The MTS Braggatorium

HistorySleuth

Researching History's Mysteries
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Almost impossible to get before unless you were local or ordered through my local book store. So I'm glad I did it. And now my new blog too (in my siggy). I made a lot of progress this year already and it's only January!
 

wonderactivist

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knightrunnermat

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I know this isn't a huge thing, but I got my first review on Goodreads of a bio I wrote a couple years ago about a race horse. 4 Stars, she gave it. Again, not a big deal, but I was pretty happy about it.
 

muse

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Lucie, congrats on the guest blog.:Hug2:
I know this isn't a huge thing, but I got my first review on Goodreads of a bio I wrote a couple years ago about a race horse. 4 Stars, she gave it. Again, not a big deal, but I was pretty happy about it.

Of course it's a big deal, knightrunnermat. Anything that we can celebrate is well worth writing about. Go you!:PartySmil
 

wonderactivist

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Matt, it IS a big deal. Reviews of any sort are pure gold. My publicist told me that some of the Big 6 houses pay big bucks for reviews. A lot of indies trade reviews, or they do like me and write reviewers, essentially "pitching" them to read the book and maybe review it. When you receive an unsolicited review--and a four- star to boot--that means you connected with someone. Isn't that what writing is all about? Congratulations!
 

MikeG

Writing Crap Every Day
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JOSH WHOEVER IS THE LIBRARY JOURNAL DEBUT OF THE MONTH!

Yes, I know all-caps is shouting but...I kind of am.
Library Journal gave my upcoming book, JOSH WHOEVER, a starred review and made it their debut of the month. Here's what they said:


Library Journal STARRED Review 1/1/13
*A starred or boxed review is reserved for books with outstanding quality.
This title publishes MAR 2013

“Guillebeau brings the emotional turmoil of his damaged protagonist to its peak while giving him good reasons to persevere. While the Russian mob, right-wing modern Confederates, and a paramilitary group might seem like overkill, the plot never wavers off-track, and the collection of oddball minor characters and surprise twists deepen an already strong story. An engrossing debut.”
****************************************

Guillebeau, Michael. Josh Whoever. Five Star: Gale Cengage. Mar. 2013. 284p. ISBN 9781432826840. $25.95. M

Josh was an army veteran, but a maneuver-turned-massacre cover-up threw him into a hero’s harsh spotlight. After walking away from it all, Josh, who’s been pulling scams for a living, takes refuge in the bottle and tries to stay invisible. But his latest con puts him in the sights of a Russian mob family convinced that he is a private detective—and the only one who can find missing reality star Kiev Romanov. As Josh digs at this mystery, he is joined by unemployed newspaper editor Marci, who’s hoping to use this scoop to relaunch her writing career, and Kiev’s killer brother, Yuri, who believes he is Batman. In pursuit of the heiress, Josh uses his con man skills and tangles with Confederate zealots and a paramilitary group. He knows if he does not save the girl, he can kiss his last drink goodbye—along with his life. VERDICT Guillebeau brings the emotional turmoil of his damaged protagonist to its peak while giving him good reasons to persevere. While the Russian mob, right-wing modern Confederates, and a paramilitary group might seem like overkill, the plot never wavers off-track, and the collection of oddball minor characters and surprise twists deepen an already strong story. An engrossing debut. [See Prepub Alert, 10/8/12.]


I was hoping for a review like, "not so crappy for a first book" or "maybe he'll get better." Wow.

Here's a link for any of you kind enough to buy the book:

Amazon - Josh Whoever

And if you just want to read the first chapter, it's at:

http://www.michaelguillebeau.com/books/josh-whoever-chapter-1/
 

muse

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Fab review. Congratulations, Mike.:Clap:
 

tarak

for certain qualities of "sane"
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I don't know if this is really that brag worthy. But I decided to throw my revised-to-death ultra shiny MS into the amazon breakthrough novel contest, and I made it past the first round. Which only means someone liked my pitch. But still. At least someone liked my pitch!
 

wonderactivist

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I don't know if this is really that brag worthy. But I decided to throw my revised-to-death ultra shiny MS into the amazon breakthrough novel contest, and I made it past the first round. Which only means someone liked my pitch. But still. At least someone liked my pitch!

Congratulations! That contest is. Big deal.
 

tarak

for certain qualities of "sane"
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Thanks everyone for the congrats! I realized I'd posted something very close to the pitch I used back in query hell a while ago. It turns out the query letter was polished long before the manuscript was. A few words might have changed, but otherwise, the query/pitch is pretty much the same as what I link to below. I took a loooong time off from revising the manuscript. I told myself I didn't care and had forgotten all about the contest until yesterday when I remembered the first round results were being announced. Here's to hoping the reviewer who sees my first 5000 words in the next round wants to see more...

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5992104&postcount=253
 

heyjude

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Oo, nice, tarak! And I love the name. :) Excellent and I hope you go the whole way!
 

muse

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I don't know if this is really that brag worthy. But I decided to throw my revised-to-death ultra shiny MS into the amazon breakthrough novel contest, and I made it past the first round. Which only means someone liked my pitch. But still. At least someone liked my pitch!


Congratulations, tarak.:hooray:

Checked out your link and I love your pitch. Fingers crossed for the next stage.:Hug2: