Online Writing Books

I read and studied this book and took the advice to heart. When I would go to the web addresses-I would get the "Page Not Found" message. Most of the websites did not exist. Websites that did and said that they were free, now charged a fee. One website even had removed the material stated in this book.I feel that I wasted my moneywith this book of useless information.

The websites have changed-this book has dated material. This book is too old-it was not published recently.

I am the author of Dreams in August: Life, Love, and Cerebellar Ataxia

GREAT BOOK WITH A LOT OF GREAT INFORMATION. GREAT BOOK FOR ANY AUTHOR.

This book has inspired me to market and sale my own books. It has also provided me with information and resources to publish my own books.

This book is a must read for anyone thinking about being an online infopreneur. Just about every book out there today that talks about being an infopreneur and/or how to be an infopreneur seems to (or should) cite this book in its bibliography. I read it some years ago and thought it was wonderful. I found it lacked a little polish, but it was jam-packed full of content. Actually it lacks a lot of polish, but it's still a great book.

Interestingly, the content found in this book is still pretty much up-to-date except for the online links. That is kind of hard to believe since the subject is about using the Internet to sell books, but it's true.

The other books that I recommend you read along with this one include the following:

From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur (ISBN: 0470050861)
Print-on-Demand Book Publishing (ISBN: 0972380132)
Literary Law Guide for Authors (ISBN: 0967457963)
Aiming at Amazon (ISBN: 093849743X)
The Web-Savvy Writer (ISBN: 0977830403
Plug Your Book! (ISBN: 0977240614)

This book will certainly help you in your efforts to publish and promote online. 5 stars!

Over the past several months, I've read about a dozen books on electronic and self-publishing. Although I've still to find a truly excellent resource ("The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing" by Tom & Marilyn Ross is the best I've come across as of yet), "How to Publish and Promote Online" is one of the worst I've seen by far.

The general layout of the book is perhaps the biggest disappointment. Rather than having concrete, substantial chapters, arranged in a logical and progressive order, "How to Publish and Promote..." consists of 58 short essays. The text itself is only 246 pages, divided by 58 chapters...and, well, you do the math! Most of the "chapters" are written by "guest" authors. The old adage about "too many cooks in the kitchen" is applicable here - there are so many authors that the different writing styles become distracting. Even more problematic is their seeming lack of communication. No one appears to have read one another's essays, or to even have a vague idea of what topic the other authors are writing about. This holds true for the book's authors, Rose & Adair-Hoy, as well as the many guest authors. Thus, some of the information is mentioned several times and quickly becomes redundant, while other information is presented chaotically and in no clear order. The end result is that the flow of the book is choppy and erratic; the chapters aren't arranged in any obvious order, and no one section transitions smoothly into the next. What little information is included in the book is hard to find.

For example, a survey of radio and television media executives conducted by Paul J. Krupin is described in excruciating detail twice in the book: first in a chapter written by PAUL KRUPIN himself, and in a later chapter authored by both Rose & Adair-Hoy. Additionally, there are numerous instances where Rose and Adair-Hoy provide URLs for similar web sites in different chapters, when it really would have made more sense to group the links together for quick reference. It wasn't a big deal for me, since I was typing up notes from the book in my word processing program, and could reorganize the info any way I saw fit - but I'm sure I would have been much more aggravated had I actually shelled out money for this train wreck. By the way, I ended up with six pages of typed, double-spaced notes for a 254 page book; this should give readers come clue as to how much helpful information is actually included.

Adair-Hoy includes this "disclaimer" (her words, not mine) in her introductory chapter:

"Finally...my secret. I have never taken a formal writing course and I don't intend to. I write the way I talk."

Without meaning to, Adair-Hoy offers a succinct summary of the primary flaw in "How to Publish and Promote...". When writing a reference book, it just isn't acceptable for the authors to ramble on and on in a disorganized, roundabout manner, offering pieces of information here and there in a sort of word jumble. If writing simply involved "writing how you talk," then anyone could do it! Nonfiction/reference books such as these should be well-organized, informative, and packed with useful knowledge. They SHOULDN'T be thrown together piecemeal. Any one of these 58 essays is acceptable on its own, in a `zine or newsletter, perhaps - but lumped together under the guise of a "how-to" book, they simply don't cut it.

If you really must read this book, check it out of your local library before purchasing it - I guarantee you'll thank me for saving you $10+. Then put the Ross' "The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing" or (if you're just interested in marketing ideas for your book) their "Jump Start Your Book Sales" on hold. Their writing style can be somewhat grating, but they offer a ton of useful information - and, better yet, their guides are actually organized into REAL CHAPTERS!

- Kelly Garbato

Author & ePublisher, "13 Lucky Steps to Writing a Research Paper"
Peedee Publishing / Hot Dog!, LLC

