Latest NEWS from The Book Shepherd this week / Welcome to The Author Gathering

Practical Publishing Advice and Guidance for Authors

I create books authors never have to apologize for …

In this Issue

1. Discover … Wikimedia Commons

2. Meet ... Midwest Book Reviews

3. Ask Judith … March 20

4. New Webinar ... Sell Your Books in Grocery Stores

5. Hot podcasts for March … Add to your calendar and listen

6. Bestseller time … April brings Amazon Bestseller workshops.

7. Salons for the New Year … March and April are open to register

8. Question of the week … I’m a visual learner. What’s a good resource for publishing tools?

9. Smile time … Two magical voices

Spring always means a leap forward in time … at least for now. This Friday, it’s the first official day of Spring’s debut. In my home base, Sunday was another snow day. We’ve had two decent snows this month in Colorado. I settled in and created three new appetizers for my next cookbook, Appetizers with Judith. In the background, it was a Star Wars movie afternoon. We are watching them based on the official “timeline”—the first three … done.

There are changes coming, starting next month, for the AuthorU.org community and Author Salons. Author You Salons update …Gone. Strong suggestion … you immediately add to your calendars—the year is planned out. I will be altering the Meetup.com site with a new name and schedule.

New ... The Author Gathering

In-Person sessions are moving to a quarterly status—the first Saturday of the month from 9 am to 11.30 am Mountain Time, my living room or deck when weather permits. They will have a meeting theme and sometimes a guest speaker.

2026: June 6, September 5, December 5
2027: March 6, June 5, September 4, December 4

The Online Zoom meetings will be held on the first Saturday on the month of the non-In-Person Saturdays and will run from 8-9.30 am MT. May 2nd will be an exception due to a BN Book Fair that starts at 9 am that morning.

2026: April 4, May 2 (7.30-8.30 only), July 4, August 1, October 3, November 7
2027: January 2, February 6, April 3, May 1, July 3, August 7, October 2, November 6

Judith Briles - The Book Shepherd is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93931497233?pwd=GPjy72qizD0mDsSlyFJb8wfq8A5bzx.1
https://bit.ly/AuthorGathering
Meeting ID: 939 3149 7233
Passcode: AU
There will be no Zoom meetings on in-person quarterly Author Gatherings.
Get on your calendars NOW.

Don’t forget … if becoming an Amazon bestseller is on your To Do list this year, get signed up for my next series of classes that starts in a week—details below. Starts on April 1 for four Wednesdays … not an April Fool’s joke! Remember, I keep these classes small so I can do individual coaching throughout the four weeks.

The dates are set for the 2027 Publishing at Sea. Leaving Miami on February 8 next year, it’s a six-night, seven-day event, with workshops on two of the days—the rest will enjoy the Caribbean sun and islands. Info is posted on the PublishingAtSea.com website. Check it out and join us.

James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief

278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
ww.MidwestBookReview.com/

Since 1976, Midwest Book Review has been committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. The MBR publishes the following monthly book review magazines specifically designed for community and academic librarians, booksellers, and the general reading public:

The Bookwatch
California Bookwatch
Children’s Bookwatch
Internet Bookwatch (a compilation of The Bookwatch, Library Bookwatch, and Wisconsin Bookwatch)
Library Bookwatch
MBR Bookwatch (reviews by senior volunteer reviewers)
Reviewer’s Bookwatch (reviews by all other volunteer reviewers)
Small Press Bookwatch
Wisconsin Bookwatch

Reviews are posted on the Internet with a number of thematically appropriate websites, databases, and online discussion groups such as alt.books.reviews. Our reviews are also available through Internet bookstores. Midwest archives all reviews on the Midwest Book Review website for a minimum of five years.

Judith Briles is YOURS for 60 minutes on Friday, March 20, at 3 pm MT to ask any question you have about book publishing, book marketing, writing a book … or just getting a “little juice” to start your engines after the Holiday rush from the past few weeks.

Post your questions as soon as you come on … Judith will come to you LIVE and bring you on the mic to respond to YOU and possibly ask additional questions.

