Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Podcasts

Get the Inside Scoop on Book Reviews — Chanticleer in the News! Kiffer Brown Interviewed on DIY MFA
Interview with Kiffer Brown on DIY MFA

Chanticleer is in the News!

If you haven’t heard the news, Kiffer was interviewed on DIY MFA where she and Gabriela Pereira discuss
- Why now is the best time to be an author
- The difference between a write-up and a review
- The Four Types of Reviews
- How advance reviews help to promote your book
- When you should start sending your book out for reviews
- Plus, Kiffer’s #1 Tip for Writers
You can listen to the full interview on Chanticleer’s under the hood technology that gets increases the digital footprint of each book review published on Chanticleer’s website here or wherever you get your podcasts. Kiffer also gives quick and easy tips about how to get more “Amazon Love” to your book’s Amazon selling page. Below is a quick synopsis of the interview, but tune in to get the full scoop!

So what does all this mean? We have the inside scoop!

The Best Time to be an Author

With millions of books being published every year, it’s harder for an author to be noticed than ever! So why is now the best time to be an author?

Simply put, the number of resources available to authors now are greater than ever before. Not only can Chanticleer help you navigate this vast ocean of publishing, but we provide many of the tools directly. A brief list of our formidable resources are:
Overwhelmed? You can always email us at info@ChantiReviews.com for assistance, or message us directly on Facebook. Of course, one of our primary services is the Editorial Review.

A Write-Up vs A Review

The proof is in the pudding for write-ups vs reviews. A write-up, as said on Merriam-Webster is a review that is intended to be “flattering.” While there’s nothing wrong with one of these, readers will wisely be wary of them as they have a biased tone. By contrast, Editorial Reviews are unbiased and objective, referring to what a text specifically does or does not do – it focuses on the quality of the work. Editorial Reviews are an excellent way for readers to gauge their actual interest in a book, instead of having to read between the lines to see if it’s actually something they’ll enjoy. Both happen and can help with book sales, but an Editorial Review will be more versatile. Let’s dig into that!

The Four Types of Review

Editorial Reviews

These reviews are unbiased and objective, the standard by which readers measure if they’ll want to read a book or not. Chanticleer Editorial Reviews are a professional avenue for your book to be fairly assessed and get people talking about it! We keep up with the latest in Search Engine Optimization technology to maximize the digital footprint of our clients, including cross-posting across social media.

Chanticleer’s Marketing Kits are given to authors whose books receive a 4 or 5-star CBR review. Our kits include personalized Shelf Talkers you can use wherever your print book is sold, as well as samples of our silver-foil Book Review stickers designed to catch readers’ attention.

Typically, the best time to begin submitting your work for an Editorial Review is when you reach the proofing stage. Your reviewer will understand that the book is approaching its final form, and that minor changes will still be made. Your book will be evaluated, not on minor typographical errors, but on how well you’ve realized your story.

Reader Reviews

Close kin of the write-up, these are the kinds of reviews you’ll find everyone on Amazon and Goodreads letting you know how someone who read the book liked it. While some are helpful and provide real insight on the book, many are just a rating from 1-5, and the information relating to your book varies. You can’t be sure this reader is in your audience, even if they read your book! There’s no denying that reader reviews help your book do well, and it’s more of a question of quantity over quality, but they’re tricky to maneuver and guarantee.

Peer Review

One of the most difficult reviews to obtain is that of the peer review, or, as it’s commonly known, the book blurb. This describes an author or someone else in your circle of influence who readers will listen to. J.D. Barker, a regular presenter at The Chanticleer Authors Conference, has networked to have Stephen King blurb his thriller novels, and you can believe that King’s readers sit up an pay attention to that!

Circle of Influence is how Kiffer describes those who surround you that can directly contribute to your success as an author. If you aren’t sure who your circle includes, try writing down ten people who you know you can turn to for advice or support. Each year, you’ll want to grow this circle by another ten people. Kiffer and Sharon Anderson wrote an excellent article about this that you can read here.

JD Barker presented at CAC19 and VCAC21!

While you will, of course, reach out to authors on your level, it’s always good to have a few authors who are doing better than you blurb your book. Obviously, writers at the top of their game will be inundated with blurb requests, so be gentle and patient when asking, even if you never hear back.