A truly good book teaches me better than to read it.
I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint.
What I began by reading, I must finish by acting.
- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Purchase this book if you think you are buying a book of writerly advice (note the book's subtitle). Buy it if you love anything written by Jong and you won't be disappointed. STD is more memoir than didacticism; in the book's intro, Jong admits that she began the book as a tome of advice for the fledgling writer as a way to avoid writing her next novel. The 2 book jacket photos tell the story of the two EJ's: 1)the EJ that wrote THAT celebratory book in 1972 and 2) the older, wiser EJ. She's back to her old tricks at times, using the 4-letter "c words" for male/female anatomy. Among other things she is guilty of romanticizing the Sylvia Plath debacle and spends a fair amount of time describing her own flirtation with Ted Hughes. Especially pathos-oozing is her non-romantic reunion with Dart, a character from a previous novel. Jong describes his aging male type to a tee. She also writes a good deal about the not-so-mystical connections between the muse and booze (apparently she had an alcohol problem at one time and writes as if she may still be in recovery).
Writing advice is inadvertently woven throughout her text, perhaps unconsciously so: "Nothing freezes the imagination like family loyalty or political correctness." Did you know that most days she feels like an abject failure as a writer?
Jong unfortunately digresses into her affair with Martha Stewart's husband. No love lost between these two women, to be sure. She also professes her lust for Bill Clinton whom she feels "likes flashy broads. His own mother was a flashy broad and men never get over their mothers."
A vintage Jongism can be spotted on page 154: "I used to get excited about boys in black leather jackets on Harleys. I would never have married Mr. Motorcycle, but I sure liked to f*** him." She writes a bit on her second marriage to Allan Jong, her 3rd to Jonathan Fast and of her present, fulfilling union with Ken.
Despite a lot of literary flashbacks to the heady days of Fear of Flying fame, the book is up-to-date. She's also right-on with her bon mots on writing: "The itching of a scar. What a perfect description of the urge to write." And like any good Jong memoir, STD functions as a kind of tell-all in her stream-of-consciousness writing. She tells the reader about literary numeraries such as Arthur Miller, Julia Phillips, Henry Miller...she confesses that she thinks of FOF as more of a 'rant' than a novel.
Politics rear their ugly head all through the book. Jong crucifies George W. Bush every chance she gets. And for the life of me, I cannot deduce how Jong can be such a fan of Nabokov's Lolita--which is nothing more than disguised pedophilia.
And like a mother will do, Jong boasts of daughter Molly throughout the pages. Shameless, perhaps, but what's a mother to do? No doubt, though, that even Erica Jong would present a feminist argument on this very sentiment.

Writing is like "ITCHING THE SCAR" --Colette--

"The notion of God brings us to the muse--the male writer's form of the demon. The muse also embodies creativity. She's fickle. She appears and disappears at will. We can't control her. And because we can't control her, we hate her as much as we love her.
We try to summon her with sex, with falling in love, with mind-altering drugs. But the fact is, she won't be summoned. She alights when she damn well pleases her. She falls in love with one artist, and then deserts him for another. She's a real bitch" -Erica Jong.

Just let me say right off, I looove Erica Jong! I've read several books about writing, but Jong's memoir rates among the highest. It is deliciously unique, sassy, insightful, and, oh my, so severely direct. The rawness and presence of her writing is invigorating. The humor, sexuality, and honesty, are precisely what the reader {me} is intrigued by, interested in, and want to devour.

"Seducing the Demon" gives the reader a peek into Jong's past and present world, and what a world it was. I mean, this woman partied with super-stars like Ted Hughes, (Plath's ex) and Henry Miller, (Nin's ex). One of the greatest, controversial poets of all time, Anne Sexton, was her mentor. Can you imagine hanging out with Sexton-- Talking about metaphor, men, and menstruation? Anne was a feminist before feminism even existed.

One could say Jong had the untamed life of a writer, or at least, what we assume a writer's life would be. Writing all day. Partying all night. Then writing again about her experience. Sounds like Hemmingway!

I want the writer's life.

Jong understood what rehab was before it was chic and cool, and she knew about sex, how to use it, how to get it, and then, fortunately, how to write about it. She talks about Colette, Plath, and Sexton; the vivacious feminist poets, who came before us, who dangerously and marvelously changed literature forever. Halleluiah.

Jong is bookish, buoyant, and beautiful. She is fearless. She inserts a quote from Colette, which reads, "Writing is like itching a scar." And that, my dears, may be the truest statement of all. Because when one is born with the fever of writing, they must write, they must create; they must reinvent, they must relive, they must itch the scar any way they possibley can. They must do this to live.

Seducing the Demon. Unlike the dreams deferred of Langston Hughes, demons rarely dry up or wither away in the sun. The writing life may not be all things imagined, yet thousands of aspiring writers dream of one day getting that call. Ms. Jong's Seducing the Demon lets us in on her bitter but sweet journey. She inspires us to step onward with an understanding that the jog up these pathways are often paved with something other than gold. Yet still she writes.

I remember reading once that someone said author Erica Jong looked like Miss Piggy. Her upturned nose probably inspired that comparison, but I've always found Jong, the author of the infamously erotic "Fear of Flying," very attractive and sexy. The photograph of Jong, obviously snapped when she was in her 20s or 30s, adorning the front jacket of "Seducing the Demon: Writing For My Life," is striking. Now in her '60s, she remains a dish, but this book (the first of hers I've read) shows she's got a full plate, and is more than a babe.

Jong's book was "started as a book of advice for fledgling writers." My ego, my age, and my status as a professional writer (struggling, though I may be) may exempt me from the "fledgling" label, but writing is important to me, and I'm always interested in reading books by writers for whom writing is also important - a way of life rather than a way to earn fame or money.

In the final chapter, titled "Does Writing Trump Family," she says, "If you want to be a nice person, don't write."

"There's no way to (write) without grinding up your loved ones and making them into raw hamburger," she writes. Jong states elsewhere that all fiction is autobiography and all autobiography is fiction. As for genres - fiction, non-fiction, memoir - they don't exist. "I've always thought that the idea of genre was a blot on the soul of literature," she says. "Categories like novel, memoir, biography have no value when you're writing - however much value they may have to librarians or bookstores. A book is a book is a book."

