Henry Baum | Self-Publishing Review

A Spiritual Journey by Susan Kapatoes

A Spiritual Journey is Susan Kapatoes’ memoir about communing with the divine, and finding evidence of the divine in her life, such as in friendships and love. The book is not so much a spiritual treatise investigating different spiritual traditions, so much as a personal memoir about personal spiritual growth. Though she has her first spiritual awakening after picking up a Christian Bible, her story is not centered around Christianity specifically, but a more-universal take on the meaning of God.

Kapatoes’ story is gripping because she perceives an absolute reality to her spiritual awareness. Her awakening is not merely intellectual, […]

Henry Baum2015-12-12T13:55:48+02:00December 12th, 2015|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Religious Book Reviews, Spirituality Book Reviews|

The Life Engine by Rick Baker

The Life Engine The Life Engine by Rick Baker is a pulse-pounding and thought-provoking thriller about two mismatched people on the run from the American government and a sadistic killer. Ian Wolfe is a down-on-his-luck former CIA agent who is tasked with investigating April Gentry, a female Indiana Jones and then some, who has access to a life-saving plant in the Amazon rainforest. Pharmaceutical companies aren’t so interested in having this come to market, and send an assassin to rectify the problem. Meanwhile, an associate of April hacks into a government database and downloads top secret information. Ian and April become closer as […]

Henry Baum2015-12-11T08:07:11+02:00December 11th, 2015|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Long Plastic Hallway by Joyce V. Harrison

Twenty-somethings Ellis, Bax and Chloe set out for a roadtrip only to quickly find they have no money. Busking to get by, Ellis eventually makes his way to Los Angeles and into the cut-throat music business, and all the highs (literally) and lows you find there. A story as much about friendship as it is about the music industry, Long Plastic Hallway is a generation-defining book that’s as fun to read as it is for these characters to live.

Taking a listen to Harrison’s Soundcloud account, it’s obvious she knows the music industry very well, and her passion for music […]

Henry Baum2015-12-03T11:10:47+02:00December 3rd, 2015|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|

Exile (Bloodforge Book 1) by Tom Stacey

Exile (Bloodforge Book 1) by Tom Stacey is an epic fantasy novel that heralds the beginning of an exciting new series. The Verian Empire is in shambles – on the edge of war, in the past and on the horizon – a land where heroes no longer remain. Out of this chaos, new heroes emerge to fight the Echoes, demons in a human facade, who want to claim this land for their own.

Stacey is a born fantasy writer. Exile has all the elements of a strong epic fantasy: a detailed world that feels like a real place, complete with […]

Henry Baum2015-12-01T04:03:28+02:00December 1st, 2015|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Celluloid by Holly Curtis

Celluloid by Holly Curtis Celluloid by Holly Curtis feels like a novel written in black and white – the color of old movies, and especially Film Noir. It’s not a crime novel, per se, but it is a novel permeated with the love of old movies. This is a film freak’s novel through and through, and the veneration of film shines on every page.

Jimmy Clifford is sick of his life – sick of his friend Oswald’s card games, sick of the drugs that don’t seem to be fun anymore, and the anti-depressants have stopped working. When he finds out that his cherished local […]

Henry Baum2015-11-23T04:07:17+02:00November 23rd, 2015|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Audiobooks.com Debuts New Audiobook Distribution Service: Author’s Republic

Author's Republic In a bid to be a hybrid of of Amazon’s ACX and an ebook distributor like Smashwords, Audiobooks.com has revealed their new distribution service called Author’s Republic. Unlike ACX, which distributes to Amazon, Audible, and iTunes, Author’s Republic has a longer list of distribution partners. From the press release:

Most notable about the new service is the extensive retail and distributor network made available to authors who use it. Author’s Republic will submit titles to over a dozen merchants including Audiobooks.com, Audible, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Downpour, and tunein, as well as library providers like Findaway and

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Henry Baum2020-02-20T13:28:59+02:00November 20th, 2015|Categories: News|Tags: Amazon News and Tips|

Best WordPress Portfolio Themes for Authors & Creatives

Earlier, we posted the complete list of free and premium WordPress themes for books. Another option, and perhaps less commercial-looking, is a portfolio template. Normally, portfolios are used for designers and photographers, but they can double just as easily for writers. These themes look very sleek and modern, and are generally easy to configure.

I’ve selected only portfolio templates that easily allow users to upload a tall rectangular (i.e. book cover-shaped) image for the homepage. There are a lot of portfolio sites with other image sizes (example here), and these can potentially be hacked to change the […]

Henry Baum2015-11-13T11:17:52+02:00November 13th, 2015|Categories: Features, Resources|

Draft2Digital Offers Mailing List Service: Books2Read

Draft2Digital has released a hands-off mailing list subscription service as an add-on to their distribution service called Books2Read. From their blog:

Starting now, you’ll see a new option on the Layout page whenever you edit a book at Draft2Digital. Not only will we provide you with easy, one-click store-specific Also By pages, teasers, and About the Author pages, but we will also embed a New Release Notifications sign-up page in the back of your book if you ask for one.

Readers who click the link on that page will end up at a new landing page on our

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