When book reviews go bad–or how to react when a reviewer hates your book

"Another reason to listen to harsh criticism is because you can learn from it. Try to see your book from the reviewer’s point of view. There are probably areas you can work on in your next book. Essentially, a reviewer might be providing a valuable service in helping you improve your writing and your next book."

http://selfpublishingresources.com/when-book-reviews-go-bad-or-how-to-react-when-a-reviewer-hates-your-book/

How to get your book reviewed

"The reviewer is doing you a favor, so be nice. You don't have to put on the hard sell to impress me, but it's important to be friendly and professional. Introduce yourself, give me a very brief synopsis of your book, include links to your book and website, and offer to send a review copy. "

http://blog.marketingtipsforauthors.com/2011/06/how-to-get-your-book-reviewed-by.html

"The typical review package includes a print copy of the book, and at least two pages of information about the book and the author, including synopsis, excerpts of other reviews, blurbs, an author bio, links, and contact information. Some publicists also include Frequently Asked Questions or a Q&A with the author. Putting something like this together doesn't take much effort, and goes a long way toward making you look like a professional. "

Communicating Successfully with Very Few Slides

"The wise professor in his story (I prefer to describe myself as an Indiana Jones-style entrepreneur in my narratives), explains the important characteristics of conference room style presentations as the following:

“they have extensive—but always relevant—detail; they are printed, not projected; and every slide must pass the squint test.””"

http://www.juiceanalytics.com/writing/communicating-successfully/

C. J. Tozer on 'an odd boy'

"On his search for the essence and understanding of a musical form that his birth roots and tribal memories had no perception of he leads you by the curiosity of those first eerie haunting sounds that arrived via the gramophone of an elderly neighbour to the unsuspecting and absorbing ear drums of a young disciple , sounds that would drive him ever onward into adulthood on a quest for that elusive mystery that is 'Blues' "


http://www.aro-books-worldwide.org/shared/text/b/book_pb_05_an_odd_boy_v01_12_review_tozer_eng.php

The Best Way to Embrace a Negative Review

"First – Understand that a review is simply an opinion. Everyone in this world has opinions, and reviewers are expected to proclaim theirs. That’s the point of their position. If a reviewer hates your novel, so what? Others may enjoy it. Maybe your book just isn’t someone’s cup of tea, and that’s fine."

http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/blog/2011/07/07/the-best-way-to-embrace-a-negative-review/

"- Always thank the reviewer for their time.

- Never defend the review, no matter how harsh it is. The review isn’t for your ego, it’s for the readers out there."

A Million Random Digits: review of reviews

"This book does not even come close to delivering on its promise of one million random digits. My expectations were high after reading the first sentence, which contained ten unique digits. However, the author seems to have exhasted his creativity in this initial burst, because the other 99.999% of the book is filler in which those same ten digits are shamelessly reused! If you are looking for a larger offering of numerals in various bases, I highly recommend "Peter Rabbit’s ABC and 123"."

http://www.r-bloggers.com/a-million-random-digits-review-of-reviews/

Relaxing into Meditation : Review in Spiritual Lounge magazine

"The book also explains how meditation helps us discover that there are qualities and aspects of our lives that are not as we would wish them to be. When we begin to meditate daily, they often seem to show up suddenly, but the fact of the matter is that they have always been there and it is now that we are becoming aware of them."


http://aro-books-worldwide.blogspot.com/2011/01/relaxing-into-meditation-review.html

Relaxing into Meditation : Review by Dan Hersam

"This is the kind of book I wish I had when I first started meditating. For a short book it covers a surprising amount, from methods of breathing, relaxation and meditation to meditation cushions. The glossary caps things off, defining the common nomenclature of Tibetan Buddhism."


http://aro-books-worldwide.blogspot.com/2010/10/relaxing-into-meditation-review-by-dan_27.html

Relaxing into Meditation : Book review by Lori Deschene

"Ngakma Nor’dzin’s goal isn’t to get us meditating for an hour in both the morning and evening. It’s to help us develop a greater sense of awareness and compassion, fostered through meditative practices that are as diverse as we are as individuals. As someone who mistrusts one-size fits all solutions, I value her sensitivity to our unique needs."


http://aro-books-worldwide.blogspot.com/2010/09/relaxing-into-meditation-book-review-by_08.html

Relaxing into Meditation : Book review by Lois Henderson

"Although she writes about a subject that others have been prone to mystify and deliberately, it often seems, obscure, she writes in such an accessible and approachable way that you are drawn to listen avidly to what she has to say. She is, in fact, overwhelmingly kind and gentle in her approach, so that, no matter your age or background, you are likely to be comforted and inspired by her work."


http://aro-books-worldwide.blogspot.com/2010/09/relaxing-into-meditation-book-review-by.html

Relaxing into Meditation : Book review by Kamili Feelings

"The patience and accessibility of the information is one of the highlights of the book throughout."


http://aro-books-worldwide.blogspot.com/2010/08/relaxing-into-meditation-book-review-by_07.html

Relaxing into Meditation : Review in Holland & Barrett's Healthy Magazine

Holland and Barrett's Healthy magazine have reviewed Relaxing into Meditation.