When I started reading Jong's book, I had no idea her words would speak to me so clearly. I often read in search of confirmation that others think what I think, have suffered as I have, and are oppressed by the same fears, the same guilts, the same demons. A good writer must be honest as much as he/she possesses a skill with words. When this honesty is present, the writer and reader communicate with each other in an almost spiritual way, soul-to-soul, heart-to-heart.

When reading Jong's description of her father's last days, I'm reminded of my mother and her defiance, her refusal to eat or get involved in activities at the nursing home, as well as her 1999 hospitalization during which she was uncooperative, ripping the respirator from her throat, a move that actually kick-started her recovery. Jong describes her father in a similar way. He was a "fighter" who "tried to escape from the emergency room, from the ICU and from the hospital" and was proven right when "the pneumonia he caught in the hospital that would finally do him in at ninety-two and not any of the three types of cancer her got and conquered...He pulled out breathing tubes, peeing tubes, IVs. He did not go quietly."

James Baldwin said that art is the order that comes out of the disorder of life. Jong says "I think writing elevates my mood because it's a way of imposing order on chaos."

Reading Jong's fine book elevated my mood, as well as provided insight into her talent. And that cover photo? Damn, she's hot!

Brian W. Fairbanks

There's a good memoir buried somewhere in the heap of re-edited commencement speeches and magazine think pieces that make up SEDUCING THE DEMON, Erica Jong's how-to book for would-be writers. The book jumps into overdrive when Jong recalls an early trip to California where, flush with the success of her novel FEAR OF FLYING, she sold the movie rights to Julia Phillips, a successful producer who was on the verge of a massive cocaine fueled breakdown. Jong's wild Hollywood nights contrasted sharply with her daytime visits to the Big Sur seaside home of aging lion Henry Miller, who exhibits an unexpected sweetness here in his extreme old age.

Later, under the disastrous tutelage of Noel Marshall and his wife, actress Tippi Hedren, Jong decides to sue Phillips and Columbia for reneging on their agreement to film FEAR OF FLYING. What a mistake! The suit plunges Jong into financial disaster and forces her into writing all sorts of hackwork just to keep afloat. Her literary reputation, never high to begin with, plunges ziplessly downwards.

SEDUCING THE DEMON seems a little desperate as Jong flings herself in all directions, rummaging through that ragbag of memory she calls her life. She rehearses the horrid love affair she had that already inspired a whole roman a clef ANY WOMAN'S LIFE, describing her hero memorably as the man whose erection wavered noticeably to the left, "in direct opposition to the tendency of his parents' politics." It's sentences like that that make you remember that Erica Jong was a poet first before becoming a pop novelist. She tells the story of how her daughter confessed to her that she was afraid of becoming a joke in Manhattan due to her cocaine addiction, then says, but this is my daughter's story to tell, not mine. I don't suppose anyone will finish this book, not even Jong's accountants, but it has its moments and oh, don't you wish she had obeyed her feminine instincts and actually taken Ted Hughes up on his offer of sexual favors? We would have had at least another few Jong novels out of it.

I've got to say that this book definitely made me care about the narrator and feel for the amazing amount of sacrifice and difficult situations that he and his family endured in service of our National Parks. And it's very hard to knock that ever, especially from someone who seems so genuinely likeable and friendly. However... this is not the greatest book. The combination of acronyms and Shakespeare quotes seems quirky and interesting at first, but quickly gets old. The "people are idiots" theme gets somewhat overplayed. Many of these stories and humorous anecdotes are the tough-day-at-work/funny quote type of thing I would put in an e-mail to family or laugh about with friends, not the kind of thing that I would record for posterity.
The last chapter of the book, among other things, earnestly advises you not to get high and jump off a cliff. If you are the kind of person who would responsibly read a book of back-country safety tips and stories, you are probably not also the person who would take some hits of acid and decide to roll off a cliff. Or you are. But that's on you and no books will help you at that point.
I like the author and his family. I feel for his struggles and sacrifice and find the humor in some of his stories. But I can't call this a great book.

I've always enjoyed visiting national parks and camping, so this book appealed to my interests. The stories turned out to be a lot of fun, and I've given copies of the book to several friends. If you want a really good laugh, (especially you ladies)don't miss the boat ramp tale about the "L.A. Launch." "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!" is my other favorite chapter, followed closely by "Don't Feed the Skunks." It is truly amazing what antics visitors to national parks are capable of. Mr. Burnett is a natural storyteller and this is a fun read. It was also featured as one of the fun bedtime reads on "The Price is Right" when they had a bedroom suite to give away.

This is a great book that is fun to read, each chapter can stand alone, so you can pick it up at your leisure. A great book to take on vacation.
It tells humorous stories of misadventures in our National Parks written in a way that you feel Mr. Burnett is talking to you. It gave me a good laugh and some good advice for visiting these or any parks.
(Snake in the cold water is my favorite story!)

I just finished reading Hey Ranger and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an easy read and it held my attention - I didn't want to put the book down! Anyone who has visited the National Parks, or just spent time in the outdoors, can probably relate to at least one tale in the book. For me personally, my family has done alot of boating and I was laughing hysterically during the chapter on boating, including mishaps that occur when launching a boat! I think anyone who enjoys the great outdoors and humorous real life tales will enjoy this book.

In this book, Jim Burnett collects amusing stories about visitors in the national parks. These people are normally called "tourons," though Burnett doesn't use the term here. Some of the stories come from his career as a park ranger, while other stories come from other rangers who told them to Burnett. He also includes some background on each park where he was stationed during his career (Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Buffalo National River, Glacier National Park, Colonial National Historical Park, and Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial). An appendix provides advice on how not to get hurt being stupid in the national parks.