It’s 60 minutes to start smoke ‘em your Author Success … and why not? Grab your favorite beverage; just listen in … or ASK, ASK, ASK! It’s time to re-juice and rekindle your author energy!

Join Zoom Meeting – click on it or copy/paste
https://zoom.us/j/95000476418?pwd=SH5vWqz0SkvVIZIgnC95lHCmCAi2km.1
Password: authors

Add to Your Calendar: Friday, March 20 at 3 MT (2 PT, 5 CT, 5 ET)

March 24, 2 pm MT (1 PT, 2 CT, 4 ET)

What does the Kroger grocery store empire have in common with authors and books? Lots … and now you can discover another alternative portal to sell your books. The Authors In Grocery Stores program is available in half the states in the US … that is if you are working within the portal that 220 authors are using, selling over 30,000 books and retaining over 60 percent of the retail book price. There are over 20 states Kroger stores are in welcoming authors.

Register for FREE Webinar: https://bit.ly/GroceryBooks

The Authors In Grocery Stores program CEO Ray DePew will reveal the whys and how to be included and featured in a Kroger grocery store for a few hours. Got questions? He’s got answers.

Why it makes dollars and sense to add grocery stores to your book marketing mix.
How to be invited into the program.
What an author needs to have at a grocery signing event.
How to create your author book-selling tour.
How you get paid and how often.
Guidance.

Register now. https://bit.ly/GroceryBooks The session will be recorded and all registrants will get a copy with 24 hours of the completed webinar.

Can you get results?
Can you grab #1 for more than an hour, like many of these campaigns?
Yes, YES you can. And so has EVERY participant in the Amazon Bestseller program. Every. One. Of. Them. Many are grabbing multiple spots on the international lists as well. Often, I decide to be a guinea pig myself, along with the rest of the participants who are on the quest, taking old books and dusting them off. New life happens … even dominoing to sales of print and audiobooks.

The bonus? I get behind your campaigning. Helping you rewrite your pushes and then promoting YOU on all my social media platforms. I’m part of your marketing team to make this happen.

One of the “power” points of the How to Create an Amazon Best Seller is to set EVERYTHING up weeks in advance so authors can continue with whatever their routine is … a “set it and forget it” strategy … which was what I positioned every participant to do and experience.

Some pooh-pooh Amazon bestseller status. Don’t. It does add credibility to your brag sheet. You can post on your details page on Amazon your achievement. You can write a press release. It will put a smile on your face. And who knows, you can fall in love with your book again and put energy behind it—bringing new life. That’s a good thing.

For this April’s class, I’ve got my eye on a possible combo of The Author’s Walk and How to Avoid Book Publishing Blunders … or just one of them. Typically in book stores, book buyers buy both.

Decision TIME for you … If you want to spend 90 minutes with me each Wednesday afternoon at 4 MT during January, register for How to Create an Amazon Best Seller. I would love to have you …

When—April 1, 8, 15, 22
Time—4 pm to 5.30 Mountain
Cost—$299
Alumni Cost—$150

REGISTER NOW: https://thebookshepherd.com/create-an-amazon-bestseller/

This is how each call starts: I share a few strategies, tips, and tools that attendees can immediately start to use. All share … and ask plenty of questions. They get answers. Definitely an excellent way to start a Friday. Those of you who aren’t participating, you are making a mistake. I love the variety of books and authors who have chosen to participate. What’s also fun, is the energy that can be felt with what everyone is working on. Love it!

Here’s the link to take advantage of it and subscribe: https://thebookshepherd.com/author-friendly-fridays/

About Judith Briles, The Book Shepherd ™

Book Publishing expert Judith Briles, aka The Book Shepherd, has shepherded more than 1,000 authors and created 500 best-sellers and award-winning books. She knows publishing inside and out from both the traditional and independent sides. Judith is an advocate for authors within her blogs, podcasts and speaking engagements. What’s her pet peeve? Two words: publishing predators.

She hosts the podcast AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing which generates over 250,000 downloads a month. Her website is www.TheBookShepherd, email: JudithBriles.com and phone: 303-885-2207.