Two writers discuss strategies for self-publishing in this primer for aspiring authors.
Gerber (co-author of Tortured Souls, 2016), a social media guru, and Roman (If You Were Me and Lived In….Israel, 2016, etc.), a prolific indie author, offer a step-by-step guide to ushering an independently published book into the world, from creating the initial concept to marketing the final product. “You are sending out a piece of yourself to our vast universe to mingle with other notions,” writes Roman. “Uh oh, did I make you feel self-conscious?” With tips on editing, formatting, and investigating traditional forms of publishing, the volume uses personal anecdotes to illustrate the various options available to potential writers. Most of the authors’ advice is reserved for the presenting and marketing of the self-published work, from crafting book descriptions (avoid sounding like an infomercial) to finding a cover (remember the dimensions) to deciding on whether or not to make a trailer (“Who doesn’t like movies?”). Gerber and Roman also tackle the less obvious aspects of self-publication, like deciding which e-readers a book might be available on, how and where to get honest reviews that will attract readers, and how to navigate the world of social media as an author with a product to sell. Alternating narration based on their areas of expertise, the authors employ a mix of conventional wisdom and professional experience to shepherd the reader through the process of becoming a published writer. The authors’ prose is fluid and amusing, and they manage to cover a lot of ground in a relatively short volume (under 150 pages). The book’s brevity works against it at points, particularly in the early chapters concerned with the writing process where the language is rather splashy and speculative (“The story is taking shape; your characters have a personality—you love them; no, maybe you hate them”). Better are the later chapters that delve into the nuts and bolts of publishing, though these topics too are dealt with in a fairly cursory way. Readers just getting interested in self-publishing should find this manual a good introduction prior to reading other, more detailed works in the genre.
A brisk, but informative guide for would-be self-publishers.Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5372-2806-8
Page Count: 146
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
Did you like this book?
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Noted jazz and pop record producer Thiele offers a chatty autobiography. Aided by record-business colleague Golden, Thiele traces his career from his start as a ``pubescent, novice jazz record producer'' in the 1940s through the '50s, when he headed Coral, Dot, and Roulette Records, and the '60s, when he worked for ABC and ran the famous Impulse! jazz label. At Coral, Thiele championed the work of ``hillbilly'' singer Buddy Holly, although the only sessions he produced with Holly were marred by saccharine strings. The producer specialized in more mainstream popsters like the irrepressibly perky Teresa Brewer (who later became his fourth wife) and the bubble-machine muzak-meister Lawrence Welk. At Dot, Thiele was instrumental in recording Jack Kerouac's famous beat- generation ramblings to jazz accompaniment (recordings that Dot's president found ``pornographic''), while also overseeing a steady stream of pop hits. He then moved to the Mafia-controlled Roulette label, where he observed the ``silk-suited, pinky-ringed'' entourage who frequented the label's offices. Incredibly, however, Thiele remembers the famously hard-nosed Morris Levy, who ran the label and was eventually convicted of extortion, as ``one of the kindest, most warm-hearted, and classiest music men I have ever known.'' At ABC/Impulse!, Thiele oversaw the classic recordings of John Coltrane, although he is the first to admit that Coltrane essentially produced his own sessions. Like many producers of the day, Thiele participated in the ownership of publishing rights to some of the songs he recorded; he makes no apology for this practice, which he calls ``entirely appropriate and without any ethical conflicts.'' A pleasant, if not exactly riveting, memoir that will be of most interest to those with a thirst for cocktail-hour stories of the record biz. (25 halftones, not seen)
Pub Date: May 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-19-508629-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1995
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
Did you like this book?
© Copyright 2022 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
