There were some bad jokes, a mystery puzzle, and a cartoon cat video, among other oddities. Refreshments were easy. Visitors found a revolving buffet table with pictures of the food on offer and the recipes if they were really hungry. All the items on the buffet were dishes from the novel. Door prizes and give-aways had their own page, which also included an opt-in box, so that I could begin to create a dedicated e-mail list.

The real key to the success of the party, however, came from my invited guests--seven authors and seven internet experts who wrote about writing. I interviewed the authors about their books and their similarities to my own work; the bloggers wrote articles about their own specialties--everything from creating a Web site to the value of visiting their settings, proofreading, punctuation, and the future of the publishing industry. Each one had a page that was featured for an 8-hour period during the launch. There the guests could post their own picture, pictures of their books, list their internet addresses, and invite followers. All these materials were accessible for the entire launch period and for a month afterward through list of guest links.


I cannot begin to praise my guests enough. They not only took the time to write their articles; they also publicized the launch for me on their own blogs, Web sites, and social networks. When a well-known author twittered a note saying "I'll be appearing at this book launch at this time at this URL," their fans and readers came to visit, and learned about my book along the way. Their help was invaluable!
Questions remain, however. Was it successful? Would I do it again? What would I change? Well, for starters, I found out the party lasted too long. I thought I was cutting back from the only other online launch party I had seen--one that ran for an entire seven-day period. Mine started on Wednesday, peaked around noon on Thursday, and limped through Friday, falling off to near nothing by Friday evening. I should have stopped Thursday night. The fun and games page was not particularly popular. People who took the time to visit the site wanted to know about my book or what my guests had to say. They didn't come to be entertained by other means. The opt-in box was badly placed. It should have been at the front of the site, not buried in the back. On the plus sign, people loved the recipes from the book and reacted well to most of my guests.

Sales were slow but steady through the first two days. I didn't sell as many copies as I would have liked, but those who ordered the book were new customers, most of whom I would not have met if it had not been for the launch party. And sales continued at the same pace for several weeks after the actual launch. I also gained new Twitter followers and Facebook friends. I'm glad I did it, and when my next book comes out, I'll probably do it again. Honestly? I had a blast!


~Carolyn Poling Schriber is a guest blogger today and the author of Beyond All Price. It may be ordered directly from the author at  http://www.katzenhausbooks.com/Order-Form.html. She blogs at http://feeds.feedburner.com/RoundheadsAndRamblings .  Contact her at: http://twitter.com/#!/roundheadlady
or http://facebook.com/carolyn.schriber  or at  LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=78284909&trk=tab_pro



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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

The Golden Rule, Networking, and Book Sales

Networking is nothing more than building relationships. It is at the root of all great promotion. So, if you’re having trouble with any aspect of your promotion campaign, consider your networking skills.

As an example, you will have an easier time booking a signing or workshop at a bookstore where you know the staff. You’ll have an even easier time if you’ve funneled your readers to that bookstore to buy your books (and other books, too!) They are sure to notice and be eager to stock your books on a regular basis.

Ditto for sending your online buyers to one store. You’ll be surprised at how your ratings benefit, as an example, if you use links to your book’s buy page at Amazon exclusively. The better your book sells there (and hits their bestseller list in its category), the more quickly your book sales grow. It's an incremental thing.

The same concept works with almost everything you do for your book. It’s a bit like the golden rule, isn’t it. What your mother always told you about things like thank you notes and the golden rules tend to work well in marketing, too.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

E-BOOKS Vs. PHYSICAL BOOKS Vs USED BOOKS

Richard Bauman is a Sharing Writer today with an opinion on e-books. Before you hit him hard on buying mostly used books for which the author gets no royalties, please read this through. It may be just what you need to get you onto the e-book and e-reader track. And, shoot.  Leave a comment. Tell him what you think!  I mean, really. SHOOT.  He wants to know. I want to know!