The book suffers in comparison with other memoir-writers, especially my current favorite, game warden Terry Grosz. Most of Burnett's stories are only mildly amusing, though there are a few good ones. More problematic is the way he tells them - - he gets to the punchline much too fast, so that these stories only last a couple of pages. The second-hand stories are even shorter, more like one-liner jokes. Grosz, in contrast, can spin a tale out much more effectively.

All in all, the book is pleasant enough, and I purchased it at very deep discount, so it's not really disappointing. But there are better options out there.

Could somebody please tell me how to use this CD? I thought the problem was the CD itself, but contacted the seller, who then sent me another copy which has the same problem. The only thing that comes up is the search screen. When I enter the type of program to search for, I get the same thing.

If someone could please tell me what to do I'd greatly appreciate it. I am trying to choose programs to which I can apply RIGHT NOW.

Thank you.

This is definitely the only reliable MFA Guide out there. Although it may not be perfect, at least it's based on thorough research and accurate information. Anyone who knows anything about MFA Programs always recommends this one over the MFA Handbook.

this morning, i pop the cd into the laptop. it doesn't work. i try it on my regular computer. it barely works and could not be described as helpful in any way. so i log on to the website for columbia's mfa program. i am reading their welcome page, when i realize that i have read these words before: holman's book. i check nyu's mfa programs, and find that the financial information in holman's book is easily accessible to anyone with internet, and the nyu website has quite a bit more financial information than is listed in holman's book. why did i spend money on holman's book when all of this information was at my fingertips to begin with?

this book is not worth the money. the cd only works on certain computers, and, when it does work, it works only partially, not performing its intended function. the information in the book is copied and pasted directly from school websites, so no new insight is provided. the first two or three chapters of advice and discussion are painfully and wholly uninformative, and all in all, you get the same information you'd get from the internet, except there's less of it in the book and it's more confusing in the book.

it would be nice if there were a comprehensive and professionally done book about mfa creative writing programs, but, as far as i know, there is not.

buy the awp guide to writing programs. sift through that for anything that might be of interest, and then go to the schools' websites for more.

I would like to take this opportunity as the author of this book to say that I was contracted with the publisher to write a book on three kinds of opportunities for writers that give them time, money, and places to write: 1. grad programs 2. colonies & residencies and 3. grants & fellowships. Then it was given a title that made it seem skewed towards graduate programs, when that was only one section. I wrote it to present a horn of plenty to writers. The CD-ROM has problems, and no one is more disappointed than I, but the publisher will only fix it with the next print run. I am working on a way to remedy this through my web site. I believe I have a great book that opens readers up to the possibilities, but still leaves it to them to pursue the ones they deem worthy. I think that Tom Kealey's Creative Writing MFA Handbook has been criticized for being too much about money, when he's offering his specific and helpful viewpoint on what should matter when you apply. I come from a background of information services, where a few books on a subject is the best way to research anything. The definitive book will likely not be written unless you can find someone who has attended all the programs and still has the motor ability and thought processes to write a book. The secret elixir is on Mount Olympus. You need to know that finding a program that will educate you about an artistic endeavor is going to be a personal journey, and those of us who have knowledge about the market can only give you our perspectives. You need always to judge which perspectives are pertinent.

The book is a very decent reference but it is very limited. The book description even states there are only 80 reviews total in the book and that includes universities, colonies and international programs. What sold me on the book was the CD that expanded the reviews to include over 300 programs. Well, the CD doesn't work. Amazon has replaced my original book/cd and the second one doesn't work either. There are three other reviews of this book that say the same thing. THE CD DOESN'T WORK. It is false advertising and the book/cd should be recalled by the publisher. If you have also bought this defective product send an email to Amazon to put pressure on the publisher to fix the problem. If you haven't bought it, DON'T until the publisher fixes the problem.

After a brief email correspondence with Bryant, it's easy to see why this was such a boring, poorly written book. I'm glad I was given the book and didn't actually waste any money on it.
The book jumps from one newspaper article to another, and never really tells me, an avid baseball fan anything I didn't already suspect about players taking steroids and other performance enhancers.
I mean really, it's been going on for ages in all sports.
Bryant's obsessive fascination with race and racism really comes through when he spends an entire chapter on Barry and Bobby Bonds and race relations between writers and players.
His never really backs up any of his racial assertions with any more then anecdotes and opinions. He blames Bobby's alcoholism on the way he was treated by the baseball world and blames Barry's problems on everyone but Barry.
He claims that white writers make life troublesome for difficult black players but treat difficult white players with kit gloves. Tell that one to Steve Carlton, Howard.
Please do yourself a favor and don't waste even five bucks on a used copy of this.
Your time would be wasted to even get a copy from the library. Mine went in my recycle bin.

I've read a lot of baseball books over the years, and this ranks as one of the best. While it covers the whole steroids mess in illuminating detail, you also get a review of baseball history unlike anything else out there. How this author did not win some kind of writing award is beyond me. If you enjoy reading baseball history sprinkled with interesting details about individual ball players, get this book.

Howard Bryant has done the baseball world a giant service with his meticulous research and top-notch writing. In careful detail, explaining all sides AND including contextual background for how and why the events unfolded, he lays out the complex history of the past 20 years of baseball. He makes it clear that demonizing Bonds, McGwire, Palmeiro et al cannot be done reasonably without also indicting the management, labor leadership, and even the press.

