Authors access : 30 success secrets for authors and publishers

Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers

BY: Irene Watson, Tyler R. Tichelaar & Victor R. Volkman

PUBLISHED BY: Modern History Press

PUBLISHED IN: 2009

ISBN: 978-1-932690-98-9

Pages: 220

Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers is a wonderful handbook for any writer. It is a compilation of podcasts from the internet radio show called Authors Access.

The authors share great tips about the craft and myths of writing. You learn about writing about romance, mystery and other genres. Being a writer myself, I found the book interesting. I enjoyed the chapters on children’s books and the article “Exploring Ghostwriting, co-Authoring, and Collaborating” by Ami Hendrickson. This is the first time I have read anything on ghostwriting. It was a joy to read.

There is a lot of information on promoting your book by the use of the internet. In “Book Marketing on MySpace,” you learn how to set up a successful myspace profile, and learn how an author can use it to promote their work effectively.

Every author needs to know how to use Amazon.com to sale their books. In “Amazon Adventures: Staring Down Earth’s Largest Bookstore,” you learn how to use advantage and associate programs.

There are four wonderful articles about book reviews and how to use them to your advantage. My favorite was, “Negative Book Reviews: How to Avoid Them, and How to Use Them to Your Advantage.”

One of the downfalls of the book is that it concentrates too much on self-publishing. I would’ve liked to have read more article on traditional publishing in magazines and big publishing houses. Overall I found Authors Access to be a great reference tool that every author should have on their desk.

Authors Access is a great book filled with tons of helpful advice from authors and publishers.

Inside I found heaps of useful articles on the different genres, editing, marketing, and using the Internet to promote and help sales.

I found many of the articles beneficial to me personally: "Five Tips on Writing Romance" by Sylvia Hubbard, "Publishing a Children’s Book? Better Get a Child’s Opinion First" by Tyler R. Tichelaar, and "Elements of a Quality Book Review" by Tyler R. Tichelaar were three of the most worthwhile for me.

Many of the authors were known to me, a few of them I had to look up. This was made easier by the inclusion of websites for the authors at the end of their articles. The addition of the bibliography at the end has led me to many more useful books that have found a place on my bookshelf.

Authors Access has shown me how to establish an effective MySpace page and in "Promoting your Book with Social Media and Web 2.0 there is a very good list of sites for book promotion.

I found Authors Access to be an immense source of help when it comes to knowledge about promotion, dealing with ‘writer’s block’, and publishing.

Reviewed by Vicki Landes for Reader Views (11/08)

Not too long ago, the only way to obtain the coveted title of ‘author’ was to sign with a traditional publishing company…and that was only for the extremely lucky ones.  The hopeful author spent a great deal of time writing query letters, contacting agents and editors, nervously waiting for replies, and knowing there are many more ‘no thanks’ in this business than ‘welcome to the team.’  With the advent of self-publishing, the industry has literally exploded with hundreds of thousands of books on every imaginable subject.  But when everyone from your grandma to your neighbor’s cat has the ability to publish a book, what can you do to ensure yours stands out above the rest?  Editors Irene Watson, Tyler R. Tichelaar, and Victor R. Volkman believe they have the answers.

“Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers” is a compilation of podcast interviews of award-winning authors, editors, publishers, publicists, business owners, consultants, freelance writers, and book reviewers.  Within 200+ pages, they guide the prospective writer through many of the obstacles faced and common mistakes made in DIY publishing while making certain the finished product is as marketable as those published by established publishing companies.  Further, and as many new authors come to realize, there is just as much work after your book has been published.  “Authors Access” continues to provide sound information on promotion, obtaining book reviews, hiring a publicist, and making the most of today’s technological advances.  

With an already innumerable amount of publishing how-to books on the market today, what makes “Authors Access” so special?  Consider this:  most of these types of books are written by one, sometimes two or even a small group of experts in a specific field of the greater publishing world.  This person, whether a published author, editor, or agent has extensive experience doing whatever it is that they do best.  However, their how-to books are limited to their road to victory.  Want a second opinion on how to be a publishing success?  Read another book…and another and another.  With “Author Access,” you have the advice, the techniques, and the proven track record of many professionals from all aspects of the business…and in one concise book.  Additionally, there is a natural flow to the book; organized and edited in such a way that there is seamless cohesion despite the number of different ‘expert voices’ sounding out. 

“Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers” is a must-read for any first time writer or self-published author looking to improve their skills.  As a self-published author myself, I’ve got lists of ‘mistakes made’ and ‘lessons learned’ from my experience.  As I read “Authors Access” I kept finding myself saying, “Oh, great idea!” or “I wish I’d thought of that before.”  My lists are now being supplemented with ‘here’s what to do next time.’  There’s a wealth of information in these pages; enough to keep you motivated and on the right track without bogging you down in ‘information overload.’ 

Although self-publishing has allowed many writers to fulfill their dreams, it has also inundated the industry with books considered substandard and unmarketable to traditional publishers.  Many wide-eyed, naïve authors have taken advantage of the opportunity to self-publish and their efforts have turned into an expensive disappointment.  Within “Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers,” you’ve got experts and their invaluable knowledge at your disposal.  Editors Irene Watson, Tyler R. Tichelaar, and Victor R. Volkman do have the answers!

<a href="../../../oclc/InterviewWatsonVolkmanAA.html">Read interview with Irene Watson, Tyler R. Tichelaar, and Victor R. Volkman</a>