Editorial Review

In print for almost 40 years, Read more

Reviews (25)

Get Edumacated
Not to put too fine a point on it, anyone requiring a reading guide has not profited from their education. Where is the joy of discovery on a paved path? (BTW, I still hate Tristram Shandy.)

A Bibliophile's Dream
I LOVE Books. But,this book was still full of information and books I am not familiar with...yet! The author's style is easy and interesting. I would hope that part-time readers, a group I personally don't understand, at least browse this book. There is something in here to catch even the most jaded reader's eye. For my friends, the BOOK-LOVERS, this paperback is a veritable treasure.

Essential Book
This book is essential.It is opinionated and selective. It promises nothing but the considered opinion of two people that have been significantly involved with reading and thinking about literature throughout much of their lives.
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Subjects:  1. Best books    2. Bibliographies & Indexes    3. Books & Reading    4. Books and reading    5. Literary Criticism    6. Reference    7. Literary Criticism & Collections / Books & Reading    8. Literary reference works   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American - General    3. American poetry    4. Bio-bibliography    5. Biography    6. Dictionaries    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Poetry    9. Poets, American    10. Reference    11. American English    12. English    13. Poetry & poets: from c 1900 -    14. Reference / General    15. USA   

Reviews (4)

Important reference book for illustrators
I originally found this book at my library. After reading it I decided that it was one of those books I wanted to steal...so I bought myself a copy. It's given me so many clues to illustrating childrens books I had to have a copy for my personal reference library. It's got great pictures, examples and explanations of other illustrators techniques.

Did I read the same book as the other reviewers?
From the above reviews I had great expectations for this book, but they were quickly dashed. It covers a lot of ground, but only superficially. Aside from encouragement to use a sketchbook I didn't find much in the way of the drawing and design"lessons" alluded to above.
**A gem in the growing 'how-to' field of getting published**
Illustrating Children's Books by Martin Salisbury is a gem! With full color illustrations as well as examples from artist's sketchbooks on every page, it has a very right-brain approach to the subject matter. As well it should! While there are many images, and a lot of type to read, it is clear that a lot of time and effort was spent putting this book together. Not only is this book well organized, it is engrossing.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Commercial - Illustration    4. Design - Book    5. Illustrated children's books    6. Illustration of books    7. Publishing    8. Technique    9. Art / Design / Book   

Reviews (1)

A Formula That Works!
Research Papers for Dummies could easily be called "Recipes for Research" because the same process is followed in every research production. You really can't find a simpler guide on the market that does justice to the important business of writing effective and intelligible research papers.Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    3. Composition & Creative Writing - General    4. General    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Reference    8. Report writing    9. Research    10. Research And Report Writing    11. Reference / General    12. Research methods: general   

Reviews (2)

distilled wisdom -- must buy for POD publishers
This excellent book distills the wisdom not just of the insightful Aaron Shepard but also of the pod_publishers mailing list at Yahoo! groups.A must read for anyone who is considering print on demand publishing or self publishing.It's no exaggeration to say that you will learn things from this book that will enable you to double or triple your profits and to save months in production time. Highest recommendation.

Definitely THE book I have been waiting for
This is definitely THE book I have been waiting for. All my questions have been answered, and I got new insights into self publishing and selling online. Aiming at Amazon has prepared me well for the business leadership book I am working on, as I now have a complete self publishing strategy that captures the Amazon factor adequately.
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Subjects:  1. Language Arts & Disciplines / Authorship    2. Language Arts & Disciplines / Publishing    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Marketing    5. Publishing industry    6. Self-publishing   

Reviews (1)

Fascinating Stories
This huge book bollows Mr. Harris earlier book The Presidents Fact Book where he talked of the Achievements, Events, People, Triumphs, and Tragedies of Every President. Obviously in this book he is not talking about the presidents but their wives.
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Subjects:  1. Bibliographies & Indexes    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. First Ladies    5. Historical - U.S.    6. History    7. Presidents' spouses    8. Reference    9. Social life and customs    10. United States    11. Reference / Bibliographies & Indexes   

Reviews (19)

A best-selling author who loves this book!
Some writers make plot seem effortless. It's not. This book gives you a step by step plan (which is what I need when I get stuck)and great examples. It shows you how to map out the three crucial pieces of your puzzle and coaches you along for the rest of the ride.
Made Simple
As a writer of two successfully published books, I hit a brick wall on my third. This book breaks down plot -- the problem area for me, and I believe is likely true for most writers as well -- in such a simple, direct method that now I'm off and running again. Just ordered the DVD and am looking forward to seeing what she writes about in action.

Useful Writing Guide
What an outstanding writing guide!Very easy to follow and well organized. Plus it's full of useful tips and ideas with a user friendly web site to back it all up!
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Fiction    3. Composition & Creative Writing - General    4. Fiction    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Language Arts & Disciplines / Authorship    8. Performing Arts / Theater / Playwriting    9. Plots (Drama, novel, etc.)   

Editorial Review

Picture the poor, young, serious-fiction writer. He toils alone at a pace not so different from that of Lincoln Tunnel traffic at rush hour in New York. His spouse has a "real" job, or perhaps he has a trust fund. His college friends are cashing in on their dot-coms and wondering if he's ever going to join the real world. He is not hell-bent on publication; he is trying to write "serious, honest fiction, the kind of novel that readers will find they enjoy reading more than once, the kind of fiction likely to survive."He's likely to have no idea whether he's succeeding. Nobody understands him.Read more

Reviews (21)

Gardner the master
Gardner seems always aware that he is a master and he views the readers of his books on craft as students as well as disciples.While he offers much guidance to the novice writer, the book serves best as a reminder that we what we are doing is not some vain hobby, not some time-waster as others may think it to be.This book reminds us that our efforts are worthy of the time spent and that we are not alone in our quest.At the same time that we need stories to excite and inspire us, we need to be reminded of why it is we do what we do.And it's also helpful for us to be reminded of the discipline necessary for our labor.Unfortunately, the author falls into that same creative writing teacher trap of trying to weed out those unworthy.He wants to be sure that in attempting this that we are up to the task.At the same time, that talk can be discouraging to those sensitive writer-types who are by nature filled with self-doubt.

Honest book. No coddling.

Not quite as enthused as everyone else
I cannot speak to the book's strengths without repeating the other excellent reviews already posted.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Fiction    3. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    4. Reference    5. Yearbooks & Annuals   

Reviews (1)

Nice visuals, but nothing much else going on.
This is my favorite era of pulp, and seeing the hard to find covers is a treat. The author, a pornographer with vision, is like the Ann Coulter of girly mags--unfortunately righteous, horny, and self-important. One wishes that we were given a man's take on the models and photography instead of a women well over 50 preaching at us and presenting research as some sort of creative act. Buy it for the numerous reproductions of an era for the most part lost forever. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Media Studies - Print Media    2. Men's Studies - General    3. Popular Culture - General    4. Social Science    5. Sociology    6. Erotic art    7. Serials, periodicals, abstracts, indexes    8. Sex & sexuality   

Reviews (10)

Look Elsewhere
This book is filled with fatuous anecdotes and virtually useless information.It is written by an agent about agents.There are few useful examples.Abasketful of useless, hackneyed slogans and overworked stories, this book is a sad testimony to why readers have such a limited choice of well written creative books today.

Review for Guide To Literary Agents
I found that the information in this book really helped and guided me search for an agent.The book was user friendly by showing which agents were accepting new writers, what types of books they were interested in and by having a good and bad copy of query letters and synopsis'.This helped with my writing a correct query letter and I was able to avoid sending scripts to agents that would not be interested in my type of story.Very informative and I highly recommend it, especially for a new author,

Caveat Scriptor
This book will help you locate agents.What happens to you after that is up to you.Literary agents are probably the most misnamed hucksters on the planet.Probably 10% of the people who call themselves literary agents in united states are people who make a living from the agent's percentage of books they sell to publishers for authors, or agent's percentages of film rights they sell for authors.The other 90% are scam artists.This book claims to list only those who do not charge fees and are members of the AAR, which I hope is true, but anyone with a book who is looking for an agent to place it for them should take everything any of these people say with a grain of salt until you are absolutely sure there are no hidden fees, which is the actual way the charlatans make a living.(...)Fee chargers never sell a book, have never sold a book, and will never sell a book, and wouldn't know the first thing about selling a book.That is because they make their living from fees they charge hopeful, yet gullible, authors who have put their hearts and souls into writing a book.These "agents" know that most people who write a book are willing to invest a few hundred dollars for the chance to be published.That's all they need to know, and they take that few hundred from hundreds of people, and you can do that math in your head.Why would someone making $50,000 to $100,000 for simply sending out sensitive and caring rejection letters bother trying to actually crack the almost impossible world of publishing?Caveat Scriptor indeed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. Creative Writing    3. General    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Publishing    8. Publishing Guides    9. Reference    10. English    11. Literary & Linguistic Reference Works    12. Publishing industry    13. Reference works   

Reviews (11)

Best guide yet
First off, I've never taken a writing course in my life, so even though I feel I have some great ideas I have struggled with how to put them together. This book has really helped start to change that. I've gone through over half of Damon Knight's exercises and already I start to feel some of the barriers in my mind start to give. I don't know if I'll ever become a writer of fiction, however, this book certainly opens you up to the right path.
Almost Typical.
First let me say the author has some excellent advice about using and staying out of the way of your unconscious thought processes. Amen! Brother Knight. Here's a useful analogy: Let's say your brain is your FM radio. The conscious part can deal with one station at a time. The unconscious part deals with all the stations simultaneously. So get-over the idea that you know what's happening. You dont. Otherwise the book is the same stuff contained in every other how-to-write book, and it's written better than many of the others. Something none of the how-to-write books address is taste. Editors and publishers buy what they like, readers buy what they like, and critics give a hooray! to books they like. One man's treasure is another man's trash.

