Online Writing Books

The book was a good guide to citizen media and gave some great examples of places where citizen media would work.

I enjoyed the examples thoroughly and found the book a useful guide. I can't wait for an updated version.

Many people blame the Internet for accelerating the long-term decline of newspaper circulation, and think that the Internet is crippling the future of American journalism.

Don Gillmor believes that the Internet has the potential to dramatically improve American journalism and widen its appeal.

Gillmor is no naive innocent. He demonstrates that he has an extraordinarily detailed command of the interrelationships and applications of the many internet and software technologies and journalism. I met Gillmor in April, 2004, at the BloggerconII conference organized by Dave Winer and held at Harvard Law School. He held the attention of his audience of bloggers through his mixture of detailed knowledge and passionate advocacy for the worth of blogging and the value of it becoming an income-generating activity.

No journalist should fail to read this book. Nor should any citizen consumer of journalism who participates online. Only a small part manifesto, this book is a detailed roadmap of the future of journalism for those informed enough and bold enough to take it. Those in business and government who are the subjects of journalism would also do well to read it.

The future of journalism, Gillmor says, will be much more participatory in the future than it has been in the past. The many to many communications style of the Internet will become the style of successful journalism. Journalism will less about lecturing and more about leading a discussion. The "eat your spinach" school of civic advocacy will be replaced by a greater connection between readers and journalists in which readers will influence both the definition of news and the content of individual news stories.

The proliferation of tens of millions of blogs means that the separation of news producers and news consumers is far less than it used to be. Everyone can produce news in the blogosphere. One duty of journalists is to sift the through the blogosphere and find out what is relevant. Another duty of journalists is to actively engage the public in the news gathering process. The definition of what professionalism in journalism is will be rapidly changing.

What is now at the edges, Gillmour says, will and should be moved to the center. Public concerns that once were marginal now will become mainstream.

As a Pennsylvania state legislator, I believe that this will have significant public policy effects--especially the areas of taxation and public welfare expenditures. For the first time, those with average and below average incomes are able to communicate their concerns to a mass audience. The more the digital divide in Internet access erodes, as the divide in telephone and television access has eroded, the greater the erosion will be of the upper middle class dominance of the political process. The stakes for putting the brakes on the trends Gillmor describes will get increasingly large in the years ahead.

This is not just a book for journalists and the subjects of journalism, or even just a book for currently active internet participants. The detailed accounts of the consumer applications of various technologies of what he calls the "the read-write web" or "technology that makes we the media possible" are alone worth the effort to get through this book.

Others may understand individual technologies better than Gillmor, but it is unlikely that anyone has a better understanding of how they all--HTML,mail lists and forums,weblogs, wikis, SMS, mobile connected cameras, internet "broadcasting," peer to peer, RSS,Technorati, API, and many others--come to together to create a radically different architecture of information, news, personal reach, and circle of potential friends and allies for many millions of Americans.

This is not a book to be read and put aside. Gillmor clearly struggled to get his text into 241 pages, plus 36 pages of acknowledgements, websites, and detailed notes. While there is occasional redundancy, on the whole a longer book would have been clearer in some respects.

This is a book to be carefully studied and used as a springboard to continued learning about new applications, new technologies, and new interrelationships as they emerge.

The idea of the public as part of the media is not totally new.
Going back at least to the 1940's, public opinion research focused on the stages of influence: the mass media first influenced the opinion leaders in a community, who then influenced others by word of mouth.

What is new is the dramatically improved publishing capacity for the individual citizen, regardless of whether he or she had the community stature and web of influence to have been a community leader--formal or informal--in the past.

The media had been steadily eroding the influence of opinion leaders, by influencing more and more people directly, but now the opinion leaders are back in record-high numbers and with greatly expanded spheres of influence.

"I hope I've helped you understand how this media shift--this explosion of conversations--is taking place and where it is headed," Gllmour says on the last page of his book. "Most of all, I hope I've persuaded you to take up the challenge yourself.

"Your voice matters. Now, if you have something to say, you can be heard.

"You can make your own news. We all can.

"Let's get started."

Dan Gilmor here presents the attitude toward technology & journalism that any journalist will need to have if he/she will survive long in this new era. They need to embrace, or at least reckon with, the new media.

Here Gilmor gives an enlightening look at the changing face of journalism and the negative and positive changes it makes.

