You may not realize it, but books are cheaper than ever to produce. With print on demand publishing the overheads for publishers are plunging. For the most part books are now treated like consumables. This means there are more and more books being produced. Publishers grind out ten or twenty titles in a year where they used to produce half that number.

What else is changing? It is harder and harder for authors and publishers to get attention for their books. When only a few books were published the publishers pumped considerable funding into marketing the book. Because they had a print run of 5000 or 50,000 books in their warehouse they had to sell the darned things. So they invested in marketing. Not any more. There are simply too many books to be promoted.

What else? Newspapers and magazines used to employ someone called a “Book Reviewer” this was a bibliophile who was  paid by the paper or magazine publisher to wade through all the books, actually read them and write an objective review. Because he was paid by the newspaper or magazine he could be objective. Book reviewers no longer exist. The staff of newspapers and magazines have been cut to the bare bones. With the new media old fashioned print newspapers are all but dead.

The irony is more and more books are being produced for fewer and fewer book readers.

So the publishers send the books to bloggers and editors of websites. The books pile up. Good books no doubt. Worthy books. Useful books.

It get sometimes two or three a week. It is hoped that I will read all these books, then write a review here on the blog or elsewhere. So hey goodie! I could be a full time book reviewer for free!

But I do not with to be churlish. I too am an author and I too realize all too acutely how difficult it is to get anybody to sit down and read my books much less offer to review them.

So I get a book. If the cover interests me I open it. If the Table of Contents interests me I go to page one. If page one interests me I finish and go to page two. I continue until I am bored or fed up or simply have better things to do. Then I photograph the cover and put it out on Twitter and Instagram. That way the book at least gets some exposure for potential readers. Then the book goes into the “Books Received” list on FaithWorks! my free monthly e-newsletter. Finally the book goes into my Boox Grab Box.

What is the “Boox Grab Box”? you may ask. It is a fun little offer that my Donor Subscribers enjoy every month. I send them all an email saying, “Here’s this month’s cache of books. If you want one shoot me an email and I’ll send it to you free.” The only rub is they have to write a review of it at Amazon.

So the books get some coverage and guess what? There are some I actually read all the way through!

Here are three books for the ladies that are on the pile this month:

The Catholic Working Mom’s Guide to Life – this book by JoAnna Wahlund offers practical tips for Catholic moms who have chosen to go out to work but still want to build up a strong Catholic home.

Embracing Weakness – Shannon K Evans challenges the Alpha Achievement Success Culture in the USA and shows how we can be strong when we are most weak.

The Heart of Perfection – How the Saints Taught me to Trade My Dream of Perfect for God’s – Colleen Carroll Campbell comes at the same problem as Shannon Evans. There is so much pressure on women today to be practically perfect in every way. It doesn’t have to be that way and Colleen Carroll Campbell shares how she came through her own obsession with being perfect to let go and let God.

If you would like to get the Boox Grab Box email once a month go here to learn more about being a Donor Subscriber. PS: Boox Grab Box is only for Premier level of subscribers and up.