Product DescriptionMontana Territory in 1883 was a dangerous place–especially for a blind woman struggling to make her way through an early winter snowstorm. Undaunted, Noelle Kramer fought to remain independent. But then a runaway horse nearly plunged her into a rushing, ice-choked river, before a stranger’s strong, sure hand saved her from certain death. And yet this was no stranger. Though she could not know it, her rescuer was rancher Thad McKaslin, the man who had once love… More >> Homespun Bride
Archive for October, 2010
Why Hire an Agent for Your Book?
Posted by admin on October 31st, 2010
Why Hire an Agent? As an author who published her first book without an agent, I can tell you that you can reach a publisher without an agent. I can also tell you that there are very good reasons to find yourself a reputable agent. Perhaps you’ve heard some of them before—they are worth serious consideration: A Sweeter Deal: It’s not always true, but generally, an agent will get you a better package (more money!). For one thing, an agent knows what language to look for in the contract. Barbara Ganim, author of six books, including Drawing from the Heart: A Seven Step Program to Heal Emotional Pain and Loss (Quest Books, May, 2004), recounts her first book experience. “I didn’t have an agent, and my contract provided for 10% of net, rather than gross. BIG mistake! I made no money on that book at all.” The Right Match: An experienced agent knows the players. They know which publishers are likely to provide effective publicity efforts, which editors have the best track records and which publishers tend to let the majority of their new books languish while they focus on one or two for the season. Remember, right now you may be thinking, “Find me a publisher, any publisher.” However, once your book is published, you don’t want to be wishing you’d held out for Prince Charming instead of a frog. TJ Wray, author of Surviving the Death of a Sibling and two additional works published in 2005 by Jossey-Bass says this about her agent, “He knew that for my second and third book, I wanted a smaller publisher who would get to know me personally—where I could develop a relationship with both the editor and publicist. With my first book, a few months after the manuscript was sold, my seasoned editor had been replaced by a young, relatively inexperienced editor. I wanted to put myself in a situation where that was unlikely. My agent knew that and he found me a real editorial partner who had been in the business for a long time and wasn’t going anywhere.” A Powerful Advocate: Realistically, most publishers may not be easily persuaded by the opinions of a first time author. An agent who has referred a couple of best sellers, on the other hand, holds more sway. A friend once recounted the story of a book cover her publisher was ready to slap on the book: the lovely pink background and white gardenia seemed unlikely to seduce the one third of her audience who were men. While she doubts her editor would have listened to her, her agent was able to fight to get the cover changed. Good thing, too. She estimates that thirty percent of the books she has sold have been to men! Other things an agent can advocate for? Marketing dollars, publicity—things that will help your book sell. Convinced you need an agent? Check out my article Seven Hints to Publish Your Non-Fiction Book. You’re on your way.
review: Wicked Company by Ciji Ware
Posted by admin on October 31st, 2010
Wicked Company by Ciji Ware 4 stars In mid-Eighteenth century London, during the early reign of King George III, our protagonist, Sophie McGann is the daughter of a Scottish printer and bookseller. Forced to make her way, she employs her talents as a printer and playwright in the cut-throat arena of the Drury Lane theater its competitor, Covent Garden. Sophie’s guarded, though pleasant, personality serves her well as a single female in a male dominated world, though cannot keep trouble completely at bay. She must make decisions that advance her best interests, but do not upset her conscientious nature. She is by no means the only ‘petticoat playwright’ during her time–in fact she is quite enamored of the celebrated Frances Sheridan, wife of playwright Richard Sheridan–and many of the actress/playwrights are rivals to even Sophie herself. Even so, women are looked down upon by men in the business, and sometimes must take on either a male or anonymous pseudonym to make it through the censors. One of my favorite characters in this novel is David Garrick, of whom I read about when researching the origins and versions of Romeo and Juliet earlier this year for my article/creative post on O’ Juliet by Robin Maxwell. He is very kind and understanding of Sophie’s plight and uses her both her printing skills to produce playbills and her writing skills, even if she cannot put her name to the works. From Edinburgh to London, Bath and even Wales, this story reminds me much of the classic Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor; it has the same epic feel and intricate historical detail, but with an admirable protagonist. I’m pleased to have finally read a book of this era not centered around royalty, and couldn’t ask for a more exciting backdrop to Sophie’s story than the world of the London theater!