I'm not a professional journalist, but I found this book to be fascinating and informative. I credit it with helping me to stick with blogging, and seeing it as something more significant than a passing fad. All journalists should read this, I believe!

Any interested in the future of new media must have WE THE MEDIA: GRASSROOTS JOURNALISM BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE: a survey of how common folk are producing more meaningful news coverage using personal blogs, Internet chat groups, and email as their delivery tools. Journalism in the 21st century is changing - and will be quite different from the media-controlled presentations we know today. To find out just how different, you have to consult WE THE MEDIA: it comes from a journalist and founder of the very grassroots media making big changes.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

If you ever wondered what is changing in journalism, then this book is for you. It not only describes the logging phenomenon, but also describes why the big media might not last.

(That's a good thing, of course.) I think the best part of this book is the nagging guilt and self-loathing it induces as I see all those un-seized opportunities bound together in one place! This book, especially with the Internet access feature, is the best way of being fairly sure that your efforts are aimed at the best people in the best places. If you are, or claim to be, a serious writer, it's not very difficult to justify this expense.

Every passionate writer needs to own the 2008 Writer's Market. It's the easiest way to find out where you should try and sell your writing. The entries list publishers' websites, too, and that's the best way to learn about the publisher, their current publishing needs, and get their writer's guidelines.

I also highly recommend Sally Stuart's 2008 Christian Writer's Market Guide. Buy both (tax write-off!) so you can pitch articles and proposals to both markets, reaching the largest readership.

This book is good, there is no question about that. However, if you're tight on money, go to the library and bring you laptop with you. Firstly, there are a number of links that are no longer active, despite it being the 2008 edition.

I ranked this 3 stars because if you're new to writing, there is a wealth of information here. But if you've been at it for a while, most of this you can find on the web for free thru various other writing sites [...].

Normally, I'm pretty succinct about what I like, or dislike about books, but this time, I just feel that I could've gotten bigger bang for my buck. What I have found most disappointing is that the links are no longer valid or accurate. I understand that by the time this type of volume goes to print, approx 6-12 months have passed, but this only furthers my argument for using the internet.

I will probably keep this for the next 3 years before I even begin to consider purchasing another one.

If you're a writer, good luck and whatever you do, don't quit!

Writer's Market is one of the most useful tools for any serious writer. Excellent, up-to-date information.

The Writers' Market has long been the place I have gone to research small literary magazines in the U.S. It has been the backbone of such information for me. However, this year I am very disappointed with the Market. I went to it looking to find out if a certain literary review was still up and running, and what I found was that Writers' Market no longer has a section for small magazines. If America is bent on killing its small magazines and dealing the final death blow to the poetry market, I am sorry to say the Writers' Market has its hand swinging the axe. A flippant introductory essay by a woman whose last name--I think--is Breen advises poets to get "a reality check" because since there is no money to be made in poetry, evidently, it's not worth anybody's time (or space in the Writers' Market 2008). She also advises poets to make like Emily Dickenson and write poems for the sake "of writing good poems" and forget about publishing books of poetry. She admonishes the public in general, and poets in specific, for not spending their money on works of poetry. Those may be her views, and such may be the case in America, but there are still poets in our nation. Poetry and poetry writing is still being taught in our educational institutions, small magazines still exist in America, writers still publish in them, readers still read them, and poetry is still one of humanity's most basic, most intimate forms of communication. I hope the editors will rethink their position in the next editions. Bring back the support of America's small magazines.

This is another of the family of pre-teen picture books that cover the history of pirates during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, a period more commonly referred to as the Golden Age of Piracy. Like the Eyewitness, Discovery and Kingfisher family of youth picture books, this one is crowded with illustrations and brief passages of historical prose that provide a basic background on piracy suitable for children and those with limited attention spans (like pirates). However, there the comparison stops, Pirate Soul goes well beyond by providing an interactive element with the numerous foldouts, mock notebooks, sealed envelopes with inserted maps and notes, and variety of other interactive items sure to keep the reader engaged.

The prose is not difficult, but does include enough vocabulary to stretch young minds. The artwork varies from a vintage sepia look and reproduced wood cuts to colorful original artwork. The overall presentation is excellent and looks reasonably durable. I would recommend that use of the book by those under 9 years of age be supervised to preserve the various ties and foldouts as well as to prevent misplacing the inserts and notes. The young imaginations will love these extras, especially the cloth pirate flag tucked away inside the back cover.

