Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts

All I Want for Christmas Is...Reviews!

Tuesday, December 12, 2023
A friend sent a page from her 2022 Page-A-Day calendar since we’d been talking about my book and reviews. I laughed out loud, because this, I imagine, is what the typical reader thinks an author expects:




When in reality, most authors would be just as happy to have a review like this: 




Now, I do have a respectable number of reviews for my debut cozy mystery, Secrets Laid to Rest, and I appreciate each and every one of them! But compared to the number of books sold, well…that’s another story. 

So who are the people who leave reviews for an indie author like me? 

Regular reviewers, whether they consider themselves professional or hobbyists, can provide quite detailed and well-written reviews. If you’re looking for reviewers, research your genre. Many reviewers just love to read, and getting free books is payment enough for them. 

Or consider a promotional book tour like we have here at WOW!Women-on-Writing. It’s a great way to not only get reviews but also build followers and get a book noticed out into the wide web world. (And it pays to remember those followers when one needs a review for upcoming books. How do you recruit them? That’s what social media and newsletters are for, y’all.) 

Writer/author friends make great reviewers! These reviews often read like a blurb from the back of the book. I’ve certainly written my fair share of reviews for my author/writer friends and I try to think in terms of attracting a new reader. I tend to keep reviews pithy; a few sentences, a handful of stars, and if a book is on Goodreads, I’ll post there and on Amazon. So if you’re a writer, join your pro organizations, make friends. Support your buddies and they’ll often do the same for you. 

Lovely readers—perhaps your friends, your family, your co-workers who didn’t even know you were a writer—make up the rest of the folks who might leave a review. The above review, with the “so far, so good” remark came from family. Honestly, I love that he took the time to leave a note when he received that Amazon email asking what he thought of Secrets Laid to Rest. He’d only read a few pages of the book but he figured he should say something. (More importantly, he left stars. Yay!) 

Keep in mind that it’s intimidating for non-writers to leave a review. They may tell you all day long how much they love your book but writing anything puts them on the spot. (And maybe they’re not even sure how to go about it!) 

Bottom line is that regular reviewers—unless they’re compensated—may not get around to your book. Your author friends have great intentions but busy lives; they, too, may not have time to write a review. And all those lovely readers might buy a dozen books from you but please don’t ask them to write a review! So what’s an author to do when all she wants for Christmas is reviews of her book? 

Just keep asking, y'all. (And it wouldn’t hurt to ask Santa, too.)




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Rediscovering a Love of Reading

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

 

I used to be a voracious reader. But somehow over the past few years, the number of books I’ve read dwindled. I’m not sure if it had to do with the fact that I stopped visiting the library in person during the pandemic, I was working a contract job that required me to work a lot of nights and weekends, or if I simply got addicted to all the shows the streaming services offered me at the touch of a simple remote. It’s also difficult for me to read a lot while I’m working on a large creative project and in the last year, I’ve completely revised a young adult novel and began a developmental edit on a suspense thriller. 

But back to books. I have an obsession with buying them. There are stacks and stacks of books lying all over my house. I just spent less time reading. I remedied that this past year by discovering an app called Libby that my library uses, and I can “check” out books for my Kindle and Audiobooks through the app for free. Since I listen to podcasts constantly, I told myself I could also use that time to listen to audiobooks. That won’t interfere with my “creative writing” time. In the past few months alone, I’ve read or listened to at least five novels, and I’ve taken something valuable away from each one of them, such as: 

"The Last to Vanish" by Megan Miranda. This is a suspense/thriller, but I found the pacing to be slow in the beginning and had a hard time getting into it (I read other reviews that said the same thing). I pushed through and took notes on how the author dropped “clues” to the mystery throughout the way, how she used setting to create a sense of foreboding, and how she structured the novel by introducing the missing people in backwards chronological order (several people have disappeared from a mountain town over the course of several years). 

"The House in the Pines" by Ana Reyes. The first pages of this book are some of the most captivating I’ve read in a long time. I’ll admit when I first started reading this and saw the protagonist suffered from sleep issues, I was frustrated. My current protagonist also has insomnia and it’s a common trope in thrillers. But the more I read the book and figured out Maya had repressed memories, the sleep issues and addiction to anti-anxiety medication made sense. The flashback scenes are written in present tense, while present-day scenes are in past sense, and I feel this was an effective way to structure the novel without making it confusing. 

