Carolyn Lists Her Top Twelve Books from 2020 to Read in 2021

A Dozen of My Best Reading of 2020 for You to Read in 2021

 

 

Compassion, Michigan: The Ironwood Stories by Raymond Luczak, published by Modern History Press. Remembering that some of this nation’s truest story were written by and about people in small towns with very cold climates, Luczak’s stories harken to that tradition but, it seems, short stories are suited for these times and especially stories like these full of character and full of characters with character who manage to make do just as many of us are doing in these times of Covid. I guarantee readers will find comfort in both the length of these stories and in knowing those people he writes about. ISBN: 9781615995271 Available on Amazon in paper, hardcover, and ebook. 

 

Words and Bones by LB Sedlacek. A poetry chapbook published by Finishing Line Press, (2018). Easy-to-read poetry, each beautiful in its simplicity. ISBN 97881635346329 Available at http://FinishingLinePress.com

 

How to Create a $1,000,000 Speech by Dr. Judith Briles, published by Mile High Press, Ltd. (2018). Great reread for the Zoom (call that Covid!) era. ISBN: 978 1885331670. Available on Amazon.

 

When God Says No: Revealing the Yes When Adversity and Loss Are Present by Judith Briles, published by Mile High Press, Ltd. Inspiration for the time of Covid. ISBN: 9781886431731 ©2019. Available on Amazon as hard cover, paperback and e-book. 

 

Life Is Basically Tragic—But Not Mine by Evelyn Blocker. Published by A Mojave River Valley Museum Publication, Barstow, CA. where her life is celebrated in a permanent display. The author’s daughter said, “My mother told us that the reason she wrote her story is so that we and our children and our children’s children would know, truly know, about how life was in the in 30’s and the 40’s, most particularly the depression and how life went on and people adapted, learned, grew, and went on!” ISBN: 0918614120 ©2003. Available as a paperback on Amazon.

 

Mine to Carry: An Irishwoman's Journey Through Forbidden Pregnancy, a memoir by Christine ("Cris") Mulvey, is WinningWriters.com’s 2020 #NorthStreetBookPrize winner. Independently published by Bookbaby.com. This memoir is a warning—and a reminder—of the dangers of allowing one group of human beings or countries to impose their values on individuals unlike themselves. ISBN: 978-1-543957288 Available on Amazon. 

 

The Benefits of Breathing, a collection of stories by Christopher Meeks (Foreword by Roderick Clark). White Whisker Books. Reviewer Grady Harp says this book will “provide proof that we have a superior writer of the genre in our presence.” ISBN: 978 0 9863265 Available on Amazon. Disclaimer: Meeks is my former student at UCLA and a well-known writing teacher at universities in the Los Angeles area including UCLA, USC, Santa Monica Community College. 

 

Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever by Gavin Edwards. Published by Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow. ISBN: 9780062950741 (2020). Pages 246. 

 

The Simple Facts about Self-Publishing: What indie publishers need to know to produce a great book by Jacquelyn Lynn. Published by Tuscawilla Creative Services. This is among my my few first-read recommended books for any would-be author considering publishing—indie or traditionally. ISBN: 99781941826324 . Available on Amazon. 

 

Finding Joy Journal by Jacquelyn Lynn. Published by Tuscawilla Creative Services. LLC. The perfect gift for a journaler, would-be diary keeper, poet, author, or anyone else with the will to write or a dream to do so. It’s also a curative and inspiration. ISBN: 9781941826195 Available on Amazon. 

 

Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity. A workbook by Daralyse Lyones from Loving Healing Press seems a double-duty exercise book to me. A perfect way for authors inspired to us diversity as a theme in their writing to sort out their thinking or inspire new ways to tackle a familiar theme or simply as guided journaling that would benefit most anyone in these days of changing demographics. ISBN: 0781615995363. Available on Amazon.

 

Trish: A Story of Survival and Recovery by Patricia Byrnes. A memoir published by Modern History Press. A personal story but also a story for readers interested in the US penal system. PEN America might be interested for their program designed to shed light on mass incarceration. ISBN: 9781615995141. Available on Amazon. 

 

About This Post

 

Carolyn writes the Back to Literature column for the review website MyShelf.com. She is also the author of , How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing careeravailable on Amazon at http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews and other books including fiction and poetry. 

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-wining author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered by Modern History Press in its third edition. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. 

Carolyn has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (http://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and The Great First Impression Book Proposal (http://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is 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 (http://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon: http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

Book Mark-Up, Barnes and Noble and Why It's All Worth the Effort

I count myself so lucky because in the process of consulting with other authors I get to learn new things myself. Also, my clients and friends are so incredibly generous with the knowlege they glean from experience. Here is a you-shouldn't-miss-this-one letter from Christopher Meeks, a fellow UCLA Extension Writers' Program instructor. And, yes, of course he gave me permission to include it in my blog. (-: Scroll down and you'll even find some important Barnes and Noble contact information.

