Want to publish your book?Learn how–it’s easier than you think!Charismatic authors and literary agents Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman have successfully sold hundreds of titles and learned–through trial and error–how to write a flawless book proposal that publishers can’t resist. Now you can benefit from their hard work and publishing savvy. In this new edition, they offer guidance and advice that will inspire, educate, and, most importantly, give you the necessary edge to get your book published. They explain:* How to shape your idea and create a title* Ways to get to know the market and competition* Tips on writing an effective outline, query letter, and sample chapter* The art and science of fiction and nonfiction book proposals* How ten actual proposals (included here) were successfully sold to publishers–and why”A submission from Jeff Herman always gets moved to the top . . . his new book will show you how to move to the top.”–Frederic W. Hills Vice President, Simon &

Read More

Nowhere will you find a more comprehensive, current, and detailed writing course designed specifically for writing children’s and teen books, written by an author who is in the field today. WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE is a ten-step course that relays all the nitty-gritty details of the business, beginning with how to evaluate your book idea all the way to pitching your book to editors and agents. Within each step, you’ll find clear and specific information covering topics such as the children’s book market, manuscript format, revision tips, finding the right agent or publisher, submission etiquette, and common faux pas to avoid. This book will even tell you what kind of paper you should use and exactly how you should write your letters to editors and agents. Bonus materials include templates for all of your submission needs as well as examples of real-life editorial letters sent to authors from editors today. You will get a complete inside peek to the children’s

Read More

The ultimate survival guide, How to Write a Movie in 21 Days takes the aspiring screenwriter the shortest distance from blank page to complete script. Viki King’s Inner Movie Method is a specific step-by-step process designed to get the story in the writer’s onto the page. This method guides the would-be screenwriter through the writing of a movie. It answers such questions as: How to clarify the idea you don’t quite have yet How to tell if your idea is really a movieHow to move from what you want to say saying itHow to stop getting ready and start Once you know what to write, the Inner Movie Method will show you how to write it. It also addresses such issues as: How to pay the rent while paying your duesWhat to say to your spouse when you can’t come to bedHow to keep going when you think you can’t For accomplished screenwriters honing their craft, as well as those who never before brought their ideas to paper, How to Write a Movie in 21 Days is an indispensable guide. And Viki

Read More

For most, the hardest part of writing is overcoming the mountain of self-denial that weighs upon the spirit, always threatening to extinguish those first small embers of ambition. Brenda Ueland, a writer and teacher, devotes most of her book–published back in 1938, before everyone and their goldfish got their MFA’s in creative writing–to these matters of the writer’s heart. Still, the real gift of the book is Ueland herself: She liked to write, she didn’t care what anyone thought, and she had a great sense of humor. You’re simply happy to hang out with

Read More

Now reorganized into an easy-to-follow, six step approach to effective writing for every business communication

Read More

The best, most comprehensive book for writers is now completely revised and updated to address ongoing changes in publishing. Published in 2005 as Putting Your Passion Into Print, this is the book that’s been praised by both industry professionals (“Refreshingly honest, knowledgeable and detailed. . . . An invaluable resource”—Jamie Raab, publisher, Grand Central Publishing) and bestselling authors (“A must-have for every aspiring writer.”—Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner). With its extensive coverage of e-books, self-publishing, and online marketing, The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published is more vital than ever for anyone who wants to mine that great idea and turn it into a successfully published book. Written by experts with thirteen books between them as well as many years’ experience as a literary agent (Eckstut) and a book doctor (Sterry), this nuts-and-bolts guide demystifies every step of the publishing process: how to come up with a

Read More

Contents: – Telling the Story – Picture Book or Story Book? – Picture Sequence – The Story: A Complete Action – Story Content – Picture Book Characteristics – Planning the Book – Storyboard and Book Dummy – Size, Scale, and Shape – The Structure of a Printed Book – Creating the Pictures – The Purpose of Illustration – Drawing Figures and Objects – Visual References – Picture Space and Composition – Principles of Technique – Style – Preparing for Reproduction – Printing Basics – Color Preseparation – Techniques for

Read More

Craft Compelling DialogueWhen should your character talk, what should (or shouldn’t) he say, and when should he say it? How do you know when dialogue–or the lack thereof–is dragging down your scene? How do you fix a character who speaks without the laconic wit of the Terminator?Write Great Fiction: Dialogue by successful author and instructor Gloria Kempton has the answers to all of these questions and more! It’s packed with innovative exercises and instruction designed to teach you how to:Create dialogue that drives the storyWeave dialogue with narrative and actionWrite dialogue that fits specific genresAvoid the common pitfalls of writing dialogueMake dialogue unique for each characterAlong with dozens of dialogue excerpts from today’s most popular writers, Write Great Fiction: Dialogue gives you the edge you need to make your story stand out from the

Read More

Students and researchers all write under pressure, and those pressures—most lamentably, the desire to impress your audience rather than to communicate with them—often lead to pretentious prose, academic posturing, and, not infrequently, writer’s block.  Sociologist Howard S. Becker has written the classic book on how to conquer these pressures and simply write. First published nearly twenty years ago, Writing for Social Scientists has become a lifesaver for writers in all fields, from beginning students to published authors. Becker’s message is clear: in order to learn how to write, take a deep breath and then begin writing. Revise. Repeat.It is not always an easy process, as Becker wryly relates. Decades of teaching, researching, and writing have given him plenty of material, and Becker neatly exposes the foibles of academia and its “publish or perish” atmosphere. Wordiness, the passive voice, inserting a “the way in which” when a simple “how” will do—all

Read More

Some appreciate fine art; others appreciate fine wines. Stanley Fish appreciates fine sentences. The New York Times columnist and world-class professor has long been an aficionado of language: “I am always on the lookout for sentences that take your breath away, for sentences that make you say, ‘Isn’t that something?’ or ‘What a sentence!’” Like a seasoned sportscaster, Fish marvels at the adeptness of finely crafted sentences and breaks them down into digestible morsels, giving readers an instant play-by-play. In this entertaining and erudite gem, Fish offers both sentence craft and sentence pleasure, skills invaluable to any writer (or reader). His vibrant analysis takes us on a literary tour of great writers throughout history—from William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Henry James to Martin Luther King Jr., Antonin Scalia, and Elmore Leonard. Indeed, How to Write a Sentence is both a spirited love letter to the written word and a key to understanding how great

Read More