In a way, we're all to blame for the Steroid Era. It's as much a sociological discussion as it is a book about baseball, pharmacology, management and the fight for power. It's also a serious page-turner, and should be required reading for anyone who cares about the game of baseball and the health of the next generation of players.

It's a superb book, and peels back the layers of the onion in a way that nobody had the courage to do before. If you're a baseball fan, READ this book.

This book is about more than just steriods and what they can do to a person's body. It's about the entire story of Major League Baseball from 1994-2004. Bryant tells about how out of control umpires were, and how Sandy Alderson was only too happy to accept their resignations in Richie Phillips' botched attempt to start a new umpires union. Also, the new ballparks that were seemingly designed for more offense and the shrinking strike zone are discussed.

This book also reveals how little the media cared about what was happening. Most reporters just looked the other way during this era, not wanting to believe what they saw wasn't real. Tony LaRussa is revealed to be perhaps the biggest hypocrite of this era when he rips Jose Canseco after Canseco's book is released and vehemently defends Mark McGwire. LaRussa says Canseco used to brag about his steriod use during his days as Oakland manager. Bryant brings up a quote from LaRussa in 1988 defending Canseco after Canseco was accused of taking steriods.

Bryant interviews numerous people for this book, and the multitude of sources makes for a very good read. I took off a star for an error saying that a fan caught a Derek Jeter hit ball while hanging over the outfield wall and the play was called a home run in Game Two of the 1996 ALCS (it was actually Game One) and for a poorly edited epilogue. Despite those things, this is an easy recommendation.

I generally shy away from most sports books. But Howard Bryant has done a masterful job explaining just what has happened to our beloved national pastime. His analysis encompasses not only the rise of steroids and other 'performance enhancers' but answers the questions...why? how? when???! His coverage of labor negotiations, the umpires strike fiasco, the birth of Long Ball adoration, and scathing portrayals of the commissioner and club owners does the best job I have read in making sense of the past decade in baseball. It is a 'must read' for most american sports fans and definitely any baseball nuts!

Every time I think about Hitchens defense of the war in Iraq, I always ask myself why someone so brilliant can support such a war. In this book, I start to understand the person. His journey, and why he puts some ideas above others.

"You have not lived until you have experienced Love, Poverty and War." This book, like most of his work, put in me a spell of deep thinking for awhile.

I think Hitchens has upset everyone at some point with his writing. It's always brilliant and well thought out. I highly encourage you to read this book. See some of these issues through his eyes.

Honesty is still the best policy even when written by a noted journalist living in Washington DC! Hitchens is an atheist, secularist and first class detector of hypocrisy, evil and deceit! You may not always agree with this 21st inheritor of the mantle of such writers as George Orwell but he will engage your mind, soul and heart!
This collection of essays culled from Hitchens' articles in Vanity Fair,
the Nation and other prominent venues for his talents is divided into three parts:
Part One-Hitchens gives us several book reviews of biographies of some of his favorite writers from Marcel Proust, Kingsley Amis; Graham Green; Aldous Huxley: James Joyce and Graham Greene. He also takes a look at the life of the Communist Trotsky. Hitchens evidences his broad literary learning in these brainy articles.
Part Two: In this section deemed "Americana" Hitchens takes to the wide open American road. We go down Sunset Boulevard with Billy Wilder; take a trip on what was once Route 66 and look at the laws governing New York City. We also read his reviews of Bob Dylan's oeuvre; discover the pleasures of Hitchens' appreciation of Saul Bellows' classic The Adventures of Augie March and revist the land of Civil War reenactors.
His review of the Martha Stewart empire is priceless. He also writes judicious and on target attacks on the likes of Michael Moore and Mel Gibson. Several other articles on figures from Mother Theresa (highly controversial) and the Dalai Lama are worth reading even if you disagree with them.
Part Three is the most poignant of the three sections of this large book.
In it Hitchens reports on the tragedy of 9-11; takes a well informed look at the gruesome situation in the Middle East and its horrible madmen incarnated in such tyrants as Ben Laden and Saddam Hussein.

Ever the iconoclast, Mr. Hitchins takes aim at some of our most cherished idols.So Prime Minister Churchill was not nearly as brilliant as he is being portrayed, particularly in the US? Christopher Hitchins gives a compelling, contrarian viewpoint.

At time a bit too verbose, the book still gives hours of interesting reading - if you like to entertain contrarian views.

Christopher Hitchen's style of writing is so elegant, flowing, and humorous that reading his papers is a literal treat. I often feel sad when I see the end of one of his essays approaching. Being absorbed in his prose is too much fun. It's like having to step out of the hot tub.

One thing I will always love in particular about his writing style is his deft use of the generalization. It's only because of Hitch's immense knowledge that we allow him to get away with off-the-cuff slurs, such as when he flippantly throws around words like "thug" or "stupid" to describe his opponents. From a Coulter or a Moore we'd consider this sort of name-calling juvenile and petty, but the words are so much more poignant when coming from a person who actually knows what he is talking about.

Not every essay in this book interested me. Hitchens' own interests stretch far and wide, and as a result his essays can sometimes get a bit esoteric. I greatly enjoyed his political works, but I'm perfectly willing to admit that I skipped some of his other articles altogether. Especially in the "Love" chapter, a section which consists mostly of fawning praise for Hitch's literary heroes. The most fascinating essays were his deconstructions of Zionism, the fascist historian "and great historian of fascism" David Irving, and of course, his most infamous target, Mother Theresa.

