Wednesday, September 25, 2013

MindStir Media Reviews - Karen Peters leaves a review for MindStir Media

“As a first time author I knew in my heart I had a good story to tell but soon found out how hard it was to get published. I had written an illustrated children’s book about horses for my oldest granddaughter when she was born. I gave up until I came across MindStir Media. J.J. talked me through the process and it was so simple. I had illustrations with my story but they were far from professional and only suggestions. Their illustrator Kathy and I spent a lot of time talking about my characters, their personality’s, and the details of the horses. Kathy was awesome and I was thrilled the first time I saw her illustrations; they were just as I had imagined them. MindStir Media has done a great job putting together my book and I am very pleased with their help and professional service. I now have not only a beautiful book for my grandchildren, but it will also be marketed and shared with others.” –Karen Peters, author of If I Only Had A Horse

See more MindStir Media reviews

MindStir Media Continues to Grow During Tough Economic Times


While many book publishers and businesses in the U.S. are seeing a decline in revenue and profits, MindStir Media is enjoying healthy growth.


Sept. 20, 2013 / PRNewswire-iReach/ -- When J. J. Hebert founded MindStir Media in 2009, the U.S. economy was most definitely still in a recession. Some argue that the Great Recession is still affecting U.S. businesses today, especially those with significant overhead. And with Obamacare taking effect in less than a month, Mr. Hebert counts himself fortunate that MindStir Media will be virtually unaffected.
"From the start, I knew that MindStir would have to do something creative in its operations in order to become profitable and remain profitable," said J. J. Hebert. "My company isn't a traditional book publishing company; we're more of a self-publishing company. My business offers authors what I call 'Mind-Stirringly Easy Book Publishing' for a fee."
MindStir handles the book design, printing, ebook conversion, distribution and essentially all other aspects of book publishing for the author.
"Of course, there a quite a few companies out there offering full-service book publishing services," Mr. Hebert continued, "but the biggest thing that sets MindStir apart from the rest is that my authors work directly with a bestselling author – me – and I offer ongoing mentoring."
The mentorship offered to authors isn't the only part of the company that stands out. MindStir has also embraced social media, search engine marketing and other Internet marketing strategies, along with hiring vetted contractors and virtual assistants, keeping overhead extremely low.
"We have over 40,000 highly targeted fans and followers between Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest," Hebert added. "Social media is a game-changer and I owe much of MindStir's success to the communities we've created on those social media platforms, among others. We're able to touch a lot of lives with inspirational content through social media and gain a lot of clients at the same time… Because MindStir uses professional contractors and virtual assistants instead of dozens of employees, I'm able to offer competitive pricing and enjoy healthy growth as well…"
MindStir has enjoyed over 100% in revenue growth each year since 2009. In 2012, MindStir saw over 200% revenue growth year-over-year. Mr. Hebert is projecting similar growth in the coming years.
Media inquiries:
Alison Updyke
alison@mindstirmedia.com
800-767-0531
About MindStir Media: 
MindStir Media is a full-service self-publishing company that offers Mind-Stirringly Easy Book Publishing ™. MindStir's publishing services include mentoring from a bestselling author; custom book design; royalties up to 100%; publishing in paperback, hardcover, and ebook; book distribution and marketing. Visit the publisher's website at www.MindStirMedia.com.

MindStir Media press release sourced from PR Newswire. Also published on Boston.com & New Jersey online.

MindStir Media - CrunchBase

MindStir Media has been added to the Crunchbase database. Crunchbase "is a free database of technology companies, people, and investors..." The mission of Crunchbase "is to make information about the start up world available to everyone..." Check out the MindStir Media listing on Crunchbase.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

MindStir Media Customer Review - Author N.E. Brown

“I searched the internet for over a month looking for the right publisher for my book. I received calls from Asia to Puerto Rico and then I found MindStir Media. After your personal phone call, I knew I would be better served by a smaller more independent publisher than one that outsources to other countries. I must admit I was skeptical after I read what you said your company would do if I purchased the gold package. But….you delivered. I’m excited to now be a published author and have fulfilled my lifelong dream thanks to you and your talented group of editors, graphic artists, etc. I look forward to getting my other books published and can’t wait to see what the future holds. Having a professional team behind me sure makes it easier and allows me more time to write. Thank you.” –N.E. Brown, co-author of Galveston: 1900: Indignities: Book One, The Arrival

Thursday, September 5, 2013

MindStir Media Customer Review - William May, Author and Retired Police Chief

William May came to me in 2012 with his manuscript, Once Upon a Crisis. He had published his first book with another self-publishing company in the past and wasn't really pleased with the results. This time he published via book publisher MindStir Media and was so pleased by the experience, he decided to provide this rave review:

“For me, writing the book — Once Upon a Crisis — was the easy part. Choosing the right publisher was far more difficult. I was fortunate that I chose MindStir Media to publish [this] second book. The printing process in today’s world of self publishing is pretty straight forward, but what has significantly changed within the past eighteen months is how a book becomes known in the marketplace. You can write the best book ever but if your audience doesn’t find your book among the thousands that are out there, it won’t sell. MindStir uses social media marketing technology and techniques to help you achieve success. The short of all this is you engage your readers so they seek out your book. The market place has changed considerably, and fortunately for me, I chose a publisher that has changed with it. The best decision I made about writing Once Upon a Crisis was choosing MindStir Media to publish it. My only regret is that I didn’t publish my first book with them.”