The Manuscript Overview

This one is always unexpected, because a review of your manuscript doesn’t come after your book is done (or close to it). However, Kiffer recommends that you do a Manuscript overview around the second of third draft of your book. It’s before you’ve paid someone to painstakingly line edit and proofread your book, but after you feel comfortable with knowing the core of the story, and you know the ideas you want to convey are on the paper. That’s when you’re ready for your overview.

A manuscript overview (MOV) is a broad overview of your manuscript – what’s working and what isn’t from all aspects of your story: structure, plot, pacing, character development, dialogue, etc. Chanticleer can offer guidance on what you need next. Using a manuscript overview before you begin the editorial process will not only save you money in terms of editorial services down the road, but it also will save you time by clarifying where you are in writing your story right now.

Now that we’ve covered the four types of reviews, let’s continue to dig deeper into how you can use your Editorial Reviews

How Advance Reviews Can Support Your Book

So often when authors receive their Editorial Review, instead of inspiration lighting up the night sky telling them what to do next, there’s a strange buzzing sound that surely isn’t dread and uncertainty.

It’s okay! Of course, you’ll want to test bits of your Editorial Review as blurb material for you book. Feel free to be selective and grab multiple sound bites that you like to describe your book. Workshop them with friends and fellow writers in your circle of influence. For the other potential blurbs, you can use those on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes Noble, and Kobo. Each one of those places has a special location for Editorial Reviews that the author can upload. The reason you use different quotes from you review for these is so that readers who come across your book on multiple platforms have something new to read in each spot. Editorial Reviews used in this way can really help drive presales.

If your book hasn’t been published yet, but is a manuscript that you are sending to agents and publishers, then the Editorial Review can still be used in the same way to market it to those you query regarding your book.

The other big thing is link to your review! Adding links on blog posts and websites increase your SEO rating, and having your digital footprints over a wide path with help readers come across your book online.

When Should you Solicit Reviews?

At least six months in advance. In times where shipping is not being impacted by a global pandemic, it takes about two weeks to receive a shipment of books. And that’s in the best case scenario. Remember, even if all you have left to do is proofreading, your book will still have the following to go through before it can go to print:
- Interior Formatting
- Cover Design
- Proof Copies
The interior formatting and cover design time varies greatly, and the time it takes to receive a galley or proof of your book will be another two weeks for shipping. Six moths will be the minimum amount of time you’ll want to make sure the blurb can appear somewhere on your book and then will be sent out in marketing packages. Bestselling books are often sent out a year or more in advance to receive reviews.

Thanks DIY MFA for the Interview!

Gabriela Pereira is the founder of DIYMFA.com, the do-it-yourself alternative to a Masters degree in writing. She is also a speaker, podcast host for DIY MFA Radio, and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community (Writer’s Digest Books, July 2016).

The book is a wonderful tool for someone interested in an MFA, but sitting on the fence. It walks you through the essentials of what an MFA program provides, and the dives into how to create a similar situation, while providing craft tips on par with the latest advice from top-tier editors. Highly Recommended!

The Chanticleer Authors Conference CAC22

Save the Dates! April 7 – 10, 2022! Register Today!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our 10th annual conference and discover why!
October 14, 2021
Tools to Close the Gap between Storytellers and their Audience – an Innovator’s Perspective
When I think of “Hindenburg,” I immediately think of the disaster, when the LZ 129 Hindenburg Zepplin caught fire while docking in early May of 1937. It was the first transatlantic passenger flight of the year the famous vessel that had already flown from Germany to Brazil.

Airship LZ 129 Hindenburg Disaster on May 6, 1937. 97 onboard; 36 fatalities. New Jersey, USA
Interesting Facts about the Airship Hindenburg (sourced from the Smithsonian Magazine, May 4, 2017)
- The Airship Hindenburg was the world’s largest airship and was roughly the size of the RMS Titanic.
- It was to make 10 crossings from Frankfurt, Germany to America (aircraft crossings of the Atlantic were still impossible at this time).
- The Hindenburg was moored to the ground when it caught fire.
- The entire disaster lasted 40 seconds.
- The mystery as to why the Airship Hindenburg caught fire remains unsolved to this day according to the Smithsonian.
As I stated previously, audiobooks and podcasts were not what I thought about when the word Hindenburg was mentioned…

That was up until last fall at the 2018 Digital Book World conference. It was there when Kiffer and I met Chris Mottes, the CEO of Hindenburg Systems for Audiobooks, Podcast Audio Editing software, and Radio Broadcast Software.

