Allbooks Review International December 2012 Newsletter

BEST OF THE SEASON TO EVERYONE Allbooks Review is the review and author promo source for POD AUTHORS as well as traditionally published authors, print and ebook. Authors around the world use our service. Great coverage for your book for twelve months +. SUCCESS STORIES Congratulations to Shirley A. Roe. Bridgetown's Eleventh Hour is now available in ebook, and print (kindle edition): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009KWEX02 FEATURE: Are Books Doomed to Extinction? Publishers Must Innovate to Save the Book as We Know It, Says Best-Selling Author Michael Levin says he can see the writing on the iPad. “Unless something changes, books as we know them are doomed, and not simply because people prefer to read on their iPads or Kindles.” says Levin, (www.BusinessGhost.com), a New York Times best-selling author, as well as editor, publisher, co-writer and ghostwriter. “You’ll see the major publishing houses starting to go away in three to five years,” Levin says. “Their business model is in free fall. Already, we’re seeing books becoming shorter, cheaper, and diminishing in quality. You’ll soon see fewer really good authors bothering to write books, because books are no longer a meaningful source of revenue.” Levin points to several developments he says foreshadow a sad ending for books: • Attention spans are diminishing. Three-fourths of teachers said their students’ attention spans are shorter than ever, according to a poll released in June. By 11 years old, nearly half of the kids had stopped reading for pleasure. The poll, by publisher Pearson UK, is just the most recent survey/study documenting shrinking attention spans and a corresponding drift from books. “Part of the problem is children don’t see their parents reading,” Levin says. “Obviously, the kids’ aren’t the only ones with diminishing attention spans.” • Major publishers are producing lower-quality books. The big publishing houses today are more interested in a quality marketing plan than in the quality of the book, so we’re being deluged by low-quality books. One reason is that many large publishers have stopped taking on the expense of marketing books, but they know it’s necessary for sales. So they take on authors with a marketing plan and budget. They’re also less interested in “star” authors, who demand higher royalties. They also lost authors when they eliminated advances in response to the 2008 recession. • Books are moving to devices, where content is free and time is thin-sliced. Online, you don’t expect to pay for content. People will expect books available online to be either free or very inexpensive, and if those books turn out to be one chapter of ideas and eleven chapters of Hamburger Helper, they will be less willing to pay for them. Also, people don’t spend much time going into depth online; books are supremely inappropriate for the surface-skimming nature of the Internet. Once people have bought a bunch of ebooks they’ve never started, they’ll stop buying them altogether. • Authors have a more difficult time earning a livable wage. Fewer authors can earn enough to make writing a full-time job. The audience is shrinking and fewer people are willing to pay $15 for a paper book when cheap alternatives are available. “We’ve already seen more books written to promote a product, service or company, or to brand the writer so he or she can pursue a more lucrative field,” Levin says. “Most books of the future will be marketing tools, since that’s the only way they’ll be profitable.” Levin does find reason for hope, but it will require publishers to change how they do business. “They need to stop trying to go after the mass market, which doesn’t exist anymore, settle on a niche and develop a brand. Publishers that stand for something in the reader’s mind – like Harlequin stands for romance – are built for the long haul,” he says. Instead of publishing 500 low-quality books every year, major publishers should bring out only 50 top-quality winners and actually market them, he says. And publish how-to and other guidance and instructional books in concentrated form: short, powerful and to the point, The rest of us have a job to do, too, Levin adds. “People need to read, and they need to read to their kids or buy them books. If people stop demanding good books, there eventually will be none available,” he says. “The winners, going forward, will be that minority who still read and think for themselves. It’s a lot easier for government, the military, and the corporate world to control the way people think if they aren’t reading for themselves. That ought to be reason enough to save the book.” About Michael Levin Michael Levin, founder and CEO of BusinessGhost, Inc., has written more than 100 books, including eight national best-sellers; five that have been optioned for film or TV by Steven Soderbergh/Paramount, HBO, Disney, ABC, and others; and one that became “Model Behavior,” an ABC Sunday night Disney movie of the week. He has co-written with Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, football broadcasting legend Pat Summerall, NBA star Doug Christie and Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman, among others. As a publishing consultant, Michael’s best-selling clients include ZigZiglar, Michael Gerber and Jay Abraham. He was the editor for Ziglar’s most recent book, “Born To Win.” Allbooks Reviews INTERVIEW: Please state your name and location. (city and State or Province, Country) David V. Mammina lives in Lindenhurst, NY, USA Tell us the title and publisher of your book: The Angels of Resistance, published by David V. Mammina and printed by Lulu Press. Tell us about yourself: Born and raised on Long Island, NY, David V. Mammina has striven to make a name for himself. He went to Lindenhurst Schools and graduated in 2000. He then made his way to Nassau Community College and received his first degree. He then attended Stony brook and acquired his next degree in History. Finally, David got his Masters in Special Education and Social Studies. He specializes In writing dark fantasy and has been featured at the Comic Con in New York City and the I-CON at Stony brook. David is very family oriented as he attributes most of his success to them. He works in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn now as a special education teacher. When was the book released? July 2, 2012 Give us an overview of your book. One thousand years after the assumed apocalypse, a demonic army known as the Demon Plague has invaded the new world. With various races and cultures split by their differences, one man inspires them to unite in order to defeat the unfathomable evil force. What inspired you to write this book? It had taken me five years to write this story, which happens to be my personal favorite. Once the world experiences an apocalyptic event, many people have their theories of how humankind would survive. I had loved the idea that, in time, people would gather around their familiar cultures and move on. Yet, they would not be united until a great and terrible event forced them to look past their differences and fight for each other instead of themselves. How is your book different from other books in this genre? The dark fantasy genre can often be misunderstood by many. I mend good character developed stories in a realistic world with deep fantastical undertones. Not only will this book capture your imagination as it is a tale that I believe is wildly original, but it is hard to put down. It is a book for the genre that can be read by any avid reader. Where can people buy your book? This book is available on most online bookstores, but one can find it in paperback and hardcover at my website: www.MamminaBooks.com Are you working on another book? If so when do you expect it to be published? I am always working on another book. I love to write, as it is my passion to write meaningful stories. The most recent involves a holy knight who committed sins of vengeance and must now redeem himself. It is a compelling story and a very relatable character. If you self published, what advice can you give to fellow writers? Market and network! Tell everyone what you’ve done and why it’s a great read, with a sense of humility of course. Expose your material to any venue possible, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, table mats at diners, conventions, Facebook, etc. But number one, don’t write expecting money. Write because you love it and believe in it. If published traditionally, tell us how you benefited: NA Can you share one of your marketing successes with us? I have found creating a website where potential readers of your work can easily find your books to be a great tool. Facebook and twitter are good digital exposure venues. But nothing beats a good convention, like Comic Con, Dragon Con, and other reading conventions. How did you find Allbooks Reviews and what are you hoping for in your relationship with us? I have discovered this company online while searching for reviewers and I have only positive things to say about it. It’s an affordable and valuable service for self-published authors. I would like some exposure online through the company as I am very committed in sharing my work with any many people as I can. Was the low cost a surprise? What other things would you like Allbooks Reviews to offer writers? The low cost was a surprise indeed. I would gladly pay an extra fee for some more exposure to other websites and/or places where books are shared. Thank you for this interview and best of luck with your book.