Bottom line is that this is a fun introduction to the history of piracy during the Golden Age. If you find that a background story helps the young reader to stay involved, try the very similar Piratology book. For those beyond the level of a children's book I might suggest the various Osprey books on buccaneers and pirates by Angus Konstam as a starting point.
P-)

I was a bit disappointed in this book, it has some good points to it but it is aimed at more of a juvinile audiance;I read it in a couple of hours. It's a good introduction but that's about it. If you really want to know about "pirates" read "Under the Black Flag" by David Cordingly or "Villains of All Nations" by Marcus Rediker. Both are excellent books.

This book is great! If you love pirates and the history of them, this is for you. There is a lot of real history and facts in this book. Plus the interactive items in it are worth it. It's not a pop-up, but it has several items you can pull out and read/play with. Definitely recommend this for pirate lovers of any age.

Cool book, unique, worth every penny. Would love to see musuem.

Great book for kids-preteens to learn about Pirates. Lots of "swag" to open up and look through, from official looking orders and rosters to currency and even your very own pirate flag.

Something neat to browse through and get some neat details and tidbits but certainly not an adult book

I bought this book because a friend and I intend to ride from North to South America in 2018 when all our kids have grown old enough not to miss us. I really hope that we don't have to live through what Glen did but who knows what the continent will be like in 10 years? This is a brilliantly written book with lots of good information and tips for travel. The section on Columbia is well done and doesn't overdominate the story. I wonder from Ted Simon's comments in 'Dreaming of Jupiter' after meeting Glen following his ordeal, if Glen has downplayed his emotional state a little. It must have been a totally awful experince and one I doubt I could have survived. It just goes to show that it helps to be strong when attempting a journey like this but like so many things at the end of the day its all about mental toughness. I take my hat off to Glen and he has inspired me yet again to start my own adventure.

I first came to know about Glen's journey through a tv documentary on the kidnapping, if you get a chance to see it, do so, it brings to life the book in real terms.
Glen does an excellent job of describing the journey, his fears and feelings both before and after the kidnapping. It's not a "how to" book, it's an insight , in my opinion, to inner strength and positive thinking.
Great read.

Action packed true fact based chronicle of a motor cyclist's trip from Palm springs,CA down to the tip of South America and back. You will ride with him through splendid vistas, suffer with him during his capture by the ELN in Columbia and wonder how he would ever escape. You will learn from the psychologically trained mind how Greg Heggsted deceived his captures to eventually go on to complete journey. This is a must read.

I bought this book for my boyfriend to read on the train after hearing the author speak on a radio program. My boyfriend loved the book, literally couldn't put it down.

While the title of the book and most of the comments focus on his stay with the Columbian terrorists, for me the most inspiring bits of the book were his descriptions of the parts of his journey through Mexico and Argentina. Now I want to visit Mexico and see if it is as wonderful a place as he described. Ditto Argentina, though it is not quite as close.

A very well-written book by a talented and very versatile author. Much more than a tale of terror. You could skip the Columbian fiasco and still get your money's worth (and then some) from this book.

Really two books. One, a series of pieces about inside Washington stories, often with characters who are largely off stage but important in how things get done in the seat of empire. Rather than the usual insider's view, Ms. Williams has an extraordinarily keen eye for seeing what is there for all to see, perhaps along the lines of I.F. Stone's insistence on using only attributed sources. The second book is an account of her diagnosis and subsequent experiences with an ultimately fatal cancer, its impact on her life, outlook, work, as well and an account of her medical care.

I used to read Marjorie Williams in the Washington Post, and was reminded of her work when her exceptionally moving essay "Hit by Lightning" was in a "best of" book by multiple authors. It was so good that I simply had to read this collection of only her work.

The finest essays and profiles here are wonderful. The writing is outstanding, and ranges from great insight to humor and sadness and to the biting remark that takes down somebody famous a notch or two.

My favorites were (besides "Hit by Lightning"):

- "The Alchemist", a previously unpublished profile of her mother. What an exploration of a mother's relationship to her daughter and (presumably) perceptive view of her mother's life!

- "Scenes from a Marriage" - oh, my, how it drills into the relationship between Clinton and Gore, after the 2004 election and back into their time in office. This essay was justifiably well-known.

