self-publish | Ad Librum Aeternam

Genre: Poetry, Prose Poetry, Short Story
Pages: 123 (289 pages in the paperback edition)
ASIN: B07ZXM7JC6

ISBN: 9781687225122
Format: eBook (Kindle), paperback
Publication date: November 1st, 2019
Publisher: Self-Published
Type: Collection

*I received a free eCopy in exchange for an honest review. No compensation has been given and I write this book review willingly. A big thanks to Jonathan Bell!*

Introduction:

You know me, a poet myself and writer, and a great lover of the poetry in prose genre and short stories, I couldn’t resist Bell’s offer to review his prose poetry and short stories book. Plus, his publication age (he’s 15 years old!) really impressed me and his activism intrigued me, and so I wanted to help him out.

Let me tell you I don’t regret the choice I made!

The Blurb:

It's a risky business, saying hello. In "Hello," Jonathan Bell explores themes like hope, faith, adventure, loneliness, relationships, and life itself through insightfully crafted short stories and poems that transcend traditional genre boundaries. "Hello" is a cultural commentary, a longing for something more, and a voice speaking out and standing up.

The Positive Sides:

I noticed two things right away: the wit in his verses, which is admirable, and there’s such imagery! I feel like in another world yet I relate. His texts are so personal and profound, yet accessible, and all delivered with an enhanced vocabulary and beautiful, gripping, and surprising imagery. Seriously, these points are what made the book a success to me! It made me feel the stories, the emotions, and think about the different situations. Wonderful!

It’s very pleasant to read and touching, and I like how there are subtle activist messages about environment and the human nature. They were hard but satisfying to read because most of them ring true, at least to me.

There’s something intriguing he does in his writing. I sometimes do it myself in my poetry. The author intertwines nature with the texts, making it resound with importance, as well as putting important words such as “Hope” and “Someone Else” in capitals for a touching effect.

Finally, I couldn’t wait to resume reading every day. I would look forward to going to bed to read more of his prose and poetry, and most importantly, to feel intensely. Now, I feel stuff intensely on a daily basis, but his book really grabbed me to the point I connected with his words and they echoed in me. And it was all so beautiful, I just wanted to see what was in store next, and so on.

The Negative Sides:

Despite all these good sides, there is one thing that bothers me. The introduction, which is uninterested and careless is off-putting. It’s quite a shame because the rest of the book is wonderful and enriching!

There are people who read these introductions (like me!) and this one is more harmful than fun or informative. More professionalism is preferable in this particular aspect.

As you can see, my complaint isn’t about the work itself, the prose and poetry are great. But the introduction needs polishing.

In Conclusion:

While the introduction is upsetting, I’m telling you this book deserves to be read. Thanks to its relatability, its depth and sublime imagery, I give Hello by Jonathan Bell a rating of 5 out 5! I recommend it to all readers either for a discovery of the poetry in prose genre or for an emotional, poignant read that makes you think and feel.

If you want to learn more about the author, you can visit his Web site and you can also add Hello to your bookshelves on Goodreads

39419271. sy475

Amazon.ca

Genre: Non-Fiction, How-To, Writing, Indie Authors, Self-Publishing

Pages: 264
ASIN: B07BMH2J44
ISBN: 9781988821146
Format: eBook, Paperback
Publication date: March 20th, 2018
Publisher: Self-published/Barb Drozdowich
Type: How-To, Non-Fiction

*I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I got no compensation and I write this book review willingly. A big thanks to Barb Drozdowich and NetGalley!*

Introduction:

I'm a huge fan of self-publishing and I've read multiple books on the topic. Plus, I already had a few books by Barb Drozdowich about writing and blogging.

But the real deal with *The Author’s Guide to Self-Publishing for Canadians* is that it covers an area that no one explored previously: the Canadian self-publishing process! Being a Canadian, I had still many questions after reading other books about this topic from the US and UK. At last someone knowledgeable tackled this topic for my country!

There was no way I wouldn't read it. So, of course, I did.

And its information was all I needed for my self-publishing endeavour.

Here we go with the review!

The Blurb:

From editing and finding free ISBNs to book structure and sales, this self-publishing guide for Canadians shows you the right way to go! For those of you who are uncertain about how to proceed with self-publishing your book, this author's guide contains all relevant information and answers to your questions when it comes publishing in Canada.

The Positive Sides:

Starting right off the bat, there's an easy introduction in the topic of this author's guide. Plus, her chapters are short but loaded with information (I'm sure the pages are bursting!) and are in quite a logical order.

But what about the writing itself? Well, her writing is good, straight-forward and even kind, verging on friendly. She gives us clear and precise, almost step-by-step instructions and information-I can't stress enough how helpful and reassuring that is! And with all the content she put in, there's no wonder she knows what she's talking about! But, I guess, from self-publishing so many well-appreciated how-to books, you have to master the field, right?

As for the content itself, it ranges from editing to book structure interspersed with so much more. The chapters might be short, but I never read one and been disappointed! One of the two major points I take out from this is the eye-opening tip about ISBNs for Canadian and general process (you can get one free, legally, no joke!). So, instead of purchasing one in those US or UK self-publishing help businesses, buy this book and you'll save the price of your ISBN. Amazing! The other major point is the book structure. Please, hear me out. Miss Drozdowich makes us really look at a book, its content, what are the inner pages like both in paper and ebook formats, what it must have, and so on. It was enlightening AND fun because she tells you to the examination yourself. She encourages such a process. There's also a "bonus" (I consider it so): the author explains concepts and the jobs (such as editor, formatter,…) and tells you exactly why you need them to work on your book. That's great and will make you think twice about ditching one to the curb, figuring you don't need them.

Lastly, it's an effing amazing idea to write such an author's self-publishing guide for Canadians! With all those tips and nooks and crannies (such as the free ISBNs!), this book is invaluable for us. It was high-time someone wrote this guide for Canada amidst all those self-publishing guides from the US and UK (don't get me wrong: I'm grateful they exist, but some things in them that are not relevant to us). We needed our own version and didn't even know!

Well-played, Miss Drozdowich!

The Negative Sides:

Err, I considered striking this section since I found NO negative side, but why mess with a good structure, right? 😉

In Conclusion:

If you're considering self-publishing (even just a tad!) and live in Canada, this is the book for you. It's jam-packed with juicy information you won't find elsewhere for our specific country. Plus, she covers the most important areas of self-publishing and gives you the information in a clear-cut but helpful manner. Frankly? I give The Author's Guide to Self-Publishing for Canadians a rating of 5 stars out of 5 for how helpful I've found it because, yes, I'm going to self-publish my first book. Thank the world she wrote this book, or I'd have (uselessly) paid for an ISBN and missed out on great points such as how important other publishing jobs are to the well-being of my book.

Read this book. You can thank me and the author later.

If you want to learn more about the author, you can visit her Web site, you can also follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can visit her book blogger listing site. You can also add The Author's Guide to Self-Publishing for Canadians to your bookshelves on Goodreads and LibraryThing.