Showing posts with label Interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interview. Show all posts

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Book Review Yellow Pages

Book Reviewer Yellow Pages Front Cover


    Are you trying to promote your books? Are you a writer, publisher, or agent? 
 Promote your book with this bestselling author's reference, the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages. Make your book promotion easier, and get the publicity you need from book reviewers. Learn how and where to submit your book for review. There are hundreds of new book reviewers listed in this book. Each listing details the individual book reviewer's:
  1. Contact information,
  2. Pet peeves,
  3. Preferred genres, and
  4. Submission guidelines
Reviewers are rated for quality and influence. This new edition includes several blog tour sites and their submission guidelines. Learn how to get the exposure that your book deserves! Authors and book reviewers can sign up for alerts at: http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net

 *Note: This book is enrolled in the Kindle MATCHBOOK program. If you purchase the paperback from Amazon, the Kindle edition is free. The paperback has a genre index, which makes searching for accepted genres easy. The Kindle version has clickable website links (which is impossible to do in a paperback), so you can click directly to the reviewer's site and contact page. The publisher of this book recommends purchasing the paperback and then downloading the Kindle edition for free using Amazon's Matchbook program, and using both versions to maximize your promotion efforts.

PROMO TIP: This is a reference book with active hyperlinks in the e-book. It is easier to view and use the Kindle edition of this book on a computer using Amazon's free Kindle app. That way, you can use the full screen to check genre preferences and submit your query right from your desktop.  

Purchase



Book Reviewer Yellow Pages Editor


Interview with Christine Pinheiro, Editor, Defiant Press
The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages is a bestselling author’s promotional reference, designed specifically for authors who need book reviewers for their books.

Where did you get the idea for the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages?
At first, I did it purely out of self-interest! I wrote a nonfiction book in 2007, and I had a very difficult time finding book reviewers. It seemed like an impossible task. All of the regular outlets were closed to me—where do you go when you can’t get a review in the New York Times? Where do the “little guys” go when they need to promote their books? So I started the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages out of my own frustration. At first, the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages was just a big list on a simple website. I added to the list when I had spare time. Book reviewers started seeking me out, and asking to be put on the list, and it just grew from there. In 2009, I published the first “Book Reviewer Yellow Pages,” and the rest is history. The list just grew organically. Now we have hundreds of book reviewers on our list, and thousands of authors subscribe to the newsletter.

How about the book reviewers themselves, what do they get out of it?
Many book reviewers just do it for fun, and they get the benefit of free books and ARCs (advance review copies). Quite a few of them also earn money, either from sidebar advertising, blog tours, or other author’s services. There are so many self-published authors out there right now, trying to promote their books without the help of a traditional publisher, so there’s a lot of little business ventures cropping up to serve them.

Many reviewers list their “pet peeves,” is this something that the authors really want to know?
Yes! It’s the most popular part of the questionnaire—all the reviewers have their own horror stories. Sadly, many authors have terrible etiquette when they request book reviews. Many don’t take the time to even spell-check their queries, or find out if the reviewer is a man or a woman, so they can address them correctly! I used to review books myself, and it’s amazing how many times I’ve gotten a review request with nothing but a link to the book. No signature, no salutation, nothing! Why would I review your book, when you aren’t even willing to take a few minutes to send me a proper review request? We also added an “author etiquette” section to the front of the book, and that seems to help a bit.

Do Book Reviews really help sales?
They’ve helped my own book sales tremendously, and I know hundreds of authors who would say the same. Look, everyone knows that book promotion is boring work. Contacting dozens of book reviewers is time consuming, and you have to deal with rejection, but the payoff from a positive book review is enormous. That’s been the case in my own writing career. Reviews really help sales, and it’s nice to have a public testimonial that customers can refer to when they purchase. On the flip side, many of the reviewers accept ARCs and also work as beta-readers, so if you can get a few good reviewers to read through your manuscript before publication, they might be able to give you valuable feedback. I found a big plot hole in one of my novels that way—a reviewer found the problem, and I was able to fix it before the book went to publication.

Do reviewers ever drop off the list? Can authors get updates?
Yes, on our website. Reviewers get added and removed on a regular basis—and the list goes through a complete overhaul once a year. I do a formal update every April. That’s when we put out a new edition of the book, as well as update the reviewer list on the website. The abbreviated list on the website is free, and authors and publishers can sign up for updates to the list here: http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net. The newsletter is also free.


Do you have any advice for authors?
Be polite to book reviewers, always. Not everyone is going to like your book, that’s just the nature of game. But publishing is a business, and it pays to be professional. It’s just like any other creative business. Reviewers are our critics, and they give us valuable feedback that we need to improve. One of the best reviews I ever received on the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages was mildly negative. The writer gave me tons of feedback on how to make the book better. I followed his advice, and the book has been more profitable since. Book Reviewers really want to help authors—I’ve never met a single book reviewer that was interested in just tearing an author down. We are all in this business together!
 
For more information visit: The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages Website * Facebook


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Blast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 5/31/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Thursday, January 23, 2014

The Spiral Arm by Peter Boland Interview & Giveaway!