- "Bill Clinton, Feminist" - Ms. Williams shreds the feminists who defended President Clinton in his sexual escapades, while disregarding the women involved. She doesn't even break a sweat. Brutal and delightful reading.

- "The Halloween of My Dreams" - her final column, about her daughter's Halloween, the last Halloween Ms. Williams would see.

- The profiles of Jeb Bush and Barbara Bush, both of which offered fresh insights and information.

- Of the columns, many of which are first rate, I particularly liked the one on Princess Diana's death (I'm not sure why, to be honest) and one on assisted suicide.

The book actually got off to a slow start for me. The first two profiles were relatively dated and uninteresting, and the third, on Richard Darman, was wonderfully crafted, but I found myself not that curious about someone who moved rapidly into footnote status. However, Darman's profile had one of the best lines in the entire book: "As always, the vapor of self-certainty leaks off him like rocket fuel". Didn't these people know who they were up against in Marjorie Williams?

The short columns included are mostly very good, yet they also suffer from the usual fate of newspaper columns, in that they don't age that well, as the topic in hand often quickly becomes old news. Ms. Williams is far from alone in that fate, of course, so some of these pieces serve as a reminder of past news to reconsider with hindsight and contemplate what has happened since.

This book made me realize how painful it could be to at sometimes for the lack of a better word be a " dubmass " It took me a lot of brushing up on my reading skills to fully appreceiate this book and it was very insightfull just as the other books that were recomened to me to be read if I liked this one were. It also taught me that caring=sharing which can cause mass confusion sometimes to people who need to improve there reading skills which in turn = understanding and then ultimatly joy and happiness for many years to come. However this just could be a hopeful thought, but I would like to think it holds true for all readers especially the ones that would enjoy reading A year of Magical Thinking, where I think it says something about country boys being of big hearts are stubborn and rarely give up on anything.

No, this isn't about the typical zoon--but about the "Zoo" that is Washington, D.C.

Marjorie Williams, a journalist for the Washington Post, had a sense of unrelenting refusal to deal with just the surface reality--but find the truth beneath.

Sitting here in the Midwest, some of these stories, some of the people are not players we hear about every day, but some were.

Marjorie and Tim Noah (Senior writer for Slate) were married in 1990. In 2001, happy and healthy, Marjorie discovered a lump in her lower abdomen and after much effort, died in 2005 from liver cancer at the age of 47. Tim has selected what he feels are her most revealing columns written about politicians, the shakers and movers of Washington's social ad business life, and about her family.

As an outsider I enjoyed reading about insiders like Ambassador Lucky Roosevelt and her long marriage, and other characters that made good reading.

Jennifer Senior, New York Times Book Review said, "Williams was a crowbar, prying great quotes from her sources, and she found herself face to face with rather intimate details of their life."

So true, whether she was writing about Bill and Hillary, the couple that always give us something to talk about, her own illness, her mother's illness, or her children--her observations were always sharp and often sweet.

Some of my favorites were her most personal stories, like The Cat Race about how she was "going to raise her children," that is, until she actually had children. This felt very familiar.

The Art of Fake (and Useful) Apology, (in the news again as I write this) used by politicians reminds us that this happens far too often.

With another Presidential campaign heating up, Williams takes us back to 1992 when Al Gore was running for President (without hitching his star to Clinton). Her article, "Scenes from a Marriage" is about that time, and the end of that "marriage" and the not-too-obvious divorce of Clinton and Gore.

Sadly the world will never again read about current events from her.

Armchair Interviews says: This book was a New York Times Bestseller.

I bought this book primarily because I enjoy memoir and it was represented in the media as a collection of personal essays by a woman who fought what was eventually a losing battle with cancer.

In fact, the personal essays comprise the smaller part of this collection. Most pieces are in-depth political commentary or profiles of Washington, D.C. personalities. I'm not interested in that subject matter at all.

To correct one of the other reviewers, this collection was compiled after Williams' death by her husband. It contains material that she apparently never intended to publish. But long-time fans of Williams should not fault *her* for what was and was not included in the book, since these decisions were made posthumously.

Williams was a gifted writer -- insightful, precise, and painfully honest. I enjoyed the personal essays immensely (particularly the piece about her complex relationship with her mother) and even found myself reading and enjoying the political essays.

