The Alliance of Independent Authors has released its recent guide to all things self-publishing, and this year awarded its inaugural service award to Smashwords and its founder, Mark Coker, for the work the company has done in furthering the cause of indie authorship. Good e-Reader spoke to ALLi's founder and director Orna Ross about the guide, and what it means for authors who … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Choosing a Self-Publishing Service by ALLi
Book Reviews
Book Review: Sharky Marky and the Big Race
Verdict: 4 Stars I first came across the creatives behind Sharky Marky and the Big Race at this year's BookExpo America event. It's a great thing when someone walks up, engages you in conversation, and then offers you a copy of a book. That's exactly how publishing industry events are supposed to work. It happened a number of other times during the event, such as when Pam … [Read more...] about Book Review: Sharky Marky and the Big Race
eBook Review: Sweet Tooth by Tim Anderson
Verdict: 5 Stars Sweet Tooth has every right to be filled with teen angst, only it's too funny to be dark. Author Tim Anderson, who was available at a book launch party timed in conjunction with BookExpo America, is as funny in person as he is on the page, and his natural personality and voice come through in his tale that has every right to be a difficult and sensitive … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Sweet Tooth by Tim Anderson
Console Wars Book Review
Console Wars is a new book written by Blake J. Harris and tells the tale of the the battle between Nintendo and Sega in 1980 and 1990. The premise of the book is how Nintendo employed heavy handed tactics, roping in developers into exclusive agreements to publish on their platform and paid a pittance of royalties. Most jumped ship to the young upstart Sega, where they embraced … [Read more...] about Console Wars Book Review
eBook Review: Basil Instinct by Shelley Costa
Verdict: 5 Stars As far as the genre known as "cozy mysteries" goes--dead guy, yes, psychopathic serial killer, no--there are a host of authors out there crafting really fun story lines and developing settings and characters that speak to a broad audience of whodunnit fans. These books typically run in a series so that fans can get a real feel for the backstory involved in … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Basil Instinct by Shelley Costa
eBook Review: Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett
Verdict: 5 Stars With just the right mix of paranormal oddities, romance, and a smidge of explicit fun, Bennett's series seems to wrap up with this installment, Banishing the Dark. With Arcadia on a hunt for her evil parents and planning for an epic showdown with the momster who created her, the spells are flying and her relationships with those around her are courting … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett
eBook Review: Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
Verdict: 3 Stars What does it take to earn a solid, middle-of-the-road three stars in a book? Basically, it involves a book that is single-minded in its goal while being so badly researched and written that you come away feeling mildly dumber for having read it. Mrs. Poe is yet another attempt by a historical novelist to paint a picture of what if. And those novels, when … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
eBook Review: Time’s Echo by Rysa Walker
Verdict: 5 Stars Books like this one make me love digital publishing. Not only do I have something to read while suffering through the interminable wait between Timebound and Time's Edge (book 2), but I get a whole new perspective on the storyline, thanks to author Rysa Walker self-publishing this novella-slash-teaser while we wait for Amazon Publishing's Skyscape imprint to … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Time’s Echo by Rysa Walker
eBook Review: Rush Too Far by Abbi Glines
Verdict: 4 Stars A bold, new phenomenon has taken place in publishing, arguably started by the indie authors who maintained strict control over their works and were free to publish as they chose, but also taken up by the romance genre within the traditional industry due to an abundance of readers who clamor for new content. This phenomenon covers the ability to rewrite … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Rush Too Far by Abbi Glines
eBook RevIew: You Show Me Yours by Larry Grobel
Verdict: 5 Stars There's a fine line between being a well-respected biographer and being a tabloid gossip columnist, and in Grobel's new book, he manages to tread that fine line with dignity for his subjects. As a top celebrity biographer and celebrated writer, Grobel gives readers an inside look at some of his most personal behind-the-scenes moments with his subjects, all … [Read more...] about eBook RevIew: You Show Me Yours by Larry Grobel
eBook Review: Haunted Empire by Yukari Iwatani Kane
Verdict: 3 Stars I expected a lot from Haunted Empire, and I did get a lot of information. It just wasn't the stuff I thought I would read about. Where was the controversy? Where was the speculation about Apple's downfall? Basically, where was the information that CEO Tim Cook took issue with? There was a lot of background information, and I will say that the beginning of … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Haunted Empire by Yukari Iwatani Kane
eBook Review: A Million Ways to Die in the West by Seth MacFarlane
Verdict: 5 Stars Seth MacFarlane is a true Renaissance man. As the creator of the animated series Family Guy and co-creator of American Dad, not to mention the voice talent of many of those shows' characters, he achieved a measure of notoriety for the genre of stupid and mildly offensive humor. But MacFarlane is also a Grammy-nominated singer, director and producer of one of … [Read more...] about eBook Review: A Million Ways to Die in the West by Seth MacFarlane
eBook Review: Little Girl Lost by Brian McGilloway
Verdict: 4 Stars Mystery writers have a whole new audience to write for considering the number of crossover fans who are picking up thriller titles today. McGilloway doesn't disappoint, considering this title has elements of literary fiction, family relationships, current thematic elements, and even travelogue. D.S. Lucy Black is investigating a missing girl case for the … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Little Girl Lost by Brian McGilloway
Anne Rice Joins Fellow Authors in Petition Against Author Bullying
Every time the dust settles on the most recent examples of author bullying and reviewer bashing, something occurs that makes headlines again, thus starting the firestorm all over again. In this case, the news is that anti-bullying champion and bestselling author Anne Rice is one of approximately one thousand names on a petition to Amazon, demanding that they strip away the … [Read more...] about Anne Rice Joins Fellow Authors in Petition Against Author Bullying