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Jim Cox Report: August 2012

Dear Publisher Folk, Friends & Family:

On Saturday, August 18th, in Santa Barbara, California, and in connection with the Global Ebook Awards event, I'm being honored with a "Lifetime Achievement Award In Publishing".

Here's a copy of the official announcement.

Subj: Jim Cox coming to Santa Barbara Aug 18, 2012

JIM COX TO RECEIVE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Jim Cox is coming to Santa Barbara on August 18 to receive the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the editor and publisher of the Midwest Book Review . Jim has proven to be a great friend of authors and small publishers. He does not charge for the thousands of book reviews he publishes each year.

Established in 1976, the Midwest Book Review publishes the following monthly book publications specifically designed for community and academic librarians, booksellers, and the general reading public:

The Bookwatch
California Bookwatch
Children's Bookwatch
Internet Bookwatch
Library Bookwatch
MBR Bookwatch
Reviewer's Bookwatch
Small Press Bookwatch
Wisconsin Bookwatch

Jim will hold court in the library of the University Club in Downtown Santa Barbara at 3 PM, just prior to the Global Ebook Awards ceremony. Jim will discuss: "How to Get Your Ebook Reviewed".

We all are so grateful to Jim for his years of dedication to authors. His numerous fans are invited to come to Santa Barbara to meet him.

Barbara Gaughen-Muller
Gaughen Global Public Relations
805 968 8567 & 805 680 9445 iPhone

Barbara has been the liaison between the Global Ebook Awards folk and myself.

Here's a second email I received from her with further descriptive information on the event that I thought might be of interest to writers and publishers:

Subj: FREE eBook we will give to each who signs up for the Aug 18 Global Awards dinner

Get a Book on Promotion FREE With Dinner Ticket to Global Ebook Awards Aug 18, 2012

Sign up for the Global Ebook Awards ceremony and dinner, in Santa Barbara, on August 18, 2012, and receive, free of charge, "Own Your Niche" by Stephanie Chandler.

"Own Your Niche" brings authenticity back to Internet marketing, teaching you how to showcase your business with practical strategies you can implement yourself. You will discover how to connect with your target audience, increase website traffic, build an effective blog, create and distribute content online, add online revenue streams, and get results with social media—in less than an hour per day:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/130221

The second annual Global Ebook Awards will honor ebooks, their authors, and publishers.

Nearly 1,000 entries, in 101 categories, from 16 countries, are being evaluated by 246 judges.

For details on the Saturday events, see http://globalebookawards.com/awards-ceremony-2012

BarbaraGaughen-Muller
Gaughen Global Public Relations
http://globalebookawards.com/awards-ceremony-2012
805 968 8567 & 805 680 9445 iPhone

Finally, there's this email regarding the Global Ebook Awards event:

Subj: Finalists announce for the 2012 Global Ebook Awards

2012 Global Ebook Awards Finalists
For Immediate Release . . .
Contact: Barbara Gaughen

FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR GLOBAL EBOOK AWARDS

252 category-expert judges evaluated nearly 1,000 entries, in 101 categories, from 16 countries. Finalists in each category are published at:

http://globalebookawards.com/2012-global-ebook-awards-finalists

Authors and publishers of ebooks moved to Finalist may download “stickers” and certificates for their websites and other promotion from:

http://globalebookawards.com/award-stickers
http://globalebookawards.com/award-certificates

Winners in each category will be announced at the second annual award ceremony at the elegant U-Club in gorgeous downtown Santa Barbara on Saturday, August 18.

The star-studded cast includes keynoter actor/author Marilu Henner and a special appearance by Jim Cox of The Midwest Book Review. Once again, the Master of Ceremonies will be radio-personality Bill Frank. The entire event will be simulcast worldwide.

See: http://globalebookawards.com/awards-ceremony-2012

Seating for the award ceremony and dinner is limited to 180. First come-first served.

See: http://globalebookawards.com/2012-awards-ceremony-reservation

Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Awards is a division of Para Publishing LLC of Santa Barbara.

Now back to me:

I haven't done any traveling for the past eleven years because of health problems, increasing old age, and ever more complicated airline travel hassles. But Dan Poynter was one of the first professional within the publishing industry to provide me with invaluable advice as a fledgling book reviewer -- I've always been grateful to him for that. Now Dan and his group out there in California are providing me with an opportunity to 'meet & greet' publisher folk in and around Santa Barbara -- to put faces to names (and vice versa!).

The event is free (it's the dinner that has a $49 ticket) so I hope that anyone within commuting distance of Santa Barbara on Saturday, August 18th, will feel free to come and visit with me awhile.

Now on to reviews of new "how to" books on writing and/or publishing:

The Writing/Publishing Shelf

FranklinCovey Style Guide, fifth edition
Stephen R. Covey
FT Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.mcp.com
9780133090390, $49.99, www.amazon.com

Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded fifth edition, "FranklinCovey Style Guide: For Business and Technical Communication" is a 448-page instructional compendium on creating and presenting written materials ranging from correspondence, to memos, resumes, meeting minutes, mission statements, reports, and more. Offering an alphabetically ordered extensive reference glossary from abbreviations to writing and revising, "Style Guide" is enhanced with an equally extensive section of 'Model Documents'. Informed, informative, and exceptionally 'user friendly', "Style Guide" is highly recommended as a curriculum textbook and would prove to be an invaluable instructional resource and reference for anyone having to communicate with words and images for any purpose or in any venue.

