I'm not jealous that the first book produced by Rush Limbaugh since 1993, called Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans, immediately took the top spot on the Amazon hard cover bestseller list. His new book has already reached #152 overall in the Kindle store, #1 in its category for Teen/Young Adult historical fiction -- on first day it was officially available for sale. Nor am I jealous that Rush Revere has received twice as many reviews on the first day of release as all five of my books put together -- mostly because I'm glad that I don't have to contend with his vicious critics, who seem to resent him for breathing. Twelve of the initial forty-one reviewers of Rush Revere only gave the book a one-star rating. Those uber-negative reviews were obviously written by snarky and intolerant liberals. At least one of them was honest enough to begin his review by saying: "Did I read the book? No..." Then how can you review it? None of the most negative reviews were of the "Amazon Verified Purchase" variety. About half of the five-star reviews were verified -- but in fairness, I don't know how the pro-Limbaugh fans have had enough time to read the book and write a review, either. Remember, it was only released today. There is absolutely no reason for me to envy Rush Limbaugh's success selling books on Amazon. In our capitalist society, demand is the only constraint on the total size of the economic pie. My problem isn't that Rush's radio listeners prefer his book to mine. My biggest problem is that his … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2013
Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims
The 2013 Readers’ Favorite international book awards
Award-winning author John L. Leonard sounds pretty good, doesn't it? The 2013 Readers' Favorite international book awards ceremony will be held next month in Miami. My wife and I have made plans to attend. She's my editor and publisher, deserving the trip just as much as me. And why are we going? Three of my five books, edited and published last year, were entered in the 2013 contest. My collection of short stories about animal rescue called Always a Next One: true stories of dog fostering, was awarded the highest honor, the gold medal for Nonfiction/Animal books. Reviewers offered some very kind words. One said: The author wrote in a conversational manner, as if he were sitting with me and personally telling me his tales. Another critic wrote: This is a book that belongs on animal lovers' reading lists everywhere. My book Counterargument for God won the gold medal for Nonfiction in the category for Religion/Philosophy. One reader wrote, This is a must for anyone struggling with their own faith or trying to get a loved one to see that God does exist. Mr Leonard's style of writing keeps one interested while presenting very scientific material. Another review said: As I review this book, I find myself wanting to quote the author. His presentation is tactful, eloquent and stated in a logical manner. John Leonard has extensively researched the scientific arguments he discusses in this book. He also deftly asks questions that should have atheists questioning their beliefs. Even my alter-ego for fiction, Rocky Leonard, got into the act. My novel … [Read more...]
Selling government health care
I write books to earn my living. What gets published reflects on me, and my skills as a writer. Therefore, proper use of the English language is very important to me for everything I have written, especially any material to be offered for sale. Poor grammar and misspelled words absolutely drive me crazy no matter where I find the errors, even in the work of another writer. My primary editor, as well as small army of proof readers, repeatedly goes over any material intended for widespread distribution with a fine-toothed comb. Even when I have written a shorter opinion piece like this one for my blog, or an article for American Thinker, every last word was carefully scrutinized by me personally before I eventually clicked the "Publish" button or sent it off for review. That's why I don't publish more frequently. Good writing takes time. I care passionately about the crafting of any message I have decided is worth trying to convey to the reader, no matter how relatively insignificant the point, or how large or small the audience interested in that particular topic may be. Because I truly care so much about proper use of the English language, it really troubles me about the way universal health care is being marketed in Colorado. Earlier this morning I stumbled across the healthcare exchange website for the state of Colorado, a poorly named abomination called "doyougotinsurance.com." At first I thought the whole thing was intended to be a joke, sort of like the Onion. But it's real. Do you got insurance? Seriously? Every English teacher … [Read more...]