Write Away -- by bestselling novelist Elizabeth George -- explains the science as well as the art involved in crafting fiction. Topics covered include mapping out a story structure that will keep the reader engaged, creating fascinating yet believable characters (people who are slightly larger than life, but neither so perfect that your reader will hate them nor so loathsome that your reader won't want anything to do with them), researching potential settings (and then altering them to make them your own), and the hard work involved in completing a book-length piece of writing. This is one of the most practical guides to writing fiction I've read yet. Highly recommended.

As a self-help author wanting to make my next book a novel, this book has proven to be the best help so far (and believe me, I've read a lot of books on writing). I highly recommend it --- in fact, my writers group is going to use it as a guide in our discussions. Thank you Elizabeth George for helping me...Sincerely, Pamela D. Blair, Author, The Next Fifty Years: A Guide for Women at Midlife and Beyond

I've read many books on craft, some by supposed big name writers. Many have been disappointments. This one was finally what I'd been looking for, not merely a guide to what fiction is and how it works, but also how to put it all together. There is nothing vague about her approach to craft. And being a teacher as well as practitioner allows her to explain it with a clarity lacking in other guides.

If I had a choice of keeping one writing guide, this would be the one I'd choose.

After reading this, I started reading her novels and Ms. George is not merely good, she's one of the best. So her advice is definitely worth heeding.

Definitely get this book.

Elizabeth George is one of my favorite authors. I've read all of her Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers novels, and marveled at the way a native Californian has been able to capture the nuances of life and police procedure in the UK. I was very excited when I found "Write Away" and was able to learn how she did it.

"Write Away" describes how George goes about the daily task of getting words on paper, and also a variety of techniques that she has found useful. But, for me, the most valuable aspects of the book were her observations about creating character and settings.

Stating that analysis of character is the highest human entertainment, George admonishes authors not to bring a character to a book unless he or she is fully alive before the book begins. Create an analysis of each character, including biographical facts and a full psychological profile. Know each character well enough to understand how he or she will react in the situations which the novel will then pose. Only then can you begin to write your story.

George tells us to reveal characters slowly, allowing the character to effect events and be effected. Show flaws, mistakes, lapses of judgment, and weaknesses. Characters, she says, are interesting in their conflict, misery, unhappiness, and confusion, not in their joy and security. Obvious, perhaps, but so easy to forget when you're writing.

George's approach to setting is just as rigorous as her approach to character. Her goal is that each separate location should create an atmosphere and trigger a mood, but cautions that descriptions of place should be part of the narrative and should never interrupt the flow of the story. She visits each place that she will represent, camera and tape recorder in hand, seeing the land, sky, climate, sounds and scents, seeking to feel the emotions evoked by the setting. She works quite hard to describe settings which stimulate the reader's senses and imagination.

Having now published two novels --- A Good Conviction, a NYC-based legal thriller which tells the story of a young man wrongly imprisoned in Sing Sing for a murder he did not commit by a Manhattan ADA who may have known he was innocent ... and The Heretic (Library of American Fiction), a historical novel describing the persecution of a family of secret Jews by the Catholic Church on the eve of the Spanish Inquisition --- I have devised a self-education project to help me become more attuned to the techniques and styles of other authors, and thus (hopefully) become a better novelist myself.

"Write Away" is one of the books about writing I've read as part of this self-education project. Others are Sol Stein's Stein on Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies, Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel, Norman Mailer's The Spooky Art: Thoughts on Writing, and the George Plimpton edited The Writer's Chapbook: A Compendium of Fact, Opinion, Wit, and Advice from the Twentieth Century's Preeminent Writers (Modern Library).

I'm sorting my notes and thoughts into various categories relevant to writing, such as ... "beginnings" ... "conflict" ... "characters" ... and others, and I've posted my observations as a blog, which turns out to be a wonderful way for me to organize and retrieve my observations.

This also puts my thinking in the public domain, so if you'd like to see my evolving comments about writing novels, I invite you to visit my "Education of a Novelist" blog.

You can reach my blog by searching the web for "weinstein education of a novelist."