"Twenties Girl" by Sophie Kinsella. I first read about this book in “Save the Cat Writes a Novel” by Jessica Brody because it’s considered to be an “Out of the Bottle” story that uses magic or wishful thinking to tell a story. I love this genre and had so much fun reading about a British young woman named Lara who is haunted by the fun-loving ghost of her great-aunt Sadie, who appears to her as a 1920s flapper. This book helped me study the “rules” that must be put into place to keep a novel like this consistent (why can only Lara see her aunt? How does Sadie convince people to do things they might not normally do?) 

"Hello, Sunshine" by Laura Dave. I haven’t read her most recent release that’s now a series on Apple TV (The Last Thing He Told Me), but I saw this available in audiobook through Libby and decided to check it out. It felt like a cross between a book club selection, romance, and light Hallmark movie. I was interested to read about a cooking “influencer” whose world came crashing down when her fraud was exposed since I’m writing a similar storyline in my current novel. I also enjoyed the foodie details and descriptions of Montauk, Long Island in New York. 

Most recently, I read Elin Hilderbrand’s latest summer novel “The Five Star Weekend” and finished it in two days, although there were a few things I disagreed with in the plot (no spoilers!). I’m not onto “Daisy Jones and the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid since I watched the series on Amazon Prime and loved it. I’m embracing my rediscovered love of reading and have been surprised by how much joy these books have brought me. 

I’d love to hear about any good books you’ve recently discovered!

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer who also produces the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas. 


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Feathers of the Phoenix by Cheryl Carpinello - Review Event & Giveaway

Friday, April 14, 2023


Today, I'm excited to announce a special reader review event for Feathers of the Phoenix: The Atlantean Horse by Cheryl Carpinello. This book is perfect for those intrigued by Greek myths, Atlantis, and thrilling adventures. 

We'll be sharing insights from WOW! readers who had the opportunity to review this book. You will also have the chance to read more about the author and win a copy of the book for yourself.

But first, here's more about the book:

One Epic Task
The Chosen:  Rosa and Jerome: Two cousins as close as sister and brother.
The Task:  Find and retrieve the Five Feathers of the Phoenix to raise Atlantis for its people to return home.
The Opponents: The Four Deadly Horsemen of the Apocalypse, vessels of evil avarice.

Called upon by a visitor from a mythical city, Rosa and Jerome embark upon a perilous quest to retrieve the First of Five Feathers of the fabled Phoenix.

Little do they realize that something more personal awaits them amid the danger. 

Rosa’s kept her special gift hidden from all, kept it far in the Past, but now it will have to be revealed. Jerome’s yet to discover his special gift.

Join them as they risk all in their search for the First Feather!

Publisher: Silver Quill Publishing (September 2022)
Genre: Middle Grade Adventure, Fantasy, Mythology
Length: 149 pages
ISBN-10: ‎1804401315
ISBN-13: ‎978-1804401316

Purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.com, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble. Be sure to also add this to your GoodReads reading list.

Feathers of the Phoenix: The Atlantean Horse by Cheryl Carpinello Giveaway

What WOW Readers Thought:

"For middle grade readers who love adventure, fantasy, and mythology, all packed into a quick read--perfect for kids who find "fat books" intimidating. Young readers will be on the edge of their seats as these cousins face danger and challenges at every turn!" — AJ Kormon

"I thought the book had a really interesting storyline. It’s short and easy to read which is great for middle grades. I do think that the characters, Rosa and her cousin Jerome could have been a little younger (Rosa is 17) because they way they are portrayed and act seems more aligned with a younger teen like maybe a 13 year old. Overall, it was a engaging and quick read." — Jamie W.

"This is a nice quick read for older kids and an engaging read for middle grade students. Engaging and interesting; full of secrets and surprises!" — Crystal Otto

"I really enjoyed this book. The description of the setting—an island I had never heard of called Kalymnos—was so well done that I felt I was right there. I love legends and mythology, and Atlantis is one that is not featured in as many books, so I was intrigued by the Atlantean elements.

The pace of the book was fast with many cliffhangers, and the mystery was intriguing enough to keep me engaged. The characters Rosa and her cousin Jerome were believable and likeable.

