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The short answer is everyone, although it might not be evident at first. National publishing trade magazines present the illusion that they are fair and balanced—a familiar phrase—in their review coverage, but given a closer look, these publications thrive on the sales of expensive advertising space, including their front and back covers. Other national trades don’t even hide the fact that they charge hundreds of dollars per review. You'll notice that very few small publishers are mentioned in their pages. The presses that cannot afford ad space and review fees coincidentally go unmentioned, and all independent presses (i.e. micro presses and self-publishers) are typically barred from consideration.

Consider that advertising fees are built into the budgets of large press books, and when you purchase one, you are in effect paying for their media coverage somewhere along the line. There is simply no justification for highlighting or featuring the next murder-mystery redux novel in any of the media outlets, other than it is big business for the monolithic presses and they have the dollars to push their product. We are a capitalist society, and profit drives many editorial decisions. Any author who manages his/her own marketing has run into a media outlet (print, radio, etc.) that has promised increased coverage with the purchase of advertising space or time. While many local newspapers still hold an air of integrity, these venues are drying up faster than the rapidly fading printed news industry.

This state of affairs casts a long shadow over literature. One byproduct is that the large commercial presses, by virtue of supplying the economic lifeblood to the publishing media, control what reaches the reading public. Due to either politics or economics, certain genres and ideas are not desirable to large presses, and therefore, vital topics are kept from the public discourse, while excellent independent press authors go unnoticed. In the end, they turn to the Internet for help.

A survey of the web reveals hundreds of review outlets—some specialized, others general. Many of these reviewers write for free, and their coverage is professionally uneven. These are hobby sites. Meanwhile the Internet has killed the three-headed monster of publishing: paper, ink, and distribution. Through the years, paper and ink became increasingly expensive, and most recently rising gas prices (i.e. a distribution cost) was the death knell for most brick and mortar publications, but in the digital age, the Internet can more than fill the need while providing work for dedicated journalists. ... (read more)

Featured Books

Working Together

The Piggle
by K. Shams, M.D.
Trent's Prints & Publishing

reviewed by John E. Roper

"Before long the Eagle heard some sounds coming from a nearby meadow. Looking down carefully, the eagle saw a Pig playing carefree in the meadow."

What do you get when you cross a pig with an eagle? Why, you get a Piggle, of course. Shams' highly original and imaginative tale chronicles the life of a one-of-a-kind creature whose very existence serves as a lesson on understanding and appreciating the differences in others. ... The tale of the Piggle begins with a group of children in the city of Everywhere waking up the resident storyteller and begging him to tell them a story they have never heard before. ... (read more)

Bittersweet Realities of Truth

Goodbye Comrades and Other Stories
by Peter Pogany
BookBaby

reviewed by John E. Roper

"Hasty decisions, virulent spontaneity, to be cherished and regretted decades later—isn't that what life is all about? If you are unwilling to accept this muddle you may be trudging through the wrong universe."

The entertainment industry thrives on blockbusters. Big car chases, epic quests, and thrill-a-minute extended battles that somehow result in the saving of our world once again from complete destruction are common selections from the grab bag used to piece together our best-selling movies and books. But these flashy tales serve only as escapism from the ordinary yet frequently poignant stories that are being written out daily in our lives and in those around us. The author of this intriguing collection of short stories avoids the worn-out plot devices... (read more)

Art for Sale

Breakers
by Chris O'Grady
Pen Press

reviewed by Stacy Chambers

"It wasn't the room, though. He'd feel more at home now in any room, anywhere... as long as that typewriter was with him."

As Dickens gives us fog in the opening pages of Bleak House, so Chris O'Grady gives us wind. Lots and lots of wind. It pushes against Bill Ryder as he delivers a package to the residence of Lady Arabella Brandon, messenger by day and struggling would-be writer by night—fitting, perhaps, for the state of Bill's life. Because Bill doesn't write. He thinks about writing. He thinks maybe he wants to try his hand at it, but he's afraid. This is a novel about art—but it's also a novel about the bloody process of commerce. Bill is at the most magical time in all of it, prior to beginning. ... (read more)

An Enduring Love

Plane of the Ecliptic
by Karen Estes
iUniverse

reviewed by Wendy Strain

"It was just as well she didn't know. A crucial form of protection really – not realizing what the future held. She would have only begun fretting that much earlier, which wouldn't have made the slightest bit of difference to anyone involved. The outcome would remain the same, no matter what."