Carolyn--

I learned a lot yesterday more about the workings of Barnes and Noble in relation to my signing on June 13th that's sponsored by Barnes and Noble. At one point, I had an executive in the B&N Small Press Department, Diane Simowski, call me, and between her and others, here are a few points I learned that impact POD publishers:

o POD titles are rarely on the shelves of a Barnes & Noble unless two conditions are met: they are returnable, and there's at least a 40% discount.

o B&N's computers show that a book's title is either a short discount or retail. A short discount means it's less than a 40% discount, which means a customer who wants it has to prepay it before it can be ordered. Individual stores are not supposed to order books for their shelves that have less than a 40% discount.

o The Small Press Department really won't help POD publishers because the department is basically meant for old-fashioned publishers who are small (under 4' 11"... kidding). That is, if one self-published a book and has boxes of books in the garage, an author can send his/her book to the Small Press department if it'll match various critieria, as follows:

- B&N will get at least a 40% discount
- Books can be returnable
- There is a marketing campaign, which you have to give details on
- You have a copy of the book (no manuscripts accepted)
- Trade reviews are a plus
- You have a note explaining what makes the book unique
- Your book can be purchased from one of B&N's approved wholesalers; B&N will not purchase directly to a publisher or author; therefore, an author/publisher has to make a distribution deal with one of these wholesalers and still leave a 40% margin for B&N

If you can meet these criteria, then send your book and all the details about it to:

Small Press Dept.
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
122 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10011

Once the book is evaluated and the criteria are met, the Small Press Department will show the book to their buyers, and the buyers decide whether or not to order any books. Diane said each buyer might decide on ordering one or two books to try it out at a store first.

Originally, I was told that for my event, B&N wanted to order my books a month in advance, which meant my book had to be available at that point. That meant if B&N could order it, so could anyone, and it would be available on Amazon.com. Diane underscored what you said, Carolyn, which is publication dates are not all that holy. JK Rowling's books might be strict, but many others are not. Hence, my book with a June 13th publication date might be available in May.

I also learned that my first book, The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea, listed at $12.95--which originally had a 40% discount to bookstores--now has only a 15% discount from Ingram to bookstores. That means there's not a lot of incentive for a bookstore to want it, and at B&N, anyone who wants it has to prepay. That kind of kills the book completely at bookstores. If Barnes and Noble can get at least a 40% discount, their computers will show the book as retail, and thus they won't make the customer prepay. Individual stores who like the book--if it gets good press thanks to a good frugal book promoter--can order it more easily for their store. Less than that discount, managers are not supposed to order it at all.

I now need to find out if Lulu can bump up the list price and if so, how much will it cost me? If it costs me $100 to change the price as I think it will, and I bump up the list price to $14.95, which will be the price of my new book, I might make only 32 cents more per book (at a 16% royalty), which means I will have to sell 625 books to pay for the increase, which is unlikely in the next year.

So as I go into the marketing of my new book, these are things on my mind. There's no point in my sending my book to the Small Press Department at Barnes and Noble because my book won't meet the criteria. Some POD publishers now will offer returnability, but that means authors won't be getting as much royalty because money will be held to pay for returns. Then again, if you get more sales in bookstores, it's something to consider. I don't know if Lulu offers that, but I'll investigate.

As for my opening, I'm now told I should bring all the copies of the books, which B&N will sell. They will then order that many books from Ingram and give those books back to me to replace the ones they sold. Why give B$N so much profit? If I sell a hundred books or more that night, I'll show up on the Los Angeles area best seller list. Once on the list, people will take note, and the book can keep selling. I'm told one author who sold over a hundred at her opening landed on the list and stayed there for a year. Now my trick is to get people to come to the reading & publication party on June 13th at the Beverly Hills Library. The reading will be done by four different actors, so it's a paid performance. The library sells $10 tickets for the performance, but I have to say, it's a good show. There will also be food and drinks, so it should make a good night.

Best,

Chris Meeks

Diane L. Simowski
Small Press Dept.
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
122 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10011
tel: (212) 633-3549
fax: (212) 463-5677
dsimowski@bn.com
www.bn.com
------

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author THIS IS THE PLACE; HARKENING: A COLLECTION OF STORIES REMEMBERED; TRACINGS, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T; and THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS.
Her other blogs include TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com and AuthorsCoalition.blogspot.com, a blog that helps writers and publishers turn a ho-hum book fair booth into a sizzler.