LEW WEINSTEIN

You're not alone! Practical how to. Fun to compare passages from the novels with her descriptions of how the scenes were constructed.

there was no unpleasant surprise with my purchase. the book came a day or two later than was promised, but other than that, all was as i expected!! :)

To call me a newbie screenwriter would be to insult newbie screenwriters. I'm a fledgling, nascent, inchoate, and very bad screenwriter. And if you would read the mere one-page script I wrote yesterday, you'd call me some choice names but I daresay 'screenwriter' will not be one of the myriad.
That said, this is such a great book, the highest quality through and through, from the binding to the clear type and the clear picture examples of each shot type. I found myself reading this like I would an easy novel: it was literally a page-turner and filled with so much information, and information I could immediately start using.
With each example, I popped in the respective DVD and found the particular shots and marveled at how the author's description and subsequent interpretation of the scene was spot on, a real "Aha!" moment on each page. In my long and very arduous road to screenwriting mediocrity, I believe 'Cinematic Storytelling' will be a staunch ally, immovable from its perch as a resident of my reference bookshelf.

The use of storyboards and stills from scenes in congunction with a theoretical breakdown make this a vey useful and thought provoking study on cinema.

It is a really good book showing the RULES of story telling.DON'T YOU USE A ROAD MAP WHEN THERE IS SOMEWHERE YOU WANT TO GO? GET THIS 'ROADMAP'

I certainly agree with the existing reviews regarding content, and have nothing to add in this regard.
HOWEVER, there are two problems:
1. The book measures 7 1/2" tall and 11" wide. This makes it hard to hold and fits poorly on the reference bookshelf where it belongs.
2. The book mentions an upcoming DVD. This would a MUCH better format than book.
This book tries to illustrate various cinimatographic points with still shots from exemplary movies. Sometimes these still shots cannot illustrate the point adequately, while a video clip would be TREMENDOUS at illustrating the point. (For example: various transitions: How in the heck can you illustrate transitions with still photos?!)
WAIT FOR THE DVD. It should be TREMENDOUS,and well worth the purchase.

The Pocket Guide to APA Style by Robert Perrin was
recommended by the Chairman of my dissertation
committee as the "must have" for completing a
dissertation. The Pocket Guide became an excellent
tool giving a quick reference for formatting my
dissertation as well as other research papers.
Dr. Carol Hendrix

This little book made all of the other APA format references obsolete. It is concise and well thought out. The other references are 500 pages and a career in themselves to wander through. This little spiral will be with me through graduate school I thank Robert Perrin for making the mechanics of the research paper understandable and workable.

This Pocket Guide is wonderful, and I'm recommending it to all my graduate students as a "must have" for their library.

Although I have spent the last four years of my undergrad preparing papers in the MLA style, my final capstone class to complete my degree required APA style papers. Apparently this was to prepare me for grad school. Whatever the reason, it was a big change, but a very manageable change thanks to the Pocket Guide to APA Style.

The book was very conveniently organized and made APA style understandable. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in learning APA style or required to learn APA style. Bottom line, it's a great, handy, little book for research paper writers.

The Pocket Guide to Apa Style is a handy reference that I wish I had earlier in my academic career. It nicely augments the full APA Publication Manual and is technically accurate. The Pocket Guide sits next to my laptop and is easier to flip through then the manual. It is able to address most APA Style questions. It is not a substitute for the Manual is truly a "must have" for graduate students.

This book has already gotten rave reviews, but I'll add in my two-cents worth. It's been years since I've had a formal course in marketing, and even then, I wouldn't have learned about persuasive writing for the web. So this book was great for me, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is developing a personal or business website.

The whole book is a series of two- to three-page articles that can be read systematically. The authors are witty and passionate about teaching you how to write copy that converts visitors toward an action.

What's the single most important factor in getting your prospects to convert? Be relevant. "Relevance is a measure of how closely search results match the search request." If you follow the techniques the authors describe, your words won't waste the readers' time and will have impact.

The chapter, "Writing in Review" is a super-condensed Strunk and White's for the corporate writer. It covers all the basics. The authors conclude, "Stellar writing begs to be read. There is an urgency to the writing that keeps the reader going, even when that reader might be pressed for time."

Who isn't pressed for time? People on the internet are in a hurry. They need to find out a piece of information quickly. If your site is too flashy, slow to download, or your words don't make any sense, you'll lose their interest. They can go someplace else. This is what you DON'T want to happen.

The authors include great examples of site makeovers, showing you what works and what doesn't. For me, it was a great introduction to Nick Usborne, and I've gone on to read his book, NET WORDS. They also pointed me toward Ogilvy, another master of advertising.

