How To Write A Good Book Review – The Editorial Review

Professional Book Reviewer In this series, we take you through the anatomy of a book review.

What does it take to write an editorial review? How does this differ from a customer/reader review on Amazon or Goodreads? What is a Beta review anyway, and do you need one?

This first installment looks at professional reviews, otherwise known as Editorial Reviews.

How To Write an Editorial Book Review

Editorial Book Reviews are considered to be the premium type of book review, written by a book professional who critiques books for a living: highly qualified people who take their work seriously and produce succinct, lean […]

Cate Baum2021-06-28T03:07:50+02:00June 18th, 2021|Categories: Features|Tags: Book Reviews|

SPR Awards 2020 Winners Announced!

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Cate Baum2021-04-14T07:39:29+02:00April 10th, 2021|Categories: Features, Lead Story|Tags: SPR Book Awards|

Getting To Yes – A Book To Movie Success Story

You Only Need To Find One Champion Of Your Work

Like the majority of authors out there, I struggled to get my debut novel – The Reincarnationist Papers – picked up by an agent and a publisher. I tried for over a year until I finally decided to self-publish the novel.

But I did more than just self-publish; I came up with a plan to incentivize my readers to act as the agent that struggled to find.

I accomplished this by offering a cash reward – the standard agent’s commission to be precise – on the first page of the […]

Cate Baum2021-03-23T09:44:38+02:00March 23rd, 2021|Categories: Features, Success Story|

A Lullaby in the Desert: One Woman’s Fight for Freedom

Author Mojgan Azar

What if by questioning injustice and standing up for the oppressed, your words were met with threats, captivity, and execution? Would you still stand up?

Imagine being born without rights. From bicycle bans and compulsory clothing to mandatory beliefs, what’s worse than being born in a society where your gender alone is a crime? Millions of women are held captive, whether behind bars or behind barriers, for what they believe, what they wear, and what they say. They are suffering at this very moment. Some, like Susan, decided they wouldn’t take being held in the grip of a society’s invisible […]

SPR2021-03-16T11:57:24+02:00March 16th, 2021|Categories: Features, Member Blog|

4 Tips To Focus on Writing in 2021

It’s going to be a challenge this year, but writing offers an escape from the world like no other.

Here we are folks, the middle of a pandemic, political unrest, climate crises, police violence, and insurrection. But if you are a writer, this is an excellent time for you to get that book done.

Lockdown Blues

So you can’t leave the house? What are you waiting for? You’ve been saying if only you had time to do that book. Now you do. Business News Daily reported that a study found that people who work from home gain 1.4 days a […]

Cate Baum2021-01-13T07:12:33+02:00January 13th, 2021|Categories: Features|Tags: Writing Tips|

5 Tips For Promoting Your Book This Christmas

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Cate Baum2020-12-11T05:31:13+02:00December 9th, 2020|Categories: Features|Tags: Book Promotion Articles|

Infinity Publishing’s Authors FastPencil Issues – What to Do

There have been many authors complaining about not getting royalties since FastPencil took over Infinity Publishing. Here’s what we know, and what you can consider about the buyout if you are affected.

We reviewed the now-defunct company here back in 2011.

You Retained All Your Rights

On their website, Infinity’s FAQs stated:

“At Infinity Publishing, you own your copyright and all the rights to your book. If your book has movie potential, wouldn’t you want the right to make that deal? Many book publishing companies keep certain rights and can exercise these rights without your input or approval. Infinity Publishing

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Cate Baum2020-11-05T05:11:55+02:00November 5th, 2020|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Subsidy Publishing Articles|

How To Lose Word Count From Your Book – 10 Ways

How do you lose words from your book without destroying the story? Why is word count so important?

The length of your manuscript is a major factor in your journey to publication. Word count affects printing costs (and therefore profit) and reader feedback, story construction (even in a non-fiction book’s case) and sales. Publishers may ask for a shorter manuscript, so you might have to buckle down to this reality.

Accepted lengths of a book

Adult Fiction: 70,000 – 100,000 words (including Fantasy, yes!)
YA Fiction – 60,000 – 85,000 words
Non-Fiction: 50,000 – 75,000 words (less if with images)[…]