The Spiral Arm Episode 1
by Peter Boland
Release Date:  May 21, 2013

From Goodreads:
Wren Harper lives on an overcrowded Earth on the brink of apocalypse. There are just too many people. The answer lies 600 light-years away on Kepler; a planet more than double the size of Earth. For decades humans have been fighting another race for its control. Earth’s armies are depleted, so now 15-year-old cadets are sent to fight, trained along the way in vast combat ships. But why has Wren been chosen? She's small and geeky and not a fighter. Will she survive Kepler? Or will the training kill her first?




The Spiral Arm Episode 2
By Peter Boland
Release Date: December 3, 2013

From Goodreads:
Wren is in the most dangerous place imaginable - a training ship full of fledgling killers heading to a war-torn planet. She’s struggling to keep up, and the other cadets aren't impressed. But Wren’s not done for yet. She’s a survivor and uses the one thing she’s got to even the odds - her super-smart brain. But will that be enough?









I am so excited to have the author of the Spiral Arm series, Peter Boland, here on the blog today. My head has been burning with questions for him on his story, desire to write in episodes, and about the character of Wren. Check out what he has to and then enjoy an excerpt of this story you want to add to your TBR list now. Plus, he's even giving away a copy of one of his books to a lucky winner! 


What inspired the idea to write this series in novella length episodes? And how many episodes do you think it will include?
It suits my writing style. I like plot-driven stories - I guess this comes from my advertising background where you have to get to the point quickly. I've planned the series out for at least 16 episodes, we'll see how it goes.

Will each episode end with a major cliffhanger, and if so about how long will we have to wait between books?
Yes, hopefully. I'd like to get one out every couple of months - trouble is, life gets in the way, best laid plans and all that.

What are you currently reading?
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - it's beautifully written and impeccably researched - it's about a historian trying to find the tomb of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula). 

Do you have a playlist for the series? Can you share a song or two and how you "hear" it in the story?
Yes, music really inspires me to write. Here's a few:
Blackout by Anna Calvi - when Wren steps out into the darkened streets of futuristic Chicago.
Strong by London Grammar - Wren creeping around the ship on her own at night.

Did you make any New Year's resolutions this year? What are some and have you broken any yet? :)
I kind of did it in reverse this year, I gave up drinking for 3 months before Christmas!

Do you think you will continue writing in this episode idea for future books? I have to admit, with my busy scheduling I think it's incredibly appealing by the way.
That's great to hear. Yes, I will if it suits the story and feels natural to do so.

If you could go anywhere in the world to write, where would you go?
Ravello in Italy - it's a small village on the side of a mountain - breathtakingly beautiful - actually, it would probably be the worst place as I wouldn't get any work done.

What is your favorite movie or TV show (just curious if it's sci-fi)?
That's easy - Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Lord of the Rings, Aliens, Battle Star Galactica

What inspired Wren's story?
I wanted a strong female lead, but I wanted her to be vulnerable and smart, and to use her brain to solve problems, rather than her fists. She likes the quiet life and just wants to be left alone, but I've placed her in her worst nightmare!  

I'd definitely have to agree with that! Thanks for stopping by today Peter and we can't wait to see more episodes of The Spiral Arm!


Excerpt from The Spiral Arm, Episode 1:

Tuss pushes open the doors, the noise level leaps and the heavy beat of trance music slaps me in the ears. The place is full of ridiculously tall muscular cadets, over-excited and oozing with self-confidence. I walk amongst them as if I’m in the land of the giants.

There’s a line of booths like you get in a diner along one wall. Each one is stuffed with cadets and some are sitting on the tables. In front of the booths are a handful of pool tables, but nobody’s playing. They’re leaning on them, busy chatting and getting acquainted. An arm-wresting competition is taking place on one of them. Cadets crowd round, violently screaming encouragement. On the other side of the room, a cadet grins manically while others queue up to hit him in the stomach, to prove how rock hard his abs are. Brightly lit vending machines line the opposite wall, serving protein shakes and little energy snacks. Some cadets are having drinking competitions to see who can down theirs the fastest.

I am a fish out of water. Forget that, I’m a not even a fish. I’m the tiniest tadpole that’s as far from water as it’s possible to be.  

Weird stares greet me as we move through the crowd. People look at me as though I’m a lost child who’s wandered into the grown-ups area. I stick close to Tuss, hoping she’ll shield me like a parent, but I quickly realize Tuss is popular. She seems to know everyone already and flits from one group to another, fist-bumping people and calling them by their first names. Meanwhile, I stand around like a piece of very small furniture.


***GIVEAWAY***
One ecopy of either The Spiral Arm season 1 episode 1 or 2


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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Interview with Breaking Glass author Lisa Amowitz




Breaking Glass
by Lisa Amowitz
Release Date: 07/09/13
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Summary from Goodreads:


On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he's not sure whether they're real or if he's losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.






Available from:

Listen to Lisa's interview with CurvyWriter Radio below!



