Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Maid for the Billionaire (Book 1) (Legacy Collection)

Maid for the Billionaire (Book 1) (Legacy Collection)Book 1: Maid for the Billionaire

Dominic Corisi knew instantly that Abigail Dartley was just the distraction he was looking for, especially since having her took a bit more persuading than he was used to. So when business forces him to fly to China, he decides to take her with him, but on his terms. No promises. No complications. Just sex.

Abby has always been the responsible one. She doesn’t believe in taking risks; especially when it comes to men - until she meets Dominic. He’s both infuriating and intoxicating, a heady combination. Their trip to China revives a long forgotten side of Abby, but also reveals a threat to bring down Dominic’s company. With no time to explain her actions, Abby must either influence the outcome of his latest venture and save his company or accept her role as his mistress and leave his fate to chance. Does she love him enough to risk losing him for good?

Book 2: For love or Legacy (Now available)

Nicole Corisi will lose her inheritance if she doesn’t find a way around the terms of her father’s will, but she will have to partner up with her estranged brother’s rival to do it. As pretense becomes painfully real, Nicole will have to choose between Stephan or the family he is driven to destroy.

Stephan Andrade has been planning his revenge ever since Dominic Corisi unscrupulously took over his father’s company. With Corisi Enterprises gambling its reputation on the success of a new software network for China, Stephan finally has his chance to take back his legacy. Dominic’s younger sister, Nicole, asks Stephan for his help and provides him with an opportunity to exact his revenge on a personal level.

It all goes smoothly until he falls in love.

Book 3: Bedding the Billionaire (Coming to Amazon - Summer 2012)

Lil Dartley’s life is upside down. Her previously steadfast and predictable sister is marrying an influential billionaire and needs help planning the wedding of the century in less than a month. Years of middle class rebellion have not prepared Lil for handling diplomats or paparazzi.

Jake Walton knows a train wreck when he sees one. Lil was trouble from the first day he met her, but since her sister is marrying his best friend, he has no choice but to help her or this wedding will be in the news for all the wrong reasons. Teaching Lil how to fit into high society would be a whole lot easier if she didn’t drive him insane both in and out of the bedroom.

Book 4: Saving the Sheik (Just because I love romances with Sheiks--coming next year)

Price: $0.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Awakened: Book One

The Awakened: Book OneTHE HISTORY: Over five thousand years ago, a renegade faction of angels abandoned the spiritual realm and began their inhabitation of earth. Worshiped as gods for their wisdom and power, they corrupted the realm of the physical and forever altered the course of history.

THE PROPHECY: Amidst the chaos of a dying world, a lone voice foretold the awakening of a warrior who would bring an end to this evil perpetrated against all of creation. But with the cataclysmic destruction of earth and rebirth of humanity, the prophecy went unfulfilled and eventually faded from the memory of our kind—until now!

THE AWAKENED: The physical dimension is fractured. What remain now are numerous fragmented worlds moving simultaneously through time, sharing a common history, connected only by a guarded portal. On a parallel earth, in the city of Bastul, Colonel Adair Lorus disappears while investigating the death of an informant, triggering a series of events which will tear his family apart and set in motion the resolution of an ancient struggle. Kael, sentenced to death after rising up against the cruel leadership of his new step-father, is rescued from prison and trained in the arts of war by a mystical order of clerics. Excelling in every aspect of his training, Kael inwardly struggles to give himself fully to the methods of his new family, or the god they worship. Maeryn, bitter over the disappearance of her husband and supposed execution of her son, fears for her life at the hands of her newly appointed husband. Finding comfort and purpose in her unborn child, she determines to undermine his authority by reaching out to an underground social movement known as the Resistance. After being forced from his home, Kael’s former mentor, Saba, uncovers a clue to Adair’s disappearance. Sensing a connection to his own forgotten past, Saba begins an investigation which leads to the discovery of a secret military organization operating within the Orudan Empire.

In book one of his debut series, Jason Tesar delves into the heart of an ancient legend, embarking on an epic saga that will journey from earth’s mythological past to its post-apocalyptic future, blending the genres of fantasy, sci-fi, and military/political suspense.

Price: $0.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

The World's Greatest Books - Volume 02 - Fiction

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Price: $0.00


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

The Going-To-Bed Book

The Going-To-Bed BookSerious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawn versions of her multi-million selling board books. These whimsical and hilarious books, featuring nontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages, and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages.

Price: $5.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Monday, December 26, 2011

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

Price: $8.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Inheritance (Inheritance Cycle, Book 4)

Inheritance (Inheritance Cycle, Book 4)Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaƫsia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

Sneak Peek at Chapter TItles from Inheritance
Mooneater
To Feed a God
Black-Shrike-Thorn-Cave
A Crown of Ice and Snow
A Cradle Song
Dancing with Swords
A Sea of Nettles
No Honor, No Glory, Only Blisters in Unfortunate Places
The Hall of the Soothsayer
Burrow Grubs

Price: $27.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Burial To Follow

Burial To Follow"Like Stephen King, he knows how to summon serious scares."--Bentley Little

BURIAL TO FOLLOW

When Jacob Ridgehorn dies, it's up to Roby Snow to make sure his soul goes on to the eternal reward. The only way Roby can do that is convince the Ridgehorn family to eat a special pie. Lurking in the shadows is a mysterious figure named Johnny Divine, monitoring the crossroads between the living and the dead. Southern Appalachian funeral customs get crossed when Roby has to perform miracles...or else.

DRM-free and only 99 cents for a limited time. Novella of about 22,000 words. Originally published in the Cemetery Dance anthology "Brimstone Turnpike." Scott Nicholson is the bestselling Kindle author of the thrillers THE RED CHURCH, DRUMMER BOY, DISINTEGRATION, SPEED DATING WITH THE DEAD, and THE SKULL RING. Visit him at Author Central or www.hauntedcomputer.com

--------------------------
"Keep both hands on your pants, because Nicholson is about to scare them off."--J.A. Konrath, author of ORIGIN

"Scott Nicholson is the kind of writer who always surprises and always entertains."--Jonathan Maberry, author of Patient Zero and The Dragon Factory

"Lovecraft may have invented cosmic horror, but Nicholson brings it up close and personal."--Deborah LeBlanc, author of Morbid Curiosity

"Nicholson has moved into that literary shadow land between Ray Bradbury and Neil Gaiman."--Sharyn McCrumb, author of The Ballad novels

Price: $2.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Peek-A Who?

Peek-A Who?Colorful pictures and simple rhyming texts help children guess what's peeking through the die-cut windows in these two fun board books. The anticipation of what's hiding on the next page and the bright, engaging illustrations will keep youngsters guessing and giggling all the way to the suprise endings.

Price: $6.95


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know [Illustrated Edition]

Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know [Illustrated Edition]2011 Reprint of 1915 edition. Illustrated full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This volume contains a collection of fairy tales from a wide array of classical works, which we have grown up throughout time. These tales are immortal and include the following: Enchanted Stag; Twelve Brothers; Puss in Boots; Jack and the Beanstalk; Princess on the Pea; Ugly Duckling; Light Princess; Beauty and the Beast; Hansel and Gretel; Jack the Giant Killer; Second Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor; Story of Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp. Illustrated with 8 engravings by Mary Hamilton Frye. Hamilton Wright Mabie (1846-1916) was an American essayist, editor, critic, and lecturer.

Price: $9.95


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

In the Garden of Temptation (The Garden Series Book 1)

In the Garden of Temptation (The Garden Series Book 1)HONOR – Adam Stanford, Earl of Ashworth, has always done the right thing.
DESIRE – Lady Catherine Bourgeault, lonely and rejected, longs to experience passion, to love just once in her life.
TREACHERY – The Baron Bourgeault, to what extremes will an obsessive, unstable man go to achieve his own dark ends?
SEDUCTION – In the face of a love that will not be denied, Adam and Catherine risk everything to be together.
BETRAYAL – What price must Catherine and Adam pay for a forbidden love in a time when honor meant everything?

