February 8, 2012

4 Most Enjoyable Books To Read

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Getting lost in a good book that you can’t seem to put down is a wonderful way to forget your daily stresses and enjoy some quiet time while using your imagination to delve into the world of the book. Here is a list of four of the most enjoyable books to read.

  • “Anna Karenina” by Russian author Leo Tolstoy is considered a classic novel and has long been on many lists of 100 greatest novels of all time, and 100 novels you must read. The story tells of Anna Karenina’s love affair, her struggles with high society and her fall from the upper class. For a search engine that will help look for more great books, check out Canada 411.
  • “Great Expectations” by English author Charles Dickens is a well-known novel and a part of many modern l English curriculums. The story follows the growth of Phillip Pirrip (Pip) from a small boy to his pursuit of becoming a fine gentleman.
  • “Lolita” by Russian Author Vladimir Nabokov was originally banned from many countries for its racy storyline. It follows Humbert Humbert as he moves from Europe to America, ends up in a boarding house in New Jersey and has an affair with his landlady’s little daughter.
  • “Wuthering Heights” by another English author Emily Bronte is considered one of the greatest romance novels of all time. Follow the story of Heathcliff and his passion for Catherine through the heartbreak of life and death.

How to Start a Book Club

Anyone who is interested in starting a book club is likely faced with the same problem: how to choose which books to present. The sheer number of available books may make you wish you never started the process, but many are finding that by focusing on the most important books of the last 50 years, they can easily develop a club that is fun and intellectually stimulating.

When selecting books; remember that book clubs don’t have to focus on ‘smart’ books or the classics. Instead, selecting a variety of books in different styles, your club can gain exposure into a wide variety of subjects and writing styles. Consider the following three books, each of which is widely considered to be on the list of the most important books of the last 50 years.

  1. The Da Vinci Code: a popular book and movie, this is mainstream that allows a club to explore religious and art themes.
  2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: the pinnacle of self-help books, this piece explores a different form of writing. Using a list of book club questions can help break this one down.
  3. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: delve into history with this book and those like it. Expand the discussion with research and relevant materials for an exciting and educational discussion.

The truth is the most successful book clubs utilize a wide variety of books and subjects to keep them interesting. Take some time to research the most influential books of the last 50 years to add variety to your club.

Are Interactive Children’s Books Really Helping Your Child Learn?

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As a parent you are probably pretty aware of the new technology that is out their when it comes to your child learning how to read. You have probably seen commercials for the interactive children’s books which allow your child to read the story alone and if your child struggles with a word, they are able to use a pencil-like tool to touch the word and the book will provide the unknown word for the child. This new technology has received various reviews both for the interactive books and against them.

Many parents are in favor of the books because the books are engaging and fun for their children. Parents claim that the books make learning to read easier for their children because the children are able to read the majority of the book themselves and have the option of either sounding out words or receiving a little help with certain words from the book itself. Parents claim that the technology is engaging and helps their children stay focused on the book.

However, other parents find that their children are not using the reading and grammar lessons they have learned in school because the book provides the tools for them. Parents claim that their children would rather have the book provide the unknown words for them rather than sounding out the words for themselves. Parents claim that the book actually hinders their child from learning to read rather than helping them learn. They also say that the books do not allow for personal time between the parents and child to help the child engage in reading.

Book Promotions

As an author you want people to know about your book and read it. The more people that read your book the better your chances are of getting a following and having other people show interest in your book. The problem arises for many authors as to how exactly they can get attention drawn onto their book. Here’s a look at some of the ways authors have used to promote their book and hopefully gain a following of readers.

Contests. Everybody loves to get something for free. Authors will sometimes offer their books for free through contests and promotions. These contests can be helped are websites like good reads, through social media outlets and even on the author’s website. Anywhere where a person can hear about it and sign up for the contest will get you people who want to read your book.

Book Blog Tours. Going around from book blog to book blog is a great way to promote your book. Many book bloggers welcome authors and expert columnist and allow them to talk about a wide range of subjects as well as promote their book. Many book bloggers have huge followings which will let you to get the word out about your book to a wide range of people.

