| Author |
Message |
    
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 396
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 11:48 am: | 
|
Hello Authors,
Beginning January, 2008 I will be once again accepting books for review. All of my reviews are published in the Midwest Book Review, on Rock Publications, and on BarnesandNoble.com. I am very interested in reviewing most fiction, nonfiction books on publishing, the craft of writing, sales, and marketing, and nonfiction books on the uplifting of African Americans. I am NOT interested in reviewing poetry books or romance novels. If books do not fit in these genres, please shoot me an e-mail before sending your review copy.
All books must have an ISBN # and must be hard copies. Please do not send manuscripts or electronic books. Advanced review copies are accepted as well as books within a year of their publication dates.
All reviews are at no cost to authors or publishers. Because of time constraints, not all books received can be reviewed. Books not reviewed will be donated to local public libraries. Please send your books for review to the following address:
Midwest Book Review
C/O Emanuel Carpenter
P.O. Box 40184
Bay Village, OH 44140
For questions, please feel free to e-mail me at emanuelcarpenter(at)yahoo.com.
|
Jabarnesohio
Newbie Poster
Username: Jabarnesohio
Post Number: 2
Registered: 11-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 12:27 am: |
|
Dear Mr. Carpenter,
I tried emailing but got a bounceback, so I hope you don't mind my using the forum to respond to your offer to review books.
You mention that you do not review e-books. I do not have an e-book, but I have launched just this month a serialized novel on a blog. The story is about the unplanned alliance between newly freed black people and the Union army as it burned through Georgia on the famous march from Atlanta to the sea. It is also about the more intimate alliance between the general on that march, Wm. T. Sherman, and a young newly-freed woman named Jennie Lewis. Through actual and fictional letters, journal entries, news articles, official reports, and ex-slave testimony, this epistolary novel will be published in daily installments on the blog at http://www.shermans5th.blogspot.com/ .
I hope you will visit the site and consider reviewing this new approach to publishing a novel and new use for a daily web log (blog). In another stream on this site, writers are considering whether the printed book will become a relic. I hope not. But as a writer, I find this approach exhiliarating in the potential for immediate feedback, ability to edit after publishing, and permanancy of a blog site. This is publishing solely to communicate experiences and ideas, without a monetary incentive. The blogger (me) does not pay for the site and the reader does not pay to read the book.
Even if you don't review the book, or the process/concept, I would appreciat any comments from you at the site or in a return email.
My best to you.
jabarnes937@gmail.com
|
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 398
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 12:59 pm: |
|
Sorry J.A. These are the rules of the Midwest Book Review, not mine. |
Jabarnesohio
Newbie Poster
Username: Jabarnesohio
Post Number: 3
Registered: 11-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 10:40 pm: |
|
I understand. I hope you will check out the novel anyway. Thanks. |
Urban_scribe
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Urban_scribe
Post Number: 564
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 06:26 pm: |
|
Hello, JA,
I skimmed through your blog. I like what I see. Congrats. I understand you're making your work available free of charge on your blog, but have you considered self-pubbing through a company called Create Space?
A little background on Create Space: Create Space is owned by Amazon. This means that you book will be for sale on amazon.com automatically if you use Create Space as your printer. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, any book that can be purchased on Amazon can also be purchased here on AALBC.
You would pay the cost of printing and Amazon takes a little royalty for themselves. They send you the balance as your portion of the royalty. For instance, if you price your book at $16.95, you'll pay $.02 per page + $3.15 for the cover for CS to print your book. So for a 300-page book you'll pay $9.15. Plus CS takes around 30% of the price you set, which in this example is $16.95. That comes to: $5.09. 5.09 + 9.15 = $14.24. 16.95 - 14.24 = $2.71. Two dollars and seventy-one cent will be your profit for every copy of your book that sells on Amazon.