If there was one flaw, it was that the references to a previous story that Rosa had been in made things a bit confusing at first. However, eventually I caught on and reading went smoother after that.

This is the first in a series, and the book left me wanting to read more of the story." — Linda Schueler

"What a great book! I thought the descriptions were so vivid. The author has an excellent way of making you feel as if you were there. I've always been intrigued by the Atlantis legend and I love how the author sweeps you into the mystery. This is great for a young reader and it's really easy to read. I absolutely recommend!"  — Nicole Pyles

"I’m a huge fan of anything to do with Atlantis. Just say the word and I’m there. Having read the start of Rosa’s adventures in Sons of the Sphinx, I was also keen to see where her gift had taken her. I was not disappointed. Author Cheryl Carpinello sets the scene right away with a mysterious, yet familiar stranger who appears to tell Rosa she is needed again. This is a special and possibly perilous mission that just happens to coincide with Rosa and her cousin Jerome’s visit to a small, out of the way (can you even find it on the map?) island called Kalymnos in the Mediterranean, near Greece. From the moment they arrive and their mission is revealed – to find the first of the Five Feathers of the Phoenix – danger and a deadly enemy stalk them. I won’t give too much away but suffice to say there is enough action, adventure, intrigue, mystery, history, mythology, and legends to please young (and young at heart readers) who find the ancient world and its stories fascinating. The story arc is complete but refers to the next adventure in store. After all, there are five feathers so one down, four more to go!

"Cheryl Carpinello does not dumb down the writing for middle grade and young adult readers, and parents (who might also enjoy dipping into the book) will appreciate a high level of complexity and vocabulary to keep readers on their toes and learning new words as they embark on this adventure with Rosa and Jerome. There is enough new information to delight readers who already enjoy history and mythology and to encourage readers new to the series to read further. The author refers to Rosa’s previous adventure a few times so, to put everything into context, I’d recommend reading Sons of the Sphinx as well to catch up on Rosa’s gift. The book includes end notes on mythology, Atlantis, biblical lore, and the actual islands of Kalymnos and Telendos mentioned. This book would be a great addition to any history class to encourage young readers to enjoy reading more about the past and learning from it." —  Fiona Ingram

"Trying to find books Charlie will actually sit down and read is as hard as pulling a tooth. This week I handed Charlie's friend Ronnie my copy of  Feathers of the Phoenix: The Atlantean Horse. I asked Ronnie to let me know what he thought of the story. Charlie seeing Ronnie read the story decided he would read the book as well.

Once they finished the book Charlie let me know he thought this story would be perfect for Middle Schoolers. While Ronald said he thought David Charlie's dad would enjoy the story. I agreed with both boys on who they thought would enjoy this story. Although some people might be turned off by the blood.

 Feathers of the Phoenix: The Atlantean Horse is a adventure book that will keep the reader interested from the first word to the end of the book. It's a fast read that is the first in a series. I’m always on the lookout for new fantasy series for my son and my husband." —  Glenda Cates


About the Author, Cheryl Carpinello


"I love mythology, myths, legends, and tales from the ancient/medieval worlds. I believe in magic and unicorns! I write for young readers and teens, particularly those Reluctant Readers. My Arthurian stories serve as an introduction to the King Arthur Legend. Readers find themselves steeped in the Legend through fun and sometimes dangerous adventures. These stories exhibit the cornerstones of that Legend: Courage, Honor, Loyalty, & Friendship. My tales from Egypt & my new series Feathers of the Phoenix meld the ancient/medieval worlds with today. My Grandma/Grandpa’s Tales, short illustrated tales, help youngest readers build their reading skills."

Find her online:

WOW: First of all, congratulations on your book Feathers of the Phoenix: The Atlantean Horse! I’m a huge fan of the Atlantis themes in books. What inspired you to write a book about this myth? 

Cheryl: I’m also a fan of Atlantis, Nicole. I’ve read numerous books and watched numerous TV shows dealing with Atlantis. There have been so many stories about how it sank, why it sank, and where it was located. It just fired my imagination. I’ve always believed Atlantis belonged to ancient world around the Mediterranean Sea. So that is why The Atlantean Horse is set on an island there. 