Interviews. Promoting your book can be done through interviews. The local media as well as national media is always open to conducting interviews with new authors. There are also various public radio stations as well as Internet radio stations which will also conduct interviews with the authors. You can also have the book bloggers do interviews which will allow you to cover all your bases. Very similar to interviews is the chat format which allow authors to discuss their book with potential readers and can generate interest.

Benefits to Choosing a Major Publishing House

It seems as if the biggest trend when it comes to the publishing world is having many authors self publish or independently publish their own novels. These authors are turning away from the major publishing houses and seeking the ability to publish their own book. However, been published under a major publisher can come with a number of benefits that independently published and self published authors do not have. Here’s a look at the benefits that come with having your book published under a major publishing house.

The Editing and Proof Reading. Many major publishing houses will pay upfront for the editing and proofreading segments of your story. This means that you do not have to put the money out yourself and all you are required to do is work with the editor in order to get the novel in the shape that you want. This is a major benefit as many independently and self published authors do not have access to an editor or cannot afford to hire an editor.

Publicity. The major publishing houses will generally take over the publicity for your novel. They will sometimes schedule book tours, blog tours and even giveaways. They will also find any advertisements that they put out about your book. Publicity and advertising can be a huge chunk of an author’s budget and having a major publishing firm handle publicity for that will allow you not only gain attention or not have to put money up for it.

Upfront Payment. When an author signed on with a major publishing firm they will generally get an upfront payment as a show that the publishing firm wants their book or novel. The problem with independently and self published authors is that even though they might make money they do not have the luxury of receiving an upfront payment for the book or novel.

How to Gain Publicity as an Independently Published Author

With the invention of the Internet independent publishing has become extremely popular. Anyone that has a story idea, enough money and access to the Internet can publish their own story and book. The problem is that many independently published authors have a hard time gaining publicity and readership for their book. Many libraries will not accept independently published books as they tend to assume the quality is lesser than those published by major publishing house. If you are an independent author here’s a look at some ways you can gain readership for your book.

Book Bloggers. There are millions of book bloggers all over the Internet. Many of these book bloggers have loyal following and have developed themselves as experts in the field. These book bloggers will occasionally accept independently published authors material and offer to review or highlight the novel that they received. All reviews are not guaranteed this is a great way to potentially gain attention for not only yourself but your book.

Social Media Networks. There are tons of social media networks designed to bring readers and authors together. While there are the traditional Facebook and MySpace there are also social media outlets designed just for readers and authors. As independently published author you can join the in offer the first few chapters are your book for free and effort to gain publicity and buzz about your book.

Local Media Attention. Many local media outlets love to cover stories on local authors and books. Writing and submitting stories and press releases to local media outlets will allow you to hopefully gain attention and buzz about your novel.

While it might be difficult as independently published author to gain the publicity that you want or need for your book is not impossible. Just remember when one person says no the next person might just say yes.

Things to Remember When Sending in a Manuscript

When you have a story idea that you want to pitch to the major publishing houses you are required to submit a manuscript of the story. These manuscripts can range from the entire story to just a few chapters of the story. Manuscripts are a way for editors and publishers to get a feel for the writer’s writing style as well as the storyline for the particular novel but they are pitching. However, even if the manuscript has the world’s greatest storyline idea and it many editors and publishers will judge the manuscript on a number of different criteria. Here’s a look at what you need to make sure your manuscript contains in order to gain the attention of publishers and editors.

Editing. Many writers feel that just because they are not signed on with a major publishing firm they do not have to properly edit their manuscript. The problem is that publishers and editors will often go off of how well the manuscript is edited. It is important that as a writer you try to minimize the amount of errors that are present in the manuscript. Make sure there are no spelling, grammar and typographical errors as these are all held against you by major publishing firms.

Layout. Try to keep in mind how you have laid out your manuscript for the publishers and editors. It is important that you make sure the font is not too small and that it is easy to read. Editors and publishers do not have all day to sit and go through manuscript and if the manuscript is hard to read they will set it aside.

The Summary. Every manuscript contains an overview and summary of the story that is inside. Now many writers realize just how important the summary is to the manuscript. You want to make sure the summary is captivating and draws the people in without going overboard or line to the readers. Try to make your summary as thrilling captivating as possible.