You don't have to worry about print runs because your books will be printed by CS as they are ordered through Amazon. There are no setup fees involved. For more info: http://createspace.com/
IMO, your writing is well above average. You have a strong literary voice. If you're not trying to have your work published by a commercial publisher, which is a shame if I may be so bold, then you certainly should try to make some sort of profit for your time and your talents. I think people will want to read your book - and spend money on it.
If you decide to put your book in print, please come back and let us know. You can put me down for a copy. Sorry, but I'm far-sighted and my poor eyes can't withstand reading on a screen but so long.
DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, worked for Create Space, Amazon, Book Surge or any other company affiliated with the aforementioned. I receive no profit or commission or kickbacks from any of the aforementioned companies for referrals. I'm just someone who works in the publishing industry, so I know about all of these publishing/self-publishing resources. ANYBODY can self-publish through Create Space and have their book automatically listed on Amazon.
You also might be interested in checking out Lulu: http://lulu.com/
Why give away your writing when you can get paid for it? is all I'm saying.
|
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 399
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 07:34 pm: |
|
Like Urban_Scribe, I can only stand to look at the screen for a few minutes at a time. Someone once sent me a very short e-book for review and it took me forever to read it. I think electronic media is great for short-term reading like excerpts and sample chapters. I'm just not ready to read entire books electronically.
I've never heard of Create Space but I know lots of people who are happy with Lulu and Lightning Source (www.lightningsource.com) which is owned by wholesale distributor Ingram. There's a set-up fee with Lightning Source but getting distribution through Amazon, BN.com, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor makes it worth it.
Now if you're just experimenting in electronic media and getting rid of the middle man without worrying about a profit then posting chapters or creating free PDF e-books may be best. You can convert MS Word files to PDFs using a free software program called Primo PDF (www.primopdf.com). It's as simple as clicking the print icon.
I've worked with Lightning Source on two books and used Primo PDF to help create them and have been very pleased with both.
Best of luck,
Emanuel |
Urban_scribe
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Urban_scribe
Post Number: 565
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 08:42 pm: |
|
Yes, Emanuel, LSI (Lightning Source) is the premier PoD technology outlet. In fact, LSI is Lulu's printer. Lulu is a broker for LSI. Thing with LSI, you must own your ISBN prefix. With Lulu or Create Space, you needn't purchase ISBNs. Don't know if JA wants to go full-scale self-publishing or even if JA wants to self-publish at all, but if *s/he desires to cut out the middleman and go direct to LSI, s/he'll first have to purchase an ISBN: One for $125.00; ten-block for $270.00; 100 for $900.
CS or Lulu would be a baby step, sort of a test drive, before JA makes a firm decision to leap into fullfledged conventional self-publishing.
*(didn't catch if you're a guy or gal) |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 10645
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 09:40 pm: |
|
Ooooh, gosh! You guys make this "create a space" and the free "Primo PDF" thing sound so accessible and attractive that I'm tempted to look into it. I have a "print ready" paranormal novel that's been languishing in the Micro Soft Word domain of my computer for the past 4 years. Hummmmm. |
Jabarnesohio
Newbie Poster
Username: Jabarnesohio
Post Number: 5
Registered: 11-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 - 12:52 am: |
|
Thanks for all the great info. I will definitely check these out. And thanks for checking out the blog. I hear you about reading e-books. I myself have a hard time with it, but I thought since the blog form is (usually) a daily post, people might want to read the book "in chunks." I am realizing now, however, that this may not be the best way to put my ideas out there--even if it is free! But, since I've started it, I'm going to see it through to the end; meanwhile, I'll explore self-pubbing. This is a great forum. I'm a woman, by the way. |
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 456
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 23, 2007 - 09:36 am: |
|
Quick update folks: If you have not already communicated with me about a review for the Midwest Book Review, please DO NOT SEND your books to me for review. Beginning in 2008, I will be reviewing for AALBC.com. The review guidelines are posted on the www.aalbc.com website. Books mailed to me will be donated to local libraries. |
|
Email This Page