Circle Of Friends Book Club
August Pick
ISBN: 0312375425
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: April 01, 2008
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Reviewed by Emanuel Carpenter
What happens when a good, Christian housewife finds herself divorced and having to fend for herself and her children? Perhaps she will find another believer to share her life with. Maybe she’ll put it all in God’s hands. Or maybe she’ll be like the protagonist in “Never As Good As the First Time” and just get buck wild.
Samai, the main character in Mari Walker’s debut novel, suddenly finds herself on the verge of divorce from her cruel minister husband Ian due to the silliest of arguments. While separated, she couldn’t care less about the love they once shared. What she misses is the sex. Enter Zane, a good-looking but foul-mouthed old crush from high school who causes her to say:
I loved the tenderness I felt when he held me. Not only that, his kisses held the promise of something more. More than the way he made me warm all over just being in his presence. More than the way his kisses made me dizzy. I wouldn’t like to myself about wanting, no needing to find out what the more was.
Though Samai worries that her relationship with Zane will cause her to commit adultery since the divorce papers have not even been filed, she soon discovers that great sex with a man who is not her husband is the least of her problems when he introduces her to a world of drugs and danger. To compound matters, she must also deal with how her three children are adjusting to the breakup with Ian, workplace issues, and missing church since she must work on Sundays.
“Never As Good As the First Time” is a fascinating page turner that manages to get away with serving two masters, the erotica crowd and Christian readers. Not only does it contain one of the hottest, pulsating lovemaking passages you may ever read but it also remembers to tell us that even through the most trying times, people still rely on faith to get them through.
There are some not-so-glorious moments in the novel though. The writing doesn’t dazzle you with cleverness. The first-person narrative causes the author to tell through narration much more than show through dialogue. It takes a while to discover what the true plot is. Also, if it is indeed trying to reach two crowds (three if you count the street lit elements), the sex, drug references and profanity may shock readers with virgin ears.
But these minor details are easily overcome by a strong plot, unforgettable characters, and a story that just about any reader will find something to relate to rather it be church life, single parenthood, or even remembering the hottest sex you’ve ever had. “Never As Good As the First Time” is not only about second chances at life and love but it is also about what happens when one begins to slide down the slippery slope of sin. It is an exciting debut that should earn Mari Walker accolades and new fans across the country.
N.E. Informer Pick for July
New England White
Written by Stephen L. CarterAuthor Alerts: Random House will alert you to new works by Stephen L. Carter
* Category: Fiction - Legal; Fiction - Thrillers
* Format: Trade Paperback, 640 pages
* Price: $14.95
* ISBN: 978-0-375-71291-3 (0-375-71291-7)
Also available as an abridged audio CD, audiobook download, eBook and a hardcover.
Published by Vintage
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Lemaster Carlyle, the president of the country's most prestigious university, and his wife, Julie, the divinity school's deputy dean, are America's most prominent and powerful African American couple. Driving home through a swirling blizzard late one night, the couple skids off the road. Near the sight of their accident they discover a dead body. To her horror, Julia recognizes the body as a prominent academic and one of her former lovers. In the wake of the death, the icy veneer of their town Elm Harbor, a place Julie calls "the heart of whiteness," begins to crack, having devastating consequences for a prominent local family and sending shock waves all the way to the White House.
Available!
Today there are still three general rules that apply to the business of publishing. Rule number one: Every book is guaranteed to the bookseller, meaning, if they don't sell at the bookstore, the publisher guarantees they'll take them back. Returned books are as common place as paper and ink. Books have always been returnable. There are few if any retailers still in existence that will purchase newly published non-returnable books. The fallacy of this is that today, 2008, there are still some publishers that force their authors to pay several hundred dollars for the right to have their book considered returnable. Returnable books should be standard for any book contract. This is a clear example of how some publishers are not fluent in the ways of the business, and as a result they take advantage and prey on the pocketbooks of unsuspecting, and uninformed authors. Rule number two: The business is about revenue, selling books. However there are two ways to look at revenue.
For the Independent publishers and authors, revenue is when a book is sold and the money changes hands, that is a sale and represents the cleanest form of revenue. For the biggest publishers and all the others that want to compete in the marketplace, revenue is both gross and net. Gross is the number of copies multiplied by the cover price. This does not account for the returns that will eventually arrive at the publisher's warehouse. The net price is what is left after all those books have been returned and counted. The big companies play with these numbers in a variety of ways and if you plan to compete in this market, you must be aware of this fact. Rule number three: Bookseller real estate is for lease. When you walk into a bookstore and notice all those wonderful displays with multiple copies of the bestsellers, then you stroll down the aisles and look at the covers laying face up on the tables, keep in mind -- this is not accidental. These retailers aren't doing any favors. All of that space has been leased by the publisher of those titles for a specified period of time. In fact, virtually all of the floor space is for lease, if you can afford the price. Typically the front of the store is the most expensive real estate and the price goes down slightly as you move to the back of the store.
Bottom line, retail space in major retailers, including bookstores and mass merchants, is for lease. If you want to compete in the traditional marketplace, you must keep these three rules in mind: It's how the business operates.
Jerry D. Simmons is the author of WHAT WRITERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PUBLISHING. He is the creator of TIPS for WRITING from the PUBLISHING INSIDER an eNewsletter that can be found at WritersReaders.com. He is also the founder of the leading social networking website for writers, authors and readers Nothing Binding. For comments or questions you can reach Jerry via email jerry@writersreaders.com.
