Yvonne Blackwood

It’s #GuestDayTuesday once again, and I’m sure you all know what that means: another wonderful guest here on TWS! Today’s visitor is Yvonne Blackwood, and I know you’ll enjoy learning more about her. With that in mind, let’s get this show on the road! Welcome to The Write Stuff, Yvonne!

Thanks, Marcia!

GETTING VALUABLE BOOK REVIEWS.

I have read many articles on promoting books. The list goes on and on about what authors need to do to make readers aware of their books. I have tried many of the suggestions, and I’m sure authors, you have too.

One of the most popular suggestions states that authors should get reviews, that readers tend to buy books with ten or more customer reviews, and that our books stand little chance of getting sales without reviews.

But I also learned that it is not only customer reviews that sell books; editorial reviews are the most influential. Editorial reviews are written by media companies like the New York Times or paid influential Book reviewers like Kirkus, Foreword Review and Publishers Weekly.

Most reputable influential book reviewers offer free book reviews but do not guarantee that books submitted will receive a review. Publishers Weekly advises that only a small percentage of books submitted will be reviewed. There is no charge for their reviews, and “All books are considered solely on merit, and all reviews reflect the reviewer’s honest critical opinion.”

I paid for a Foreword review for my latest published book, College Life of a Retired Senior. I submitted the manuscript to BookLife, the sister company of Publishers Weekly, which handles Indie authors, for a free review.

After several months, I received an email from BookLife advising that no one had reviewed the manuscript and I should indicate if they should still consider it. What did I have to lose? It was supposed to be a free review, so I agreed they should continue.

On February 24, 2024, I received this email from BookLife:

Dear Yvonne,

Our editors have looked at the BookLife project you submitted (College Life of a Retired Senior), and are considering it for review. While this is no guarantee that your book will receive a Publishers Weekly review, you have cleared an important hurdle. Remember, the review consideration process can take between six and twelve weeks…

On March 4, 2024, BookLife advised that they published the review in the March issue of their magazine: https://booklife.com/reviews . They also published it in Publishers Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781489746375

I share this story to encourage you to submit your books to influential book reviewers who offer free reviews. You never know if they will select your book. Regarding cost, while Publishers Weekly reviews are free, Booklife charges $399 for a complete review written by an expert Publishers Weekly reviewer, with a six-week turnaround time. There is a surcharge of $100 for books over 100,000 words.

I am thrilled with the review. It exposes my book to many new eyeballs.

Blurb:

A true story of a former bank manager’s experience as she returns to college in the third act of life to earn a degree in English.

Seven years after retiring from a thirty-seven-year banking career, Yvonne Blackwood surprised her friends and family by returning to school to pursue an English degree. Her purpose was fueled by four powerful reasons: to add texture to her writing, to ward off dementia, to enhance structure in her life, and to inspire her two young grandsons to aim for higher education. But as she stepped onto Canada’s third-largest university campus, Blackwood had no idea of the hurdles she would face.

Blackwood details her struggle to maintain her established lifestyle, attend class with hard-to-connect-with millennials, and face several challenges, including two strikes, a campus lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a shocking health diagnosis.

Author Yvonne Blackwood

Yvonne Blackwood is the author of four adult non-fiction books: Into Africa, A Personal Journey, Will That Be Cash or Cuffs? Into Africa: The Return, and College Life of a Retired Senior. She published three children’s picture books: Nosey Charlie Comes to Town, Nosey Charlie Goes to Court, and Nosey Charlie Chokes on a Wiener. She is an award-winning short-story writer and has contributed stories to several anthologies, including Human Kindness, Canadian Voices, and Wordscape. Blackwood published articles in More of Our Canada, Adelaide, InTouch and Green Prints. She has written columns for newspapers, including the Toronto Star. She is a graduate of the University of Technology and graduated from York University with a BA majoring in English. She was a banker for many years and is a Fellow of The Institute of Canadian Bankers and an alumnus of the Humber College School of Writers.