Posted in Historical Fiction Books 
Tags: Article, Business, david-garrick, forever-amber, printing, protagonist, sophie, Time 
Comments OffTen More Ideas For Photo Books
Posted by admin on October 30th, 2010
When it comes to photo books, there are no limits save your imagination. Here are some more great ideas for photo books. 1. Your Small Business. Are you just starting out and need to make a great impression? Or are you just looking for a way to proudly display your business’ accomplishments over the years? Either way, a photo book is a great way to put it all together in one place to show the world what your business is all about. 2. Your Portfolio. Anyone can put his or her work into a three ring binder and call it good enough. Having your art, photos, or writing in hardcover form, however is sure to impress potential clients. Get your own covers and binding machine and you can customize your books at for each meeting, at at a moments notice. 3. Spring Books. Buds and blossoms in the trees, those first blades of green grass poking though the brown of winter; there is no season quite like spring, and creating a book around this most hopeful of seasons is a great way to keep spirits high through the April showers. 4. Summer Books. Beaches, backyard cookouts, hiking, biking and more. Summer is the most active of all the seasons, and all that sun and fun can be captured in a photo book that will give you something to look forward to when the winter chill has got you down. 5. Autumn Books. The annual turning of the leaves from the green of summer to the rust and red of autumn is a poignant time of year in its beauty and transition. It’s also a great time for get-togethers with hot apple cider and football games. Capture it all in a photo book that conveys all the great times to be had in this beautiful time of year. 6. Winter Books. Where do we being to discuss the charms of Winter? The holiday parties, skiing and snowboarding, your child’s first snow; all of these are great memories that can live forever in their own photo book. 7. Halloween. What a great day Halloween is! When else do you get to dress up like a superhero and eat candy until you are fit to burst? And it’s a great time for the kids, too! Capture it all on camera and put it all together in book form, and you’ll have something to remember al the laughs by for years to come. 8. Christmas. Every holiday season deserves its own photo book, right? And these books can make for great post-holiday gifts that everyone will appreciate. A photo book is a great way to keep the holiday fires burning throughout the year, and build anticipation for Santa’s next lap around. 9. Valentine’s Day. Hey gents, stuck for a Valentine’s gift idea? Get all the photos of you and your sweetie you can find together and put them all in a nice photo book. Guaranteed winner! 10. Easter. All those bonnets, colorful eggs and chocolate bunnies make for great photographic fodder, and putting them all in a photo book is a unique and fun springtime project.
Horror books and the Digital Age
Posted by admin on October 30th, 2010
Horror books and the Digital Age Technology has always been a terrifying yet progressive force, especially with the book industry. Whether it be movies, scanners or e-books, the book industry has faced threats before. But is the oncoming digital age for books a threat to the Horror books industry or is it a blessing? This is a topic of heated debate for many. The horror books collectors claim that digital books also known as e-books is a bad step for the industry, while many more casual readers claim that the digitization of horror books is simply a natural progression and necessary step with ever evolving technology.With Amazon, soon Apple and many others releasing e-book reading devices, it seems that the digitization of horror books is an unavoidable evolution. Does this mean that physical horror books will disappear altogether? Of course not, but it does mean they will almost certainly decrease in volume and the more casual readers will prefer the convenience of buying and automatically downloading whatever horror book they feel like reading directly to their e-book reader. Let’s face it, it’s pretty darn convenient to have a tablet the size of a book that can hold thousands of books in a single package, and from which you can shop online for any book imaginable and not have to wait for shipping.However, there are many, including myself, that will always prefer to have physical horror books on their shelves and in their hands. It’s not all about convenience, it’s about the experience of reading an actual book, and the aesthetics of actual horror books. Sitting down next to the fire with a good book can be accomplished with an e-book reader, but it’s just not the same. There’s a certain pleasure in feeling the paper between your fingers as you turn the page, and being able to feel the smooth and bumpy surface of the cover art. But to me, the most important aspect of having actual horror books is the element of aesthetics. I love having bookshelf after bookshelf lined with horror books with gorgeous cover art. Who can honestly say they don’t prefer to have a beautiful, thick horror book in their hands with gorgeous cover art as compared to a thin e-book reader?But alas my friends, the horror books industry is changing at a rapid pace. E-books will become a strong if not dominant force in the industry and it looks as if there’s not much we can do to stop it. However, perhaps we don’t want to? Think about it. If you’re a horror books collector and you’ve got shelves and shelves chalk full of some of the finest horror books, can you imagine how much those will be worth twenty or thirty years from now when the industry is largely in e-book format? If you considered your horror books collection an investment before, consider the oncoming digital book revolution a blessing. Why? Because your physical, tangible horror books will sky rocket in value. So in the end I suppose, it’s not all bad. Let us just hope that horror books continue to surge in popularity and face the new technological age head on, or hand-in-hand, depending on where you stand. For more information on Horror books visit Dark Regions Press at: Horror books and Fantasy books and Science Fiction books at Dark Regions Press
Im looking for a book with a dog handlers in the military and their K9. Any ideas?