I had not thought of the cutting edge technology and communications innovators headquartered in the beautiful and ancient nordic city of Copenhagen, Denmark—Hindenburg Systems.

Colorful Copenhagen, Denmark

You may be confused at this point.

Why, you may ask, would a company want to be named after such a disaster?

Oh, that is a very good question!

On the ground that fateful day many observers and journalists were standing by to witness the landing of the Airship Hindenburg. Camera operators were recording the event. After all, it was 1937, things were starting to get tense. We needed something that would capture our collective attention and create a feeling of wonder.

Herbert “Herb” Morrison (May 14, 1905 – January 01, 1989), a radio journalist working for WLS in Chicago had with him the latest in technology, the PRESTO Direct Disc Recorder, to record the Hindenburg’s first landing in America.

Herbert Morrison and Charles Nehlsen with the PRESTO recording equipment.

And then things went horribly wrong.

It is Morrison’s voice we hear rising above the chaos, this one reporter whose voice and name would be forever linked to the Hindenburg disaster as he stuck with his broadcast, relaying what he was seeing until the emotional toll and the horrible smoke overtook him. It was Herb Morrison’s voice that sadly proclaimed, “… Oh, the humanity…”

Morrison was using the very latest in recording technology, the Presto, that allowed this historical account to be broadcasted and archived—at the Smithsonian. It was the world’s first recorded eyewitness news report.

This is the segue to my story:

Bringing timely and important news at record speed is what Hindenburg Systems is all about.

And that is why the Hindenburg Systems team decided on the Hindenburg moniker.

“The Hindenburg Disaster marked the birth of mobile reporting and expanded the possibilities for global communication,” said Chris Mottes, CEO, Hindenburg Systems. “This is why we pay homage to the Hindenburg Disaster.”

“Radio Touches Our Hearts,” Chris Mottes, Hindenburg Systems.

Now, when I think of Hindenburg Systems, I think innovation, Scandinavian ingenuity, and a product that is both timely and necessary for today’s author (and for the Library of Congress–read on to the end of this article for more info).

After all, authors are being called upon to shoulder more and more of the burden of book discovery and marketing, whether indie-published or traditionally published. Most of us understand it’s necessary, but I’m not sure how many of us like it.

Hindenburg Systems makes the task of discoverability much easier.

Hindenburg Systems offers a platform by which authors can create, enhance, and edit their own audiobooks in the ABC Narrator. This product is not new, Libraries for the Blind have been using Hindenburg for years, and they’re not the only ones.

The same is true for the podcasting platform, Journalist Pro. Countries and organizations, schools, radio stations, colleges, and universities have been making use of Hindenburg products for a number of years, for the innovative technologies built into their systems and the ease of operation.

These are just two of the nine systems Hindenburg offers, and it was these two products that Chris Mottes and Martin Swanholm graciously awarded to our CAC19 attendees (who took his class) and the first place winners as well as our Grand Prize winners of our 2018 CIBAs.

This is Hindenburg Systems’ mission statement:
to tear down the technical divide between storytellers and their audience.
- Every day 4 billion radio sets are turned on and tuned in. Stories are spread through the airwaves from the Artic to Antarctica. Podcasts are increasing this number.
- From cities to rural areas. Radio gives voice to street children in Tanzania, indigenous journalists in Nepal and war correspondents covering the darkest corners of our world.
- Radio touches our hearts.
- The stories we hear change our perspective. Radio can strengthen communities and build nations. But despite radio being the most widespread media on the planet, there can still be a long way from storytellers to their audience.
Our mission is to close that gap! – Chris Mottes

So, when I sat down with the HS CEO the other day, I had some questions. Chris Mottes is a tall man, who speaks with a deep, accented voice. One might say he has a perfect radio voice. Charismatic and inspiring innovation aside, I thought if someone put a sword in his hand and gave him a shield, he would fill a role on the set of The Vikings rather nicely.

Chris Mottes, CEO of the global Hindenburg Systems

Being that Hindenburg Systems is a global concern, how does he do it?