I consider myself on the right of the political spectrum. Not a crazed libertarian, but basically a moderate conservative who cares a lot about morality and ethics in politics. Hitchens' best political writings transcend the political spectrum, and are fascinating and sometimes frustrating simply because of their contrarian nature. Are the Jews really better off with Israel than they were before, he asks. Is Winston Churchill really a genius? Is there a moral equivalence between Al Queda and American foreign policy? They're provocative matters to explore, and Hitch deals with them all, and many more, in a manner that is neither polemic nor indifferent but simply... rational. With so many tired talking points and conventional wisdom floating around these days, it's truly refreshing to read the words of a man who can only be accurately described as "independent."

Of all the people I have read sufficiently enough to judge, Christopher Hitchens is probably the one I would least like to debate. His knowledge about seemingly almost anything, his wit, his command of the language, and his taste for sanguinary conflict make Hitchens obviously a formidable foe. These previously published essays demonstrate him at full potency, and many still have plenty of bite years later. Hitchens must have had great satisfaction and anger at the same time when taking on Churchill, Mother Teresa, Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, JFK, history teaching, and others.

The Churchill essay was a great surprise when first published in 2002, at least to many of us who placed Churchill among the greatest people of the 20th century. Except for Mother Teresa's, many of the other essays on individuals were less surprising in attitude and thesis, yet they usually made solid arguments, with potent and entertaining prose that sometimes verges on piling on the hapless victim.

The essays cover far more than just political topics. Book reviews and introductions to books form a nice diversion. In several cases, such as an essay on Waugh, I did not know enough to give the topic justice and skimmed on to another. The piece on Joyce for the 100th anniversary of Bloomsday may not quite provide the perspective you expected.

The biggest unanticipated delight was Hitchens' dip into some non-intellectual waters. The piece on Route 66 was exceptional, as was his meander along Sunset Blvd.

The section on War is both timely and dated. Hitchens' visit to North Korea in 2000 reads almost as current events here in 2006, with the rumored nukes and other spectacles. For the situation in the mideast, covered in multiple essays, the writing is powerful, as usual. However, I must admit to some Iraq and general mideast fatigue, and thus couldn't get into the arguments as much as I should have.

Love this book. Couldn't put it down. I purchased 2 so that my friends could also read it. My wife loves it as well.

yankees suck. they alway will. this book is awsome. yankees suck. Not a baised book Cable just points out the obvious that the yankees suck

Caple notes early in this book that every time he trashes the Yankees, he gets e-mails calling him a Red Sox fan (which he isn't.). And below I see 1-star reviews trashing him as a bitter Red Sox fan.

Hmmm.

Anyway, this is fantastic book for Yankee haters, which included not just Red Sox fans, but this Braves' fan, Mets fans, Dodgers fans and pretty much any fan of any team other than the Pinstriped Devils. But what makes it special is there is an underlying respect and even affection for the Yankees. Caple has only good things to say about Joe Torre. He only tweaks Jeter a bit about his girlfriends. He doesn't say anything nasty about Casey Stengle. And he praises Don Mattingly. He specifically talks about how classy the current Yankee iteration is. And he notes that baseball *needs* the Yankees. When the Lakers were winning all their championships, no one cared. But the let the Yankees win and the baseball world goes berzerk.

No, his bile is reserved for deserving targets. The tightwad Joe Dimaggio, the obnoxious Reggie Jackson, the violent Billy Martin, tge greedy racist George Weiss, and -- the principle villain in this book, Steinbrenner. He castigates the Yankees for frequently treating their best people like garbage -- slashing Babe Ruth's salary, cutting Mantle's after his triple crown, benching Mattingly for his hair, refusing to integrate except for Elston Howard, alienating Yogi Berra. He hits the obnoxious bleacher fans, the depressing dump of a stadium (while praising the old one) and the nauseating media worship, as exemplified in Yankeeography. He even lashes out at Red Sox fans, cackling that if the Yankees disappeard, the Massachusettes economy would collapse from being unable to sell anti-Yankee shirts.

I actually think that Yankee fans will enjoy this book too, assuming they don't see their team through Yankeeography tinted glasses.

Anyway, this book is short fun and hilarious.

I've heard that this book would be enjoyable to people who aren't diehard Sox fans or Yankees haters. I wouldn't know. But as someone who is and has always been both, this book is a blast. Hilarious and hateful, just like it should be, it not only pulls no punches, it dons brass knuckles and aims for the groin. If you've ever dreamed about pushing Steinbrenner down a flight of stairs while laughing maniacally, this book is for you. If Arod's girly slap in that fateful pennant race had you rolling, this book is for you. If the name Aaron Boone still makes you physically retch, this book is for you.

I haven't read the book, but I'm sure its funny. Reading Jim Caple's crybaby rants are always a laugh :) I encourage everyone that hates the Yankees to pick it up and laugh away.

It shall be your only salvation.

Since 1923,this game HAS AND ALWAYS WILL be dominated by THE GREATEST TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS.

THE NEW YORK YANKEES!!!

Laugh away at the handful of disapointments the Yankees have had over 102 years as an organization. Take joy in a few bad trades and the extremely small number of world titles that barely slipped through their fists.

And while you are taking pleasure in their painfully small number of mistakes, ALL of your teams will continue to languish in mediocrity because of poor management and cheap ownership.

Continue to hate as the Yankees stockpile world championships and collect great players that your poorly run organizations refuse to treat properly.

Laugh at Steinbrenner, George Costanza, and the 2004 ALCS. It means nothing.

The Yankees are still better than you and your "favorite" team and they ALWAYS will be.