I especially enjoyed the chapter on using poetic techniques to improve copy. "You won't snag or woo your customers with drabness; you'll woo them with skillful wordsmithing that penetrates their souls..." What follows includes techniques such as frosting, franking, seussing, and frameline magnetism; also, how to develop pace, rhythm, and poetic meter.

It's a short read, but full of insight. For anyone who ever wondered how business communication could be seen as a satisfying creative outlet, look no further than this book. (As you sing and dance your way merrily to the bank.)

--Reviewed by Heather Lynn Ivester

This book scores a triple play! Its three authors unite to create a book that will help anyone turn their writing and Web site into a winner. It is packed full of valuable information that is presented in an easy to read fashion. The authors have a unique writing style that is witty and humorous and keeps you entertained even when explaining about something as boring as online conversions. This book would be great for students in a Web site writing class or for someone who wants to make a Web site that is more user and reader friendly. I personally did know anything about Web writing before reading the book, but it has really inspired me to learn more and improve my skills. I have definitely been persuaded!

I found this book by browsing on Amazon, and it has been an incredible find. I am currently developing a website from scratch. I have bought all kinds of books to help me with this and this one is probably THE most useful. It contains many, many key ideas regarding what most matters in the content of a website. This is a book I keep reading and re-reading - A big thanks to the authors!

Persuasive Copywriting is a great companion to Call to Action, also by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg. Portions of the information in this book were repeated in Action, but that does not make Persuasive any less valuable to web site owners and online marketers alike.

Much like my reading of Call, I have exhausted a highlighter underscoring important sections of information throughout the book. With sections covering writing considerations, techniques and writing for the web medium, Persuasive provides substantial tips and recommendations to make your copy stand out above the rest, and more importantly, be an effective sales tool.

As a bonus, there is an entire 50 page "afterword" all about understanding online conversion, which will help you better understand the conversion process, while providing useful tips on how to improve your site's conversion rates.

Anyone responsible for the content of their website should read this book and keep it close by. As the author's state, writing for your website is not a one-time process, but is all about tweaking and testing different formulas. Persuasive makes a great reference manual for the process of getting the most out of your web page content and squeezing out higher conversion rates from your visitors.

Before reading this book I considered myself a decent copyrighter, not excellent by any means, but decent. After reading this book (and their other book: Call to Action) I realized that I have no idea what I'm doing. Now I refer to each book on a weekly basis to be sure that I'm getting it right as I build websites for my clients. Reading these books has opened my eyes; referencing them keeps them open. Using just a few examples in these books I have been able to increase my registrations on several websites in just a few weeks.

I have YET to receive my book, its been weeks. I am very unhappy with amazon for the second time in a row.

The issue with this book is not that it is not relevant or useful. To the contrary, it is much too relevant to be left on the shelf. It needs to be published and indexed in an electronic format that can be quickly searched and accessed by writers under deadline.

The stylebook can be read front-to-back as a condensed general knowledge tome.

Makes a great gift, especially for people stumped by the basics of professional writing.

I got exactly what I wanted--an up-to-date version of a standard to replace the one I have had for years. I particularly appreciated the section on media law--many changes have taken place in the past few years, as the media landscape has changed. Journalists or writers will find knowledge in this area to be especially helpful.

This is the perfect reference tool for those things you don't necessarily learn in grammar class. Highly recommended for those who edit or write for newspapers or magazines, even high school & college kids.

Ron Marlar (a retired USAF officer, college professor, school teacher, living currently in Florida)

A primary advantage of The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law is the ease of finding style standards for journalistic writing. There are many writing style guides. Some are general in nature. Others are more specific for special kinds of writing, e.g., college reports, academic papers, scientific reports, and religious books and papers. No other rises to the level of ease as that of The Associated Press Stylebook for finding style standards. This is due to the A to Z listing format used in The Associated Press Stylebook.
Another advantage of this stylebook is indicated by its full title including Briefing on Media Law. Journalists and other writers may know how to write. They may have memorized well most of the style standards, but few seem to know media law unless well trained in journalism schools of top quality.
Other advantages include: the What's New, Bibliography, specific Sports and Business Guidelines and Style, Guide to Punctuation, and Proofreaders' Marks sections.
The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law with its frequent updates is for serious, professional writers and others who want to know how to write and understand legal issues in writing to communicate.