Well, Mottes being a practical man, engages those who are currently working with a Hindenburg Systems product and brings them along to conferences where he exhibits his goods. The “experts” are from all over the world. When we were in Chicago, Johnathan Hurley was Mottes’ go-to guy. Hurley teaches music at a high level (over 15 years) utilizing Hindenburg Systems podcaster in his work.

We met at a greasy diner in Chicago, I believe he had the pancakes, I’m not sure what was on my plate. (Sorry Chicago! We couldn’t find the riches of your acclaimed breakfasting establishments.) Afterward, we found a gem of a coffee shop to sit and chat. The first thing I found out about Chris he is passionate about radio, coffee, rugby, and his family, not in that order.

At heart, Chris is a family man, and although his job takes him on the road nearly 80 percent of his time, he is able to recharge back in Denmark with his wife and three daughters – sometimes meeting up with them in remote locations from time to time.

Because his parents were offered work at the Royal Swazi Inn in Ezulwini, Swaziland, Chris grew up with a wider world view than most of his Scandinavian neighbors. He speaks several languages, including three Swazi dialects, and calls the world his home. When asked what his favorite places to visit are, he responds immediately: It’s a tie between South East Asia and South Africa.

Chris has been involved with several innovative companies, from noir Game Media to documentary films. But the most impressive thing Mottes told me that day was what attracts him to a business in the first place. Given that Mottes is driven to make a positive difference in the world, it’s the vision of a company that is paramount in Chris’s book. It has to be something other than making a lot of money. So, really, it is no surprise that Hindenburg Systems caught his eye and joined the team as CEO and Partner in 2011.

Hindenburg is the brainchild of CTO, Preben Friis, and Creative Director, Nick Dunkerley. Onboard as the software designer is Martin Swanholm, who along with Chris attended CAC19

Try out Hindenburg Systems for FREE — Yes, absolutely for FREE (no credit card needed)

These are the two Hindenburg System Products that authors, publishers, and podcasters absolutely should check out and take for a test drive!

Hindenburg Systems are friendly with Apple & Windows platforms! Both work equally well with the Hindenburg Systems’ software programs.

You can even exchange sessions between the two.

Hindenburg Audio Book Creator is for creating audio and talking books. It’s the ideal combination of a highly intuitive interface and sophisticated audiobook production tool. Creating audiobooks has never been simpler.
– Epub3
– DAISY 2.02
– NLS DTB
– Audio Book

Hindenburg Journalist is a multitrack audio editor designed for podcasters, audio producers and radio journalists.

It might look like any another audio editor – but it’s not.

The design and features are tailored for spoken-word productions.

Hindenburg Journalist’s focus is on storytelling.

Record voice & interview

Add sound & music

Organize the material

Edit the audio

Publish the story

★★★★★

“It does the things that a journalist or podcaster needs better than other programs and almost seems magic at times. Many things that must be learned through trial and error in other programs are performed automatically in Hindenburg.”

-MarkinRussia.com

Did You Know?

The Library of Congress produces thousands of audiobooks annually using Hindenburg.

“Why did the Library of Congress choose Hindenburg?”

Prior to Hindenburg, the Library of Congress used between three to five different software packages in the audiobook
production chain, requiring highly specialized staff to serve each area. The process typically took a week of post-production per book and involved a lot of manual intervention to ensure compatibility between the different tools on the slow slog
to completion.

In 2013, when the Library of Congress was looking for an integrated, end-to-end solution —that allowed them to record and produce a complete audiobook or magazine in a streamlined environment while improving quality and reducing the number of mistakes— Hindenburg was a natural fit.

In fact, Hindenburg had already developed an audiobook creator in conjunction with the Danish and Norwegian Talking Book Libraries that solved many of the same challenges faced by the Library of Congress.

In the end, by switching to HABC, the Library of Congress was able to introduce more flexible workflows and prepare for the future with text and audio formats like EPUB3.

What is the Hindenburg Audio Book Creator?

HABC is a modern tool for fast, end-to-end production of audio and EPUB3 books. HABC allows narrators to intuitively record high-quality books and leverage automated sound engineering.

With double-digit growth in audiobooks and radio being the most widespread media on our planet (and growing), why not check out these informative links?

