editorial

Are You Willing to Pay Big-Bucks for a Chance?

Irene Watson

Last week I received an email from a proud author indicating she was chosen by Publishers Weekly to list her book in the "first PW Select supplement."  This supplement covers self-published books.  PW claims they received approximately 200 books and are committed to review" at least 25."

Looking at the page I quickly noted that there were no reviews; just a list of titles, some inconsistent information about the book, occasional image of a book and a one or two-liner that I'm not sure if it's a review, a blurb, or just something taken off the back of the book. There are no links for us impulse buyers to even click on. And checking in the "back room" I don't see anything on the page that is SEO friendly.

Not overly impressed with what I saw I contacted the author for more information.  Her email reads:

The air came out of my balloon a little since yesterday.  I had received an email....about four months ago from PW, stating that they were running a contest for $149.  They said  25 books would be chosen for a review out of the books sent in to them by a certain date. If you weren't chosen, you would receive your $149 back. I like to enter contests, hoping my book gets noticed, and figured if I wasn't chosen, I lost nothing. So, I filled out the form, even though I hated to spend $149.

Yesterday, I was so excited seeing the email from PW that my name and book was chosen to be "listed" in the PW Magazine. It's on their website [portion with book title removed] with a two sentence blurb. I went into the review section...thinking I was also chosen for that, but I saw that my book was not in the reviews. To enter, I had to fill out a questionnaire about myself, my book along with sending the book cover and my picture in case it was chosen. I thought it was an email stating I was selected for "all" including the review. 

The same day, I received their December issue of PW Magazine. My book is listed with my book cover. I'm lucky because not all authors picked to have their books listed, have their book cover shown (it's not on their website). Inside the magazine, I found a form for "anyone" to fill out to have their book listed in their magazine and on their website for $149, along with receiving six months of their magazine. I realize now that any book can be listed  

So, I really didn't "win or get chosen" to be listed in their magazine. I paid for it without realizing it. I was a little upset because, if I had known this was a standard way of them getting books listed, I wouldn't have entered or sent that amount of money to be listed.  I have spent less and got wonderful reviews.

I wish I could tell you that I was lucky to see my picture and a nice write-up about me in the PW Magazine, but I wasn't. This may make me shy away from paying so much for a contest. Being picked to me meant a review also, which wasn't. Big names and famous people are reviewed. It's such a hard road to climb.

I'm wondering if all the 200 people that sent in their $149 (btw, that's $29,000 in the pocket of PW) were also misled as this author was or were they really willing to pay that amount of money just be listed. I guess part of that would be hoping for a chance to be one of the "at least 25" that gets reviewed.  It just amazes me that people would actually pay $149 on a chance, yet complain that some reviewers charge a fee to provide a guaranteed review. In fact I just got an email yesterday from an author telling me he's listed in PW and asked if we would feature him on our site if he sent us a pdf of his book to review. He also asked to be interviewed. When I sent him the list of our services he proceeded to tell me he doesn't pay for reviews or interviews. Huh?

As I looked at the list I noticed many of those same authors have asked us for a "free" review and indicated that they don't pay for reviews.  Wow...I find this interesting because if PW chooses to review their book they would be paying for the review. (And yes, PW reviewers do get paid $25 - $35 to do the review.)  Seems like a double-standard here but maybe it's just an impulse reaction of desperation to get listed, or get a review, in a magazine that is losing ground in the industry and attempting to find ways to stay afloat.

So, what you make out of all this?  I'd like to hear from you here.

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Issam Jameel

Modern History Press (2011)
ISBN 9781615990900
Reviewed by Richard Blake for Reader Views (11/10)

Synopsis

Iraq Through a Bullet Hole is a unique on-the-ground account of a country shattered. Iraqi playwright Issam Jameel returned to Iraq after a 12-year exile. Giving up the relative safety of Jordan, he made a perilous journey to Baghdad for a reunion. Unfortunately, the reason for his trip was to grieve for his nephew, recently killed by American forces while guarding an Iraq parliament member from insurgents. Jameel also mourns the loss of a formerly secular civil society replaced by vehement sectarianism, intolerance, and ignorance.

Basic human needs like food, water, and power have become an endless daily struggle amidst the shards of infrastructure. Routine tasks, such as selling a house or getting a job are fraught with peril as old scores continue to be settled on religious, ethnic, and political fronts. Everywhere he turns, people are desperate to leave, but fear for the worst. After escaping this madness, he recorded his eyewitness report, desperate to provide an honest and impartial tale of an epic tragedy which has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced many more.

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Nonfiction - Self Help, Spirituality

Journey of the Soul: Day One - In the Beginning

Lateef Warnick

1 S.O.U.L. Publishing (2009)
ISBN 9780578030609

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What is the one thing every human being on the face of this earth has in common? We all want happiness! Yet, there are many challenges and obstacles we face daily in life that try to thwart us from ourhappiness. Money, jobs, health, love, relationships and family continuously provide opportunities as well as tests to our happiness. However, there is an innate happiness within you that is beyond the reach of life's ordeals. Your spiritual truth isn't what is on the surface but what is buried beneath. Journey of the Soul: Day One by author Lateef Warnick is about you... or at least the real you! This real you is grander than anything your imagination can fathom.

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Havenhurst Books (2009)
ISBN 9780982285312

Television audiences will recognize Steve Truitt from his hosting duties on several popular national cable programs including Discovery Channel’s Cool Stuff and How it Works, Discovery Health Channel’s Dream Decoders and The Human Edge on the National Geographic Channel. On radio, his show The Bottom Line can be heard every week on Healthy Life Radio.

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Journey of the Soul: Day One - In the Beginning...

Lateef Terrell Warnick

1 S.O.U.L. Publishing (2009)
ISBN 9780578030609

Synopsis

What is the one thing every human being on the face of this earth has in common? We all want happiness! Yet, there are many challenges and obstacles we face daily in life that try to thwart us from our happiness.

Money, jobs, health, love, relationships and family continuously provide opportunities as well as tests to our happiness. However, there is an innate happiness within you that is beyond the reach of life's ordeals. Your spiritual truth isn't what is on the surface but what is buried beneath. This book, therefore, is about YOU... or at least the real you! This REAL you is grander than anything your imagination can fathom. Many call it the path of Self-Realization while Jesus' teachings proclaimed it as "the kingdom of God is within you!"

Buddha called it Nirvana, mystics call it Gnosis, yogis call it Samadhi and Shamans call it "Great Spirit." Various techniques such as yoga, meditation and the law of attraction are used as paths to finding happiness. But let's be honest, there are plenty of millionaires who aren't happy. What good are riches if you don't have health, loved ones or peace of mind? Regardless of your religious faith or lack thereof, there is a universal truth - we are all connected as One!

For countless generations, mankind has been divided over a Creator who everyone agrees made us all equally yet the world continues to grow smaller and we can no longer ignore our differences in beliefs if we seek harmony in the world. The events of September 11 2001, now being continuously perpetuated, seek to further divide mankind. Each faith tells us macrocosmic stories of man's beginning and end. However, there are universal concepts within all religions and it is the ignorance of these commonalities that causes disunity.

The purpose of this book is to spread Light and Love to directly counter this ignorance...

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