Useful and inspiring
I'll say right off that I don't agree with everything proposed in this book, but even when I disagree, at least I was thinking about something that I had overlooked in my writing.That said, I didn't disagree with much.I didn't do any of the exercises - yet, but I will.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Fiction    3. Composition & Creative Writing - Newspapers/Magazines    4. Fiction    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Short story    7. Technique    8. Language Arts & Disciplines / Authorship    9. Novels, other prose & writers   

Reviews (6)

Good information
Pretty good book that isn't too hard to read & understand.

Look for me at Hallmark
Just kidding. You won't find my cards at Hallmark. A book worth a look
I am a greeting card designer and writer. Molly's book sometimes states the obvious in her suggestions for creating greeting cards, but when are looking for the millioneth way of wishing someone a happy birthday, that can be helpful.She walks you through brainstorming and I have to say has enabled me a very fresh thought process for coming up with card copy. It's as though she is happy to share the "secrets" of the trade for creating cards.This is one funky business to learn about.It's not like there are college courses on how to succeed in the card business.It's all about observing what's out there and really searching for professinals who are willing to share insights, tips and suggestions and hard facts for succeeding and I think this book does all of that! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Creative ability    3. Creative ability in business    4. General    5. Greeting cards    6. Marketing    7. Publishing    8. Reference   

Reviews (11)

A terrible disappointment!
I bought this book, hoping for good guidance to help my son, an early reader.After having read the book carefully, I have to say that much of the book is useless.The reasons:
Thank you
I am new in the field of gifted children and this book will be great to use with my students.

Great book!
It is wonderful to find a book that helps you guide your child - ANY child, gifted or not - to exceptional reading material. I loved the books it recommended for my 4 yr old - we picked up several of them at the library and some here on Amazon. The book also pointed out what the exceptional qualities for each book were, so that you could have a better discussion about the book with your child. It was worth the money, since it gives recommendations for ALL ages of child and I will reference it as he grows older. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bibliography    2. Books and reading    3. Children's Literature - General    4. Children's literature    5. Education    6. Education / Teaching    7. Gifted children    8. Special Education - Gifted    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - Reading    10. United States   

Reviews (18)

Same old story
This is yet another cookie cutter writing book. Very little in this volume was new to me and the author's attitude toward certain types of writing, such as contemporary literary fiction, was more than a little insulting. Perhaps he can include a chapter called "Don't Insult Your Readers" in the next edition.
Ignore the semi-illiterate critics here
This book is a good, comprehensive useful resource for novelists. I find it amazing that the bottom two reviewers here for this book were discouraged by it in terms of producing their own work. If you are discouraged by a book that took a tremendous amount of research and effort to produce, that is there at a small price for you, to help you write your own novel, then you are not fit to be a novelist or to call yourself a writer.
Complete Idiot? More like Complete Novelist
I bought this book out of the Christmas money that I recieved last year, hoping it'd help me write out my novel.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Fiction    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Publishing    6. Reference    7. Writing Skills    8. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Reviews (7)

More scintillating than a De Beers warehouse
I'm not much of a writer myself, so I've been checking out the writing guidebooks. Especially with reviews I find that I run out of adjectives - "excellent," "great," "tremendous." This book is, at times, all of those. Although I'm really not that far into I must admit that it inspired me at least to write this review.
CPR for dead writing.
Arthur Plotnik's "Spunk & Bite" is not a primer for beginners.It is a fun-filled romp in which Plotnik, an author, editor, and former publishing executive, demonstrates why slavishly following the rules of Strunk & White's revered classic, "The Elements of Style," will lead to writing that is DOA.In an age of increasingly short attention spans, Plotnik contends that writing must have "punch and vibrancy" in order to grab and hold the reader.
THIS BOOK WILL IMPROVE YOUR WRITING 100%!!!!
If you're looking for something to kick start your writing and bring it to the next level, look no further! Arthur Plotnik's Spunk & Bite will liberate and inspire you.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Creative Writing    4. English Composition    5. English language    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Reference    8. Rhetoric    9. Style    10. Writing Skills    11. Reference / Writing Skills   

Reviews (11)

A good guide to dealing with agents and publishers
Cynthia Laufenberg's book provides all the essentials on the way to approach agents and editors. It covers well the basic across all the main genres. However it does not provide detailed stylistic information such as is offered in the Chicago Manual of Style.
One of the Best Tools For Writers
Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript is perhaps one of the best books for writers on how to prepare than manuscripts for submission. Many times I have been asked by fellow writers how to format pages to a novel manuscript and I tell them about this book. It covers everything from query letters, cover letters, proposal packages and manuscript pages to formatting an SASP or self-addressed stamped postcard. It also touches on front matter such as prefaces, dedications and epigraphs. This is a great addition to any writer's library.