Ways to Gain the Attention of Publishers and Editors

It is every writer’s dream to be noticed by one of the major publishing companies. The problem is the editors and people who make the decisions at these major publishing houses are often overworked and greeted by millions of unsolicited manuscripts. This makes it very difficult for average writer to gain the attention of the major publishing companies. If you’re considering trying to get on with a major publishing company here are some ways that you can gain the attention of the editors and publishers.

Writing Conferences. Writing conferences are great way to develop your writing and help you succeed as a writer. Many major publishing companies will often visit writing conferences as a way to scope out some of the newest and greatest talent on the market. By attending his writing conferences you’re not only bettering your art but you are also getting a possibility of being noticed by a publisher or editor.

Agents. Gaining a literary agent is a great way to become noticed by a publisher or editor. Many literary agents have contacts in the major publishing world so that they are able to get your manuscript seen by a number of major publishing firms. If you are considering using a literary agent is important to make sure that the literary agent has the qualifications that he is representing.

Starting out Small. Many writers gain the attention of editors and publishers by starting out small. Many writers will have the opportunity to write for magazines, online publications or even a short story for an anthology. These are all great ways that writers can gain the attention of editors and publishers as well as gain a public following.

Is important your member that even though you are working on getting the attention of editors and publishers you still need to develop your craft and make sure that you are presenting the best work possible. Editors and agents want good solid stories and writers that are willing to better their craft.

Independently Published Books

It used to be if you wanted to have a book or story published you had to go through one of the major publishers. This made it awfully difficult for writers to get their works published because the major publishing houses were overwhelmed with millions of others sending their manuscripts and hoping to get their book published. However, with the invention of the Internet publishing books has been made a lot easier to the invention of independent publishing.

Independent publishing is defined as when an author will take their story an idea and publish the book on their own. Most authors who are independently published do not have the benefits of major publishers and are required to edit and publicize their books themselves. The major advantage of independent publishing firms is that the only requirement is to send the book over and pay to have it printed.

In the past, authors who wish to be independently published had to run their own publishing firms right out of their own home. The Internet has changed all that. Independent publishing firms are available all throughout the Internet and allow authors to instantly send their manuscript to the publishing firm and come back with a set of bound books.

The best part about independently publishing on the Internet is the ability to print on demand. This means that authors able to place their book up for sale on websites such as Amazon and then they are only required to print out the book and pay for the printing when a book is brought. This gets back on the amount of money that the author has to put out as they are only paying for books that are already purchased.

This increase in demand for independent publishing has allowed many writers to get their works published when a large publishing firm would normally have not looked twice at the book that was being published. Many independent authors who have gone through the independently published route have had success.

The Ease of Reading: Online Degree Programs

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The weight of a book is familiar in your hands, a comfort you won’t deny — but such comfort means little when forced to contend with tedious crowds and inept cashiers, the shriek of sales. A store is inexplicably busy, with strangers flocking in from all distances, taking advantage of the available pages. You wonder how many are like you: students trying to meet the demands of a reading list, gathering materials for class. It’s an expense you’ve come to expect, but it’s a hassle you’ll never approve of. And you pass the time by tallying all of the costs for this semester. They are considerable.

Reading is a joy you would never deny; but the difficulties in obtaining books for school can tame your delight. You devote more time to finding these stories than studying them. And too often you are forced to share the aisles with those who have no appreciation for the written word or its many meanings.

You think this can never change. You think there is nothing to be done.

You’re wrong.

Online degree programs offer an alternative to the usual bookshop stupor. They allow you to instead read with the aid of a computer, with many materials placed on websites and forums for your leisure. Material is suddenly made accessible, with you able to simply memorize it (instead of puttering down the road, moving from store to store until you find what you need).

Through virtual classrooms you are suddenly gifted with quick pages and easy searches. Text can be highlighted, copied and stored on your screen. There is no wince of shelves (already strained from the burden of so many books). There is no debate of dollars (wondering if you can ignore dinner to purchase another novel). There’s just an online simplicity.

Seek an education without the usual frustration. Find the words you love without the expected worry.

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