EXCERPT:
Catherine didn’t know if she wanted to tell Lord Ashworth about her retreat. She had come upon it not long after her marriage to Edgar, and it had offered her the only peace she was to know for a long time.
It was dangerous to share the only thing that belonged to one. Yet the thought of spending an afternoon with the earl in her most treasured place, sharing a leisurely meal, beckoned her. She glanced shyly over her shoulder to see if he still followed.
Lord Ashworth rode only a few yards behind her horse, and he grinned when their eyes met. He had a lazy, sensual smile and, when he looked at her like that, she felt an odd breathless catch in her throat. She wondered how it would feel if he were to place those warm lips to hers instead of the back of her hand.
Oh dear! There went that catch again.
Within moments they entered a clearing. Catherine dismounted without waiting for the earl’s assistance and swung her arms wide as she turned in a circle about the shaded copse.
“What do you think?” she asked.
The earl, still astride, cast his gaze slowly around the tiny glen as he studied the scenery. He then turned his attention to Catherine but did not speak. A suggestive grin broke the calm of his expression as he continued to watch her.
“More beautiful than I could have imagined,” he murmured.
Simple statement that, but it held a wealth of meaning. Catherine dropped her arms while staring back in fascination. Her mouth fell open and her breathing quickened. The air vibrated with unspoken words as they shared a moment of absolute understanding. The specter of desire had been brought into the open and was acknowledged.

Experience IN THE GARDEN OF TEMPTATION today. Meet characters you'll visit again in the other books in this series.

Bonus Material:
Excerpt from JUST ONE LOOK, Romantic Comedy by JOAN REEVES, now available on Amazon.

Excerpt from DESIGNING WOMAN and VIDEO VIXEN by ELAINE RACO CHASE, now available on Amazon.

Now Available on Amazon:
IN THE GARDEN OF SEDUCTION, Book 2 of The Garden Series.
IN THE GARDEN OF DISGRACE, Book 3 of The Garden Series.
IN THE GARDEN OF DECEIT, Book 4 of The Garden Series.

Just Released: THIEF OF SOULS
Dark and sensual, Thief of Souls is one man's battle with evil for the fate of his humanity. It is a modern vampire-esque romance, gothic in tone, with a twist on the "Beauty and the Beast" theme, for the beast's ugliness resides on the inside rather than the outside, and his hope for redemption comes not from being loved by another but from discovering his own ability to love.

Price: $0.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Daughter of Joy (Brides of Culdee Creek, Book 1)

Daughter of Joy (Brides of Culdee Creek, Book 1)As the author of fifteen romance novels, all published in the general market, Kathleen Morgan has hooked thousands of romance fans with her vivid storytelling and the intense chemistry she creates between her characters. Recently, this gifted novelist committed herself to writing inspirational fiction, and Revell is honored to present Morgan's premier Christian romance novel, Daughter of Joy.

Infused with all the spark and warmth of her previous novels, Morgan's new book, set in the late nineteenth century outside Colorado Springs, Colorado, also tells a compelling, perceptive tale of one woman's faith journey. In the wake of losing both her husband and young son, Abigail Stanton is searching for a way to make sense of her losses. She takes a job as housekeeper for Conor MacKay, a confusing, often volatile man who also carries deep pain-and secrets-in his inscrutable heart.

Price: $12.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

The Seventh Sister, A Paranormal Romance (Parched, book 2)

"He’s watching me with wide eyes; I know he felt it too.... The vampire fills me with warmth but the Wek makes my soul flutter."

(Book 2 of the Parched novel series)
Zillael hates high school and the tiny one horse town she lives in. She has no friends and no social life, both by choice. All of that changes the afternoon the fog rolls in and she soon finds herself face to face with three parched vampires.

But Zill also has a secret ability and as she uses it to fight blow by blow with the vampires, she’s shocked when Derek Firth, the most popular boy in school, who she was quite rude to earlier in the day, jumps in to help her take them out.

Zill slowly comes to realize that her world is not what it seems. Derek isn’t just the nice, likable guy that all the girls crush on and all the teachers praise; he’s a Wek. And, the fourth vampire that got away, well, he’s bonded to her in the craziest way.

Zill soon finds herself falling for the Wek and the vampire at the same time. She’s also learning that she’s not super strong with kick butt abilities for nothing. She has a purpose in life, and on the day the fog rolls back into town, she finds herself on the verge of discovering what that is.


PARCHED SERIES BOOKS AVAILABLE:

***The next book to read after finishing book 2 is Parched (Parched, book 1)


**Final Edit on 10/25/2011 – If you have a previous version, please email Kindle Customer Service to request the most updated version.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/kindle-help.html/ref=hp_kindle_cu_kh_?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200127470


*IMPORTANT READ THIS*
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR ABOUT WRITING THIS BOOK

I decided to make the second book in the Parched novel series shorter to deal with the limitations of writing in the first person point of view (or POV). Parched Book One, and the series in general is told in Clarity’s POV but as the saga continues to unfold other sisters will be introduced, and their lives are interesting as well!

After completing Book 1, I knew it was time to introduce Zillael, who in my head had this entire backstory. She's in love with two supernatural creatures, and they all will fold into the main plot in Book 3.

How their association came to be is the focus of book two. However, the end of this book picks up at the point in Book 3 (not the beginning) where the main plot is ready to introduce these characters into it in order to move forward.

If you want to continue on in the world of Parched, then Book 1 will be the next read after reading Book 2.

If you dare to read on... Thanks a million!
Also, Thanks if you read the IMPORTANT note! It was need to know info, wasn't it? :-)

Price: $0.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

The Jungle Book

The Jungle BookWhen Mowgli, the man's cub, is adopted by a pack of wolves there is great hostility and confusion in the jungle. But with the help of his friends, the bear and the panther, Mowgli soon learns how to survive.

Price: $9.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Free Kindle Books and How to Find Them

Free Kindle Books and How to Find ThemUpdated for the release of the Kindle Fire!!

Please note this eBook is not USA-specific: in other words, each site mentioned in this Guide allows you to download and enjoy their content on your Kindle no matter which country you may live.

From the author of the Amazon Kindle best-selling blog “Free Kindle Books Plus a Few Other Tips” comes this update to your definitive guide to millions of free books online! Rather than limit yourself to the offerings at Amazon, there are literally thousands upon thousands of books, short stories, and more available to you for no charge which you can transfer directly to your Kindle or other eBook reader, download via the Kindle’s WhisperNet service or email directly to your Kindle.

Sure, you could spend several hours performing the same research, but save yourself the time and frustration as this guide will show you where to look and find thousands of books so you can read to your heart’s content!

Everyone enjoys receiving free stuff – the author included. This guide shows you where you can receive several hundred thousand (actually over a million) free books, blogs, short stories, and other content. Theoretically, you will never have to pay another cent for Kindle reading content again.

This guide also provides a brief overview of how to transfer books to your Kindle, the various file formats that are compatible with the Kindle, and how to download free books from the Internet and transfer to your Kindle.

Michael Gallagher is the author of several bestselling Kindle “how-to” guides, and his title “Free Kindle Books and How to Find Them” has been the #1 Kindle reference guide for over two years, garnering #53 and #72 on the Top 100 Kindle bestseller lists in 2010 and 2011, respectively. His “Free Kindle Books Plus a Few Other Tips” blog has been the #1 bestselling blog in the Amazon Kindle Store since 2010.

Price: $0.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

The Book of Deacon

The Book of DeaconMyranda is a young woman more interested in staying alive than being a hero. Orphaned by a continent-spanning war that has gone on for decades too long and shunned for failing to support it, she has been on the move since she was only a child. One can hardly blame her when she thinks that the chance discovery of a fallen soldier's priceless cargo is the moment that will change her life. No one could predict just how great that change would be. It will lead her through an adventure of rebels and generals, of wizards and warriors, and of beasts both noble and monstrous. Each step of the way will take her closer to the truth of her potential, of the war, and of the fate of her world.

Price: $0.00


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Cloth Book Fuzzy Bee (Touch and Feel Cloth Books)

-Ideal for babies and toddlers.

-Rhyming text helps kids improve their listening skills.