Formating &submitting manuscript
I received the book in the record time and in a perfect condition too. Very satisfied. Thanks Tom ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Language    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Manuscript preparation (Author    7. Manuscript preparation (Authorship)    8. Marketing    9. Publishing    10. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (10)

Good Hands On Exercises
This book is most beneficial to writers who have already completed the first drafts of their manuscripts.The exercises made me review some of my characters' attributes and turn offs as well as making sure my secondary plots tied into my main plot.Mr. Maass' suggestions caused me to re-think my villians a little bit and show a side to them that could be somewhat empathetic.Also, adding tension on every page for me was tough, but I found creative ways to do it.I do believe my completed novel is better now after making suggested changes.I stuck to my own gut on some of the things he suggested I change, but overall I did use a lot of his advice.This is a good purchase but you must do the written exercises not just skim over them.

It's good, but...
Maass has created a good workbook with some nifty ways to come up with information. He's also included some material that's new, especially in terms of how to put together plots and subplots, and he expands the theme section from Writing the Breakout Novel.
Some helpful guidelines for your writing
I am currently only half way through this book, but I am already learning from this book. It gives you some good things to work with. It made my mind think of different plots to come up with by putting Characters in one column, then Narrative (questions to be answered, plots to include, subplots to also include and so on..) in another then Scene in the third column (where the action is happening). You criss cross over and can get many combinations to your story. Great book from a great author. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Fiction    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Publishing    8. Creative writing guides   

Reviews (2)

Good, but needs a bit of improvement
I thought this book was good. I it gives you information, but I expected it to have even more. But it is still good, don't get me wrong.

YOUR GUIDE TO GETTING PUBLISHED
This book, is a valuable tool in aiding anyone who has ever sought to get their songs published. It has loads of contact names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, websites, and other contact information for music publishers in the usa and around the world. And whatever you do, don't give up!!! And never take the word of a select few people as to your song's worth. There is a term in sales called "regional sales". In other words, what some people in certain parts of the world may think stinks, other people might go nuts over it!!! I cannot count on my fingers how many times I've heard of perfectly good musicians give up on writing, simply because they listened to their "friends" opinions, or got bad reviews in their home town. what anyone must realize when it comes to being an artist (music or otherwise) is that you are going to make someone jealous. And some will show it out front, and others will hide it behind a sincere looking, sometimes teary eyes appearance. And it is these people who do all they can to see you not succeed, sometimes even long time friends or family. I know, it has happened to me.
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Subjects:  1. Business Aspects    2. General    3. Instruction & Study - Songwriting    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Marketing +    6. Music    7. Music (Specific Aspects)    8. Music/Songbooks    9. Publishing    10. Reference    11. Music industry    12. Reference works   

Editorial Review

Thomas Moran hiked through the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone in 1871, when most folks back East thought that stories of hundred-foot-high geysers, thousand-foot-deep canyons, and such were probably hogwash. After he submitted his glorious paintings of cliffs, rapids, and sun-struck vistas, Americans were finally persuaded that the West was as real as it was wild.It is largely because of Moran's glowing, oil-painted testimony that a formerly skeptical U.S. Congress soon preserved those spectacular lands.This book is the catalog of the 1998 retrospective of Moran's work, which opened on the 125th anniversary of the dedication of Yellowstone National Park. Anderson's essays cover every phase of Moran's life and career, from his work as an illustrator and printmaker to his success as one of the gentleman painters of New York City. It contains scores of archival photographs of the rather theatrical Moran as he aged, with his ever-lengthening, ever-whitening chin whiskers, and such treasures as a long letter he wrote from Yellowstone to his beautiful wife, Mary, in which he blithely describes rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and wolves observed at close range. The letter is signed "Your loving Hub." Along with Albert Bierstadt, Frederick Church, John Frederick Kensett, and other 19th-century landscape painters, viewers often associate Moran with what he called "a wonderful age," the optimistic years between the Civil War and the Great War. This book contains plates of every quintessentially American scene he painted--the pulsing sunset over the pristine wilderness, the windswept mountain pass, the misty, rushing stream. A scholarly book, it nonetheless captures much of the wonder Moran and his peers felt for the vast Western landscape and the glowing future it represented. Read more

Reviews (2)

An Amazing Book
My wife and I were looking for a Thomas Moran book with LOTS of reproductions of his pictures.This book appeared to be what we were looking for.I had Amazon find a copy for me and I gave it to my wife as abirthday present.It was perfect.Lots o