Nobody is perfect, but the New York Yankees are as close as you can come.

Here we have a wonderful book that shows that the New Age attributes of love, compassion, helping and open prayer were really Old Age attributes that we were reminded of by Jesus and have been reburied by a dogmatic church in the years since.

Again, this is another must read for those interested in humanity. It opens our horizons to view the world differently than what we were taught in our youth. Jesus was so much more than what we find in the Bible.

I can not endorse or recommend this book any more than to say it is 10 stars on a 5 star scale! I have studied Jesus and the Essenes for over 30 years and I found this information enlightening. There are many mysteries explained about the Dead Sea scrolls, Moses, Ezekiel, creation, the Magi, and other Bible characters and stories. The information on the education and youth of Jesus is amazing. The revelations about Mary and her uncle Joeseph of Arimathea confirm information only now being written and speculated about. There are astonishing disclosures about the miracles in the Bible and the life of Jesus! Plan enough time to read this in one sitting or two at most. This book has the potential to change your life.

The Qumran scrolls are now all published and you can see for yourself that Jesus is not in them. Moreover there is nothing in them that allows to doubt the originality of Christianity, as confirmed by Hershel Shanks, Jewish scholar and editor of Biblical Archology Review (The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls, p. xvi). The theories of Jesus and His disciples being Essenes are mostly based on dr J. Allegro's and dr R. Eisenman's mistaken translation of 4Q285, a text from cave 4 about Teacher of Rigthousness mentioned along with piercing. They've seen Jesus Christ as an object of piercing in this fragmentary text, while in fact it is the Teacher of Rightousness who is doing the piercing and killing! Allegro and Eisenman after some time finally and publically admitted their error, but the myth was already created and is being prolonged mostly in New Age literature by the ignorant, even though it is based totally on outdated theories and wishful thinking.

Whether you believe in past life regression or not, this book is relevant and interesting to boot. The Essenes were, according to many accounts, key to the education of Jesus and their beliefs and practices were adopted by the early Christians. Their property was held in common, and they shared and shared alike. They also incorporated virtually all the spiritual teachings and religions of the East and Mid East into their belief system, and accepted that all the enlightened ones taught much the same universal and eternal truths.

I love anthologies where I read *every single* item.. I bought this originally for the essay by Diane Duane, one of my favourite authors. I was pleasantly surprised to find I liked every single essay, even the ones with conflicting points of view, even the one by Poul Anderson.. (although I did find that one the dryest). That said, these are all by professional authors, so the disease that so often blights academic collections, i.e. wonderful ideas completely killed by inedible prose, is not present. The subjects of the essays vary greatly; there are lots of personal recollections of reading Tolkien for the first time, Esther Friesner talks about how hot people with pointed ears are, Orson Scott Card talks about critical approaches to Tolkien (and it's *fun*!), Ursula K Le Guin talks about rhythmic pattern in Tolkien's prose. There are essays by: Raymond Feist, Poul Anderson, Michael Swanwick (another funny one!), Esther Friesner, Harry Turtledove, Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb, Ursula Le Guin, Diane Duane, Douglas Anderson, Orson Scott Card, Charles de Lint, Lisa Goldstein, Glenn Hurdling (interviewing the Hildiebrant brothers), and Terri Windling, along with two introductions by Karen Haber and George R R Martin (they had to get the author with the most similar name to J R R Tolkien..). Anyway, if you like the fiction of any of these, you'll probably like the essays.

This book was clearly published with the expectation that it'd ride the wave of publicity for the LOTR movies, and perhaps it did. With the movies all on DVD now, maybe it seems less relevant than it once did. As other reviewers have mentioned, the essays in this book vary quite a bit in quality, and they approach the "What Lord of the Rings Means" question from different angles.

However, I think the book is worth reading -- once -- for a slightly different reason than Tolkien or LOTR. If you like Tolkien but aren't fanatical about the subject (not *all* of us feel the need to re-read the trilogy once a year), you may still enjoy many of these essays because you can hear how your favorite authors think, the unique way in which they were influenced by what they read... the author's own voice, in other words, rather than the stories they tell.

I kept imagining that I was attending a panel about "what LOTR meant to me" at an SF convention, and that many of the authors had interesting things to say. If you take the book from that viewpoint, you'll probably enjoy it. And if you're a writer yourself, you should definitely grab a copy.

For instance, Robin Hobb writes about being blown away by Tolkien's ability to create the setting in a novel. ("True setting is far more than descriptive passages about birch trees in winter, or picturesque villages. Tolkien's setting invoked a time and a place that was as familiar as home to me, yet unfolded the wonders and dangers of all that I had always suspected was just beyond the next hill.") Hobb's novels are masterworks of setting, so you see both the influence on the developing writer, and the reason for their impact.

Similarly, Ursula LeGuin sees the books in terms of word rhythms; Charles deLint writes about the impact of the Fairy Story (in the larger, romantic sense). This book gives you a unique view into the minds of the authors you may admire.

It also, alas, shows that not all of them are as skilled at writing an essay as they are with fiction. Esther Freisner does a damned good job (funny, too), but a few of the others wander around aimlessly, forgetting to make a point. Again, it's rather like a panel at an SF Con.

You shouldn't feel compelled to acquire a copy of this book, but don't pass it by, either. Good library fodder, or perhaps a read-and-pass-on book.