By Richard Bauman



Have you read an ebook lately? Probably you have. Were you happy with the price you paid for that ebook? Chances are not so much. If you thought it was overpriced—it probably was—especially when you consider you probably could have bought a “used” copy of that book for a fraction of the price of either the ebook or a new print version of the book.


I’m an author, and of course I want people to buy my books. New books; freshly printed books, or ebooks. On the other hand, I rarely buy new books. I buy used books, even recently published and popular books, fiction and non-fiction, usually for no more than ten percent of their original selling price, very often a lot less than that. Places like half.com, amazon.com and numerous other websites make it easy to buy used books. But I haven’t yet found a website selling “used” ebooks.
The skyrocketing popularity of ebooks is well documented. There are a gazillion websites where you can gather all the glowing statistics about ebooks sales verses physical books. There’s a lot of flux, though, about the price of ebooks verses physical books. Some say ebooks and physical books should be priced the same, others (like me) believe ebooks should be lower priced since production costs, including shipping and handling, are lower for ebooks than traditional books.
In any discussion about ebooks pricing verses pricing for physical books, one part of the book market that seems to have been ignored by publishers, authors and even readers is used books. That is a mistake. By pricing ebooks at or near the price of physical books publishers/authors are losing sales. Because many book buyers will purchase used books rather than new books, regardless of format, and thus authors and publishers make zero dollars from the books (the used ones) we buy.
The author of a traditionally published book might get 20% of the book’s selling price in royalties. Often royalties are based on the book’s wholesale price, not its retail price. And bookstore shelf life of a new book is short. If it doesn’t sell quickly and sell well, it will probably be a remainder book in less than a year. Remainders and returns don’t put money in the author’s pocket.


Once a book’s been read, it might get donated to a thrift store or library sale, or put up for sale on half.com or Amazon.com. The book might be given to a friend or relative. No matter where it goes, on the book’s second and subsequent change of hands the author and publisher get zilch. For authors and publishers of traditional books it’s a one copy, one sale, one money making opportunity.

Now, if publishers and authors produce ebook versions of physical books, there’s the potential for bigger sales, and more income for them, provided they sell the books in price range that entices frugal book buyers to shun secondhand books in favor of the ebook version.

Here’s an example of how wise pricing can mean more sales and more income for publisher and author. Gordon Kirkland is a humor writer. He’s a great wit, and I’ve read several of his books. As I’m writing this the print version of his book, I Think I’m Having one of Those Decades is for sale on Amazon.com for $17.95. Even though I really enjoy Kirkland’s sense of humor that’s way more than I’m willing to pay for his book. I checked half.com, and I can buy it used for 78-cents. A no-brainer, I’ll buy the used copy. But wait. On amazon.com there’s also the ebook version of the book—for just 99-cents. Only twenty one cents more for the ebook than for the used book. I’ll take it. Hold on, it gets even better. That seventy-eight cent book will actually cost me $4.27 thanks to $3.49 for shipping and handling. And I’ll have to wait a week or so for it to arrive in the mail. What should I do? Spend more than $4 for the used paperback, or 99-cents for the new ebook I can download and start reading instantly? Talk about a no-brainer.

If I buy either a new or used print version of the book I get a physical book that I can keep or give away, donate to thrift store or library sale, or even sell on Amazon or Half.com. I’ll take the 99-cent deal. The thrift store and friends lose out, but I make out, and so does Kirkland.

I can hear publishers and authors crying tears as big as light bulbs that they’ll make less money if they lower the price on ebooks into to the used book range. Will they?
I deliberately used Gordon Kirkland as an example, because he recently lowered the price of many of his ebooks on Amazon.com to 99-cents. According to his posting on his Facebook page, he’s not only making more sales, he’s making more money at 99-cents than he did when the ebooks were priced higher.


An example of a pricing strategy, in my opinion, that works against the author and publisher is for the book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. It’s a terrific memoir, one of the best I’ve read. Today, on the Barnes & Noble website, you can buy the new paperback version for $9.36 plus $3.99 shipping (total 13.35). The ebook version is $9.99. On the other hand, at half.com I can buy a used copy for $1, plus $3.49 shipping. If the ebook version was priced in the $4-$5 range, I believe the author and publisher could sell more ebooks, and make more money, and at the same time see fewer sales going to the used book marketers.


