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MAILING LIST: I just started a mailing list for my publishing company. Will mail out every 2 months and will include excerpts from my Robert’s Roundup columns and other random stuff. https://booktoot.club/@nagletx. (Mastodon) and nagletx.bsky.social. (Blue Sky).
My Personville Press sells literary titles (mainly short stories) at budget prices (and several freebies). Gradually I have been doing “elevator pitch” videos on YouTube summarizing several of these ebooks in three minutes or so.
Abbreviations: KU means Kindle Unlimited, and APUB means it was published under an Amazon imprint.NYP means “Name Your Price” (that’s an option on Smashwords and other booksellers). If you’d like to submit an ebook to me for review or mention in this column, see my instructions here.
The last two months I have been buying ebooks like crazy, especially after I realized that the Big 5 are discounting their older midlist titles on a rotating basis. I’ve bought a ton of stuff under 75 cents. Even at that low price, I need to curtail my spending habits — a lot. But still I keep an eye out on a lot of things. I’ve basically stopped buying from the Smashwords store — mainly because the prices aren’t that low anymore, but I’m going to mention a few things.
Indie Author Spotlight
For a change I’d like to feature a book critic Diane Donovan who writes for Midwest Book Review and cranks out lots of quaility book reviews every month. In the world of indie authors, this woman is a legend. She reads quickly and can summarize very efficiently a book’s most interesting aspects. I find blurbs by her about many books on Amazon. You might think that such a prolific reviewer would be undependable or prone to overpraise things, but in fact I trust Donovan’s literary sensibility and –if nothing else — her summary of what the book is about and what is special about it. (Whenever I see a Donovan blurb for a book, I almost always end up buying the ebook and enjoying it too).
People not in publishing probably don’t realize how much publishers (and authors) rely on book review services to write reviews. Daily newspapers and even magazines no longer publish book reviews except for books featured in national book clubs or by very famous authors. Publishers try valiantly to find reviewers who will post a review near the start of a book’s publication, but in fact, most of them end up paying for reviews in the trades (which includes Kirkus, Publishers’ Weekly, Library Journal). You may think that these sponsored reviews tend to be more positive or less neutral because they are paid for. That is probably true (although it’s not so positive as to be unhelpful). Generally these sponsored reviews can provide publishers early reviews for a book — sometimes the only reviews to happen for a while.
You would think that an author can just wait for random people to post reviews on Amazon or Goodreads or Librarything. But these things take forever, and in fact sometimes those organic reviews never come. The truth is that many readers (even sophisticated readers) don’t allocate much time for new books by unknowns. Many hardly read new authors at all — and quite a number refuse to review ebooks or self-published titles.
It is screamingly unfair, and nowadays even accomplished award-winning authors can have difficulty getting reviews for their latest books.
These sponsored reviews ain’t cheap. Kirkus costs $450 (or $550 for an extended review). One for Publisher’s weekly costs $400. There are some other second tier review services that also do excellent reviews in the $200-300 range. That said, these reviews aren’t always great. Sometimes they can be critical or wrong-headed (and in fact, the policies ensure that reviewers can write candidly; if it’s too negative, the author can simply request that it not run publicly.
As you know, authors are naturally wealthy people, so spending $1500 on review services is no big deal. Ok, I’m kidding! Authors can barely afford to pay rent! I’m happy to report that Midwest Book Review will do reviews for $50 and repost them online in various guises. Mostly their reviews are highly professional; in particular Diane Donovan from MBR writes fantastic book reviews and can review books from many genres. She does the legwork, and she always delivers!
Frankly, earning $50 or less for a book review is less of a job than a labor of love. Clearly Donovan shows not only her reading acumen but also her commitment to spread the word about books. I just love that. I am an author — and frankly I love reviewing too, but I rarely have time to sit down and read and review books. Thank god people like Diane Donovan exist.
She posts her book reviews online — there’s a lot by people you’d never heard of on subjects you’d never heard of.
Here’s her reviews in chronological order (by month) and here’s her pick of the month. It seems pretty time-consuming to wade through her reviews; on the other hand, you can discover all kinds of different books that you can’t discover in any other way.
Under the Radar
From Smashwords, various items which were discounted to $1.50 or $2 or free.