It's a love story of a different sort in this beautiful tale of hearts torn apart desperately seeking to find each other again. The always predictable, almost inhumanly well-organized, mild-mannered librarian and soon-to-be-grandmother Maggie finds her world spinning out of focus with the birth of her first and only highly remarkable granddaughter. Although Maggie and the newborn infant Julia are not officially blood-related, the two form an instant, unshakeable bond that goes beyond the normal bonds of even mother-child. ... (read more)

What's Really Cooking in Prison?

Convicts' Cookbook
by K. Shams, M.D.
Trent's Prints & Publishing

reviewed by Mihir Shah

"The number of offenses carried out while under the influence of drugs and alcohol is staggering."

Applying his neuropsychiatric background and consulting experience for the Florida Department of Corrections, Shams examines the dilemma of using prisons to trap offenders who exhibit obvious signs of mental illness. Convicts' Cookbook is unlike any other book: On the surface, it is essentially a collection of prisoner profiles and their favorite recipes; however, when one digs deeper, each prisoner's narrative becomes apparent. ... (read more)

A Pet to Behold

Nurturing Paws
Lynn C. Johnston, Editor
Whispering Angel

reviewed by Carolyn Davis

"No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted" -Aesop

This anthology of short stories and poems celebrates the relationships between humans and animals of other species. Each selection describes an act of physical and/or emotional healing or increased awareness facilitated by inter-species interactions. An especially touching story is "How a Brown Bunny Changed Everything". In it, an unhappy New Yorker's life is transformed after her adoption of a baby bunny. "The Touch" is a short short story of three small paragraphs. " ... (read more)

Comic Book Diva

Ditzabled Princess
by Jewel Kats
Loving Healing Press

reviewed by Carol Davala

"For Jewel, her physical disability doesn't dampen her spirits. Rather it enhances them."

Award-winning Canadian writer, Jewel Kats, is a force to be reckoned with. Smart-mouthed and curvaceous, her dark wavy hair is complimented by bright red lipstick and a giant hair bow. Yet, while the hot pink elbow crutch may also seem like merely another accessory for this fashionista, extraordinaire, in reality it is a necessary means of mobility for Kats. At the age of nine, she suffered serious injuries in a car crash. Now as a disabilities activist, Kats is one determined diva. Ultimately turning her life's challenges into a popular online comic strip series, she has recently transformed the collection... (read more)

Inter-Connectedness

It: The Architecture of Existence
by Gary Hansen
Janus Publishing Company

reviewed by Wendy Strain

"'It' is all things to all people yet has no specific meaning except as suggested by the context within which the term is used. In so being, 'it' conveys the secular equivalence of omnipresent existence - a word in a world connoting a world in a word."

From the first line of this lengthy text, the reader is aware that they are embarking on a journey of philosophical introspection regarding the nature of human understanding. At more than 800 pages, no one would consider reading through this text quickly an option, but even reading through the short (less than 20 page) essays will take more time than anticipated. ... (read more)

A Nuclear Winter

Iranian Imbroglio
by Sir Eldon Griffiths with Fred Ameri
GM Books

reviewed by Lee Ware

"Nuclear Technology meanwhile had become a national pride in Iran. Far from cowing the regime, US threats had assisted Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad in using it to boost his populist appeal."

A timely book, Iranian Imbroglio lends insight into President Obama's potential courses of action in Iran by illustrating the country's history and political development over the 20th century. As Iran moves ahead with its nuclear energy campaign, be it for weapons or not, the U.S. can no longer afford to remain at an impasse in its dealings with the country. At the heart of his book, Sir Eldon Griffiths seeks to find a common ground between Iran’s inalienable right to pursue nuclear technology for peaceful purposes as laid out by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the West's promise to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. ... (read more)

Mining for Trouble

Deadly Lode
by Randall Reneau
CreateSpace

reviewed by Michael Radon

"Well, Agent Monroe, when you hatch a company on the Vancouver Stock Exchange, you're apt to end up with some rather colorful shareholders."