Price: $7.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Stuck in the Middle (Sister-to-Sister, Book 1)

Stuck in the Middle (Sister-to-Sister, Book 1)Joan Sanderson's life is stuck. Her older sister, Allie, is starting a family and her younger sister, Tori, has a budding career. Meanwhile, Joan is living at home with Mom and looking after her aging grandmother. Not exactly a recipe for excitement. That is, until a hunky young doctor moves in next door. Suddenly Joan has a goal--to get a date. But it won't be easy. Pretty Tori flirts relentlessly with him and Joan is sure that she can't compete. But with a little help from God, Allie, and an enormous mutt with bad manners, maybe Joan can find her way out of this rut.
Book 1 of the Sister-to-Sister series, Stuck in the Middle combines budding romance, spiritual searching, and a healthy dose of sibling rivalry.

Price: $6.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of.

The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?

Price: $13.95


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Fools Rush In (Weddings by Bella, Book 1)

Fools Rush In (Weddings by Bella, Book 1)Bella Rossi may be nearing thirty, but her life is just starting to get interesting. When her Italian-turned-Texan parents hand over the family wedding planning business, Bella is determined not to let them down. She quickly books a "Boot Scoot'n" wedding that would make any Texan proud. There's only one catch--she's a country music numbskull because her family only listens to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Where will she find a DJ on such short notice who knows his Alan Jackson from his Keith Urban?

When a misunderstanding leads her to the DJ (and man) of her dreams, things start falling into place. But with a family like hers, nothing is guaranteed. Can the perfect Texan wedding survive a pizza-making uncle with mob ties, an aunt who is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and a massive delivery of 80 cowboy boots? And will Bella ever get to plan her own wedding?

Book one in the Weddings by Bella series, Fools Rush In is fun, fresh, and full of surprises. Readers will love the flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex, and the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.

Price: $6.99


Click here to buy from Amazon


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Taming of the book proposal


Taming the Book Proposal: The Basics

Oh, that most maddening of documents! For so many of us eager to move forward with our nonfiction projects, it looms large like a guard at the queen's castle, blocking the path to publication. Its perfection eludes us yet it stands there teasing, "Complete me, or your manuscript will never see the light of day, mwahahahaha!"

In truth, that's a lie. Every author has the option of self-publishing. However, there are advantages to writing a book proposal instead of a whole book.

One advantage is that it usually takes less time than writing a whole book. Two, it creates the possibility of getting paid to write your book, perhaps just a few thousand dollars, perhaps tens or even hundreds of thousands. Three, it forces you to get clear about what you're doing with your book, on a number of levels.

Even if you want to self-publish, a book proposal serves as a sort of business plan for your book. The time and energy spent on research, evaluation and comparison of your ideas at the outset pays off down the line many times over. After all, wouldn't you rather find out now that someone else has said similar things more eloquently and have a chance to amend your manuscript, than publish the darn thing only to read terrible--or worse--no reviews?

The process of polishing your book proposal is also an exercise in discipline and focus. It brings the purpose of your book, its scope, depth and message into sharp relief. It will get your thinking muscles into the best shape ever to produce the most marketable book of which you are capable. However, you must dedicate the necessary time and energy to educate yourself, move through multiple drafts and polish this behemoth of a document to perfection, or else hire someone who knows how to do just that.

Here are some answers to questions you may be asking right now:

What is a book proposal?

A book proposal is a document intended to sell a publishing staff on publishing a particular nonfiction book. It is the way most nonfiction books get published by major publishers. It reads very much like a business plan about the book proposed. It can be anywhere from 10-100 double-spaced, 12-point 8 1/2 X 11 pages--most are 20-60 pages, including sample chapters. It generally uses a very specific format and specialized language to make its case.

What does the book proposal do?

It answers a series of typical questions that different departments of book publishing companies need answered when deciding which tiny handful of proposals, out of hundreds, to take a chance on. It acts on your and your book's behalf to answer questions like, Why this book over all the others in its class? Why now? Why this author?

Who sees my book proposal first, an agent or a publisher?

It depends on whether you choose to have an agent represent you, or go directly to publishers. Many publishers will not accept unagented material, so make sure you check a given publisher's guidelines first.

What does the book proposal contain?

Generally, a book proposal contains a cover sheet, table of contents, along with the following sections: overview, author bio, author's marketing plan, market analysis of buyers, comparative and/or competing books, outline, sample chapters.

The overview contains a hook, or means of enticement, draws the editor in, and gives a general summary of the book's purpose. It's sort of like an article about the book. It should make you want to read the whole thing!

The author bio puts any and all of your experience related to writing the book, in its best light. It's different from a resume or CV. It looks a lot like the "about the author" blurbs you see in the back of published books, below the author's photo.

The author's marketing plan, or "what the author will do to promote the book," shows the publisher that you know what it takes to sell your book, and details how you plan to do it. These days, ironically, publishers don't put much money into publicity, unless you're already famous. An author with a well-thought-out marketing plan will stand out from most of the others who pay far less attention to this section, thinking instead that the publisher will take care of it.

The complementary and competing books section identifies and describes books that both directly compete with and also that complement the proposed book. The purpose of this section is to show the editors what has been done before, and how your book fits in. The reason for this section is twofold: One, many editors are too busy to keep up-to-the-minute records of what's being done in every field, and so rely on the author to educate them about what else is out there. Two, just as many editors know exactly what's out there, and want to know how your work purports to compare.

There's a paradox here: On the one hand, you want to point to X, Y and Z books as evidence that this topic you're writing on is really hot. On the other hand, you want to make a strong case that yet another book--namely yours--is still necessary, and why. So you have to point out strongly yet tactfully--you never know what relationship the person reading your proposal bears to your competition-- what yours will do that others haven't.

The market analysis makes the case for the size of the book's audience. It usually covers a broad view of current interests and buying patterns in the larger culture that bode favorably for the book. It may include recent movies, documentaries on television, facts about memberships in organizations or clubs, social or ethnic groups whose constituents would be likely buyers of the book. For example, a book with an exercise theme might cite the circulation of major fitness magazines, membership in health clubs or recent TV shows on related topics. This approach can be adapted to whatever the subject: parenting, cancer, gardening, dogs, mental illness, business, or entrepreneurship.

The chapter outline tells chapter by chapter what your book contains, and the sample chapters, usually about 30 pages worth, represent the best samples of your writing.

Why are so many book proposals rejected?

Most book proposals are rejected because the ideas presented in them fail to convince the publisher that the author has a worthwhile (read: marketable) project. Making a project appealing to a publisher is a specialized skill, very different from creating the project itself.

In my experience, authors, whether of fiction or nonfiction are by nature creative people. If you're reading this, chances are at some point in your life, you became enamored of an idea or ideas, and felt the urge to move your thoughts into the world in book form. Your mind is alive. You have something to say.

A successful book proposal, on the other hand, is a specialized marketing document that follows a particular form, and answers very specific questions in a way that gets a "Yes!" from publishers. Unless your field is marketing, and in particular, the marketing of books to publishers, chances are you don't have expertise in creating a book proposal. And why should you? It's nowhere near as much fun for most authors as working and playing with their own ideas.

The majority of my clients who give me book proposals to review, even those who have read books I've recommended and claim to have followed them, give me proposals almost certainly slated for rejection. An excellent book proposal is a tough document for most authors to produce on their own. However, help abounds!

If you are determined to write your book proposal on your own, can really, truly follow directions, and have the patience it takes to polish your work with dozens or hundreds of revisions, I recommend Michael Larsen's book, How to Write a Book Proposal, and Jeff Herman's Write the Perfect Book Proposal. Read them, study them, write your proposal, rewrite it several dozen times (no, I'm not joking) and have it professionally reviewed by someone who really knows what they are doing. Polish it to perfection--in this business, in which 99% of all proposals will get rejected, good enough simply isn't.

Then, if you want an agent, make sure you find one with a successful track record of selling work like yours, otherwise your polished proposal may gleam, twinkle and shimmer for unappreciative and unqualified eyes. Unless the agent has specified otherwise, query them first via a one- to one-and-a-half page letter. For the query, read and study John Wood's How to Write Attention-Grabbing Query and Cover Letters. Then have at it. Spend at least three weeks on this query letter, and get feedback from at least three people, at least one of whom truly knows the field.

Want to get started (or move further along) on your book proposal RIGHT NOW? Check out our classes.

