writing | Top 10 Book Reviews

KEN KORCZAK:

As a book reviewer with a high “power ranking” at Amazon.com and owner of this site, I get about 200 to 300 free books per year from writer’s all over the world seeking a review.

Last year I managed to read some 120 books, and ended up reviewing about 30 of them. Less than 30 actually deserved a review, but my philosophy is to take the good with the bad — whatever the case, there is usually just a handful of all those books that vividly jump out and stand as something special.

One recently was FRIED CHICKEN, JESUS AND CHOCOLATE by Fergus MacRoich. (See my review HERE).

So today I thought it would be illuminating to take a closer look at a guy who managed to pen an exceptional piece of literature, Fortunately, Mr. MacRoich has made that easy by posting the following video, “Why I Write.” Aspiring writers everywhere, pay attention!

Review by: KEN KORCZAK

My favorite saying in the writing business is:

“It takes a certain brilliance to write a book, but it takes a genius to sell that book.”

Well, that means that MARTIN CROSBIE is some kind of genius because he sells a lot of books. Even Amazon.com itself named him one of their “success stories” among self-publishers in 2012.

Now this ingenious indie author wants to help other wannabe writers sell their books. This offering, HOW I SOLD 30,000 eBOOKS ON AMAZON KINDLE is jammed-packed with advice on how to climb that mountain.

Crosbie not only knows how to sell books, he knows how to sell what he’s selling. For example, I like this bit from the early pages:

“Due to a number of factors, and luck was certainly one of them, in February of 2012 the book I wrote in the spare bedroom of my house, that over one hundred and thirty agents and publishers didn’t want, hit Amazon’s top ten overall bestseller list and stayed there for a week … I sold about eighteen thousand e-books that month. And I made $46,000.”

Yeah baby! Let me tell you, that kind of talk is absolute catnip for struggling writers everywhere. Do you know how many people want to take a ride like that with a book they labored to write in a spare bedroom in their spare time while the kids were howling, the dishes were piling up in the sink and bill collectors knocking at the door?

Canadian indie author Martin Crosbie

But while Mr. Crosbie shows us the juicy carrot, he also gets out the stick and proceeds page after page to give writers the sobering drubbing they need and deserve – and by that I mean, he shows how writing is hard work, and selling your writing is even harder – and yet, he does it with an infectious enthusiasm that will get readers excited about what is possible.

Yes, it’s an encouraging book. Motivating!

Most of all, this book is loaded with terrific advice, solid step-by-step instructions and meaty insights gleaned from his own successes and bitter failures on his road to achieving a significant measure of publishing success.

From the importance of editing (he really hammers away on this), to the vital factor of navigating the jungles of social media, to book cover design, to developing relationships with other key players in the field – and much more – no indie writer today can afford NOT to know about this stuff, and more importantly, take action and actually DO this stuff.

I borrowed this book for free using my Amazon Prime account, but it’s so loaded with advice and an excellent collection of resource links in the back, I’m going to go ahead and buy a permanent copy.

I’ve been a successful full-time freelance writer for 30 years now, and I’ve learned how to survive (and sometimes thrive) – but even someone like me can’t afford to be without a book like this on my shelf — and neither can you if you want to quit your day job and make it in the world of writing and publishing.

Ken Korczak is a former newspaper reporter, government information officer, served as an advocate for homeless people as a VISTA Volunteer, and taught journalism at the University of North Dakota for five years. He is the author of: BIRD BRAIN GENIUS