WOW: That's amazing! What kind of research did you do in preparation for your book? 

Cheryl: Actually most of my research was done before I even started thinking about writing about Atlantis. I love the Ancient World. For over 20 years, I taught the stories, plays, and poems written by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Each of these left distinct and colorful images in my brain. When I decided to explore these worlds, my research was nearly finished. What I had left to do was explore the islands of Kalymnos and Telendos via the Internet. One of these days, I’ll visit those islands. 

WOW: What an incredible trip that will be! I love that you focus on myths and legends in your books. How do you decide what to write about? 

Cheryl: As a high school English teacher for over 20 years, I encountered so many students who didn’t like to read. I first started writing stories from Arthurian Legend because it encouraged those reluctant readers to actually start reading. They, as others, were drawn to the cornerstones of the Legend: Courage, Friendship, Honor, and Loyalty. My students also embraced the stories from the ancient worlds. So I also chose to write my Tales from the Ancient Worlds. Hopefully by writing these Tales & Legends, I can encourage these students and others to read more. 

WOW: I believe you do! I LOVE the cover of your book. Did you work with the designer at all? 

Cheryl: I work with Chris Berge, owner of Berge Design. He does such a great job. Chris has designed all of my Arthurian and Ancient World covers. I usually have an idea of what I want so I do some awful sketches of my own, and find a couple of images. I send all to Chris and he works miracles!

WOW: How exciting that process is! Did you know how this story would end before you started it? 

Cheryl: To a certain degree, yes. Sometimes, though, my characters take control and write their own ending. Without revealing anything, that’s what happened in The Atlantean Horse. And to be honest, that’s happens in all my stories! 

WOW: I love when characters take control. What are you working on now that you can tell us about? 

Cheryl: Oh yes! I’m writing book 2 of Feathers of the Phoenix: Under the Norse Star. Rosa and Jerome find themselves in 800-900 Iceland looking for the second Phoenix feather. Life doesn’t always go as one images or wants. That’s all I’m going to say!

WOW: I cant wait to read it! Best of luck on your next book!

***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****

Enter to win a copy of Feathers of the Phoenix: The Atlantean Horse by Cheryl Carpinello! Fill out the Rafflecopter form by April 27th at 11:59 CT for a chance to win. We will choose a winner randomly the next day and follow up via email. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Confessions of a (Non-Professional) Book Reviewer

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

So you’ve got a book! 

You can’t believe your eyes but there it is in your sweaty hands! And whether you’ve gone the indie route, a trade publisher, or somewhere in between, you’re already dreaming about book reviews. More to the point, you’re wondering how to get ‘em. 

So I thought I’d share an insider look at the non-professional book reviewer: your friends, family, and more importantly, your writer friends. Maybe if you know why I do book reviews, you can use that info to get your book reviews! 

Because You Asked 

By far, I write book reviews because the author has asked me. But to be clear, I’m referring to a personal ask, though not necessarily from close, personal friends. 

As a writer who’s involved in several writing organizations and networks, I know a lot of published writers. But surprisingly, very few of them will ask me to write a book review. The majority of newly published authors will blast their news out on social media and ask politely for those who read their book to leave a review. And that’s certainly a time-saving technique but it rarely pushes me from “Congrats!” to the actual writing of a book review. I truly am thrilled for writer friends who get published, but by the time I’ve scrolled through all the updates on social media, I’ve already moved on to whatever’s next on my To Do List. 

BUT if a published friend sends me an email or connects with me at an event or heck, bumps into me at the grocery store and tells me all about the latest published book and offers to send me an ARC or a PDF and asks me personally would I please consider writing a review? Chances are excellent that I’ll write that review if the author friend follows through and sends the book in some form.

Because I’ve Bought Your Book

Again, I have lots of friends who get books published. I can’t afford to buy every friend’s book but those writer friends whom I’ve walked a long journey with, shared umpteen lunches, or even those I’ve never met in person but have a strong connection with, I’m going to buy their book. Perhaps especially if they’ve been pubbed by a smaller publisher or self-pubbed. And as I know how important book reviews are, I’m going to review the book. 

On a side note, close friends will often want to give me their book. I can’t speak for all, but I’d rather they save their give-away books for other opportunities. And I don’t mind one bit if I get a nudge about a book review from these good friends. This goes back to the personal ask; follow through is imperative! 