Ebooks are hot products right now. They aren’t a fad, and no doubt will be a major form of book sales going forward. The enthusiasm for them will be lessened, however, if publishers and authors don’t pay attention to the used books market and its impact on the sales of new books. When people like me, with a wide streak of frugality, see they can still buy used books cheaper than they can a new e-book, that’s what we will buy. On the other hand, if publishers and authors will price their e-books into the price range of used books and their inherent shipping costs, they probably can sell a lot more e-books to people like me.

~Writing opinion today is Richard J. Bauman. Author, Awe-Full Moments: Spirituality in the Commonplace, http://www.richardjbauman.com/

---- Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Five Tips to Help You Decide How Much of YOU Should Show Up in Your Blog

I often recommend Cheryl Pickett's books to friends and clients who write. Today she is helping me fill some blog time I am taking off for writing and inspiration.  That's what friends are for, right?  So...do you know what TMI is?  Keep reading!

How Much is Too Much?
5 Tips to Help You Decide How Much of You Should Show Up in Your Blog



1. The first thing to remember is your blog is yours. There are no editors involved, so it will be whatever you create good, bad or ugly. You will write for yourself to a point, but if you're blogging for business, your biggest influence will be the response of your reader to what you put out there; and part of what you present will be bits of yourself.

2. Plenty of blogs talk about needing to clean up dust bunnies, favorite music, the latest weather or dating exploits. If your reason for writing is for fun or to have an online journal to share with family and friends, posting like that regularly makes sense. However, if you're blogging to build an audience, to display your expertise and generate traffic around what you do, then those types of personal details obviously won't be your focus.
3. It isn't necessary to ignore personal details altogether though. Especially if you are a solo-preneur, it's a good idea to let your audience get to know you as a person. People relate to people, not pages. Mentioning a major event in your life i.e. a wedding, birth, serious illness, allows readers to celebrate or empathize with you and to see you in multi-dimensions. This is particularly true if your business involves relating to people on a day-to-day basis such as coaching or any other service business. As you talk about yourself from time to time, stay away from the mundane and you'll be safe.
4. You can also interject your personality without giving a ton of personal details. Just as each of us speaks differently than another, once you start posting regularly, you'll develop a writing voice as well. If yours doesn't flow out right away, don't worry. Relax into your writing, treat it as you are talking with a friend or client and it will come.

In addition, if you think of yourself as a teacher, or as simply being in a conversation with your readers, you'll write in first person, but not about yourself, if you don't choose to.

4. If you have a blog to enhance your business, it's always good to keep a close watch on what you say and reveal. You never know who could be reading and what they might do with the information for good or bad. Find the happy balance between sharing nothing personal and TMI (too much information) and your readers will come back for more.

Today's guest blogger is Cheryl Pickett, Cheryl has been writing articles, blogs and books for well over a decade. Her current mission is to help message driven entrepreneurs, authors and other thought leaders create their own compelling content. If you would like more tips and hints like these, please visit http://www.cherylpickett.com/  http://www.publishinganswers.com/  or feel free to stop by her Facebook "Like"  page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Cheryl-Pickett/138168989570843











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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Free Review Services for Authors

The Review Depot is a free service, which allows authors and publishers to submit their review requests in one location and have those requests routed to one or multiple review companies. As each review company completes its review, their star rating and review excerpt will show on the Manic Readers website.
Authors and publishers can access Review Depot by logging into Manic Readers (http://www.manicreaders.com/ ) and clicking on the "Manage My Books" link under their "My Links" menu. The Review Depot gives authors and publishers an easy-to-user interface to request book reviews and a realtime interface to track the status of each review request.

Find lots more idea and resources on getting reviews in my  The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't. And for a subscription to SharingwithWriters newsletter where you'll find lots or resources like this one, send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to HoJoNews (at) AOL (dot) com.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog: