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book publishing in the modern age

Just like books where back in the day, now it is the internet that is the new medium of choice for the masses. A business related site is critical for connecting with your customers and suppliers. Some of the best experts I’ve found in los angeles web design they have have the experience and the know how to design your website to gain maximum exposure and engagement with your target audience.

Since the printing press was invented book publishing has changed and took many forms. At first it was a singlar prized item created for crafts people for royalty and elite of society – never for the common man. Then over time technology allowed books to be printed in mass, which at scale brought the price down – still expensive but affordable for many.

For works written independently of the publisher, writers often first submit a query letter or proposal directly to a literary agent or to a publisher. Submissions sent directly to a publisher are referred to as unsolicited submissions, and the majority come from previously unpublished authors. If the publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts, then the manuscript is placed in the slush pile, which publisher’s readers sift through to identify manuscripts of sufficient quality or revenue potential to be referred to acquisitions editors for review. The acquisitions editors send their choices to the editorial staff. The time and number of people involved in the process is dependent on the size of the publishing company, with larger companies having more degrees of assessment between unsolicited submission and publication. Unsolicited submissions have a very low rate of acceptance, with some sources estimating that publishers ultimately choose about three out of every ten thousand unsolicited manuscripts they receive

credit: wikipedia

 

 

Song of Ice and Fire Saga Is the Best Book Series to Read

Written by George R. R. Martin the Song of Ice and Fire Saga is one of the best fantasy series that has been written so far. It is now being turned into a popular television series that is produced by HBO. The novel has a very intriguing storyline that involves lords, wizards, kings, ladies and knights. What makes it a page turner is the talent of the author to create characters but kill them even those with major parts. No one truly knows how the story will go except for the author himself. The series contains five books; the first one is A Game of Thrones which is also the title of the popular TV series of HBO. The second one is A Clash of Kings, the third one is A Storm of Swords, fourth one is A Feast for Crows, and the last one is A Dance with Dragons.

You will never regret reading this book especially if you are into this kind of genre. It is like being on a very large chess game and the characters of the book are the pieces and every death means another move from the opponent. There are also a lot of other novels that are great reads. The best thing about picking up a good series novel is that you will have several books to read after you are finished with the first one. But it will be very excruciating to wait for the other books if the series is not done yet.

There have been a lot of great series that have got the world interested in reading novels. The children’s book Harry Potter has gotten so popular that the series continued until its seventh book. And it was made into a movie which was also supported by the book fans. There’s also the Twilight Saga which is a teenage novel that has gained popularity across the globe. Another great book series that has been recently turned into a movie is The Hunger Games series.

There are a lot of great books that can surely capture your interest in reading. When you find your true passion in reading, you will surely find all the benefits that it brings. You can enjoy the story while enhancing your vocabulary through reading good books. You can consider some of the books which are written by famous writers like Anne Rice, Stephen King, among others.

Once you find or know any author, it will be easy for you to find a book to read. You can also try to spend some time reading in bookshops or bookstores. It is fun to read and it is a good hobby to develop. You can influence your children or friends to read like you do and enjoy reading together some of the books that you love. There are a lot of talented authors that have come out and you need to keep an eye on them to know the latest book series they have just released.

Must Read Books for Children and the Benefits of Reading

It is said that reading is considered as a key for a person to enjoy a lifelong learning. This is the main reason why if you want to learn, then you need to read. If you want your child to excel in school, then you need to encourage him to read. Your child’s reading ability could greatly affect his academic standing in school. However, this is not necessarily meant that you need to force your child to read beyond his level of understanding. There are simple things that you can follow in order for your child to have interest in reading books.

When you have a young kid, even before he will start attending school, accompany him and bring him to the world of books; introduce him to the library and make him feel comfortable with those books. Kids are visual learners. This is the main reason why you let him browse books with so many pictures on it. Encourage your child to pick one and bring it at home. With it, your child will discover the world of books and its importance to man.

As your child gets older, let him sign up for his own library card. As a responsible parent, encourage your child to visit the library as always. However, even if your kid gets older, you need to still find time to read him his favorite book. Through this, you will learn and build a good relationship together. This is a simple routine but both of you can obtain a great benefit out of it.

On the other hand, help your kid choose his favorite book. The choices depend on the interest of your child. Try to help your child choose a book that’s level to his understanding. By this, your child won’t get disappointed if he can’t understand the story. Keep in mind that it is not advisable to force your child to pick a specific book that does not interest him. Give your child the freedom to choose what he wants to read. If your child is in the 6th grade, there are many must-read books for his age. These books include “The Penderwicks at Point Mouette”, “Close to Famous”, “Throwing Heat”,” The Seer of Shadows’ and “A Thousand Never Evers”, among others.