All the best to you in your journey, and keep me posted!

You are welcome to reprint this article any time, anywhere with no further permission, and no payment, provided the following is included at the end or beginning:




Author Jill Nagle is founder and principal of GetPublished, http://www.GetPublished.com, which provides coaching, consulting, ghostwriting, classes and do-it-yourself products to emerging and published authors. Her most recent book is How to Find An Agent Who Can Sell Your Book for Top Dollar http://www.FindTheRightAgent.com.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

How to check your book


Imagine your book at the top of the Best Sellers List of the New York Times. Most authors do. The question is, "How do I get it there and sell millions of copies?"

When planing your book, there is one critical thing that most authors forget - marketing. In the case of book reviewers this means pre-marketing.

Most reviewers require a copy of your book at least three months before publication. This is because most book reviewers need time to read it and review it plus publish all the reviews on books that they have reviewed for those who came before you. Also many publications come out on a weekly or monthly basis instead of daily. This means that book reviewers have a huge backlog.

So the best way to get a book reviewers to review your book, is to get them a quality copy of your manuscript or a galley, as soon as possible.

What if your book has already been published?

Is it too late to get a book reviewer to review your book? In some cases yes and in some no. There is an easy way to get your book reviewed without calling it a review.

Send out a press release.

Create a press release about your book and submit it to your local newspapers, magazines and radio stations. Make it interesting. Don't just say Mary Joe Piper has just published her newest book Babes on Parade. Think about your story and what it can teach people. Does it have a theme about love or friendship or settling disputes?

Use the issue in your press release. Teach people how to solve their problems and then have the person interviewing you mention your credits, as a published author. At that point your book will be mentioned, you will have done them a service, and you will have saved thousands of dollars on marketing and query letters to editors.

Here are just a few sites that you can go to to submit your pre - publication book:

Book Reviewers:

Terrie Bittner

Bellaonline.com: Children's Books

childrenbooks@bellaonline.com

http://www.bellaonline.com/entertainment/children.html

Categories: Children, Children’s Religion, Young Adult - Children Query first.

Sandy Cummins

Writers Exchange Book Reviews

PO Box 372

Atherton, QLD 4883

writers@writers-exchange.com

[http://www.ozemail.com.au/~pjcsjc/book-review.htm]

Categories: Computer/Internet/Technology, Children, Christian, Fiction, How-To, Non-Fiction, Religion, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, eBooks, Writing, promotion & publishing

Anne Douglas

http://www.bookideas.com

emailanned@yahoo.com

http://www.bookideas.com

Categories: Art, Books From Small Presses, Children, Cookbook, Fiction, Literature, Mystery, Pop Culture, Women, Young Adult - Children, Biography, Parenting. Particularly interested in American art and children's books.

Apryl Duncan

FictionAddiction.NET

Box 876

Chattanooga, TN 37343

ReviewRequest@FictionAddiction.NET

http://www.FictionAddiction.NET

Categories: Books From Small Presses, Children, Fiction, Literature, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Adult - Children, Thriller/Suspense, Writing, promotion & publishing, Adventure, Horror

Melanie C. Duncan

Bookdragaon Review (ISSN 1527-0157)

444 Forest Hill Road, #813

Macon, GA 31210

MCDuncan@bookdragonreview.com

http://www.bookdragonreview.com

Categories: Fiction, Young Adult - Children Comments: All genres fiction only. Please query before sending an e-book. Attachments are deleted if not specifically requested. Traditional galleys may be sent without a query, however please read the FAQs at the website before sending.

Linda Eberharter

Fiction Forest

7042 Cohasset Ct.

Indianapolis, IN 46226

Phone: 317-549-3038

linda@atlanticbridge.net

http://www.atlanticbridge.net

Categories: Children, Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller/Suspense, eBooks

Detra Fitch

Huntress Book Reviews

205 Dana Drive

Easley, SC 29642

huntress@huntressreviews.com

http://www.huntressreviews.com

Categories: Children, Fiction, General, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Adult - Children, Thriller/Suspense, Adventure, Horror

Denise Fleischer

Gotta Write Online

515 E. Thacker

Hoffman Estates, IL 60194

Phone: 847 882-8054

Netera@aol.com

http://members.aol.com/gwnlitmag/

Categories: Mystery, Romance, Young Adult - Children, eBooks, Writing, promotion & publishing. Authors can also make guest appearances on the AOL chat she co-hosts on Tuesdays from 10-11 PM ET. Writers: keyword, chatrooms, Writer's Grill.

Jessica Holmes

Romance At Its Best, Midnight Reviews

owner@romanceatitsbest.com

http://www.romanceatitsbest.com/

Categories: Books From Small Presses, Fiction, General, How-To, Literature, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Women, Young Adult - Children, Biography, Thriller/Suspense, eBooks, Self-help, Writing, promotion & publishing, Inspirational/Motivational, History/Political, Adventure, Horror

Dave Jenkinson

CM/Canadian Review Materials

Faculty of Education,

University of Manitoba

Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2

Phone: 204-474-8780

e-Mail: jenkinson@ms.umanitoba.ca

http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/

Categories: Audiobooks; General, Children, Young Adults

Jeanne Kelly

1928 Mid Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80906

Phone: 719-291-2309

e-Mail: whitebison@mail.com

Categories: Audiobooks; Children, Health, Metaphysical, Spiritual, Women, Self-help, Writing, Inspirational, Motivational

Jeanette Lambert

Tennessee Tribune

6940 Sunderland Circle

Nashville, TN 37221-4621

Phone: 615-321-3268

jbl96@aol.com

Categories: Children, Cookbook, Fiction, General, How-To, Library, Lifestyle, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Reference, Sociology, Travel/Hospitality, Women, Young Adult - Children, Biography, Thriller/Suspense, African-American Fiction and Nonfiction , Self-help, Writing, promotion & publishing, Education

Jennifer L. B. Leese

AStoryWeaver's Book Reviews

311 Frederick Street

Hagerstown, MD 21740

AStoryWeaver@aol.com

[http://www.geocities.com/ladyjiraff/aswbr.html]

Categories: Children, Young Adult - Children. Ebooks should be sent to home address on disc or in printed format. Please supply all information needed to properly review your book and where to send the review when done. For faster responses, the review can be sent to you via email.

Cathi Dunn MacRae, Editor

VOYA

Scarecrow Press

4720 Boston Way

Lanham, MD 20706

voya@voya.com

http://www.voya.com

Categories: Young Adult & Children

Sandra J. Morgan

Cloudy Mountain Books/The Fiction Forest

2 Bow Mills Road

Center Barnstead, NH 03225

Phone: 603 776 0123

sandi@fictionforest.com

http://www.fictionforest.com

Categories: Audiobooks, Australian Books, Books From Small Presses, Children, Christian, Cookbook, Features, Fiction, Food, General, Health, How-To, Humanities, Library, Lifestyle, Literature, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Pop Culture, Reference, Religion, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Serials, Travel/Hospitality, Video, Women, Psychology/Mental Health, Biography, Parenting, Thriller/Suspense, eBooks, Theater, Politics, Film History, African-American Fiction and Nonfiction , Financial

Christian Perring, Ph.D.

Metapsychology Online Review

c/o Philosophy Dept

Dowling College

Oakdale , NY 11769

Phone: 631-244-3349

metapsychology@mentalhelp.net

http://mentalhelp.net/books/

Categories: Art, Audiobooks, Books From Small Presses, Fiction, Gay/Lesbian Fiction, Gay/Lesbian Non-Fiction, General, Health, Humanities, Literature, Metaphysical, Mystery, Pop Culture, Sociology, Women, Young Adult - Children, Psychology/Mental Health, Biography, Parenting, Comics, Science

Puala Rohrlick

KLIATT Young Adult Paperback Book Guide

33 Bay State Rd.,

Welesley, MA 02481

Phone: 781-237-7577

kliatt@aol.com

http://www.hometown.aol.com/kliatt

Categories: Young Adult - Children

Geoff Rotunno

the boox review

PO Box 211

Santa Ynez, CA 93460

geoff@thebooxreview.com

[http://www.thebooxreview.com]

Categories: Art, Audiobooks, Australian Books, Computer/Internet/Technology, Junior College Books, Books From Small Presses, Children, Children’s Religion, Christian, Cookbook, Features, Fiction, Gay/Lesbian Fiction, Gay/Lesbian Non-Fiction, Food, General, Health, How-To, Humanities, Library, Lifestyle, Literature, Marketing, Metaphysical, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Pop Culture, Reference, Religion, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Serials, Sociology, Spiritual, Travel/Hospitality, Video, Women, Young Adult/Children's, Psychology/Mental Health, Biography, Parenting, Thriller/Suspense, Theater, Politics, Film History, African-American Fiction and Nonfiction , Financial, Self-help, Writing, promotion & publishing, Inspirational/Motivational, Business, Comics, Gardening, Science, Education, History/Political Comments: Seeking review copies of all genres except romance.

Beverly J. Rowe

myshelf.com

102 Copper Lane

Kenai, AK 99611

Phone: (907) 283-2840

bevbooks@aol.com

Categories: Children, Cookbook, Fiction, Food, Literature, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Young Adult - Children, Biography, Thriller/Suspense, Writing, promotion & publishing, Education, History/Political. Prefers hard copies.

J.B. Scott

Sydney, NSW 2148

ctf_editor@iprimus.com.au

[http://www.geocities.com/ebook_review]

Categories: Australian Books, Computer/Internet/Technology, Books From Small Presses, Children, Fiction, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller/Suspense, eBooks

E-mail all review requests to ctf_editor@iprimus.com.au with "REVIEW REQUEST" in the subject header.

Sandra Simmons-Maike

Freelance

Rt. 2 Box 152

Alma, KS 66401

Phone: 785-765-3861

sandcogroup@aol.com

Categories: Audiobooks, Books From Small Presses, Children, Cookbook, Fiction, Food, General, Library, Lifestyle, Marketing, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Serials, Young Adult - Children, Thriller/Suspense, eBooks, Self-help. Include time deadline.

Roger Sutton, Editor

Horn Book Magazine

56 Roland Street, Suite 200

Boston, MA 02129

Phone: 617-628-0225

Categories: Children, Young Adult - Children

Niki Taylor

Freelance

nat0607@hotmail.com

http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/book_reviews

Categories: Books From Small Presses, Children, Christian, Gay/Lesbian Non-Fiction, Health, Non-Fiction, Pop Culture, Sociology, Spiritual, Travel/Hospitality, Women, Young Adult - Children, Psychology/Mental Health, Biography, eBooks, Theater, Film History, Self-help, Writing, promotion & publishing, Inspirational/Motivational, History/Political

Anna Serra i Vidal

AledaƱos. Boletƭn electronico y crƭtico de literatura

Eiximenis, 6

Sant Pere de Ribes, Barcelona 08810

Phone: + 34 93 896 25 04

aserra@ctv.es

Categories: Children, Cookbook, Fiction, Literature, Mystery, Women, Young Adult - Children, Thriller/Suspense, eBooks, Writing, promotion & publishing, Education

Christopher Warner

EFP - Spratt Publishing

4924 Balboa Blvd

Suite 304

Los Angeles, CA 91316

Phone: 818-881-7053

efp@dslextreme.com

Categories: Art, Audiobooks, Australian Books, Computer/Internet/Technology, Junior College Books, Books From Small Presses, Children's Book, Cookbook, Features, Fiction, Gay/Lesbian Fiction, Gay/Lesbian Non-Fiction, Food, General, Health, How-To, Humanities, Library, Lifestyle, Literature, Marketing, Metaphysical, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Pop Culture, Reference, Religion, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Serials, Sociology, Spiritual, Travel/Hospitality, Video, Women, Young Adult/Children's, Psychology/Mental Health, Biography, Parenting, Thriller/Suspense, eBooks, Theater, Politics, Film History, African-American Fiction and Nonfiction , Financial, Self-help, Writing, promotion & publishing, Inspirational/Motivational, Business, Comics, Gardening, Science, Education, Scholarly, History/Political, Adventure, Nature, Horror, Photography

Brenda Weeaks

MyShelf.Com

reviews@myshelf.com

http://www.myshelf.com

Categories: Audiobooks, Books From Small Presses, Children, Christian, Cookbook, Fiction, Food, General, Health, How-To, Literature, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Reference, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Serials, Women, Young Adult - Children, Thriller/Suspense, Self-help, Writing, promotion & publishing, Inspirational/Motivational, Gardening

Stephanie Zvirin

Booklist/American Library Association

50 E. Huron

Chicago, IL 60611

http://www.ala.org/booklist/

Categories: Young Adult

Once a few book reviewers write about your book, other book reviewers will follow. Be prepared for these subsequent book reviewers. Have copies of your book ready to send out with your author packet.




Caterina Christakos is a children's book author. To learn how to write a children's book in 30 days or less go to: [http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com]





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Valentine's Day Gifts For Kids - Sharing the Love


Valentinstag ist nicht nur ein Tag fĆ¼r Liebhaber. Sie kƶnnen verbringen Sie Zeit mit Ihren Kindern oder erhalten sie Geschenke an diesem besonderen Tag. Dies ist ein Feiertag, das nun gefeiert wird, um anderen zu zeigen, die Sie um sie kĆ¼mmert. Einige Ideen zum Valentinstag Geschenke fĆ¼r Kinder umfassen Folgendes:

Eine Familie Abendessen aus. Es gibt Themen-Restaurants, die sich an Kinder ebenso wie Pizza PlƤtze wo gibt es Spiele zu spielen. Je nach Alter kƶnnte Sie Orte wie Chuck E. Cheese oder Dave & Busters gehen. Selbst wenn man die Kinder zum gemeinsamen lokalen Hamburger kann ein VergnĆ¼gen sein, wenn es nicht etwas ist, was Sie normalerweise tun. Kinder lieben zu essen und wenn es gibt ein Spielzimmer oder AktivitƤten beteiligt, das ist fĆ¼r sie noch spezieller.

Handgemachte Coupons. Geben Sie Ihren Kindern ein BĆ¼ndel der Coupons, die Sie selbst auf dem Computer machen. Gutscheine fĆ¼r das Ɯberspringen einer Bad eine Nacht (die meisten wenig Kinder lieben) oder bis eine halbe Stunde spƤter - zu sagen, alle diese sind leicht zu machen auf dem Computer und kƶnnen groƟe Valentinstag Geschenke fĆ¼r Kinder. Wer weiƟ? Sie kƶnnen sogar mƶglicherweise diese Strecke noch weiter und machen es eine das ganze Jahr Ć¼ber Option aus, um gutes Verhalten zu verstƤrken!

Einen Korb von Goodies. Sie kƶnnen erhalten kleine Kƶrbe Handwerk oder Discounter und fĆ¼llen Sie sie mit allen Arten von weniger gĆ¼nstig behandelt, um Ihre Kinder zeigen, wie viel Sie lieben. Die meisten GeschƤfte haben wenig Neuheiten fĆ¼r Kinder, die in ihren Warenkƶrben integriert werden kƶnnen.

Ƅltere Kinder, wie Jugendliche und Teenagers mƶchten mƶglicherweise steckte kindisch Dinge und etwas ein wenig mehr aufgewachsen. Hier sind einige gute Valentinstag Geschenke fĆ¼r Kinder, die ein bisschen Ƥlter sind:

Geschenke fĆ¼r MƤdchen. Junge MƤdchen, vor allem in den Tween, Liebe die Zeitschriften, die zeigen, ihre bevorzugten Teen Idole auf dem Cover. Diese Zeitschriften kƶnnen in der Regel billiger abgeholt werden und werden das Tween auf Ihrer Liste hƶher garantiert werden. MƤdchen in diesem Alter sind gravitierenden auf Make-up und Schmuck, also bist du Spiel, eine kleine Starterset von guter QualitƤt Make-up oder ein schƶnes StĆ¼ck von Schmuck wie eine Armband eine junge Dame begeistern wĆ¼rde.

Geschenke fĆ¼r Jungen. Jungen genieƟen Comic-BĆ¼cher oder Action-Figuren auf der Grundlage von ihren Lieblingsfiguren. Jungen genieƟen Sie noch lesen, Superhelden und Comic-BĆ¼cher zu lesen. Sie kƶnnen gehen Sie zu Ihrem lokalen Comic-Buch-Shop und erhalten Ihre jungen eine Reihe von Comic-BĆ¼cher ziemlich billig. Um wirklich bis das Geschenk Saft, wĆ¼rde ein Ć¼bereinstimmenden Action-Figur des jungen Tag machen.

Ein Einkaufsbummel in der Mall. Dies ist fĆ¼r junge MƤnner und Frauen, die Jugendlichen sind. Wenn Sie versuchen, sie zu kaufen Kleidung, sie vielleicht nicht gerne hƶren, und das gleiche gilt fĆ¼r Musik. Sie kƶnnen auch sie erhalten Gutscheine fĆ¼r Best Buy und andere Elektronik-FachgeschƤften, wo sie alle neuesten Musik und DVDs finden kƶnnen. WƤhrend einige Leute auf die Idee, Geschenkgutscheine fĆ¼r Menschen als Geschenke strƤuben, kƶnnen sie die beste Antwort sein, beim Umgang mit Jugendlichen, die sehr schwierig zu gefallen sein kann.

Geschenkgutscheine. Geschenkgutscheine fĆ¼r die Filme sind eine gute Mƶglichkeit, Ihr jugendlich Ć¼berraschen dieser Valentinstag. Sie kƶnnen sie auch eine Geschenk-Karte fĆ¼r ihre Lieblings-Fast-Food-Platz oder sogar Starbucks erhalten. Es gibt Dutzende von verschiedenen Ideen, wie einen Teenager wƤhrend dieser Feiertag bitte. Cash ist auch ein begehrten Geschenk von den meisten jungen Menschen. Nur sicher sein, es in eine schƶne Karte, die ihnen sagt, wie viel Sie lieben.

Sie mĆ¼ssen nicht Ihre Valentinstag Geschenke fĆ¼r Kinder eine Menge Geld ausgeben. Dies ist ein tief wichtige Urlaub, wenn es um den Kauf, Kinder prƤsentiert. Allerdings ist es schƶn, Ihre Kinder zeigen, die Sie von ihnen an diesem Tag denken um zu Liebe gewidmet ist.




Check out Geschenke fĆ¼r Valentines Day.net bei http://www.giftsforvalentinesday.net und feiern Sie Ihre Liebe diesem Valentinstag mit diesen groƟen Valentinstag Geschenkideen.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Free Christmas craft idea for children


Kids love craft during the Christmas season. Spend time with your children as you enjoy this Santa craft ideas, which are relatively easy and fun. Choose from a variety of our Christmas crafts decorations, free ideas.

SANTA PICTURE:

If you are looking for holiday craft ideas for preschoolers, you start with this activity Santa pictures. There are hundreds of Santa coloring books sold during the Christmas period. Choose an image from the book. Santas image cut you off, and put it in the middle of your white construction paper. Use a glue stick, add the Santa image on the paper.

Colors in the image with colored markings. Wadding Santas are added to BART and the top of Red Hat. Black buttons serve as Santas eyes and a red Pearl button, you can for his nose. Decorate the rest of the area of the white paper of drawing candy canes or trees.

When you are finished, you have your children their names under Santa print. Paste your work of art, a piece of heavy cardboard. Setting the image in a frame to protect you. Then, you can see artwork your child in your home...

SANTA CHRISTMAS NIGHT TICKETS:

Santa Christmas cards are also fun for your children. Get a piece of heavy, white paper and share the paper to a size 5 "x 7". You can it folds in half, so or so — vertically or horizontally. Now it's time to be creative. Have pictures of Santa, who can copy your children on the front cover. Use pens or markers that their creative ideas explode felt can edit.

Open the map and let your kids Christmas messages on the inside of the card printed. Home-made Christmas cards are delightful show at home or at friends and relatives send. If you perform multiple projects, you must add this calendar craft-a-day to Christmas.

AN ORNAMENT SANTA PLATE FOR THE CHRISTMAS TREE TO MAKE:

Make a Santa disk, collect pens and markers, cotton wool, a big paper plate and color sparkles. Track on paper plates or Santa, move without his Red Hat. Glue the cotton balls on his beard. Creative, glue as a way to cotton wool together in a V-shaped hangs so that Santa beard from the plate. Another place with cotton wool is hair on Santas

Santas eyes blue color and drag the Santa glasses black. Cotton ball color red with food coloring or a market. Now you place it on Santas nose. Use red or green mark on the edge of the plate. You want it with glitter to decorate. Finally, you must add a hook to the plate and hang it on the tree.

Who said it can not done? There are so many different ways with your kids in design, create and to share decoration Santa Christmas ornaments, pictures and maps.




Their free advent calendar for your family Christmas & advent celebration this year will you Kris King. Your package includes also free decoration craft ideas [http://www.christmascelebrationideas.com/santacrafts.htm] you can use today.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Crafts For Kids to Learn and Have Fun


Most kids love crafts because they are fun and artistic. Many crafts are also educational and can be used to teach children of all ages about numbers, letters, animals, shapes, themes, science, and even stories about history or legends. The great thing about crafts is any kid can participate, and their finished product doesn't have to be "perfect."

Crafts are available for all ages and learning levels. There are fun activities for daycare and preschool kids, families, and even grandparents to enjoy with their grandchildren. There are also educational crafts for every season so there's never a boring moment year round!

For younger kids, there are crafts using paper, crayons, soaps, putty, play dough, stickers, photos, toys, etc. For children ages 7-9, crafts are often a little more challenging and may involve watercolors or finger paints, beads, photo albums, scrapbooks, tie-dye materials, book covers, lunch boxes, dolls, and many other items. For older girls, there are some excellent quilting books for kids with a variety of patterns and colors. Older boys enjoy sports-related crafts or even scientific experiments!

Educate with Play Dough Crafts for Kids

Whether you're a parent wanting to spend quality time with your child, or a daycare or preschool teacher, play dough provides a fun, clean activity to create animals, numbers, and even words. With play dough, kids can use their imagination (and their hands) to mold all sorts of shapes. Challenge them to mold certain characters or animals they see in a book. Or, get several kids together with play dough to create an entire village. Obtain a book of play dough recipes to help the kids sculpt their favorite animal or character. You can find play dough recipes for flowers such as daffodils and roses, snowmen, pigs, snails, cats, turtles, faces, fruit, butterflies, frogs, buildings, furniture, foods, and many other examples.

Puppet Shows

For older children, teach them to create their own puppets and put on a puppet show. The show doesn't have to be elaborate... but it should definitely be fun for the kids! Choose a theme or story for the play from a book or play script, and provide photos or drawings of the characters so the kids can get an idea of how to create their puppets. Provide materials and instructions for creating puppets. Help with those parts that are difficult, but allow the children to use their creativity.

Use Crafts to Teach Gardening Techniques

Kids enjoy watching things grow, especially plants or foods they planted on their own. There are many educational crafts for kids centered on gardening. You can teach them to make their own flowerpots or garden bins. Have them decorate planters using their own method and materials, and then plant flowers, fruit, or vegetables. You can even make funny cup characters from foam cups by planting grass as the hair! Just draw a funny face on the cup, add rich soil, sprinkle some grass seeds on top, and add a little water every couple of days.

Cooking Crafts

Baking is another fun activity to go along with crafts. Have your kids make their own cookie jars and then bake some cookies to place in the jars. Or, bake a cake and teach them to decorate it with frosting, sprinkles, and other cake ornaments. Buy various shapes of pans and cutters for making cupcakes, cookies, and bread. Also, make creative popcorn treats for a movie night.

Other Educational Craft Themes

Some other themes that are both fun and educational include holiday crafts, toilet roll crafts, bible crafts, egg crate creations, sewing or quilting, beading, face painting, and flip flop crafts. Whatever theme you want to try, be sure to find an age-appropriate book with craft ideas. Craft books can show you how to create crafts for kids from start to finish and which materials and supplies are needed. For young quilters, quilting books offer detailed instructions on their level.

Crafts for kids give you a wonderful opportunity to teach your children about all aspects of life. Check out the many craft resources online today for more fantastic ideas!




Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Creative back to school activity ideas for kids


One is a creative way to welcome students back in school back to school activity or celebrate the beginning of the new school year. As much as the kids summer go enjoy, love them back to school. Children love, see friends they have not seen all summer, meet new friends and learn about their new teacher.

More creative are back ideas to school activity a game called school bus photo gallery and how to get a book classroom. You cake for a first day of the school could make even a simple school bus activity. These ideas are fun, cheap and easy to do. They include children get and each other to know, and get back in the swing of things at school.

A game called with the children so that everyone remembers to the name. Everyone will say their name and what is your favorite animal (or food, toys, etc.), which begins with the same first letter of their name. You might say the children stand in a circle and starting with the teacher, "my name is Mrs. Johnson and I like rabbits". Using you for younger children a beach ball to cast the circle until each has the ball caught and their name.

To make a school bus Photo Gallery, you cut a big yellow school bus yellow motherboard or butcher paper. Windows, the frames are cut out. You take a picture of the child (only head shot) and printing it on so that you can be used immediately (unless you have access to a Polaroid camera). Band photo of the child in a school bus window and hang on the wall. If you have a large class, you must complete two school buses.

A classroom book is a fun group back to school activity. A group of children can design book and back covers, other bodies of the school map, and another group the class and school rules listed. A student to make each bio page the book. On the student they can list their names, family, favorite animal or food and favorite subject in school bio page. Showing you read this book classroom in a directory that each round can on.

I hope this back to school activities that help, ideas make a funny experience the first day and week of the school for your children. Children love it with their friends and enjoy activities that have to get to know each other here.




As a mother, grandmother and child development professional, Nancy Johnson, more than 20 years shares experience with children working and planning activities on their website, creative child activity Notebook.com. Check it out for more school-aged child activity ideas including learn, holiday, party, nature and cultural child activity thematic ideas.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Become an E-Book Author ... Make Money From Your Knowledge!


"E-Book" is short for Electronic Book---an organized set of content delivered in an electronic format. There are many different types of e-books including packaged executables, PDF, and formats for the handheld computer.

As with so many of the original e-books, your e-book doesn't have to be about Making Money or Internet Marketing---people are interested in many other things. What makes an e-book valuable to a wide audience is that it provides information that people cannot easily find elsewhere.

Over the years, I've had the pleasure of writing numerous printed books and working on several electronic publications. From what I've seen, the e-book medium supports the greatest creative flexibility. Images can come alive, you can provide interactive forms and content, the user can access remote databases, and you can support dynamic updates whenever the content changes. There are, however, several steps involved in the process to properly develop and promote an e-book to your audience.

The Process

When developing an e-book, you have to perform several important steps to create quality content. Each step allows you to fine-tune your idea and the end-product so that readers will learn from and enjoy the content you provide.

- Brainstorm an Idea

Ideas are cheap, but good ideas take time to develop. To develop a good idea, you have to jot down as many ideas as possible, then go through the list to make sure that:

* you're interested in the idea;

* you're knowledgeable on the topic;

* you're hitting the greatest, potential market;

* people will purchase the information; and

* you can market to those interested.

Once you reduce the list to a few solid choices, go back through and examine the remaining topics to determine which topics you can write, by:

* determining what you know about the topic;

* performing market research to ensure that you have a market and an angle for that market; and

* performing competitive research to find your competition's products, successes, failures, and target markets.

While fine-tuning your product, remember that people will buy the product if it:

* solves a problem;

* improves an existing product;

* hits on a hot trend;

* creates a new niche; or

* fills a current need.

- Develop an Outline

Once you come up with the idea, you'll have to create an outline or table of contents to develop the idea. The best way I've found to do this is to break the idea down into blocks of contiguous information---similar to assembling a pyramid. At the top is the IDEA with each successive level providing a more detailed sequence of points that ultimately explain the top-level IDEA.

The outline itself should be at least four levels deep so that you can understand what you'll say for each section or chapter. Research each section and collect pertinent information so that you can develop a coherent outline and understand the depths of what it is you are writing.

- Develop the First Draft

The first draft is merely a "brain dump." Follow your outline and write as much as possible about each section. Don't worry about format, spelling, or grammar at this point, as you'll focus on resolving those issues later.

- Substantive Edit

A substantive edit is a review of the manuscript where you fine-tune the content. You have to make sure that the content is complete, contains pertinent information for the topic, and provides enough relevant information to explain the topic. At this point, you can perform additional research to verify the content or enhance the information for the reader.

- Content/Technical Review

Find some experts in your manuscript's topic area and have them review it for accuracy and readability. This type of review ensures that the information is correct and that the target audience will be able to understand the content. Many times, experts will take credit in the acknowledgements as opposed to a fee, but this is something you'll have to work out with them.

- Second Draft

The second draft takes into account the information from your reviewers as well as changes you need to make based on your own review of the content. Once this draft is complete, take a day or two off to give your brain a break. This way, when you return to the manuscript, you'll be fresh and able to catch any mistakes that you would've otherwise missed.

- Copy Edit

The copy edit allows you to check the grammar, spelling, and readability of the content. Make sure that everything is formatted appropriately and that your manuscript provides a professional presentation.

- Proof

In a publishing house, proofreaders will go through the product and check for any final production issues, wording, and problems with content. Do a pre-package of the product and send it out to a few people to have them read through the product. Ask them to check for any mistakes or errors that might have been missed.

- Packaging

Once you've completed the manuscript, you can package it in several different formats. The format choice depends on your target audience as well as your desired presentation. Of course, you can always have an e-publisher generate the package, but they too will use one of the formats discussed in this section.

Developed by Adobe (http://www.adobe.com), PDF is a document packaging format that is compatible across several platforms (i.e., Microsoft Windows, UNIX, Macintosh, etc.) A PDF document is viewed on the free Adobe Acrobat viewer, which is itself platform-dependant. When developing PDF documents, stay with standard writing practices involved in creating manuscripts. Adobe Distiller, which usually comes with FrameMaker, works with just about any word-processing environment (e.g., Microsoft Word, TeX, etc.) and generates a PDF of your manuscript directly from the application.

E-Book compilers take HTML files and package them into a single executable application. This format is, however, limited in its distribution as it will only run on its target platforms. For instance, one of the better compilers, Activ E-Book (http://www.ebookcompiler.com), is targeted to run on Microsoft Windows platforms. You will need a compiler that supports all of the major facets of HTML as well as password protection, configurability, and branding. Branding allows you to create e-books branded with your affiliates' or distributors' names. Note that the vendors for some of the more expensive compilers will not only charge for the compiler, but also charge royalties for distribution rights.

Handheld e-book reader formats are very wide because of the multitude of e-book readers available on the market today. In most cases, all you have to do is generate a solid manuscript and submit it to one of the e-publishers in Microsoft Word format. They will usually package the manuscript into one or more of the different formats acceptable for the more popular e-book readers.

Copyrighting Your Work

Once you've created your e-book, the last thing you want is for someone to illegally copy your work, or worse yet, claim it as their own. It's true that there are technical means (i.e., password protection) that can make this kind of theft more difficult, but none offer total security. No matter what you do, there's a chance that you could be a victim of this kind of theft---it could even go on for a while before you discover that it happened.

Even worse than discovering that you're a victim, is discovering that you're a victim with either no, or very limited, recourse. But there's a way to make sure that it doesn't happen to you---take steps to protect your work ahead of time. Visit the following sites for information on protecting your work as well as registering your work online:

* MediaRegister (http://www.mediaregister.com)

* Click and Copyright (http://www.clickandcopyright.com/)

* International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

If you're serious about publishing an e-book, you'll need to have your own ISBN number. The ISBN is a number that identifies book products published internationally. To distribute your work in books stores, online and otherwise, you have to obtain an ISBN number.

An ISBN consists of 10 digits preceded by the "ISBN" prefix. The number is divided into four parts, with each part separated by a hyphen. The number establishes and identifies one title or edition from a specific publisher and is unique to that edition. This supports a more efficient marketing scheme for products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers, and distributors.