Because I’ve Won a Book

I’ll participate in a book giveaway if there’s a connection with the author and I want to read the book (and as a bonus, win a signed copy). But these are generally not personal friends; they’re often writers I met somewhere along the way, at a writer’s retreat or other event. In fact, I don’t participate in close friends’ book giveaways because I want that book to go out in the world. But if I do win a book and the author signs it and sends it, the least I can do is write a book review. Every time. 

Because I’m Participating In a Book Tour 

I participate in book tours because I want to read the book; I usually don’t know the author from Adam. And since authors on book tours are there to generate buzz about their books, they’re not trying to make friends. But you know what? I often find these authors to be super friendly, hard-working people, and though it’s not required to post a book review, I always do. Because I’d want someone to do the same for me if I did a book tour. Which brings me to my final confession… 

I’ve recently written a couple book reviews for friends; one because she asked, and the other, because I bought the book. And both sent me lovely thank you notes when they saw the reviews posted. I appreciate a thank you note even though I don’t respond to them. But if I did, I’d write just three words back: Pay it forward.

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Review of Writer's Guidebook: CPR for Dead or Lifeless Fiction by Karen S. Wiesner

Wednesday, March 17, 2021
CPR for Dead or Lifeless Fiction: A Writer's Guide to Deep and Multifaceted Development and Progression of Characters, Plot, and Relationships will soon be a writer's handbook that all of us will want on our shelves. Lucky for me, I received a review copy from Karen S. Wiesner, the talented author of a few writing craft books. So let's talk about why you may want this book on your shelf! 

If you like writing craft books that make you feel like the author is in the room with you and teaching you how to make your stories and characters better, then this book is perfect. While reading it, I felt as if Karen was in my living room, giving me advice with her helpful and easy to remember acronyms to keep me from boring my readers into falling asleep instead of turning the pages. 

Here's a great example:
A L I V E, and those letters stand for: Animated (evidence of a spark of life in your characters), Living (not just existing, but living a life full of external and internal conflicts), Interacting (dynamic and believable relationships), Vitality and Voice (3-dimensional character attributes), and finally Engaged (characters with objectives and purpose in the story with defined goals and motivations).

So think of some of your favorite characters in the books you read. Are they ALIVE? Now think of your main character--does he or she fit those five characteristics? This is what Karen's book will do for you. Give you helpful tips, like how to diagnose if your characters are ALIVE, and then help you write better characters and plots.

The book is divided into seven chapters, plus an intro and conclusion, and then something very valuable--an appendix full of worksheets. I know this is every writer's dream--at least it is mine. Karen includes worksheets for both plot and character development help. Then there are also worksheets on relationship development between your characters. If you are writing a romance, you'll especially want to check out the "Links in the Chain of Romance Relationship Development Chart." If you don't have those links, then your romance readers will not be happy with you! 

Back to the seven chapters--I think one of the most helpful chapters for any writer at any level is at the beginning of the book, chapter one, where Karen helps you with "ten ways to spot dead or lifeless characters, plots, and relationships." And by dead characters--she's not talking about the dead body on page one of a murder mystery. She means your character is just there, existing on the page. With chapter one, you receive 10 points to look for in your manuscript to diagnose what may be wrong with it. 

Then she goes on to chapter two, where she introduces you to three-dimensional writing and scenes. Karen has a previous book where she talked about those concepts more (Cohesive Story Building). But in CPR, she reviews these strategies for writers, as she gets ready to really dig into your characters (chapter 3), plot (chapter 4), and relationships (chapter 5). 

I like this book so much because of the relationships' sections. A lot of writing craft books about plot and characters don't spend as much time on examining the relationships in the book. But think about it--when you watch a movie or get hooked on a book series, aren't you very interested in the characters and their relationships? I'll just answer for you--Yes! Han Solo and Princess Leia, Ron and Hermione, and Katniss and Peeta...insert any of your favorites in here, and you'll see what I mean. You want the relationships in your plots to stick in readers' minds like these previous ones did for me. 

This writer's craft book helps you diagnose what's wrong with your manuscript, and then fix it with tips and advice from Karen. If you're a fiction writer looking to improve your craft as one of your 2021 goals, then CPR for Dead or Lifeless Fiction is for you! 