There are so many benefits to enjoy when you encourage your child to read books. Stories provide great adventure and excitement. It actually captures the imagination of every child. Reading for children creates a good foundation in enhancing literacy skills. There are many opportunities to come for a child who he is fond of reading. Give your child enough space to grow. Let him explore the hidden world of books. Encourage your child to play, read, and write. These three aspects are very important for a child to develop holistically. No one knows what is best for your kids except you. That is why you need to have a good idea on how to raise your child in a proper way.

The Different Incredible Books to Read for the Oldies

Reading books should never end or there is no age limit in reading. You will enjoy and discover a lot of things when you read but most teenagers today seem to have lost interest in the power of reading. Old folks lost interest the moment they feel that their eyes show some signs that it is in trouble. But there is no limit to those who are truly passionate about reading. There are some parents that help their young ones discover the entertainment in reading. And as for the old ones, they ask someone to read to them mostly their favorite books but there are some usual titles that are considered to be incredible books to read for the oldies.

Some of the most popular books that are usually read for the oldies include Tim by Colleen McCullough, Gone with the wind by Margaret Mitchell, Flowers in the Attic (Dollanganger, #1) by V.C. Andrews, Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind. Most of these novels have been adapted to film but you will surely enjoy reading the stories for them.

Another set of novels includes Wildfire by Zane Grey, Sophie’s Choice by William Styron, Nobody Loves a Drunken Indian by Clair Huffaker, Round the Bend by Nevil Shute and Atonement by Ian McEwan. Depending on what genre or if they like a specific author you can choose from these different titles and they will surely enjoy the story. You can also read to them The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford, Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach and Thornyhold by Mary Stewart.

There are endless book titles that you can recommend or read to your grandmother or grandfather. You can also consider suggesting some of the books that you like. This will help them know some of the best new authors and novels available. You can also find some of the good books available based on what they already have or like. You can use the internet to help you with your research. There are a lot of sites that give suggestions about the books that might be related or similar to the book that you have just searched. Make sure you look for books that are meant for the oldies.

Reading the classic novel will help you increase your vocabulary and you can surely learn a lot of new things. You can also suggest reading books from their list and reading some of the books you like alternately. This will strengthen your bond and you can also learn more from each other. Before you head to your local library or book shop you can spend a little time researching books that are popular during their time and you can also suggest some books that you know which they might like after you found out about some of their favorites. You can also check if they have a collection of books available. Or you can also ask the staff at your local bookstore to give you some suggestions on the best book to buy or read for your granny.

How Book Trailers Make a Difference in Selling Books

Today’s time has changed so much so that people are no longer as easily enticed by marketing and advertising styles used years ago in selling a product such as a book. Through the years people have evolved into more visual and more “modern” buyers and consumers so if you are selling a book you can’t fully convince anyone to buy by merely putting it on the book stand. Selling books demands more from authors and publishers these days which is why book trailers could make a big difference in selling a particular material.

Book trailers are a lot like advertisements which when done in poor taste will instead cause you to lose prospective readers or buyers. These trailers come with three significant aspects which affect its overall effect on the viewers or audience and they are the visual content, the auditory elements and the story itself. With these three things you can either create a best seller or cause a good material to go down the drain even before reaching the readers. Anyone interested to use book trailers for his written masterpiece ought to bear in mind that this make or break medium should be given utmost preparation and attention in order to achieve a positive result.

The visual content of your book trailer is crucial given the fact that people are truly visual so for you to use poor imagery would be like killing the chance of selling more copies than other authors. A book trailer with poor visual content is like an advertisement you see on your television which you find repulsive thus causing you to “not buy” the product even when in truth, that product is a good buy. Your book trailers should be visually appealing and stimulating in that readers would be moved to explore your book further.

After managing a good attack on the visual aspect of your book trailer, you need to complement it with as much tasteful auditory elements as possible. Even when you have prepared a visually effective trailer for your book if you put in music or sound that is may be too soft, too loud or truly “off-key” with your whole concept you are still most likely to find readers turning away from the material which you are selling. Make sure that you have a good combination of visual and auditory components in your book trailer in order to compel the audience to buy your book.

Of course, the biggest consideration is your story because no matter how good your trailer is if your story is not really of high quality, you won’t get much attention from prospective buyers. When it comes to book trailers, be sure that your story is revealed in such a way that it has made your audience curious and interested to read on and they will do so buying the whole book.

Remember that book trailers have such high impact on your capacity to sell or “not sell” your book. So if you can’t be a hundred percent sure that you will be able to make an effective book trailer, learn how to do it first before doing so.

Reading and Its Great Benefits for Adults and Children

Reading is now rarely done in the conventional way. It’s not usual for one to find people who bring a book with them for reading. This is so because people now use their gadgets to read. They are not also reading printed matter; they can read electronic books. But whatever form it may take, it only shows that reading is still a favorite past time of many people. Most people who are fond of reading don’t have issues learning a language or developing his language skills. Language skills are caused by a balance between reading, writing and speaking.

TED Books App Launches for iPad and iPhone MarketWatch press release

When you say reading, the basic thing to do is to break down words into syllables. When you read, you are saying syllables and carefully going through them to understand what is being meant by the words when blended together.

There are a lot of ways to enhance your reading habit. The best way to go would be to never forget to bring a book anywhere you go. It also helps if you put a magazine or some short stories inside the toilet for you to read them while doing your morning routine. Always place a book by your bedside table. In other words make books visible in your home and in places where you frequently stay. This will allow you to read even in those stolen moments from work.

It is also good to set a schedule for your reading and also set a goal as to how many books you want to finish in a certain time period. If you are in need of a food web site design firm in Los Angeles, you can check here.You can say you can read a book in a month of every week or for every hour if you want to.

You can also learn another skill in reading and that is speed reading. This entails not only reading in a quicker pace but making use more of one’s mental faculty. It has been said that only 4% of the 10% mental capacity people have is used. It would have been a lot better if all people make use of the whole 10%. One thing that you have to understand about the process you undergo when you are reading is that you have an inner voice when you read. It is the inner voice that follows the words while your eyes run through them. Another word for this is subvocalization. Some people go through this as a subtle movement of the tongue or the throat area. The thing is when you subvocalize you are actually limiting yourself to only the normal reading speed. Your mind actually works much faster than the average 300 words per minute speed.

This and many more reasons are why reading is really important especially for kids. It is the best thing that can make him expand his mind and also inculcate in him a passion for knowledge and learning. Reading will enable any child to experience the world through his mind and imagination. He would be able to learn how to handle certain situations and even his own emotions when a child gets to read sufficiently.

Do You Have a Reading Role Model?

Image borrowed from http://feministtestcase.tumblr.com/post/858331771/hermione-granger-girl-wonder

Getting kids to make reading a habit can prove to be a real challenge, especially if it it’s school books that are involved. It’s hard for children to dissociate books with sitting in a classroom or library and having to do hours of school work. This does not need to be the case with reading. Instilling the love for reading is possible with the help of a reading role model.

Who is a reading role model? It could be anyone your child can look up to to inspire them to hit the books more and really learn to love reading anytime in any place. One great way to help them find a great reading role model is to point out characters in movies, books, and television who read a lot, and who obviously benefit from reading.

Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter series is a real bookworm and is “the cleverest witch of her age”, as described in the books. Her love for reading may be exaggerated, but her adventures with her wizard and witch friends are enhanced by the knowledge she gained from spending hours in the library with her nose buried between pages of a book. She also helps her friends get out of a few life-or-death situations by applying what she has read.

Lisa Simpson of The Simpsons cartoons is also a bookworm, and is considered the brain in her family and her entire class (maybe even school). Roald Dahl’s Matilda also loved books, and reading actually helped her to develop a special power which enabled her to escape the tyrannical treatment of both her school principal and her family. Klaus Baudelaire from Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events is, as Wikipedia describes him: “the “bookworm” of the family, and his love of books has often helped him save himself and his sisters.”

You can also bring your kids to author meet-and-greets. Doing so will ensure that kids will be able to see a different perspective when the author describes how they wrote and created a book they love to read. Most of the time, events like these allow an open forum where the audience can ask questions to the author about the book. Ask public libraries and publishing houses about events like these, and make sure to bring your kids to them, especially if the author wrote a book that they like to read.

You can also tie in school or district pride with a particular reading role model. If your child’s school or the district you live in has a famous or up-and-coming author, research into the possibility of having a workshop or talk with this person so kids and other people can meet him or her. You can hold a book-reading event or have an open forum so that kids can ask relevant questions about reading to the author.

Basic Book Care

If you expect a book to last, better take care of it now. Books are fragile things that hold history, information, inspiration, entertainment, and other things with the potential to greatly affect its readers between its covers. They are one of the best things you can pass on down to your children, and they are the best decor for one’s home, too.

No matter what kind of book you have, you can care for it so it lasts you a lifetime (and others’ lifetimes, as well). One of the first things to remember is to keep books in a place with cool, dry place. Humidity is one of the biggest enemies of books and book paper. If you live in a humid environment, invest in portable dehumidifiers which you can place behind books or strategically on book cases and shelves. If your home has it, it’s best to keep books in air-conditioned rooms so the temperature is regulated.

Avoid keeping books around food and drink. Spills can happen, and insects won’t be able to resist the crumbs and smears that could get to your book’s pages. Even cook books should be kept away from the kitchen, as the heat and steam from the stove and other cooking appliances can quickly warp the covers and pages.

Keep the dust jacket cover of books even if you like having the fabric-bound covers exposed. They are there for a reason, and yes, that is to keep dust and mold away from the precious book’s pages. Steer clear of plastic covering and stick to acid-free paper jackets if you can.

Filter the light sources near your book cases so as not to do damage to the paper. Even natural light has ultraviolet rays which can destroy books over time. It’s best to keep book cases and shelves away from direct light sources, and place them in a relatively dark corner of the house, such as a library or study.

How to Read a Book in Public Places

Image borrowed from http://letsgorideabike.com/blog/2010/06/tolstoy-in-the-park/

Reading is best done at home, in an armchair with a cold or hot drink at your side, and with all the privacy and quiet you want. But there will be times when you have to go out of your house and do stuff, and in-between times when you’d want nothing more than to read a book to while away the time. In instances like these, bringing a book and reading it in public is a good option.

How does one do that, precisely?

In moving vehicles like trains, buses, cabs, boats, and planes, reading a book can make the travel much more entertaining and less tedious…provided you do not get vertigo or motion sickness, in which case it can quickly prove to be one of the most unpleasant traveling experiences you will go through. Make sure you do not get nauseous when you read a book while aboard a moving vehicle first. Secondly, if you can, recline your back rest at an angle which can allow you to be most comfortable while reading. If the seat cannot be reclined, bring one of those squashy donut-shaped neck pillows so you can rest your neck and head while reading, instead.

In a queue or a line, you can whip out a book and read as you scuttle along forward so as not to be vexed by the wait. As long as your book is not as thick as an encyclopedia, you’ll be fine. You can also do this in airports, doctor’s clinics, school registrar’s, and other places you can afford to read and be alerted with someone calling out your name or number (just make sure to have an ear out for that, lest you miss what you’re lining up or waiting for, in the first place).

What’s another great place to read in public? A park! Make sure the park is a familiar, safe place, because many predators can take advantage of a victim so engrossed in their book, they won’t be alerted by suspicious-looking people around them. Many readers want to take advantage of a fine, clear day, so they opt to bring a book to the park and read on a bench. An even better idea would be to bring a blanket and pillow, and lie on your back or on your stomach to read, with a cool breeze blowing around you and the scents and sounds of a gorgeous day lending even more beauty to the reading experience.

Should You Date a Girl Who Reads?

There was an article that made the rounds of social networking sites like Facebook and Tumblr about dating a girl who reads. It ran down all the signs of a girl who always has her nose buried in a books, and which a guy should go for. Some of these signs include:

  • Someone who spends her money on books instead of clothes.
  • Someone who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.
  • Someone who will always have an unread book in her bag.
  • Someone who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants.
  • Someone sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop because she can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

Etc. Basically, it made twee little statements about how you should spot a girl who is not only literate, but also has enough cute quirks to satisfy the indie-boy longing in you, as far as appearances are concerned. The article went on to list how you should treat a girl who reads:

  • Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings.
  • Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.
  • Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.
  • Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Many who reblogged and posted this article thought it resonated with them. Women in particular vowed to become “The Girl Who Reads”, even if they already read. Perhaps the thought of being in the spotlight of a particular guy with his eye out for TGWR might be lurking in a corner of a bookshop, waiting to pounce on her and ask her how she finds Murakami.

(Which is a pretty creepy way to start dating someone, really).

By all means, date a girl who reads…but don’t build your criteria with tweetzy-twee parameters involving activities that could get you arrested for stalking. If you think you are beginning to like a girl, ask her out and observe how she communicates with you. A girl who reads (her mobile phone messages) is a girl who reads, but is rude. A girl who gives you her full attention despite having an Atwood novel beside her might just be a keeper.

Tips On How to Read Properly, As Illustrated By a Pine Tree That Needs Cutting

This is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek video of how to read a book you don’t want to read. The narrator likens reading to having a giant leaning pine tree cut down because it was posing a threat to his roof, as well as his neighbors’ fence and toolshed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_GrdE5HsgQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

He likened reading something you are not interested in to cutting down the very tall pain tree: It had to be done in sections, and not in just one fell swoop. Doing so can prove disastrous, and will not produce very good results. In fact, as with the case of reading a required book just the night before an exam, it might just prove to be very, very bad for you.