Mr. May's book has done very well, especially on Amazon.com where he has accumulated 19 reviews with a 4.9 out of 5.0 overall rating. Once Upon a Crisis also received a favorable review from The Midwest Book Review, which praised the book as "a vital read on PTSD, Once Upon a Crisis brings light to very important topics, highly recommended." William has been featured on Fitchburg Access Television; WBZ radio talk show "NightSide"; WPCR 91.7FM out of Port Clinton, OH; WPKZ radio talk show "The Daily Pulse"; and will even be facilitating a class entitled "So You Want to Write a Book" via Fitchburg State University's ALFA Program. Top Self Publishing Company

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

MindStir Media Customer Review (VIDEO) - Dr. Marina Kostina, Amazon.com Bestselling Author of The Golden Climate in Distance Learning

“I’m here to thank MindStir Media for their exceptional service… Thank you so very much. I’m so excited… J.J. [Hebert], thank you so very much for being incredibly transparent, honest, professional, punctual. You responded to our emails within 24 hours… You gave us complete personal attention…”

MindStir Media Customer Review (VIDEO) - Clyde Heath, Author

“MindStir Media is a self-publishing company and I found it to be the best solution for my needs… J.J. [Hebert, owner of MindStir Media] was professional. He was a mentor right from the get go and he had the tools and resources and professionalism and experience to help me get my book on the market… I would recommend MindStir Media for your publishing needs…” -Clyde Heath, author of Kids Have Ups and Downs Too!

MindStir Media Customer Review - Suneel Dhand, M.D., Author of High Percentage Wellness Steps and Thomas Jefferson: Lessons from a Secret Buddha

Suneel Dhand, M.D. approached me a couple years ago with his first book, High Percentage Wellness Steps, and through MindStir Media I ended up publishing the title in May 2011. It's a very unique wellness book in that it's easy to read and provides everyday steps and compelling scientific evidence for incorporating them into your routine. Suneel was so pleased with his experience with MindStir Media that he decided to publish his second book, Thomas Jefferson: Lessons from a Secret Buddha, with MindStir Media as well. The historical fiction book cleverly connects Thomas Jefferson with Buddha and shows how Buddha impacted (fictionally) Thomas Jefferson.

Here's what Suneel Dhand, M.D. had to say about MindStir Media:

“A first-class experience. Having decided not to go the “traditional” publishing route or wanting one of the bigger cookie cutter companies, I was not disappointed. J.J. Hebert and his team at MindStir were outstanding throughout the entire process. The one-to-one service is excellent, with rapid responses to any questions or requests. It was obvious from the beginning that as a writer himself, J.J. truly cares about your project, and it was great to be able to communicate with him directly at any time. I would certainly recommend MindStir to anyone who wants a professional, high-quality and friendly publishing experience.” Top Self Publishing Company

MindStir Media Teamed Up With Cameron Conaway To Publish "Caged," An Award-Winning Memoir

I was honored to help Cameron Conaway publish his memoir Caged, which went on to win several literary awards. Cameron decided to publish under his own imprint "Threed" (i.e. publishing company name) through MindStir Media. MindStir Media handled the behind-the-scenes book publishing work, including file work, printing, distribution, etc. 

Awards for Caged:
  • 2012 Reader Views Literary Award for Best Book, Mid-Atlantic
  • Silver Medal, 2011 eLit Award for Essay/Creative Nonfiction
  • Bronze Medal, IPPY's 2012 Best Regional Nonfiction, Mid-Atlantic
Cameron and I keep in touch. He's a genuinely good man. Seriously, check out his blog to see what he's up to: http://www.cameronconaway.com. He supports and/or contributes to the CNN Freedom Project, Lance Armstrong Foundation, MTV EXIT, Amnesty International, A Glimmer of Hope Foundation, American Red Cross and more. He also contributes to The Good Men Project, where he interviewed me last year

Learn more about Cameron at Amazon.com

So what does he have to say about MindStir Media? "Not to sound like an advertisement, but MindStir Media is crazy awesome." (April 8, 2012 - Google+) ... 

Also, on April 6, 2012 - Google+: "Thanks to MindStir Media, Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, Reader Views, Mauro Ranallo, Frank Shamrock, Sherdog.com, J. J. Hebert, Lisa Hickey, Dinty W Moore, The Huffington Post and the many others who helped me or otherwise gave me the confidence needed to make the book a success."

MindStir Media Customer Review - Paula Wiseman, Bestselling Author

I've had the opportunity to work with Paula Wiseman on six of her books, five of which have already been published via book publishing company MindStir Media. The sixth book will be released later this year. All five of her books published with MindStir Media are Amazon.com bestsellers. Contingency, her first book, was an Indie Excellence Winner. Paula was even on Lifetime TV's The Balancing Act. Here's what she had to say about MindStir:

“After publishing three books with MindStir, there was never any question I’d call on them for my second series. Not only did they offer great service, and expert guidance before the release, but J.J. Hebert and his team were there after publication, helping me with critical details like timing the release for maximum impact, sharing tips on building a fan base, and giving advice on gaining exposure for my books. With MindStir, I got more than a publisher. I got a partner.” 

Her books in the MindStir Media bookstore:

Her appearance on Lifetime TV's The Balancing Act:
Top Self Publishing Company