In the January/February 2011 edition (with Gisele Bundchen on the cover)

'Ngakma Nor'dzin, a Western Buddhist believes that regularly practising relaxation and meditation is essential for a totally stress-free life.  This book provides a step-by-step guide to the various methods that can help relieve stress and leave you feeling more calm. There is particular focus on breathing and relaxation, which Nor'dzin believes is the starting point to meditation.  It is easy to follow, with illustrations that help you understand the techniques suggested - it will leave you feeling at peace in no time.

A good book for beginner meditators.'

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Relaxing into Meditation by Ngakma Nor'dzin
Aro Books worldwide  ISBN 978-1-898185-17-8 http://bit.ly/nrprim

Available from Lulu.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, and other bookshops worldwide.

Relaxing into Meditation : Book review by Rossinna Ippolito

"Relaxing into Meditation is the best book on meditation I've ever read, and I've been browsing them since the mid-70's. I say this because of the distinction made between relaxation and meditation, and the explanation of why relaxation must happen before meditation can begin."


http://aro-books-worldwide.blogspot.com/2010/08/relaxing-into-meditation-book-review-by.html

The New Book Review: Reviewer Gives Book on Meditation Top Marks

"This is a fabulous book for those who have been curious about meditation but were a little hesitant, feeling they didn't have "the right stuff" to be successful at it. The text is gentle and fun and calmly inspiring, and even if you have dabbled in meditation before you'll learn new ways to think about what you have been doing. Relaxing into Meditation is sure to become a classic."

-- Rossinna Ippolito

Read the full review at The New Book Review: http://bit.ly/nrprimnbr

10 Steps to Obtaining Reviews for Your Book

A useful List from Sue Collier

"If there is one thing about promotions I try to impress upon authors, it’s that reviews sell books. The process for obtaining reviews can be somewhat overwhelming, though, so here is a step-by-step approach. "

http://selfpublishingresources.com/10-steps-to-obtaining-reviews-for-your-book/

"Follow up on all requests the week after you’ve sent them out. Continue to follow up until you have either gotten a “yay” or “nay” from everyone, or until you’ve made at least three attempts to touch base."

Relaxing into Meditation : Book review by Kamili Feelings

The title of the book sounds very inviting: Relaxing into Meditation. But I guess I always reserved a bit of apprehension about the book itself, specifically because my experiences with classroom practices in meditation have usually involved me quickly trying to “get it” before everyone else begins. Invariably, the teacher needs to move on, and I'm found later sitting there still trying to figure it out (Am I sitting comfortably? Am I sitting upright and comfortably? Should I be comfortable or uncomfortable? Am I meditating?) instead of applying myself to this practice of meditating.

However, this book was written very much for the common person - like myself - who needs a bit of longhand instruction, practice at doing it, repetitive language to ease the transition into a new kind of practice, and a patient and uniform tone (although not a monotonous one).

This read was not only an easy one, but a very compassionate, economical one: I was able to read it, stop for a moment to practice what was suggested, then go back to reading without some word, term or complicated passage tripping me up. In fact, to ease the process of learning the author even suggests that some exercises are easier than they sound (a clear indication of time spent with visual and practice-based learners), and suggests that the uninitiated have someone read it to them when possible. The patience and accessibility of the information is one of the highlights of the book throughout.

In addition, the inspired italicized passages describing the author's classroom environment allowed me a window into the practice done over time and within different kinds of environments, and with different kinds of people. Strangely enough, those descriptions seemed to help me connect up with the practice much like I do when I am in a classroom. I suppose that, in reading the passages, I imagined the support of others around me doing the exercises too.

The content itself I found helpful as well. There are expository passages, such as the suggestions for singing, that speak to societal and personal pressures that keep us inhibited about practices that are possibly life-sustaining for us. I feel the short-handed written reasoning about such matters—without being overly negative about societal—or our self-induced pressures - helps us to gain some compassion for ourselves out there. The practices themselves, along with the philosophy behind them, simply offer an alternative to the current practices - an alternative
that has the potential to be so much more helpful to our minds and bodies.

I appreciate the opportunity to be the first to experience this easy to follow, supportive book.

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For more information please see Aro books worldwide