Reviews of Writing Books
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Journaling by Joan R. Neubauer
Alpha Books, November 2000.Trade Paperback, 365 pages.
ISBN: 0028639804
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Although keeping a journal is not a new idea, since the advent
of computers it has become an absolute phenomenon.
Although to some it might seem that only a true idiot
would not know how to start a journal, this reference
goes far beyond the concepts of simply putting
pen to paper or keeping an old fashioned diary.
This book is a thorough reference
about different methods and types of journaling,
the process of selecting a journal,
how journaling can benefit your health
and help you grow as an individual.
After providing an introduction to the journaling
and discussing the tools you will need, the book
devotes chapters to different types
of journals. Some of the journals covered
include: the log, the healing journal, the
unsent letter journal, the reflective journal,
the family journal, the dream journal,
the historical journal, the travel log and the writer's
journal. The book also provides tips for
improving your journal, finding time to write
and how to use your computer and the Web.
A reference section which lists Internet
sites about journaling is also included.
If you are serious about starting a journal,
then this guide will help you get started and
help you select the right journal for you.
How to Publish and Promote Online by M.J. Rose and Angela Adair-Hoy
St. Martin's Press, January 2001.Trade Paperback, 257 pages.
ISBN: 0312271913
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
One of the most interesting stories relating to the rise of the
Internet is the effect it has had on the publishing industry.
With new technologies such as epublishing and print on demand services,
writers were suddenly faced with an overwhelming
array of choices when seeking to publish a manuscript.
Now, two of the most qualified people on these subjects --
M.J. Rose and Angela Adair-Hoy -- have teamed up to
provide a wealth of information about ebooks, epublishing
and online marketing.
The book contains
over fifty articles on these subjects.
Some of the many topics covered in
the book include: ebooks, epublishing,
print-on-demand, designing your book,
self-publishing, author websites, small
presses, online booksellers, blurbs,
writing news releases, author chats,
getting ebooks reviewed, email promotion,
e-serials and search engine registration.
The book also includes a useful glossary
and a large resource section with over
500 links to publishing and promotion
related websites.
Novelist and Wired columnist M. J. Rose has been an omnipresent voice of epublishing; she launched a successful off-line writing career of her own from her saavy online promotion of her book Lip Service. Angela Adair-Hoy has also helped writers online with a writing newsletter, how-to ebooks about epublishing and with BookLocker.com, the successful epublishing service and ebookstore she founded and runs. So it is altogether fitting that these two forces in epublishing came together to create this extremely useful and easy to understand writer's aide. Anyone who is considering self-publishing, epublishing or promoting a traditionally published book on the Internet will find this book to be an invaluable reference.
Writer's Online Marketplace by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Writer's Digest Books, January 2001.Hardcover, 262 pages.
ISBN: 1582970165
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
The Writer's Online Marketplace contains
advice, resources and market listings for
getting published online. Articles in the
book cover email basics, online submissions,
electronic rights, networking, promotion and
epublishing. Interesting interviews with John Feldcamp, CEO
of Xlibris, Josh Daniel, managing editor of Slate,
Paula Guran, editor of DarkEcho and several other
writers and editors are also featured.
The market listings include
contact information, pay rates, needs, circulation
and response times for each online market listed.
The listings themselves are slightly difficult to read;
they are presented as a large, single block of text. (Some
additional formatting
or bold subject headings as featured in the
Writer's
Market would solve this problem.)
Some of the 300 paying online markets provided in the book
include Adventureseek, Backpacker, Career Magazine,
ComputorEdge, ConsumerSearch.com, fabjob.com,
Gorp, Mountainfreak, Orato, Salon.com,
Teenwire.com and WineToday.com.
Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the founder and editor of Inkspot.com, a popular online writing community and resource, which is now owned by epublisher Xlibris. Through Inkspot and Inklings, the website's popular newsletter, Ms. Ohi has kept writers up to date with online markets and opportunities for several years. Now, current online markets are collected in this one, handy reference guide. The market listings combined with the helpful articles and interviews make this a valuable book for freelancers and writers who wish to sell their work online.
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