New year reviews: 8 reasons for buying one of my books

For authors, there's nothing more encouraging than favorable reviews that recommend others to read something you've written. Without such unsolicited comments, you really don't have much idea of how closely you got to hitting the mark you were aiming for.

An unexpected and very welcome boost to my morale for the new year arrived the other day in the form of an email from LinkedIn pointing me to an Amazon reading list I hadn't come across before - that features reviews of my book Lend Me Your Ears.

Reproducing a selection of them here is hardly the most modest way to start another year of blogging.

But my defence goes back to one of my reasons for starting the blog in the first place, which was that I thought it might help to sell a few books. More than 400 posts later, this is the first and only and only one (i.e. less than 0.25% of the total) in which my subtle marketing strategy has ventured so explicitly 'above the line'.

The comment that gave me most pause for thought was the eighth one, as it reminded me of something that worried me when I originally started work on the book, namely that I might be writing myself out of my day job. But it was only a short pause that lasted long enough for me to realise that a significant proportion of the paid work I do these days is commissioned by people who've already read the book - and liked it well enough to pay considerably more than the disturbingly low price of £7.11 on the Amazon (UK) website.

1. "Fantastic book with a great framework for making memorable presentations"

2. "Excellent resource for the public speaker, with lots of tips for making presentations more effective. Should be required reading for anyone planning to make a public presentation."

3. "I found this book a very easy book to read and rather than being yet another tools & technique book, without a foundation, this one is quite special. The first part of the book investigates the concept of language and the various situations in which we 'talk'. It really gave me an insight into why we do some of the things we do when it comes to communicating through voice. Having built up this clear understanding it then provides some very useful techniques and insights into writing key note speeches, etc. A definite read for anyone interested in improving their presentation or public speaking skills."

4. "Professor Atkinson's book is a must read for new presenters and those who think they've got it all. Strong on attitude, structure and projection. The practical ideas build confidence, challenge complacency and reinforce competence."

5. "Read this if you want to hone your skills on succesful persuasion and general public speaking. Tons of useful tips that will make you an instant hit with your audiences."

6. "Max Atkinson has helped me develop with regards to communicating in a one to many setting. I believe this book will be valuable for most people wanting to improve their skills in front of an audience."

7. "A very well constructed book with each chapter covering different aspects and a useful summary/exercise section after each chapter. The author uses real world examples to illustrate his points which makes this even more relevant. I've not had the bottle to stand up and present yet but it's enabled me to produce better communications packs and have great conversations with my manager about the style and content of his presentations. It's useful to put yourself on the receiving end of presentations rather than see it as the speaker all the time."

8. "Save your money and don't do a presentation course. This gives you all you need to know..."