A Year of Writing Dangerously
Barbara Abercrombie
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
9781608680511, $16.95, www.newworldlibrary.com

A Year of Writing Dangerously: Getting Your Story on the Page is a set of affirmations and insights for any writer who wants to make the time and effort to become serious about writing, and offers keys to setting up a writing practice and getting writing done. From setting up an inviting space to combating negativity from within and without, this packs in exercises and advice on writing and is a powerful how-to guide for any aspiring writer.

Reading Letters: Designing for Legibility
Sofie Beier
BIS Publishers
Het Sieraad, Postjesweg 1
1057 DT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
9789063692711, $49.00, www.bispublishers.com

Reading Letters: Designing for Legibility is a pick for any collection appealing to type designers, and covers the basics of assessing the optimal typeface for different projects. Chapters provide plenty of eye-catching insights into type and its applications under different conditions, showing graphic and type designers how to make logical, useful and even artistic choices. A 'must' for any collection catering to printers, graphic designers, or type designers.

Tracy Riva is one of our regular reviewers whose monthly book review column "Riva's Bookshelf" can be found at http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/aug_12.htm#riva

Here is her review of a new 'how to' book that will be of interest to writers aspiring to be published.

Shut Up & Write
Judy Bridges
Redbird Studio Press
3195 S. Superior St. #211, Milwaukee, WI 53207
http://redbirdstudio.com
9780976474272 $19.95
B005PTWLC6 $3.99 Kindle
2940013276055, $3.99 NOOK

I had the opportunity to read Shut Up & Write as a judge for the Global eBook Awards. I was a little intimidated by the title, I expected to open the book and find a Drill Sargent waiting inside roughly demanding I write, right now.

I was pleasantly surprised. Judy Bridges comes across on paper as extremely knowledgeable and personable. Her advice is based on years of experience and the exercises she gives are great.

I found the book to be interesting and not the least bit pedantic, which was another concern I had going into the reading. As a writer herself, Ms. Bridges knows her audience and writes in a way that I feel will appeal to most writers. Her style is direct, but not pushy, she shares examples of results she has gained using the very techniques in the books at classes she teaches, and the exercises she asks the reader to do are easy and result in productive writing.

Bridges style is approachable and her way of teaching is extremely helpful. I would recommend this book not only to beginning writers but also to experienced writers. You can learn to hone your craft through this book and develop your skills. I found this to be one of the more helpful books on writing that I have read.

Tracy M. Riva
Reviewer

Finally we have "The Midwest Book Review Postage Stamp Hall Of Fame & Appreciation" roster of well-wishers and supporters. These are the generous folk who decided to say 'thank you' and 'support the cause' that is the Midwest Book Review by donating postage stamps this past month:

Don Castle
Robert Gillooly
Victor R. Levine
Mary (Pickens) Smith
Pamella Hays -- "Circling"
Denise Frisino "Whiskey Cove"
Peirce Stern -- "Reins of Hysteria"
John Canzanella -- "God's Prayers"
Henry C. Landa -- "Theft by Employees"
Donlad W. Kruse -- "That's Not A Pickle!"
Gregory Allan Voss -- "Broken Innocence"
M. Terry Green -- "Shaman Friend Enemy"
David Hann -- "River Memoir and Other Stories"
Narinder K. Mehta -- "Five Steps to Your Next Job"
Silvia Beck Speyer -- "Baldo's Awesome Adventure"
Peter Tsaoussis -- "Today, Tomorrow, And Yesterday"
S. L. S. Oborowsky -- "Ivy: The Blossoming of a Rose"
Christine Nolfi -- "The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge"
Sebastian Cole -- "Sand Dollar: A Story of Undying Love"
DuoPress
Dune Buggy Press
Three Clover Press
Double Dove Press
Viki Pidgeon -- Pidgeon's Press
Luis Rodriguez -- Totri Plus LLC
Linda L. Isaacs -- New Spring Press
Kristin Mitchell -- Little Creek Press
John Monteleone -- Mountain Lion Inc.
Robert Bernardini -- Perigree Publishing
Thomas Hollyday -- Solar Sipper Publishing
Mary-Kathryne Steele -- World Wisdom & Wisdom Tales
Elizabeth Waldman Frazier -- Waldmania!
Maryglenn McCombs -- MM Book Publicity

If you have postage to donate, or if you have a book you'd like considered for review, then send those stamps (always appreciated, never required), or a published copy of that book (no galleys, uncorrected proofs, or Advance Reading Copies), accompanied by a cover letter and some form of publicity release to my attention at the address below.

All of the previous issues of the "Jim Cox Report" are archived on the Midwest Book Review website. If you'd like to receive the "Jim Cox Report" directly (and for free), just send me an email asking to be signed up for it.

So until next time -- goodbye, good luck, and good reading!

Jim Cox
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI, 53575
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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