Paula Berinstein

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Paula Berinstein

Goodreads Author


Born
in The United States
Twitter

Genre

Influences

Member Since
January 2010


Paula Berinstein is the author of the Amanda Lester, Detective middle-grade/YA series, which features a descendant of the Sherlock Holmes character Inspector Lestrade and is set in the English Lake District.

She is also the author of the Indigo (time travel) and The King's Alchemist (historical fantasy) series for adults.

From 2005 to 2012, Paula produced and hosted the popular podcast The Writing Show (http://www.writingshow.com). She holds degrees in English literature and librarianship from UCLA.
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Paula Berinstein Thanks so much for your question, Jason. Very interesting!

The simple answer is no. I'm not avoiding taking risks. I've taken so many risks in my life…more
Thanks so much for your question, Jason. Very interesting!

The simple answer is no. I'm not avoiding taking risks. I've taken so many risks in my life that I'm not sure there are many left untaken. What I am doing is avoiding doing things I'm not yet ready to do because I haven't finished laying the groundwork yet.

Let me explain. Self-publishing has turned out to be much more difficult than I thought it would be. If you look around, it seems that it's lost most of its stigma and indie writers can succeed as well as writers who go the traditional route. However, that's not quite the case. It is still very difficult to get past the gatekeepers, which means it's difficult to get reviews and to sell books. Many, or should I say most, reviewers will not look at self-published books, and that includes not just Library Journal, etc. but also bloggers. It is also still nearly impossible to get self-published books into libraries, especially school libraries, which in the case of kids' books, don't want to buy books that aren't on the AR (Accelerated Reading) lists, and of course if you're self-published it's very hard to get onto the lists. Of course it's nearly impossible to get *any* book into physical bookstores. Etc., etc.

All of this means that it's very difficult to establish credibility, and without credibility, it's hard to get speaking gigs, do school visits, raise money, win awards, etc. So before I can "take the risk" of attempting to do those things, I have to establish credibility. And that's where I feel stuck at the moment. I have big plans I want to implement. I've just got to get past a few obstacles first.

Just one more note. If you'd asked me this question a decade or two ago, my answer would have been completely different. Experience makes a lot of difference. After a while you can either just do things or don't worry when you can't. Age has its advantages. :)
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Average rating: 4.06 · 611 ratings · 176 reviews · 67 distinct works
Amanda Lester and the Pink ...

4.04 avg rating — 160 ratings — published 2015 — 5 editions
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Amanda Lester and the Orang...

3.93 avg rating — 44 ratings3 editions
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Amanda Lester and the Purpl...

4.13 avg rating — 31 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions
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Amanda Lester and the Blue ...

4.17 avg rating — 29 ratings3 editions
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Amanda Lester and the Red S...

4.47 avg rating — 19 ratings2 editions
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Indigo (Indigo, #1)

3.86 avg rating — 21 ratings3 editions
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Making Space Happen: Privat...

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4.06 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2002 — 6 editions
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Amanda Lester and the Gold ...

4.07 avg rating — 14 ratings2 editions
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Amanda Lester and the Green...

4.09 avg rating — 11 ratings2 editions
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4.50 avg rating — 10 ratings2 editions
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More books by Paula Berinstein…

Ivy Halpin and the Irish Bog Witches

Ivy Halpin and the Irish Bog Witches by Paula Berinstein
The newest book in my Amanda Lester, Detective series, featuring a blind detective!


Who is the body in the bog and what does he have to do with a missing child?

When Ivy’s cousin Kevin invites her to investigate a missing persons case in Ireland, she jumps at the chance. But before they can reach their destination, Kevin’s plane is forced down into a bog where the detectives bump up against a pe Read more of this blog post »
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Published on March 03, 2020 09:59 Tags: blind, detectives, ireland, ya
Amanda Lester and the Pink ... Amanda Lester and the Orang... Amanda Lester and the Purpl... Amanda Lester and the Blue ... Amanda Lester and the Red S... Amanda Lester and the Gold ... Amanda Lester and the Green...
(10 books)
by
4.10 avg rating — 342 ratings

Writing Dialogue: The Impor... Writing Dialogue: Combining... Writing Dialogue #3: Compre... Writing Dialogue #4: How to... Writing Dialogue #5: Indivi... Writing Dialogue #1-5: A Co...
(6 books)
by
4.35 avg rating — 34 ratings

Indigo Windward
(2 books)
by
3.91 avg rating — 23 ratings

Shadow Diplomacy:...
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The Quarry Girls
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Shadow Diplomacy by Lev Parnas
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The Quarry Girls
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Pendergast by Douglas Preston
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Anna Banana and the Worm of the North by Paula Berinstein
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The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore
The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State
by Jill Lepore
15 copies available, ends on April 24, 2026 Enter to win »
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Quotes by Paula Berinstein  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“The books you read in childhood shape the person you become.”
Paula Berinstein

“archenemy,”
Paula Berinstein, Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy

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“I would be perfectly willing if a publisher came up to me and said, "I need a novel about underwater Nazi cheerleaders and it has to be 309 pages long and I need fourteen chapters and a prologue.”
Michael McDowell

“Honestly, if you were any slower, you’d be going backward.”
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

“Reader's Bill of Rights

1. The right to not read

2. The right to skip pages

3. The right to not finish

4. The right to reread

5. The right to read anything

6. The right to escapism

7. The right to read anywhere

8. The right to browse

9. The right to read out loud

10. The right to not defend your tastes”
Daniel Pennac

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The purpose of a good education is to show you that there are three sides to a two-sided story.”
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message 3: by Paula

Paula Berinstein Denise wrote: "Thanks for the friend request, Paula."

Thank you for connecting, Denise!


message 2: by Paula

Paula Berinstein Hi, Gerald,

Same here! I'm using Goodreads more and more. There's something welcoming about it. :)

How's your writing going?


Gerald Paula, somehow I figured you were already a Goodreads friend but now glad to meet up with you again!


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