LINKS to other Chanticleer articles published on this extraordinary company:

https://www.chantireviews.com/2018/11/23/creating-audiobooks-and-podcasts-have-never-been-simpler-find-out-how-here/

https://www.chantireviews.com/2018/11/24/audiobooks-podcast-technology-expert-chris-mottes-to-present-workshops-at-cac19/

22 Takeaways for Authors from the Silicon Valley Annual Internet Trends Report – Kiffer Brown
July 31, 2019
Leading Software Architect to Lead CAC19 Workshops on Podcast Generation and Audiobook Creation

Mr. Martin Swanholm, Software Development, Hindenburg Systems, Denmark.

Martin is a Digital Audio Editing Expert who is an experienced information architect and software developer with a background in physics and computer science.

Martin first started working with digital audio editing 25 years ago and has been passionate about the field ever since.

During the past 12 years, Martin has worked with all aspects of IT and the software life cycle such as architecture, development, maintenance, documentation, test, training and support and is a key developer of Hindenburg Systems software development for podcasts and audiobooks.

Martin, together with Chris Mottes, will teach the Hindenburg Systems workshops on audiobook development and podcast creation. They both will be available for questions regarding the Hindenburg Systems at 2019 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

January 27, 2019
Audiobooks & Podcast Technology Expert Chris Mottes to present Workshops at CAC19
The Chanticleer Authors Conference has always been about the business side of being an author—fiction or non-fiction.

And this includes keeping authors up-to-date with the latest trends in the publishing industry.

And one of the most exciting trends since e-books is the growth in audiobooks and podcasts.

These two broadcasting channels can be utilized separately or interconnected for maximum effect to increase book sales.

This is what Forbes Magazine has to say about Audiobooks and Podcasts:

“Audiobooks are up 29.5% in net revenue over 2016 according to the Association of American Publishers and up 22.7% in unit sales over 2016 by the Audio Publishers Association’s estimate.”

“Audio, in general, is doing well, as podcast revenues clocked in a $314 million, still small but up 86 percent from the year before, and massive companies like Apple are promoting their voice assistant tech integrations.”

Publishers Weekly says this:

“Audiobook Revenue Jumped 22.7% in 2018. Audiobooks continued their meteoric rise in 2017, a new report issued by the Audio Publishers Association found, with another year of double-digit growth for both audiobook sales and title output.”

And this double-digit growth in audiobooks and podcasts is why we are excited that Chris Mottes, CEO of Hindenburg Systems, will present in-depth two-hour workshops and introductory sessions on how to create audiobooks and podcasts along with how they go hand-in-hand with each other.

Chris Mottes has produced uncountable radio & TV productions, primarily documentaries, including the Danish Broadcasting Corporation and Swedish Radio. Before joining Hindenburg Systems in 2010 as CEO, he has successfully founded several media companies along with independent production companies based out of London and Stockholm. Hindenburg Systems is based out of Denmark but has a global reach. Click here to read about the organizations that use the Hindenburg Systems.

Creating Audiobooks and Podcasts have never been simpler.

Chris will teach these two-hour workshops at CAC19 on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27th, 2019.

Chris Mottes teaching his workshop at Harvard University.
- Audiobook Creation Workshop– each attendee will receive a 6-month license to Audiobook Creator (HABC) upon completion of Chris’ workshop. Seats are limited. Please reserve your spot today.
- Journalist Pro Workshop– each attendee will receive a 6-month license to Journalist Pro for Podcastersupon completion of Chris’ workshop. Seats are limited. Please reserve your spot today.
These workshops are included in the CAC19 registration package and do not require an extra fee. You can reserve your seat after registration when we contact you with more information.

Chris will also present sessions and participate on panels that will focus on audiobooks and podcasts.

He will also hold a KaffeeKlatsch session on Friday and Saturday for an informal question and answer session.

Additionally, attendees will have access to the online tutorial sessions and system updates post-conference.

CIBA Grand Prize Ribbons!

CIBA Prize Packages

Hindenburg Systems is graciously sponsoring the 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards by presenting Prize Packages to the First Place Award Winners, the Grand Prize Genre Division Winners, and the Overall 2018 Grand Prize Winner. Please click here for more information.
November 24, 2018