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.”

Reviewed on 09/04/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Billy Burgess

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 on 08/21/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Tina Evans

Reviewed on 07/31/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Laura Fabiani

Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers features a cover photo of the planet earth. Per editor Victor R, Volkman, the image was selected because the book imparts a "world of information.” I agree; it does.

Authors Access is a writer how-to book so jam-packed with info that you have to read it in small increments. Basically, the text is a compilation of podcasts from Authors Access, the internet radio show of the same name, which broadcasts live every Thursday on Internet Voices Radio.

I’ve read my fair share of similar books. By that, I mean books populated by the thoughts and wisdom of those who have found success in publishing. Authors Access confidently stands among them, thanks to its timely and targeted info. But its little something extra is the inclusion of links to the corresponding podcasts. 

It’s an effective double whammy. Readers can absorb the podcast, getting a real feel for the author’s experiences. They can then whip out a highlighter and tuck into the chapter. And as the author website links also are included, readers have yet a third avenue for obtaining additional information.

The nine chapters of Authors Access run the gamut from editing tips to building buzz with book reviewers. Each chapter includes at least two articles per the chosen topic. So in the “Genre” chapter, for example, readers find tips on writing romances, crime novels, even regional fiction. In the “Craft of Writing” chapter, they're reminded to use the Rule of Three (Thank you very much, Goldilocks!), while cautioned to trim the padding and to always show, not tell. They also learn that writer’s block is due to one simple factor: fear of surrender. I know I’ll personally be musing on that nugget for a while!

And then there's the delightful “Children’s Books” chapter. Here the manuscript directives are to 1) kill off any pesky parents, 2) add frequent cliffhangers, and 3) hand the draft over to children reviewers before even daring to dangle the manuscript before a publisher. That’s great advice. I wonder if more authors would quickly secure contracts if they did so -- instead of relying on the praise of their friends and mothers?

As I had familiarity with much of the above content, I spent most of my time dwelling on the chapters titled “Marketing Your Work” and “Making the Most of Technology.” One article in particular, “Promoting Your Book with Social Media and Web 2.0,” was especially helpful. Because it's becoming crystal clear to me that writers must quickly get up to speed on both if they want to market their books effectively.

So, where is my review copy now? In my office. Sharing space on the bookshelf I’ve labeled my “Smart Writer Resources.” That about sums up the value I give to Authors Access.

Reviewed on 07/07/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt