Subjects:  1. Bibliographies & Indexes    2. Bibliography    3. Comparative Religion    4. Ethics, Comparative    5. General    6. Reference    7. Religion    8. Ethics & moral philosophy    9. Ethics, Comparative--Bibliography    10. Religion / General   

Editorial Review

There are writers who would be horrified at the tactics laid out in Read more

Reviews (40)

You've been guerillaed.
The introduction pretty well sums up the fatal flaw in this book: "But [this book] isn't a how-to book, it's a what-to book."
A terrific manual with a bit of hype
I got some interesting pointers from the book. On the other hand it would take me one hundred hours a day, one hundred days a week to implement in a year the one hundred weapons offered in the book. A great source of ideas, it is also a little bit unrealistic.

Excellent resource
I am a big fan of E-mail - one of the guerrilla tactics is to "use E-mail to work those networks!" Good resource of practical, low-cost and free marketing techniques. From this book I also learned that thank-you notes are important and snail mail correspondence will stand out more if hand-written.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Language    3. Language Arts & Disciplines    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Marketing    6. Publishing    7. Publishing industry    8. Sales & marketing    9. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (5)

Best intro to the history of printing
Chappell and Bringhurst have put together an informative, enjoyable book on printed text. It starts with a brief history of writing in general, then of the Roman alphabet now used for most European languages. Along the way, we see a few hints about the history of page layout and other typographic concerns. The book devotes a few pages to the skilled craft of punch-cutting, of carving the steel stamps that represented the master copies from which metal type was replicated.
Check out updated version by R. Bringhurst
The Canadian typographer and book designer Robert Bringhurst updated Chappell's (1904-91) history. He is also the author of Element of typographic style (which is also a classic) a must read
The book is a great source of information. The 4 (not 5) stars is given cause the book is filled with postscript errors (missing letters, ligatures replaced by spaces, accented glyphs...). Disapointing for a book about typography. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. History    3. History - General    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Printing    7. Publishing    8. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    9. Typography    10. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    11. Printing & reprographic technology   

Reviews (15)

Some People May Interpret This Book as Feminist
...but it's the kind of feminism that makes people who believe that feminism is actually about *equality* between the sexes shudder.
One of the Best!
I found this book more than helpful for writing characters.I have several books on this topic and this is one of the best that I have encountered.Each chapter is well organized and easy to understand.The author makes reference to characters in TV, film, novels, and history that most of us would recognize.Each chapter covers how the character should act, what his or her fears may be, how others perceive the character and gives ideas on how to develop a character arc.Each archetype is shown as a "hero" and as a "villain" with great detail given to each (and a summary at the end, in case you need to quickly reference).I found the information as a starting point to character creation.When discussing archetypes, I always see them as "shadows".What I mean is that they lack depth.However, you can take these and build to make original characters.To anyone who is interested in building more colorful characters and keeping them in character, I recommended this book.

Sharpened my Characters Considerably
Fiction is not reality.I had forgotten this when I was creating the characters in my current book.My characters were complex, but were not compelling.They were boring.They didn't interest me and would not interest a reader.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Characters and characteristics    3. Characters and characteristics in literature    4. Composition & Creative Writing - Fiction    5. Fiction    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Reference    9. Technique    10. Creative writing guides   

Reviews (6)

Great advice.
Marketing is the part of a writing career that is often overlooked and yet is one of the most important job requirements. This book offers helpful insight.

Great first step into writing.
Writing is an excellent way to build a career working from home. The Freelance Writer's Bible is a great first step into discovering the type of writer in you and how to make money at it within 1 year.

Perfect for all writers
The "Bible" is both readable and immediately useful.The marketing information is specific and applicable.I was surprised that Mr. Trottier could get so much helpful information into this book.Not a paragraph is wasted.Besides the marketing information, I found the section on fears and blocks extremely helpful.I have since broken through and can hardly wait to complete my marketing plan for my career, as described at the end of the book.The Freelance Writers Bible is a true inpsiration, and Mr. Trottier is a true mentor. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    4. Publishing    5. Reference    6. Technical Writing    7. Vocational guidance    8. Writing Skills   

Reviews (2)

Enlightening, encouraging, and practical advice for writers
Reading this book is like having two wise and supportive friends take you aside and really dish about what it takes to successfully write and publish a novel.
An empowering read
Dennis Lehane is winningly honest as he dishes out tough love in his inspiring foreword, leading into the first half of the book (written by novelist Laura Whitcomb) which focuses on the craft of novel writing and is filled with helpful hints, book recommendations, and exercises.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Fiction    3. Language    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Publishing    7. Publishing (General)    8. Writing Skills    9. Creative writing guides   

Reviews (14)

If a man smiles at you...
I first heard of Tibor Kalman while browsing a copy of "Interview", just to learn that it was a tribute. Sometime later, I found a smiling bookcover looking at me. I bought it. I was waiting for the bus and started to read it... I could not put it down again. I read textes, subtitles, infos, even the small characters of the work reproduced. It was not enough. It made me regain the somehow lost faith in design, showing me how humour, money and a cause could be combined together with surprising results. In your face
Kalman was a fascinating artist, but above all, he was down to earth.He told it like it is.That's why people found his work disturbing and cutting edge at the same time.His images and ideas have the power to change how people think.As an artist, he was vastly underrated, but his art made important comments about popular culture.He fits right in with Warhol, Rauschenberg, et. al.This is a book worth many times its price.

Even better when you re-read it!
I left a review of the hardcover a long time ago.I'm reviewing the paperback because I actually bought a 2nd copy of the book (one to keep untouched and the other to read several times).And now that I've gone through the book for the umpteenth time, I want to add more thoughts to my last review...Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Commercial - Illustration    5. Commercial Art    6. Graphic Arts - General    7. Graphic Design    8. Individual Artist    9. Art / Commercial / Illustration   

Subjects:  1. Discography & Buyer's Guides    2. Genres & Styles - Classical    3. Music    4. Music/Songbooks    5. Reference    6. Reference - Guides & Reviews    7. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    8. Classical music (c 1750 to c 1830)    9. Music / Classical   

Subjects:  1. 1989-    2. American Journalism    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Journalism    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Mass Communication Media And Politics    7. Mass media    8. Media Studies    9. Political aspects    10. Politics - Current Events    11. Politics and government    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Press and politics    14. United States    15. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    16. Political Science / General    17. Press & journalism    18. Publishing industry    19. USA   

Reviews (12)

This is a resource, not a book of scenes/monologues...
Be aware that this book tells you WHERE to get the scenes/monologues. It doesn't actually contain any theatrical content!
Not what I expected but might come in handy!
I thought this book actually had 1000 monologues but it does not. The book has a snippet analysis of over a 1000 monologues so if you like the analysis given then you can go find/buy the monologue. I think it will definitely come in handy when my son needs a specific monologue based on character and/or setting and this book will allow for him to narrow down his search of which monologues fit the requirements of an audition and will save him time. I would recommend the book for saving an actor time in searching for a monologue but again the book does not contain the actual monologues as I originally thought that it would.

good source of reference but not what i was looking for
For an actor auditioning for drama school in Britain and looking for a range of monologue material, I didn't realise that the majority of auditons in this book would be American.A great deal of them require a New York accent for example which isn't appropriate when the audition panel do not want to hear any accent other than your own.Read more

Subjects:  1. Acting    2. American drama    3. Audition Pieces    4. Bibliographies & Indexes    5. Bibliography    6. Dialogues    7. General    8. Monologues    9. Performing Arts    10. Performing Arts/Dance    11. Scenes and Monologues    12. Acting techniques    13. Technical & background skills   

Reviews (1)

A great resource
This thick volume would make a perfect companion (or predecessor) to the "Literature Lover's Book of Lists" in the same series (see my review).Though probably intended for teachers and librarians, it will be found equally useful by homeschoolers and other parent/guardian figures searching for enlightenment regarding the "best" books in the vast field of kidlit old and new.Divided into three broad groups (pre-K through Gr. 1, Grs. 2-3, and Grs. 4-6), it breaks its lists down into sensible categories like "classics," author and publisher series, sf and fantasy, books "to teach math/science/social studies," and so forth, then divides many of these lists in turn into brief sublists (2:13, "Multicultural Books," for instance, includes titles for "Across Cultures," "African-American," "Alternative Lifestyles," "Amish," "Appalachian," "Asian," "Hispanic," "Jewish," "Native American," and "Quaker").Though annotations are given only for the series books, with a brief description of the series focus, the lists alone (which you can easily scan and print off to take to the library or bookstore with you) are a treasure trove for the parent bewildered by the huge variety of books available.Fiction and nonfiction are included, and many great perennials (like "Lassie Come-Home," "Black Beauty," "Tom Sawyer," "Peter Pan," etc.) have found their way into the book along with newer emergents.An index would have been useful, but even without one, this is a volume no parent should fail to consult. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Best books    2. Bibliography    3. Books and reading    4. Children    5. Children's Literature - General    6. Children's literature    7. Literary Criticism    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Reference    10. United States    11. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    12. Children's literature studies: general    13. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Reading    14. Literary studies: general   

Reviews (9)

Inspiring and practicial
Writing to Change the World is divided into two sections.
Must have book
Mary Pipher does an excellent job with this book.Her ability to use to story to convey her message is powerful.It is packed with solid examples and yet it is not overly academic.Any writer, change agent, human being who wantsto use their writing to change the world should read this book.

Excellent book
Pipher inspires the reader to write, not for writing's sake, but to make a difference in the world around us.She presents a thorough examination of the writing process reminding us about the perspectives and assumptions that inform the writer and those people she/he is representing in her/his writing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Creative Writing    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Literature And Society    8. Psychological aspects    9. Social aspects    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Reviews (1)

STILL the BEST reference of its kind!!!....
Since it's publication over 30 years ago, this massive 3-volume work (the result of many years of research and data gathered from throughout the World) is absolutely STILL the best and most complete reference on SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY and HORROR films (from the Silent Era - up to 1974) ever produced by anyone!A truly remarkable Landmark in cinema publishing that will likely be referred to and cited by film historians, critics and movie fans for many years to come (including the in-progress future 2nd edition!).- Paul Merrill / Los Angeles, 2003 ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Catalogs    2. Cinema/Film: Book    3. Fantasy films   

Reviews (1)

fair book
Considering the vast topic this is a fairly good book.I found some ofthe data to be dated at this point and some what sexist. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bibliography    2. Business & Economics    3. Career/Job    4. Careers - General    5. Careers - Job Almanacs    6. Counseling - Vocational Guidance    7. Education / Teaching    8. Information services    9. Vocational guidance    10. Careers guidance    11. Education / Vocational Guidance   

Editorial Review

Buying a recording--particularly of the average opera, which requires more than one compact disc--is an investment of sorts; the big sets usually aren't cheap. If you walk into the classical music section of one of the better record stores, you'll be confronted with a wall of jewel-toned boxes of operatic recordings. How do you choose between them? The problem is particularly acute for newcomers, who may know that they want a particular opera, but know the names of only one or two performers. The record companies have put their trust in brand names (such as Pavarotti and Domingo), but unless you're already a major fan of one of these high-profile singers, you don't need to seek only the CDs on which they are featured if you shop with the aid of a good guide. Read more

Reviews (7)

Which is the one to buy?
Opera is a costly art.Producing recordings of operas is a costly business.Opera enthusiasts who wish to own recorded versions of their favorite operas, must thus expect to have credit cards that can call up large funds.Hence, the usefulness and value of another art form, one that developed in the C20th.This new art form is the guide to recorded opera, a collection of critical assessments and recommendations intended to help readers avoid wasting their money. Very informative and interesting
A "guide" to recorded opera is tricky. First of all, every opera critic is likely to have his or her own biases when it comes to singers, conductors, sound quality, etc. That being said, this book is an extremely fair, balanced, guide to the recordings of many operatic staples, as well as lesser-known works. Each opera's discography is reviewed by a single critic, so there's consistency. However, a problem arises when the different critics offer conflicting views of the same singer in different operas. Joan Sutherland is criticized by some critics for her poor diction and placid portrayals, but other critics choose to focus on the beauty of her voice and her impeccable technique. Who do you believe? It's your choice. Also, this book was written in 1993, so many recent studio recordings, historical releases from Naxos, and more "legitimized" pirates are not covered here. Overall, however, it's an entertaining, comprehensive guide to many famous recordings.

Older and more mature sister of the "Video Guide"...
This book is an older sister of the "Metropolitan Opera Guide to Opera on Video". Both are edited by P.Gruber, which at least partly explains their similar design, but feature different teams of reviewers(only few names overlap) and maybe this is the reason why this guide readsso much better than its video sequel. Nevertheless, it is not difficult toimagine that the main reason for this discrepancy is the medium itself:recordings play much greater a role in our musical lives than video (orDVD) and that's probably why it is easier to write about them withfondness. The reviews collected here are very human and it is clear thattheir authors not only lived with the reviewed recordings for quite awhile, but were quite eager to share their comments with the broader public- I didn't have that impression while reading the MET team's generally sourvideo guide. This is a very likeable book! Most of the reviews are writtenwith sympathy and warmth, not very common in this kind of criticalwritings. There is also a tendency to emphasize the good even in seriouslyflawed recordings. These are highly subjective reviews and there is noattempt at concealing it: the language is always very personal and leavesno doubt that in many cases some high emotions were involved - again afeature that I found missing in the video guide. To make the book even more"human", the editors thought about including some dozen chartspresenting favorite opera recordings of some celebrities (for whatever itis worth to know Joan Rivers's tastes in operatic matters; other choicesare less problematic since most of the people are to some degreeprofessionally involved with opera or theater). This guide is ofcourse outdated but this shouldn't make it less attractive to true operalovers. What is very important with this kind of publications - apart fromits obvious practical value - is the fact that they preserve in a compactform a selection of well written essays not only on opera recordings, butalso on our musical life and they give the lie to a generally feltimpression that music criticism is a dying art. However, on the strictlypractical side, the MET's guide will never be quite outdated, since thereviews collected here apply NOT only to CDs, but also to vinyl discs, atthe time of printing still a popular medium. Many of then LPs (sometransferred from 78s) are being reissued now in all sorts of series of"legendary recordings" launched by the record companies. As tothe new releases, we can only wish that the guide will be updated from timeto time. A large section on baroque opera recordings would be an importantfeature of this imaginary "new edition" (I have to admit that inits current form, the guide doesn't have much to offer for the fans ofearly opera)But even without these changes, the MET's guide is a veryimportant addition to the music library of any record collector - if notstrictly as a guide, then simply as a collection of wonderful musicalessays. One can agree with them or not, but they never leave the readerswith an impression of having been written by people bored with the topic.Enjoy! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bibliographies & Indexes    2. Discography    3. Discography & Buyer's Guides    4. General    5. Genres & Styles - Opera    6. Music    7. Opera    8. Operas    9. Performing Arts    10. Reference    11. Reviews    12. Sound recordings   

Reviews (12)

No Waste of Time
I have recently read several books on this subject, and this one has been the most helpful and enjoyable thus far.It follows a logical, sequential order. *The Business of Writing for Children* answered every question I have posed and a few I hadn't yet formulated.It is concise and so left Mr. Shepard time for an occassional show of his sense of humor; without compromising more of mine than I would have liked to allow.Sense of humor or time, you wonder.The answer is both.

On Your Way to Writing!
If you have dreams of being a children's book author, this book can help get you there.The book clears up many myths about children's writing such as "picture books are easier to write than adult books" and "Children's books should always teach a lesson."Shepard's answers are straight forward and to the point.You get the tools you need to create successful stories, correct manuscript format, submission strategies and clear cut contract negotiations.
Mayra Calvani -- TCM REVIEWS
If you're thinking of writing, selling and promoting a children's book,The Business of Writing for Children is a title you'll definitely want to add to your permanent reference shelf. In it you'll find tips, useful information and resources on how to write children's fiction, learning what editors want to see in a manuscript, how to submit your queries and promote your book. The book's short length and concise, right-to-the-point approach make it an ideal first guide for beginners in the field.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Business/Economics    3. Children's literature    4. Composition & Creative Writing - Children's Literature    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    9. Marketing    10. Publishing    11. Business & Economics-Entrepreneurship    12. Children    13. Creative writing guides    14. English    15. Publishing industry    16. Children's literature -- Authorship   

Subjects:  1. Bibliographies & Indexes    2. Encyclopedias    3. General    4. History    5. Popular Culture - General    6. Reference    7. Sociological aspects    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. United States    11. Cultural studies    12. Social Science / Popular Culture    13. Sports & Outdoor Recreation    14. USA   

Reviews (7)

Not up to the price of the book.
When I initially saw this title and the positive reviews, I decided to purchase it to see if it had any more information to add to what I read in The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom & Marilyn Ross.... A Bit of a Disappointment...
Peter Hupalo's book was very highly recommended on Amazon.com so I was quite excited to see what information it could give me about starting my own publishing business. I knew that I was going to be disappointed when I saw the book and realized how cheaply the book was designed. While I know that it is important to cut costs in production, I felt that the author was lying when he said that it is easy for an author to learn to design a cover by himself and still look professional. Who is he trying to kid? The book is obviously self-published and designed. The author uses shameless self-promotion by repeatedly mentioning other books that he has written that could help the reader with other aspects of running a small business so that he can milk you for more money instead of giving you a few tips in this publication. I also thought that the title was misleading because it is really geared towards self-publishers - not a publishing company. I don't mean to say that the book is completely useless, as there was some decent information inside, as well as some suggestions as to printers and designers who don't mind working with smaller companies. However, as a whole I was pretty disappointed because there is little or no practical application for most of the topics that are covered in the book. For sections on inventory accounting, profitable book pricing, etc. the author spends a great amount of time running through math problems to show the reader all of this gobbledegook that doesn't make sense because you don't run your own publishing business and are not really sure of what the heck he is talking about! Other sections like cover design & book layout are obvious - make your book look good so it will sell. Duh. How do you make it look good, what are some things that have sold really well in the past? Anyway, it is a good introduction to publishing in general, but I was left with a lot more questions after the book than I had before!

Financial Wake-up Call
Peter Hupalo starts off with a caveat; he suggests caution. Starting at the beginning, he asks you to determine if and why you want to be a book publisher.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics / Small Business    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Language Arts & Disciplines / Publishing    5. Management    6. Self-publishing    7. Small Business - General    8. Small Business/Entrepreneurship    9. Small business    10. United States    11. Business & Economics    12. Economics, Finance, Business and Industry    13. Home-Based Businesses    14. Language Arts & Disciplines    15. Publishing    16. Publishing Industry And Trade   

Reviews (6)

How to start and produce a magazine or news letter
This book has a lot of useful information.

Outdated and not very informative
I was hoping to learn things I hadn't seen in other books, but I didn't.Not only is the book outdated, but it's also quite limited in what it offers.I was not happy with it at all.

Most Improved Book - so improved I bought this edition myself!
The 4th edition was written in part to address my comments of disappointment I felt after plunking down my hard-earned funds for edition 3.
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Subjects:  1. Desktop Publishing - General    2. Language    3. Language Arts & Disciplines    4. Publishing    5. Small Business - General    6. Publishing industry   

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Judaism    3. Judaism - General    4. Religion    5. Religion - Judaism    6. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    7. Criticism & exegesis of sacred texts    8. Literary studies: general    9. Reference / General