How To Be A Successful Self-Publisher
By John Abate
July 2008
The only way to keep up with the latest about Self-Publishing is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about Self-Publishing, it won't take long for you to become an influential authority.
Even if your best friend owns a top publishing company, giving you an immediate "in," this does not guarantee publishing success.
First, you have to write a quality book that has a clear target audience. And your book must answer a common problem or need that audience shares. Then you have to develop a marketing plan, and stick to it for at least two years.
Let's begin with the process that should commence before you write your first word. Begin by reading A LOT. Read both books you passionately love and books you can't seem to make it past page five. Then figure out what the author did in the book you loved, and what was wrong with in the book you couldn't finish. Write down these points so they are crystal clear to you. Read other people's books for inspiration and to discover what you should avoid as a writer.
The next step is to plan out your book. Narrow down your subject, and then divide it into chapters. Each chapter should address a specific aspect of the problem your book is going to solve. In each chapter, break the specific aspect down into several parts. This will help your readers take in your information a bit at a time instead of overwhelming them with every bit of information clogging up the pages until they feel like they're about to go blind. It's not quite spoon-feeding the information to your readers, but it's close.
The next two steps are obvious. Write your book and then revise it. And then revise it again. And perhaps again. Of course, writing is extremely hard, and writing a book can seem like an impossible task. There are many books out there that give you guidelines to help you become familiar - and even love - the process of writing and revision. Find a number of books about writing. Better yet, find a number of books about writing the specific type of book you aspire to write. These can serve as roadmaps on your writing journey.
Once you've written your ebook and revised it at least twice, show it to someone else whose opinion you respect. If you're lucky enough to know a good editor, see if you have something to barter for him or her to go through your manuscript. Or join a writing group and let the other members critique your work.
Then take all these ideas from other people, and revise your manuscript one last time. And then stop! Put down that pen! Get your hands off the keyboard!
One of the most important steps to actually producing a book is to know when to stop writing and tinkering with it.
You've finally written your ebook! Pop open the bubbly! Give yourself a night out on the town!
Okay, now that this necessary celebration is out of your system, what do you do next?
How to turn your ebook into Profits
If you base what you do on inaccurate information, you might be unpleasantly surprised by the consequences. Make sure you get the whole Self-Publishing story from informed sources.
Ebooks are a revolutionary way to publish your book without incurring the costs of print production. All you need is a relevant and targeted subject and some inexpensive software, and you can transform your manuscript into a book.
The problem, in terms of actually seeing any profits from your ebook, is that the market is overwhelmed with ebooks, and many of them are not worth the time it takes to download them. Just because the ability exists to easily produce an ebook, doesn't make it good writing.
Make sure your book does not simply rehash old material. You will injure your credibility as an author by claiming to offer valuable new insights and disappointing your audience with material they've read a zillion times before. So spend enough time writing and revising your book to make sure it's of the highest quality and presents the most current information. A good book will eventually sell itself; false claims about your book will make it extremely difficult to sell any future books you may write.
Assuming you have determined that you do indeed have a quality product that answers some question or need of your target audience with NEW information, how do you know how much to charge for it? Rule number 1: Set a price for your book equal to its value. An under-priced book will only give the impression that your book isn't worth very much.
To figure out a fair price, estimate how much time you put into creating it and how difficult it was to transform the necessary information into understandable and engaging writing. Figure out how much your time and effort is worth, and then price it accordingly. The goal is for you to be adequately compensated for your talent, your time, and your effort.
Once you've figured out a price that is high enough to convey the value of the book, but not so high as to be out of the reach of your target audience's mean budget, then it's time to offer it for sale on your website. To attract sales, you will need to develop a promotional campaign, particularly if you are an unknown author.
There are multitudes of books about self-promotion that will guide you in your efforts. Choose a plan that is both creative and professional. Learn how to write a catchy yet informative press release, and send copies of your ebook to sites that specialize in ebook reviews.
Learn how to write powerful sales copy, or hire someone to write it for you. This is an essential. You absolutely need excellent sales copy to sell your book. Make sure the copy includes all the reasons your target audience needs your book, and the benefits they will derive from buying it.
Use graphics in your promotional materials. Beautiful graphics have the power to instantly convey the quality and value of your ebook. Graphics can also convey the amount of valuable information the book contains, and your careful attention to detail. Professional graphics sell professional books. They reassure the customer that the product is what it claims to be.
Consider excerpting chapters for articles. You can offer these tidbits for free on your website as a sort of demo of your book. Include an order form for your ebook at the end of the excerpted articles.
Finally, when you set-up your download link, make sure to simplify the process. It's a good idea to offer a few bonuses that make your book even more enticing to purchase, but make sure the bonuses are valuable and high quality. Too many bonuses that are basically a load of useless stuff will compromise the impression your audience has of your ebook. The goal is to convey to your audience that they are getting a quality product for a good deal. That means applying restraint, especially when it comes to adding bonus items. Too much free stuff offered diminishes your credibility.
Make sure your book is a quality product. Make sure it is relevant and current. Develop an effective marketing plan that includes excellent sales copy and excerpted articles. Then offer your book for sale, and wait for your audience to discover you!
Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what's important about Self-Publishing.