- Clockwork Phoenix: Tales of Beauty and Strangeness. Edited by Mike Allen. One of 5 volumes. I find the premise intriguing, plus like the fact that John Grant has a story there. Volume 1 is slightly discounted on SW, but the other volumes are regularly discounted to 0.99 on Amazon.
- Angels of Life and Death by Eric Brown. 5 cyberpunk SF stories about post-human futures.
- Girls Have Dreams Too by Pearl Elliott. Journal of a Sex Worker.
- Several things by John Grant. Warm Words & Otherwise: A Blizzard of Book Reviews and Take No Prisoners story collection.
- Cunning Linguists: Language, Literature and Lechery (erotic anthology). by T.C. Mill and Alex Freeman. They’ve published two other erotica anthologies.
- Palestine Museum by Uri Marcus Hes. New collection that tries to understand the current political situation.
- Best Short Stories of Garry Kilworth. Notable is that Kilworth was a British sci fi writer who specialized in short fiction.
- Nocturnes and Other Nocturnes by Claude Lalumiere.
- Floating World: Tales of Unrequited Love in 90s New York by Frank Pike.
Love Artist a Novel by Jane Allison. Fictionalized account of Ovid’s encounter with an otherworldly woman.
War by Candlelight: Stories by Daniel Alarcon.
Essays by Rudolfo Anaya.
Divina Trace by Robert Antoni.
Collected Prose by Paul Auster
Remnants of the First Earth by Ray Young Bear. Native American Fiction.
Song from Faraway Novel by Deni Ellis Bechard; also White: A novel by Deni Ellis Bechard
Save Me, Joe Louis by Madison Smartt Bell
Nowhere by Thomas Berger.
Perilous Journey by Deependra Bhandari.
Any Day Now: Novel by Terry Bisson
Glory in a Line: A Life of Foujita, the Artist caught between East and West by Phyllis Birnbaum. Fascinating bio of Japanese artist who lived in Paris during the 1920s, then later returned to his country to paint war propaganda during WW2.
Mannequin Makers Novel by Craig Cliff
Ay, Cuba! A Socio-Erotic Journey by Andrei Codrescu. 75 cents. Full disclosure: I love everything Codrescu does, and I’ve actually read the print version of this book. The ebook version which I bought for safekeeping, isn’t as visually attractive as the incredible print version when it came out. You still have the poet’s observations and wit and several black and white photographs by David Graham.
Elizabeth and After: a Novel by Matt Cohen.
Day Unto Day: Poems by Martha Collins.
Novelties and Souvenirs: Collected Short Fiction by John Crowley.
Zoologies: On Animals and the Human Spirit. by Alison Hawthorne Deming
Siege 13: Stories by Tamas Dobozy. Fictionalization of stories about Russian occupation of Russia after WW2.
Hunts in Dreams by Tom Drury.
Sycamore Poems by Kathy Fagan
Inappropriate Behavior Stories by Murray Farish.
Devil in the Valley a Novel by Castle Freeman. Light-hearted retelling of the Faust legend by Vermont author.
Collected Short Fiction of Bruce Jay Friedman. “Friedman explores themes such as loneliness, aging, fear, parenthood and ethnicity, spinning tales in an expertly modulated voice that lies somewhere equidistant from those of Wilde, Salinger and Woody Allen.”
What is Missing Novel by Michael Frank.
Josephine Wins Again: Novel by Andy Futuro
Welding with Children Stories by Tim Gautreaux
Gentleman’s Relish Stories by Patrick Gale.
At-Risk: Stories by Amina Gautier. Award winner.
Creation a Novel by Katherine Govier.
Writing in the Dark: Essays on Literature on Literature and Politics by David Grossman.
Flight of Angels by Ellen Gilchrist.
Book of Knowledge a Novel by Doris Grumbach
Kathleen Hale is a Crazy Stalker: Six Essays by Kathleen Hale. Humorous and very personal essays.
Kinkaid’s Outlaws by Judy Haskins.
People in Glass Houses a Novel by Shirley Hazzard.
Alien Baggage Allowance: Collection of Micro Stories from Outta Space by James Helps. This author is also a noted artist who designs book covers.