Shifting weather reveals an abandoned gold and copper mine in the Northwest United States and geologist Trace Brandon is keen to see if there is anything left worth extracting. He quickly discovers that what was once useless and abundant when the mine was originally being operated is now a potentially valuable and rare commodity: uranium. Going into business with his friends to get the mine going, they have no choice but to trade the company publicly in order to fund their operations, but the applications of their resources and the potential profitability of their venture attracts unsavory characters from all walks of life. Soon stock market cheats, mobsters, and... (read more)

Transcending War

A Lifetime at War
by Gordon L. Ewell
Trafford Publishing

reviewed by Dylan Ward

"You have been severely wounded. This day is the day the war you were fighting ends. This day is the day your new war begins. This is the start of your war after the war."

Very few people ever experience a living hell much like that of war veterans returning from combat, only to return home to face a harsh new reality, often suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, family and marital problems or the onset of extreme depression. But even more so, are the disabled war veterans who face a far more unique "war after the war" as Gordon Ewell puts it in his second book, A Lifetime at War. Here, Ewell lays bare his own dramatic struggle with life after becoming homebound, damaged and broken in far more ways than anyone might imagine. He offers a vivid account of his permanent life as a disabled veteran... (read more)

Road Trip

Spring Broken
by Justus Eapen
Old Line Publishing

reviewed by Wendy Strain

"Any work of literary excellence, by definition, requires an engaging introductory section. Otherwise, why continue reading? Books are something akin to film with regard to plot and exposition. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end. This story is similar, but it is no summer blockbuster. It is a photograph, a still frame, a negative trapped in time."

What are your thoughts regarding college kids and spring break? Do they involve crazy nights full of binge drinking and days of sleeping off hangovers on the beach? If so, this book will not disappoint your expectations. The reader is quickly thrown into a confusing mix of a dozen college frat boys making their way to Panama City for a long-planned spring break bash. Although all of the boys are included in the action, the author helps the reader stay on track by limiting the point of view to only a few characters at a time. ... (read more)

The Moments of War

No Survivors
by Mike Sutton
Publisher

reviewed by RJM Terrado

"We have a secret weapon, Injun... we got us."

In the American literary culture, the Vietnam War narrative elicits strong emotions. Undeniably, the nation has deep wounds from the war, and Sutton owns the Vietnam reference, taking brutal scenes out of the jungle of Vietnam and drops them into the heart of every American reader. As the author introduces the lives of its three infantry-advisor protagonists, attacks of terror ensue. In successive scenes of mounting horror, Sutton shows how perilous combat operations are, especially with a spy planted among the troops. ... (read more)

Man's Best Friend

Sam d'Bear
by Michael Marsden
Gray Dog Press

reviewed by Annie Laura Smith

"I have a feeling my troubles are just beginning."

This story originally was the second novel in a trilogy of David Montgomery mysteries. The author notes the big, black Newfoundland dog took over the story by making it more of a human interest story rather than a mystery. The author's own dog, Keeper Bear, was no doubt the role model for Sam. Keeper Bear had traveled with Marsden to Estes Park, Colorado, and into the Rocky Mountain National Park. It is this location where the story begins. ... (read more)

A Case He Can't Refuse

Fatal Contract
by Chris O'Grady
Create Space

reviewed by Sherokee Ilse

"A shot rang out in the morning silence. Pete ducked down behind the bush barrier, peering cautiously upward... a hissing sound behind him brought his attention down from the invisible shooter above. A hole had been shot through his pickup's right front tire."

A missing young lady, a murder, a rich relative, gambling, muggings, and hard hitting thugs… this novel set in San Francisco and Reno has it all. When Phyllis Vincent steps into the detective's office, she has no idea of the adventures ahead. Her friend Bobbie is missing and she doesn't know where to turn, so she finds a detective agency hoping to convince someone to take a case with little evidence and minimal facts. Though she never actually meets Detective Decker, his low-level assistant Pete Hudson expresses moderate interest in the case and the next thing you know they are traveling to Reno and on a dangerous adventure together. ... (read more)