                                         



I am so excited to host Lisa Amowitz on my blog today. Her book, Breaking Glass, just hit the shelves and if you haven't picked it up yet you really want to read this one. It's dark, chilling, and full of all sorts of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Enjoy the interview and then read the excerpt below. Don't forget to enter to win a signed ARC of your very own!


Where do you find inspiration for your writing?

I love telling stories and I love getting into my character's heads. I think I find the true inspiration in the words themselves. I really enjoy language and often forget this until I force myself to sit in front of my computer and write!

Tell me a little bit about your road to publication.

It's long and sordid! I wrote this horrible fantasy book a number of years ago without knowing anything about genres or children's publishing in general. I am, by trade and training, an artist and graphic designer, but I always wanted to illustrate a children's book. That horrid book—which I am not kidding you, my best friend and cousin badgered me about at my book launch party (I'm looking at you Joanne and Mark!) and insisted that I HAD to rewrite it or they might tie me up and tickle me to death or something silly—gave me the disease and I have been writing ever since. I have been through misses and near misses, crit groups and forums, and conferences. I still have the same crit group from ages ago, and though we aren't as regular as we used to be, they are my support group--the first place I turn to whine and complain and say all the stuff you'll never hear from me in public! Pity those valiant and wonderful women.

I've written four other books besides Breaking Glass--two of which (including that first one, sorry Joanne and Mark) will never see the light of day. BREAKING GLASS is the fifth book I have ever written. The sixth one is VISION which will be released by Spencer Hill Press in May 2014. The fourth book is an urban fantasy called LIFE AND BETH which will probably show up somewhere, sooner or later. The third book still has some promise and I am thinking about what might be done with it. Oh, and here I am.

Aside from Jeremy, who was your favorite character to write in Breaking Glass and why?

Oh dear--that's tough. As people pointed out, most of my characters are a little hard to like. I guess, maybe Marisa? She's sort of an underdog--someone whom you barely notice who slowly becomes more and more important as the story continues. 

I love the cover! It really sets the tone for the book.  You are a graphic designer, so was it hard to design a cover for your own book? Hell yes! I am the WORST possible client. I am just too picky to please myself. It took about 30 attempts--and then my daughter and her friends insisted that the cover I chose was the ONE.

What are you working on now? I am very soon going to be getting my edits for my May 2014 release, VISION and I am trying to get back into the non-paranormal mystery I am writing. I have had a bit of writer's block, but I can feel the inspiration building to a slow boil.


Fun Questions:

Dream vacation spot. A castle in the south of France, complete with staff and four-star chef... and ghosts. And a short walk to the beach.

Coffee, tea, or neither. COFFEE!!!!!!! (most people think I should stay away from coffee).

Last movie you saw. Much Ado About Nothing.

Last book you read. EXTRACTED by Sherry Ficklin and Tyler Jolley--currently reading PODS by Michelle Pickett and Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater

Favorite junk food. popcorn

Woohoo! Thanks for having me, Meredith! And thanks for being a part of Team Breaking Glass!

--


Visit me on the web at: http://lisa-amowitzya.blogspot.com
Add Breaking Glass on GOODREADS 
Facebook author page
**Excerpt**


Then

The look of rapture on Susannah’s face was reflected in Ryan’s. It was a look of curiosity and wonder, a look of such intensity that I knew anything I did to come between them was pointless. Right there in the hall near West Hall 3, I witnessed two people falling in love.

It felt like horses were trampling over my chest, like my ribs were cracking, the bone shards jammed into the soft tissue of my lungs.

But I kept the smile pasted on my face and managed to speak between painful breaths. It was a skill I’d come to master over the next three years. “Susannah. This is Ryan Morgan. The bossy kid from the playground. Ryan, meet the Pirate Queen.”

Ryan’s blue eyes dilated, his mouth falling open like he was about to take a bite of the most luscious ice cream cone ever. “Huh?” he said, eloquent as usual .

“From the park. It was like five, six years ago? Remember when we used to play pirates, and this girl came along and you said that girls were—”

“Yeah! I remember. I said girls were stupid.”

I didn’t mention that I was the one who’d vowed I was going to marry her.

Susannah smiled and flipped some stray curls out of her face. “You really said that?”

Ryan chuckled. “What did I know when I was eight? Where’s your class? I’ll take you there.”

And just like that, he slipped a muscled arm over her slim shoulder and they drifted away as if I wasn’t there. As if they’d been standing alone. I watched them go, the ridiculous smile clamped on my face like a too-tight mask.






About the Author
Lisa has been a professor of Graphic Design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children.





BREAKING GLASS, released on July 9, 2013 from Spencer Hill Press, is her first published work. VISION, the first of the Finder series will be released in 2014, along with an unnamed sequel in the following year. LIFE AND BETH will also be released in the near future, along with graphic novel style art. 

SHARDS, an illustrated prequel to BREAKING GLASS, is now available as a free download at Spencer Hill Press. 


***GIVEAWAY***
1-custom pendant like the one pictured on the book cover
2-signed ARCS
1-original work of Breaking Glass related art created and signed by the author.

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