Review written by Margo L. Dill, https://www.editor-911.com
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Throw Kindness Around Like Confetti !

Monday, February 24, 2020

Hey, it's me again...the goofy girl who loves to write and read, the one who takes pictures of the sun and food as well as cows and pigs. Me, the girl who is not and never will be considered normal. Today I bring you a story about parent teacher conferences and this super cool painting on the wall. If you make it to the end, there's also a worthwhile tip for cleaning scuff marks off your floor without bending over, so stick with me!

I spend my Wednesday mornings at the elementary school with the most absolutely wonderful group of children (some of them are mine, but most of them aren't). Our younger children look forward to my visits and our time together. The teachers seem to appreciate the extra adult in the room. I've done this for each of our children, but by the time they get to middle school it's not cool to have your  mom hanging out with your friends. My time at the middle school is limited to parent teacher conferences.

During last week's conferences, I found this amazing painting on the wall (see above) and I had to take a selfie in front of it. I wasn't sure if my husband was amused, but I was super excited! The confetti you see in the background is the thumb prints of the students who helped put this message here for all to enjoy. This is a great reminder how we should all be kind. As an avid reader, I've been told that the kindest thing we can do as readers is to share the books we love. I do this all the time and I'm not sure if my social media followers love it or hate it, but I figure whether or not you like the confetti, you're bound to get some on you from time to time and you just have to deal with it. If people can share political posts on social media then we as readers should feel comfortable sharing books and kind words, right?

If you are an avid reader, let me ask you this:

Do you take time to write book reviews on Amazon, GoodReads, a personal blog/vlog, or other platforms? Why or why not?

Do you go one step further and share a link to your review(s) on your social media accounts? Why or why not?

What's stopping you from throwing your thoughts around like confetti? Don't you want to spread that kindness?

Now that I've barged into your space with my questions and goofy confetti throwing ideas, as promised here is something else I learned at parent teacher conferences at the middle school:

If you attach a tennis ball to the end of a stick or dowel, you can use it to clean scuff marks off the floor. No more bending over with an eraser or cloth! Mind blown!

And the moral of today's story is spending time at the middle school has a lot to offer! Thanks to you lovely reader for making it to the end and thanks to my children for teaching me things each and every day - may you always remember to throw kindness around like confetti!

Hugs,
~Crystal
Crystal is the office manager, council secretary, financial secretary, and musician at her church, birth mother, Auntie, babywearing mama, business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Press Corp teammate for the DairyGirl Network, Unicorn Mom Ambassador, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their five youngest children, two dogs, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, horses Darlin' and Joker, and over 250 Holsteins.

You can find Crystal milking cows, riding horses, and riding unicorns (not at the same time), taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books here, and at her personal blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade and she has never (not once) been accused of being normal!




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Make Someone Happy

Thursday, December 27, 2018
Remember that old song, “Make Someone Happy” by Jimmy Durante?

Okay, I said it was old.

The point is, I love that song. Not necessarily for all the romantic stuff. I love the last bit of the song, the part where Jimmy reminds us that if we make someone happy, we’ll be happy, too. And I’ve found that’s pretty much the truth. Especially when it comes to writers.

The year may be quickly winding down but it’s not too late to make someone—make just one writer someone—happy in 2018:

BOOK REVIEW

You can’t beat the book review for the author on your list. Look over your Books Read and choose a couple to review. And don’t worry about writing a long, literary treatise on the book. A simple paragraph (or two) is enough to make your point and help an author. Throw up the review on Amazon and/or Goodreads, maybe even your blog if you have one.

SPREAD THE WORD

 But maybe the book review just isn’t your thing; takes too much time, too much effort. Or (yikes!) you just didn’t like the book and you don’t want to give someone a lousy review. You can still make an author happy when you spread the word in just a few lines. Use Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to post the cover of the book with a brief, “Do you see what I see?” And if you did like it, add a nice recommendation, an “I LOVED this one! Your kid (or sister or dad or dog…whatever) will, too!” Oh! Another thing…it doesn’t have to be a book, either. Do you have a writer friend who has an essay out there? A short story? A poem? Post a link to it, or leave a nice comment at the site. It’s so easy to spread the word and make someone happy!