Stabilizing the equipment that will allow you to chop down the tree into pieces is the first vital step for the pine tree project. In required reading, the same applies. You have to find a stable position in which to read properly. This does not mean relaxing on a La-Z boy seat or a recliner, as it can produce drowsiness. Instead, sit on a straight back chair with your feet on the floor, or lower than your chest.

Breaking the trees into section comes next for the woodcutters, since the pine tree has a very long trunk. You can do the same for a particularly thick and tedious-sounding book. If it has several chapters, you can break down the chapters in several sections for you to digest for a couple of hours each day. This way, you can focus on those chapters with more concentration compared to just trying to read through an entire book in one sitting.

One other analogy to the pine tree cutting which the narrator made was: BOOKS ARE PORTABLE THINGS. He likened the convenience of the modern woodcutter’s tools, which are in stark contrast to the climbing gear they had to use a couple of years ago which proved to be slow and even dangerous. Having a book means you can accomplish reading anytime, anywhere. You can read on the bus, at a restaurant, at the park, while on the toilet, etc. And with today’s technology, even thick volumes can become portable with the help of gadgets like the Kindle, iPod/iPad, and others!

 

Five Great Movie Adaptations of Books

No doubt about it, books provided an unparalleled entertainment for centuries, even before television, internet, and gaming apps were invented. In these times, one might argue that movie adaptations of books are doubly entertaining (and educational, as the case may be). However, quality film adaptations of books seem to be few and far-between, with many complaining of such negative issues like miscasts, too-commercialized takes, the wrong culture or traditions represented in the plot, and other concerns.

Today, we will give you the top five movie adaptions from books we consider worth watching (and reading!).

1. A Clockwork Orange

This bold yet loyal Stanley Kubrick adaptation of the novel by Anthony Burgess deals with an unknown, surreal future where ‘droogs’ or sociopathic criminals roam the streets looking for trouble. What the book lacks in accompanying visuals, the movie more than makes up for with stunning production design and costumes.

2. Lord of the Rings

A true visual feast, the LOTR trilogy of movies was still largely respectful of JRR Tolkien’s vision in the written novels. Whatever creative license Peter Jackson took when filming were certainly justifiable: the novels were lengthy and filled with detail. Condensing the contents into a couple of hours of movie-time required some tweaking here and there. Overall, the results were fantastic and nothing short of epic.

3. The Godfather

Some film critics point out that the movie adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel about a New York Mafia “family” is more popular than the book itself. This is not hard to believe, as a power house cast headed by Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and James Caan added dramatic life to the characters and rendered the film a classic favorite.

4. Blade Runner

Sci-fi novels have become favorite sources of movie adaptations because of the rich visual challenges they offer, as well as a plot that goes beyond traditional storytelling. Philip K. Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” was the inspiration for the 1982 Ridley Scott movie Blade Runner. The movie has since become a cult hit, and, according to Wikipedia, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

5. The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games, only released in theaters this year, enjoys that special privilege of having more movie-goers see it in film form rather than in book-form. Many are surprised that it is filed under the “young adult” classification in book shops, since its plot reveals a very well-thought out and complicated story that has socio-political echoes. Those who have both read the book and seen the film applaud the lead actors for playing the main characters faithfully, and for the director for revealing the story in a coherent way even for those who have not read the novels.

Publishing a Book

Essential Market

Have you been writing about anything you can think of? Have you tried writing poems, articles, blogs or even comments to other peoples work? Have you published any of these writings?

“Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information — the activity of making information available to the general public. In some cases, authors may be their own publishers, meaning: originators and developers of content also provide media to deliver and display the content for the same.”
Wikipedia

If you love to write blogs or articles or anything that you like, then why not publish those writings? You can even write about something that you hate or what you think about a certain thing, thought, services etc.

Did you know that you can even make a lot of money out from your writings?

Most businessowners don’t have the time to write something for their blog page or for their website, instead they hire someone to write the contents for them. If they like your writings then they will pay you for doing it.

Watch the Video on Youtube:

It’s so easy to make money on the internet. Even if you’re not an SEO guro or you don’t have any idea how to post anything on a website because you only have to write the contents and they will be the one who will post the contents for you. But of course you should also research about the topics that the company has given you.

If you can’t publish a book because it’s too expensive, then just use those free blog sites for starters. Publish your writings there and if you’re really really good in writing stuff, people will find you and they will contact you to write for them.

See how helpful the online world today? Not only will this give you more interesting topics and new learnings but you will earn from this as well.

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