Posted by admin on October 30th, 2010
I am joining the military and i am interested in reading fiction or non fiction about this subject.
Posted in Historical Fiction Books Tags: Book, handlers, Ideas, Looking, Military, Their 1 Comment »Fact Or Fiction: Fat People Can Be Fit
Posted by admin on October 30th, 2010
Men and women in America are bombarded with images of thinness. The majority of the television and magazine advertisements feature slim women, and most of the movies and television shows are peopled by women with small figures. As a result, we all tend to believe that being thin means being fit, while being fat means being unfit. However, this is not always the case! A report that appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine in August 2008 indicates that overweight people can be metabolically healthy with low levels of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and other cardiovascular risk indicators. Alternately, the report shows that one out of four thin people (those who fell into what is deemed a “healthy” weight range) had at least two risk factors for cardiovascular problems usually associated with obesity. These findings seem to suggest that, in essence, fat people can not only be fit, but in some instances, can be healthier than their slimmer counterparts.A Question of TerminologyAccording to experts, the problem may be that we are incorrectly defining the term “overweight.” The normal weight range on the body mass index (BMI), which is a measure of height to weight ratio, is supposed to be a person whose BMI falls between 18.5 and 25. On the other hand, a person with a BMI above 25 is supposed to be overweight. A person whose BMI is above 30 is considered obese. Yet, doctors say that a person with a BMI of 25 is relatively normal and presents no major health concerns in most instances.Many researchers even say that weight is simply not the best indicator of a person’s overall health. Instead, they believe that a person’s physical fitness (as measured by their performance on a treadmill) offers a much better indication of personal healthiness. This does not mean, of course, that weight management is unimportant. It simply means that, according to experts, fat people who are fit often present a lower cardiovascular risk than thin and unfit people do.Astonishing TruthsIn December 2008, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that death rates among individuals with a BMI between 25 and 30 who were physically fit were actually somewhat lower than those of individuals with “normal” BMIs who were physically unfit. The study essentially shows that fitness level, not BMI, is the greatest predictor of mortality risk. Individuals with the lowest fitness level (as measured by treadmill performance) were four times more likely to die during the 12-year study than individuals with high fitness levels.With these results in mind, it seems that women need to focus not just on being slim, but on incorporating physical activity into their lives every day. Regardless of whether you have a little too much weight around the middle or whether you could stand to shave a few pounds off those thighs, you can actually increase your overall fitness, the quality and length of your life just by adding exercise to your routine.
free non-fiction publishers?
Posted by admin on October 30th, 2010
I’ve written an interesting book, titled with a big “?”. Can someone please give me the contact details of a non-fiction publisher that won’t charge, but will incur the cost of publishing with the selling of tbe book? Or is there a website of non-fiction publishers?
Help!! Need Ideas!?
Posted by admin on October 30th, 2010
I want to help the Invisible children! i need ideas to raise money for these kids! have any ideas? i have bake sale, a community walk, used book sale, wut else? serious answers only. Go to www.invisiblechildern.com for more info about the kids
Skipping Christmas
Posted by admin on October 30th, 2010
Skipping Christmas Hardcover Product DescriptionLuther and Nora Krank decide to avoid the chaos and frenzy of Christmas by taking a Caribbean cruise during the holidays, but their plans have unexpected consequences. Title: Skipping Christmas Author: Grisham, John Publisher: Bantam Dell Pub Group Publication Date: 2002/10/01 Number of Pages: 192 Binding Type: HARDCOVER Library of Congress: 2001277586… More >> Skipping Christmas