BE A SHOULDER

And don’t forget to make someone happy when that someone is going through a tough time in the business. Be a shoulder to cry on, a sympathetic ear, a friend in need. The thing is, we all go through tough times in our jobs, but when you’re a writer, you work mostly alone. It’s such a solitary career, this writing business. So when an agent drops you or a contract falls through, when an editor passes on a pitch (after requesting the article!) or when that 47th rejection pings in the Inbox and throwing in the writing towel seems like a very good idea, then be there. Sometimes a few words of encouragement or a nice long lunch just to listen is enough to make someone happy.

And you know what? It may be an old song, but it still sounds good to me. Make someone happy and you’ll be happy, too. (Happy New Year’s, y’all!)

~ Cathy C. Hall

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

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Rate the Writer

Saturday, October 06, 2018
I decided to take the plunge and check myself out on Rate My Teacher. It’s been years since I’ve done this. The last time I did, someone said something mean and completely untrue about me, and I spiraled into a sea of self-doubt, convinced I was a terrible teacher.

That icky rating is still there; however, this time I have lovely students who stopped me from sinking into a second wave of teacher-sadness.

“But look at all the good reviews!” one of my students said. It was then that I tore my attention away from the snarky comment and read some of the others. Had my student not stopped my pity-party, I might have missed this review:

Mrs. Harar was awesome. She is one of those rare teachers that is laid back but can draw the line. It's hard coming across people with such a great balance between the two. She was considerate and forgiving . . . a lot like a mother. I love how she was always happy to help. She was absolutely HILARIOUS. . . don't even get me started on her Romeo and Juliet commentary :'D.

And this got me thinking about book and writing reviews. I have one book published and, just like any other book out there, the reviews vary widely on Amazon and Goodreads. At first, I gobbled up the comments and stars, checking every day like an addict, both eager and terrified to see what people thought.

Eventually, however, the bad reviews were the only ones which caught my attention. I read them over and over again, beating myself up, telling myself that everything they said must be true. I ignored anything positive said in other reviews, and even stopped writing for a while, convinced I wasn’t good enough.

Talking to my students inspired me to revisit my book reviews, and I’m so glad I did. Sure, there are reviews that make me cringe, but there are also reviews that lift me up and inspire me to keep going. It’s easy to focus on the bad, but much more worthwhile to pay attention to the good.

Remember – reviews are only opinions. Not right or wrong. Just opinions. Use them to bolster your writing and not drag it down. You’ll be glad you did.

And for the record, my Romeo and Juliet commentary is on point.  😉



Bethany Masone Harar is an author, teacher, and blogger, who does her best to turn reluctant readers into voracious, book-reading nerds. Check out her blog here and her website here.
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Reviews - the Book Building Blocks

Saturday, February 10, 2018
How many books will I sell if I do a WOW! Women on Writing Book Blog Tour?

I wish I could easily answer this question, because it's one I am asked quite often. It reminds me of the chicken and egg question of old. Especially with Amazon and how the entire Amazon process works, you aren't going to sell books until you have high ranking reviews, but how do you get high ranking reviews if you haven't sold any copies? Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? or should I say the sales or the reviews?

Here's where a WOW! Women on Writing Book Blog Tour comes into play. We get your book into the hands of readers and reviewers. Truthfully, you may not sell any copies during your WOW! tour. It's also impossible to track how many copies you sell as a result of the tour. There's not a simple math problem saying "Spend $350 on a WOW! tour and sell $500 worth of books", but I can say for certain that successful authors have turned to us for tours again and again because we get their books into the hands of readers. Their name as an author as well as the title of their latest book get shared on social media and become popular. Our readers review the books on their blogs but also on Amazon and Goodreads. It's these reviews and reviewers that help build a solid foundation for future sales.

Whether you've publishes with a small press, self published, or used one of the large presses, you can benefit from more reviews. A WOW! tour is one of the easiest way to get these reviews. We do a lot of the work for you. But don't take my word for it. Here's what Karen Jones Gowen said to a group of fellow authors on Facebook:



Has anyone else tried WOW Women on Writing for blog tours? 

I used them for my novel Afraid of Everything, and thought 
Crystal Otto was fantastic. I highly recommend them and her!

