August 2023 MBR The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Art of Libromancy
Josh Cook
Biblioasis
www.biblioasis.com
9781771965415, $18.95, PB, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Libromancy-Selling-Reading-Twenty-first/dp/177196541X

Synopsis: With Amazon's growing power in both book selling and publishing, considering where and how we get our books is more important now than ever - especially to authors, publishers, and dedicated bibliophiles.

The simple act of putting a book in a reader's hands (what booksellers call hand-selling) becomes a catalyst for an exploration of the moral, financial, and political pressures all independent bookstores face.

From the relationship between bookselling and white supremacy, to censorship and the spread of misinformation, to the consolidation of the publishing industry, with the publication of "The Art of Libromancy: On Selling Books and Reading Books in the Twenty-first Century" veteran bookseller and writer Josh Cook turns a generous yet critical eye to an industry at the heart of American culture, sharing tips and techniques for becoming a better reader and, of course, recommending great books along the way.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, deftly organized, and impressively presented, "The Art of Libromancy: On Selling Books and Reading Books in the Twenty-first Century" is as informed and informative, as it is inherently fascinating commentary on the independent bookstore owner/seller in a publishing industry increasingly dominated by the big book bookstore chains and the internet based booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble).

In the author's words: "If books are important to you because you're a reader or a writer, then how books are sold should be important to you as well. If it matters to you that your vegetables are organic, your clothes made without child labor, your beer brewed without a culture of misogyny, then it should matter how books are made and sold to you."

While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "The Art of Libromancy: On Selling Books and Reading Books in the Twenty-first Century" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing collections and supplemental Contemporary Media Studies curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Josh Cook (https://www.portersquarebooks.com/josh-cook) is a bookseller and co-owner at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has worked since 2004. He is also author of the critically acclaimed postmodern detective novel An Exaggerated Murder and his fiction, criticism, and poetry have appeared in numerous leading literary publications.

The Author's Walk
Judith Briles
Mile High Press
http://www.milehighpress.com
9781885331007, $20.00, PB, 130pp

https://www.amazon.com/Authors-Walk-Finding-Publishing-Success/dp/1885331002

Synopsis: With the publication of "The Author's Walk: Finding and Using Your Voice to Create Publishing Success" author and book marketing expert Dr. Judith Briles offers beginning and established writers with a roadmap to writing that next book. Comprised from cover to cover with sage, practical, DIY advice, this small by enormously informative volume is invaluable for any writer wanting to become a published author.

As as experienced and successfully published author, Judith would advise that if you are contemplating or already engaged in writing your first book, then give a careful reading to what she has to say in "The Author's Walk: Finding and Using Your Voice to Create Publishing Success" -- and don't hesitate to take notes and turn to it again and again for both instruction and inspiration.

Critique: Of special note are the illustrative personal anecdotes, useful insights and practical advice comprising "The Author's Walk: Finding and Using Your Voice to Create Publishing Success". This is essential reading for all aspiring authors about finding their own personal style and workable approach to getting profitably published -- while taking sefl care of your mental, emotional, and creative well-being. Simply stated, "The Author's Walk: Finding and Using Your Voice to Create Publishing Success", while also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99) is a significant, essential, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing collections and personal reading lists.

Editorial Note: Dr. Judith Briles is (also known as throughout the publishing industry as The Book Shepherd) is the author of 43 books including The Author's Walk, How to Avoid Book Publishing Blunders, her memoir When God Says NO, and historical fiction, The Secret Journey. You can subscribe to her informative Tuesday and Saturday blogs on her website: https://thebookshepherd.com

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review