Herma a Novel by MacDonald Harris.
Orion you came and you took all my marbles a novel by Kira Henehan
Legendary Mizners by Alva Johnston
Seducer a Novel by Jan Kjaerstad.
Loony Bin by Stan Kapuchinski.
A Hotel Lobby at the Edge of the World Poems by Adam Klay.
Wing and a Prayer: My Cousin Vinny Series Book 3 by Lawrence Kelter. Continuation of the My Cousin Vinny characters.
Lovers for a Day: New and Collected Stories by Ivan Klima. Also The Ultimate Intimacy.
Farewell, My Orange by Iwake Kei
It’s Beginning to Hurt Stories by James Lasdun.
Sea Summit Poems by Yi Liu.
Tokyo doesn’t Love Us Anymore novel by Ray Loriga. Sci/fi philosopical novel
Holy Moly! & Other Stories by Poornima Manco.
Men in the Making: Stories by Bruce Machart. Houston connection
Sometimes there is as Void: Memoirs of an OUtsider by Zakes Mda.
All the Living Novel by C.E. Morgan
Final Demand: A Novel by Deborah Moggach. Novel by a British script writer about a bored accountant who gets herself in trouble.
Triomf by Marlene van Niekerk.
Project Keepsake: An Anthology by Amber Lanier Nagle (no relation). Various people explain why certain keepsakes or souvenirs hold special significance to them.
Strike your Heart by Amelie Nothomb
Daydreams of Angels: Stories by Heather O’Neill.
This is Running for Your Life Essays by Michelle Orange.
Melted Cold: Collection of Short stories by Tony Ortiz.
Owl of Minerva poems by Eric Pankey.
Visiting Hours at the Color Lines: Poems by Ed Pavlic
Shear by Tim Parks.
It Still Moves: Lost Songs, Lost Highways and search for the Next American Music by Amanda Petrusich. Long essays on music by Pitchfork contributor.
Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity by Richard Peterson.
High Cost of Living a Novel by Marge Piercy
Sergio Y by Alexandre Vidal Porto.
Metes and Bounds a Novel by Jay Quinn
My Nature is Hunger: new and selected poems 1989-2004 by Luis J. Rodriguez
Confession of a Child of the Century by Samuel Heather a Novel by Thomas Rogers. Picaresque coming of age novel praised by John Cheever and Phillip Roth.
Tula: Poems by Chris Santiago.
Intimates a Novel by Ralph Sassone. Coming of age story.
2017: A Novel by Olga Slavikova. Prize-winning Russian Political thriller written more than a decade ago. About greed and corruption, etc.
Concerto to the Memory of an Angel by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt.
Good Enough Daughter Memoir by Alix Kates Shulman
Bad Characters (Stories) by Jean Stafford
Views from the Loft: Portable Writing Workshop by Daniel Slager Anthology of writing exercises and activities.
Mother of Pearl a Novel by Edward Swift.
Chasing Rabbits by Rodolfo Del Toro.
Trio 3 short stories by Stevie Turner.
Butterfly Burning by Yvonne Vera.
Starting Over Novel by Dan Wakefield.
Swimming Lessons: Selected Poems by Nancy Willard.
Fun Stuff and other Essays by James Woods. Essays by the literary polemicist. Also Irresponsible Self: On Laughter and the Novel by James Wood.
Diving Belles and other stories by Lucy Wood.
Blink and It’s Gone
Dawn of Everything: New History of Humanity by David Graeber. 3.99 Famous work of unconventional anthropology profiled by the NYT. (Here’s his obituary). I put this book on ereaderiq price alert when that NYT profile appeared in October 2021. Three years later, it finally came through!
Autobiography of a Corpse by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky. Probably a pirated edition by it’s 99 cents.
100 Million Years of Food: What our Ancestors ate and why it matters day by Stephen Le
Library Purchases/Printed books
Regeneration by Pat Barker. Classic first novel in a trilogy about WW1. Can’t wait to read!
Literary Articles and Essays
Here’s a very long essay about erotica author Marco Vassi.
TRIVIA QUESTION: What is the bestselling American book of all time? We are talking about individual books, not a series of books. (FUN FACT: According to this source, none of the top 10 are by American authors).
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