Kristen Tsetsi | Self-Publishing Review

Page One Review: In Search of Aimai Cristen by Philip Good

[First-glance impression: the font looks like 14 point Arial, which gives the overall presentation an unprofessional/amateur appearance. Also, the page numbers are too close to the rest of the text.]

In Search of Aimai Cristen by Phillip Good does not begin with the page above, but with this personal ad on page one:

1. The Ad

Young attractive girl, 24, searching for
love, compassion, joy from a man who can
provide financial security. Write Aimai
Cristen, Box 3689, Barb Office, 1234
University Ave, Berkeley CA 94709.

The ad is enough to pique my curiosity: a woman seeking what, I suppose, […]

Kristen Tsetsi2011-10-08T19:18:07+02:00April 17th, 2009|Categories: Book Reviews|

On Being a POD Author

POD = pod

As a self-published POD, I think I may be in a good place, considering. Just got into two bookstores, and I am awaiting a blurb from someone I hope is influential enough to convince more people to read my book.

I learned today, however, that having a book in a store, on a shelf, doesn’t necessarily place me above pod (lowercase) status when compared to the Published butterflies.

I’ve been trying to schedule a reading at one of the stores that currently has my book, but the woman who schedules the events has yet to return […]

Kristen Tsetsi2011-10-08T19:58:47+02:00April 15th, 2009|Categories: Features|

Page One Review: Daughter of the Sun by Lonnie Ezell

First, I like the sun graphic at the start of each chapter. It fits the title, obviously, but also the genre (fantasy). It’s fun and mystical.

I began reading this page intrigued. I don’t read much fantasy and never have, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I can’t really explain why I never read much of it—when I was younger, Archie comics took a lot of my time, and by the time I was one of those kids who never went anywhere without a book, I was reading mysteries (starting with ten Nancy Drews per week, followed later […]

Kristen Tsetsi2011-10-08T20:00:35+02:00April 10th, 2009|Categories: Book Reviews|

Page One Review: Gingham Blindfold by Eric Rohr

Page One Review is a review of a self-published book’s first page. Read the first installment here.

First: This looks like two pages, but it equates to one full page of text. And it’s a cropped cut; Eric Rohr didn’t begin his book with the sloppy look of no top margin. There is, in fact, plenty of top margin on Rohr’s first page, which is why I snagged a shot of a one-and-some page.

Second: I don’t know how I feel about the cover. And because this is Page One Review and not Cover Review, I’m not obligated (nor […]

Kristen Tsetsi2011-10-08T20:29:14+02:00April 3rd, 2009|Categories: Book Reviews|

Introducing: Page One Review – A Review of a Book's First Page

If you submit your book for review at SPR, you should understand that means the possibility of having the first page of your book critiqued in this column.

Don’t misunderstand: “critique” does not (only) mean “to criticize.” I make no promises that some work won’t be criticized, but for the purposes of this column, “critique” means exactly what Webster says it means: “A critical review or commentary.”

As the first post in this column, before I get started on the page you see copied below, allow me to explain what this is:

This column’s purpose is to offer critiques of […]

Kristen Tsetsi2011-10-08T19:22:25+02:00March 27th, 2009|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|

But They Do Judge a Book by its Cover: An Interview with Book Designer Cathi Stevenson

Having been told more than once by reviewers that the cover for Homefront leaves much to be desired (one of them even said she passed over reading my book several times just because of the cover), it’s becoming increasingly clear that a book cover can have an enormous impact on potential readers.

It’s certainly possible to make your own cover using photo-imaging software, but according to cover designer Cathi Stevensen, owner of Book Cover Express, that’s not always – rather, is very rarely – a good idea.

Cathi discusses what every cover should have and why you really shouldn’t […]

Kristen Tsetsi2011-10-08T19:24:51+02:00March 24th, 2009|Categories: Interviews, Lead Story|

One of the Many Author Sins I'm Most Enjoying

I seem to have put myself in a sticky spot: I want to be represented by an agent and sold by a publisher, but I’ve committed the cardinal sin of self-publishing. All I can say to defend myself is that if I were to have waited for an agent to say “yes” to my book, it would still be sitting un-read as a stack of paper rather than being read and enjoyed by readers. Still, I continue to query agents for this very novel. Foolishly? Naively? Just plain stupidly? Maybe. But I have to believe the meager sales I’ve been […]