SPR | Self-Publishing Review

Embrace of the Shade by Amanda Muratoff & Kayla Mansur

Evocatively written, Embrace of the Shade is an extraordinarily strong intro to a new romantic fantasy series. The pull of the characters towards each other draws the reader into their lives with a similar intensity, with their secrets building suspense throughout. This is a novel where the authors have clearly put a lot of care into each element of the story’s creation. The characters, the world, and the magic are all thoroughly well-constructed, making Embrace of the Shade a classic fantasy story that will please devoted readers of fantasy, as well as romance.

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SPR2019-07-24T10:50:11+02:00July 24th, 2019|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Writing a Book Through Ill Health

We all face a bout of sickness in our lifetime at some point. But what if this hits as we are writing a book?

“I was literally in the middle of a three-month sabbatical to write my book when I was diagnosed with Lupus. Plagued with fatigue and nausea, as well as insomnia, I had no idea how I was going to finish what I had started,” says Pam, a self-published author from London, UK. “And I had a deadline of less than two months. After that, I’d have to go back to work.”

Cathy had planned her time off […]

SPR2019-07-24T10:53:06+02:00July 22nd, 2019|Categories: Features|Tags: Writing Tips|

An Interview with Patrick Finegan: Author of Cooperative Lives

Patrick Finegan Patrick Finegan was born during the latter half of the Eisenhower Administration and graduated during the Carter and Reagan Administrations from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago Law School and Graduate School of Business. He worked more than thirty years in law, corporate finance, management consulting and risk management. He has a wife and grown daughter and has lived in the New York metropolitan area his entire professional life – most of it in the same residential cooperative. Cooperative Lives is his first work of fiction.

Tell us about your book.

Cooperative Lives centers on two middle-aged, multi-racial Manhattan […]

SPR2019-07-19T10:26:55+02:00July 19th, 2019|Categories: Interviews|

Kindle Promotion Tips to Maximize Your Newsletter Marketing Campaign

The window for marketing is pretty small. Certainly, you should never give up on a book once it’s had its major marketing push, but Amazon only gives a 3-month window to end up in the Hot New Releases section, or to benefit from other ranking factors that fade over time the older a book gets. So it can make sense to put all your eggs in one basket and try to make a giant push all at once.

Think of movie marketing – there are a few weeks of heavy advertising leading up to a release, there’s an opening weekend, […]

SPR2020-02-21T04:34:42+02:00July 14th, 2019|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Book Marketing Advice and Tips, Book Promotion Articles, Newsletter Campaign|

McDowell by William H. Coles

Dr. Hiram McDowell is irascible, he’s arrogant, and he’s tough to love, except as a character, in William H. Coles’ riveting character portrait, McDowell.

A quintessential character who you love to hate, McDowell is indifferent to his wife (his third), his children, and his neighbors. He’s earned his pride as head of surgery in Denver, leading a foundation for the underprivileged in Nepal, and becoming a nominee for the U.S. President’s cabinet. However, with an almost superheroic degree of self-absorption, the novel challenges the reader to stick with a character who has so little to offer as a person.[…]

SPR2019-07-10T11:53:11+02:00July 10th, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

20 Book Marketing Strategies for New and Experienced Authors

At SPR, we see a lot of books come our way, and we see some of the same mistakes being repeated over and over again. This is not just the case for a novice author, but for authors who have 10+ books out. Obviously, new authors should take heed most of all, so follow this book promotion checklist to make sure you’re doing everything you can – potentially for no cost at all.

Sign Up for Amazon Author Central

This is one that seemingly a lot of authors haven’t heard of because too often it’s not used. Amazon’s Author Central[…]

SPR2019-07-02T03:47:25+02:00July 1st, 2019|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Book Marketing Advice and Tips, Book Promotion Articles|

An Interview with Howard E. Carson: Co-Author of All The Big Ones Are Dead

Howard E. Carson Howard E. Carson was born in Winnipeg, Canada and followed a path that took him through careers in music, theatre, education and research. For over thirty years he has been a writer, investigative research specialist and book editor living in Toronto. His extensive travels in Europe, the U.S. and Canada provide the perspective and the wonderful backdrops for much of his research and writing.

Tell us about your book.

All The Big Ones Are Dead is a spy thriller. The trade in illegal elephant ivory and rhino horn is the tip of an iceberg made of money used to finance […]

SPR2019-06-24T07:04:48+02:00June 24th, 2019|Categories: Interviews|

An Interview with Martin Lastrapes: Author of Dolph the Unicorn Killer & Other Stories, Winner of the 2018 SPR Book Awards

Martin Lastrapes Martin Lastrapes is a bestselling and award-winning novelist. He is also the host of “The Martin Lastrapes Show Podcast Hour.” He studied at Cal State San Bernardino, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Composition. It’s his life goal to never be punched in the face.

Tell us about your book.

Dolph the Unicorn Killer & Other Stories is a gloriously vulgar, gut-punching, giddy-inducing collection of interconnected horror, fantasy, comedy, and literary stories that weaves together an eclectic tapestry of characters who are bonded by themes of loneliness, revenge, friendship, and sex. It’s vampires, […]

SPR2019-06-20T12:31:28+02:00June 18th, 2019|Categories: Interviews|