Currently, you must order a minimum of 10 numbers for a charge of $225. You can order online and it only takes a few days for delivery. For more information and to apply, visit:

* RR Bowker (http://www.bowker.com/bowkerweb/)

* ISBN Home Page (http://www.isbn.org/)

Sell or Free

As you package your e-book, decide if it will be distributed free of charge or for a fee. Usually, free e-books contain bits and pieces of information that induce the sale of other products and services and increase traffic to the host Web site.

- Free E-Books

A free e-book should be a leader to something better that must be purchased. If you create an e-book that you want to sell, it's always a good idea to either block certain pages with a password or distribute a subset of the main e-book free. When determining how to provide a free version of your e-book, think about the following questions:

* Which chapters will everyone be able to read?

* Do I create a free version and a for-pay version?

* How will I get people to pay for the e-book once they review the free one?

* How will I promote and distribute the product?

- For-Pay E-Books

As for the for-pay version of the e-book, you can use PayPal (http://www.paypal.com) or ProPay (http://www.propay.com) to accept payment because they are much easier to setup on a simple site. The only problem is that they are not very flexible when dealing with automating order processing. If you have the time and the funds later, you can always upgrade to a merchant account, order-processing environment.

You also have to develop a set of procedures for handling purchases. These procedures identify the steps for collecting funds, handling returns, and sending the password or key to unlock the e-book. An example of these procedures is as follows:

* User submits a purchase request.

* You accept the request and receive payment.

* You send the password, key, a URL to the complete product, or the complete product itself via e-mail.

* If the user wants to return the product, determine their reasoning and refund the money.

Selecting the Right Price

Selecting a price for the e-book is always a tough decision, but a very important one. Remember that the main advantage to e-books is in the inexpensive methods of production. You can usually write an entire e-book and have it published in a very short time. On top of that, when you generate the finished package, you can simply distribute that same copy instead of having to continually re-run the process to generate a new product---as in the print market.

To price your e-book correctly, research your competition's prices and determine if you have any added value above and beyond your competition. If so, either price it at their price or add 10%. With a good write-up and press release, you will draw readers because you are newer, have a larger footprint (i.e., more pages), and have more information.

Once it has been out there for a while, speak with your past customers or drop the price a little until sales begin to pick up. There are many tactics for setting the right price, but with proper market research, you should be able to come up with a solid price the first time around.

Promotion

Promotion is the key to getting your e-book noticed. You must be professional and diligent when handling the promotion of your work as one misplaced e-mail or posting could destroy credibility for you and your work.

- Web Site

If you don't already have one, you should consider assembling a Web site to present and sell your e-books. You'll need to obtain your own domain name and quality hosting to gain credibility with your customers and your competitors. You only need to assemble one page per e-book and provide a short blurb outlining what the e-book presents. Also, provide a way for the user to download, or purchase, the e-book as well as a way to contact you.

You've seen the small graphics scattered around the Web that depicts a book or box with the title of the e-book---this is called a "virtual book cover" or a "3D virtual box." Whether you're good with graphics or not, this is a great and simple way to advertise your work. You can view samples at eBook Cover-Art ([http://www.ebook-cover-art.com]) and Free E-Book Covers ([http://freeebookcovers.homestead.com/covers.html]).

- Free E-Book Sites

As we discussed earlier, it's always a good idea to have a free version of your e-book to help promote the for-pay version. One of the best reasons is that many e-book sites that allow free promotion will only promote free e-books. This way, you can promote the free version of your e-book on more sites and have it drive potential customers to your Web site. Some of the more popular free e-book promotion sites are as follows:

* E-Books Rock (http://www.ebooksrock.net)

* Free E-Books (http://www.free-ebooks.net)

* E-Book Directory (http://www.e-bookdirectory.com)

* E-Book 2000 (http://www.ebook2000.com)

* Abika ([http://www.abika.com/books/submitbook.asp])

* E-Book News (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/EBook_News)

* E-Book Talk (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/EBook_Talk)

- Review Sites

You can get the greatest amount of publicity by submitting your complete e-book to a review site. The reviewers will read your e-book and generate a public review for posting to their site. In this way, others can read the review and visit your site for a download of your e-book. Some of the more popular review sites are:

* EBooks 'n Bytes ([http://www.ebooksnbytes.com/reviews])

* Midnight Scribe ([http://geocities.com/midnightscribe])

* Reviewers' Int'l Org ([http://www.geocities.com/bookreviewers])

- Press Releases

A press release is another great way to bring notice to your new e-book. One of the more prominent e-book press release distribution systems is eBroadcaster (http://www.ebookbroadcast.com/). The site features press releases related to new ebooks, epublisher announcements, and handheld news. Another site is called PressBlast (http://www.pressblast.com/). If you're not up on writing a press release, it's time to get a handle on it because you'll need it!

- Free Content

Many writers abhor free content as they feel they are "writing for free." Actually, if you target your writing to define and present your knowledge as well as bring in clients, the small amount of time you spend putting together the free content is not wasted. Realize that people want information, and if you give them good information, they'll come back for more. Realize also that you already have a great source of free content right under your nose---your e-book. All you have to do is take excerpts from the various chapters and send them to a few posting sites listed below:

* Article Depot (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/The-Article-Depot)

* Article Announce (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/aageneral)

* Free Content (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/Free-Content)

* Publish In Yours (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/PublishInYours)

* Idea Marketers (http://www.ideamarketers.com)

* Author Connection (http://www.huginc.com)

Distribution

Once you've packaged the product and you feel that it's ready to go out to the world, there are several things you can do to expedite distribution. First, you can always approach a royalty publisher and let them handle the packaging and distribution for you. This is usually a good path to take, but it can be time consuming as they are back-logged with other e-books.

The other path is to distribute it yourself. There are hundreds of sites available on which you can post your packaged e-book. Users will come to the site and download your e-book then either purchase it or visit your site to see what other products you have available.

- For-Pay E-Book Distribution

One method for distributing an e-book you intend to sell is through one or more of the following Web sites. Some of these sites require that you sign an exclusivity contract which prevents you from selling your e-book elsewhere, so pay attention to what you sign. The vendors will usually provide a merchant mechanism so that they can collect a fee for you and, out of that fee, they take their cut. Also, note that many of these distributors will either take your manuscript as a Word file and convert it themselves or they accept only PDF.

* E-Books 'n Bytes (http://www.ebooksnbytes.com)

* 1st Books ([http://www.1stbooks.com])

* BookLocker (http://www.booklocker.com)

* MightyWords ([http://www.mightywords.com/])

* iBookTime (http://www.ebookshoppe.com)

* EBooks on the Net (http://www.ebooksonthe.net)

* MyPublish ([http://www.mypublish.com])

* Amazon (http://www.amazon.com)

* Borders (http://www.borders.com)

- Free E-Book Distribution

The free distribution sites for free e-books provide the mechanism for distributing your free version of your e-book. They take just about any format that can be read on a computer.

* Free EBooks (http://www.free-ebooks.net)

* E-Books 'n Bytes (http://www.ebooksnbytes.com)

* ZDNet (http://www.zdnet.com)

* Download (http://www.download.com)

* Upload (http://www.upload.com)

* Softseek ([http://www.softseek.com/submit/index.html])

* EBook News (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ebook_News)

* EBook Talk (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ebook_Talk)

* EBooks Rock (http://ebooksrock.net/)

* EBook 2000 (http://www.ebook2000.com/)

What's next?

When you write and package an e-book, you must have some sort of plan. Don't just write an e-book and "throw" it out there. What is your objective with the e-book? A good plan involves a targeted marketing approach to creating and distributing the e-book.

Make sure that the product attracts people and that the information is useful. Some publishers tend to sell information that is already free on the Web. Make sure that if you use information from the Web that you're not duplicating---always add value to maintain a professional presentation and a respectable reputation.

Once you finish your masterpiece and implement your marketing plan, you'll be well on your way to being known as an "e-book author."




Edward B. Toupin, Ph.D., is a published author, life-strategy coach, counselor, Reiki Master, and technical writer living in Las Vegas, NV. Edward works with people to help them strive for a richer life. He also authors books, articles, and screenplays on topics ranging from career success through life organization and fulfillment. Check out some of his recent print and electronic books as well as his articles covering various life-changing topics! Contact Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit his site at http://www.make-life-great.com.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.