Eric Trant responded to the above post saying:


Ditto. This is my third tour. Great way to launch. (referring to Risen)

and he went on to say:
Yall contact me directly if you have any questions or need references
 for Crystal and WoW. Also, GUYS, don't let the name fool you. 
Women on Writing is open to men, too. 
I've had nothing but great experiences with them.


David Kalish had this to say:


I had a positive experience with the WOW blog tour Crystal arranged for my novel 
The Opposite of Everything. She stayed on top of everything, 
as friendly and organized, and gave me solid blog 
exposure at what I thought was a reasonable price

B. Lynn Goodwin recently wrote on her FB Author Page:

Fun to be on this tour!  (for her book Never Too Late)

We've had plenty of authors return to us with each book they've published. And I'd like to add that you don't have to be a female author to benefit from WOW! Women on Writing and our connections. David Berner and Eric Trant are both working on new books that will touring with us this year!

Drop us a note (at blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com ) and let us know what you loved about your book blog tour with WOW! or let us know what you're working on and how we can help you this year! Let WOW! be part of your book and your success; together we can build a solid foundation with reviews!





Crystal is a council secretary and musician at her church, birth mother, babywearing cloth diapering mama (aka crunchy mama), business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Publicist with Dream of Things Publishing, Press Corp teammate for the DairyGirl Network, Unicorn Mom Ambassador, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, five young children (Carmen 10, Andre 9, Breccan 4, Delphine 2, and baby Eudora, two dogs, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, and over 230 Holsteins.

You can find Crystal riding unicorns, taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books, baby carriers, cloth diapers, and all sorts of other stuff here, and at her personal blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade!

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Are You Delivering?

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

While scrolling through my pile-up of emails last week, I screeched to a stop at a YA title. I don’t recall the writer, but this self-pubbed author had done the first right thing. She’d grabbed my attention immediately with an intriguing title. Yay!

In fact, she’d done several right things, from a marketing standpoint. She’d gotten her new and intriguing title out there in the right places, and, I noticed, she’d already garnered quite a few reviews.

Which is great from my standpoint. When I don’t know an author’s work, I’ll read a couple of reviews. And my favorite place to skim reviews is Goodreads. I feel like I get a fairly balanced bunch of reviews and the reviewers tend to be savvy readers. So when I saw a similar criticism showing up in several reviews, I passed on this YA novel.

The book had a great title, and it had a compelling blurb. But the book itself wasn’t what was promised in the title and the blurb. Time and time again, reviewers complained about expecting a story on a certain topic only to find that the book wasn’t really about this topic at all.

Unfortunately, this author had done one big wrong thing: she hadn’t delivered on what she’d promised.

It’s possible that the author made an innocent mistake; perhaps she didn’t really understand what her book was about. But it doesn’t matter. The bottom line is that she pulled the old bait-and-switch on her target audience. And in doing so, her readers felt duped, and she hurt her marketing strategy. And that was a shame, because she managed to get her book into the hands of an impressive number of readers.

You’re probably thinking that this doesn’t happen very often so you don’t need to worry about your book not delivering. But take it from someone who’s received way more than one critique along those lines. It’s pretty common. In fact, I’m avoiding a revision right now because I know that it requires a major rewrite. I didn’t write a story about what I promised in the title and first chapter.

So how to make sure that you are delivering on what you’ve promised? First, make sure you know what your story or novel is about. If you can sum it up in one good sentence, then you’re off to a decent start.

Next, read your story with that sentence in mind. When or if the story veers too far off the rails from where it began, it’s probably time to stop and get things back on track.

And last, get feedback, either from your critique group, beta readers, or a professional editor. If you hear, “I thought this book/story was going to be about…” then prepare to take notes. You haven’t delivered on your promise.

And please, do this work before you put your book out there. Revisions may not be fun, but they can fix a whole lot of problems. On the other hand, if you’re facing a whole slew of bad reviews? There’s no easy fix when you don’t deliver the goods.


Cathy C. Hall is a kidlit author and humor writer and she will get to that rewrite right after she finishes revising her latest middle grade novel. (She does finish stuff, honest, and you can find out what if you check out Cathy here! Um, check out her blog. Her blog!)
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