MEDITATIONS ON MIDDLE EARTH is a collection of essays focusing on J.R.R. Tolkien's works, especially the Middle Earth saga. Some of the more renowned fantasy authors of today evaluate the series that made fantasy a household name. Surprisingly, though everyone agrees that Professor Tolkien opened up the genre to the middle class, not all of the contributors are fans of the actual novels. Insightful and entertaining, each essay is well written with the writer's particular spin. However, this anthology will be loved by those readers analyzing the various cultures in a way that cultural anthropologists would envy or by those fans who cherish Beowulf, which Tolkien felt is the forefather of the genre.

Harriet Klausner

This book really brought back some great memories. And not really in the vein of Tolkien amazingly enough. ( I am a major FAN of Tolkien). No, I was shocked that when reading these essays I was quickly thrown back into my teenage years where I would read nothing but sci-fi/fantasy. I had almost forgotten how most of these authors had written in a basic, easy to read style that appealed to a young lad caught up in an adventurous, romantic mind set. I read these books as if I were love starved housewife needing my "Fabio on the cover" fix.
The good news is that I eventually outgrew this fixation, learning to read books that weren't written in under a month. But this book made me want to read some of their newer works, and, (gasp), reread some of them.
But seriously, this book is well worth the read. Some of the authors aren't all that great at writing non-fiction, (or even fiction for that matter), but it is nice to see them rahpsodizing about Tolkien. It is is also very nice to see John Howe's sketches scattered throughout, and his artwork on the cover was one of my favorite pictures long before I ever heard his name. He is an excellent artist, and I am so glad they used him as a conceptual designer on the LOTR' movies.
I give here a brief review of half the essays.
Karen Haber- Even though she was the editor of this book, her preface wasn't anything to write home about. Okay, I'll say it. It was DUMB.
George R.R. Martin- Martin, being stuck with the introduction, gives a short, concise read of what fantasy is and how Tolkien changed it. Well written and likable.
Michael Stanwick- I have never had the pleasure of reading Mr. Stanwick, but this gives me the desire to. He relates his experiences reading LOTR, gives a very nice piece on some of the dynamics of the characters, and talks of Tolkien's thoughts on allegory. He then finishes with a wonderfully heartwarming rendition of him reading the books to his young son, and how much more Sam's last words "Well, I'm back." meant to him then.
Esther Friesner- This essay was just plain funny. That is all I really remember. She didn't seem to have much to convey, but she did make me laugh.
Terry Pratchett- In true Brittish style, Pratchett brings real comic relief to this book. Just reading a short work as this brings to mind Monty Python, Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and his very own Discworld. This time he jumps headlong into the question" why is LOTR's still considered a cult classic, when it is the most popular book of the twentieth century?".He answers this in a way that would make Terry Gilliam or John Cleese proud to have written, showing how Mona Lisa and Pride and Prejudice fit into the equation. Bravo.
Ursula K. LeGuin- This was probably the best written of the bunch. Bypassing the "this is how I was first introduced to Tolkien's work" that pervades this book, Ursula gives a nice review of how Tolkien wrote his prose almost in a poetic metre. Taking one chapter of the fellowship, she shows how the different beats of action all corelate into a masterful work. Wish I had wrote it.
Orson Scott Card- The first page or two was alright, but after that it quickly detiorated into a study of "serious" vs. "escapist", that lost me in almost every paragraph. While making a few interesting points, it seemed mostly like he was just writing at random, and then forgot to put it into a cohesive format. All I can say is that Card should stick to writing fiction.
Hildebrandt Brothers- Before I write anything else, let me say this. I have never liked the brothers art. Sorry, but my bias will probably show in this one. Personally, I don't think that this should have been included in the book. Why not have John Howe or Alan Lee write something instead of this (rather lame) interview. Mostly they just banter back and forth about how skilled they are, talking about all their various projects, and occasionally thanking Tolkien for giving them the source material that made them famous. Pass.
Terri Windling- More so than all the others, this essay truly moved me. It recalled the wondefully romantic (in the classical sense of the word) thoughts, ideas, and feelings that I have always ascoiated with Tolkien, Indeed all fantasy in general. Interestingly enough, it wasn't the LOTR's that made her feel this way, But Tolkien's excellent lecture "On Fairy Stories", a beautiful work on the role of fantasy in the adult life. She also makes some great points about how Disney has changed the way we look at fairy tales, making them something just for children. Placing this essay at the end of the book definatly makes it feel as if they left the one of best for last.

Should you read this book? If you are a fan of tolkien, and don't mind a little light-hearted writing about him, then yes. If however you just happen to like a particular contributer, then you should probably shy away from this one.

Mostly good, this collection did have some serious downfalls. For the positives first, in general this was a great celebration of Tolkien's enduring effect on the fantasy field, and of his works. Most of the contributers to this wanted to share their experiances and debts to Tolkien's works, but a few seemed just as happy to grab their own fame out of this enterpriese. An essay-by-essay review in the order that they appear...

George R.R. Martin: Unfortunatly stuck with the intro, Martin discusses Tolkienesque and epic fantasy, the latter being his main style. Engaging and interesting, and much too short.

Raymond E. Fiest: So-so essay, entertaining but not overly informative or interesting.

Poul Anderson: I remember nothing of this one save that it was the only essay that I couldn't finish...and it wasn't even that long.

Michael Swanwick: My memory of this one is sketchy as well, but a wonderfully tied-together essay that was much more united than many of these, and inspiring. A new author to me, this essay impressed me with his style and appriciation and understanding of Tolkien's works.

Esther M. Friesner: Not very on-topic, but it made me laugh...different style, but good enough.

Harry Turtledove: Never did get the point he was trying to make, I don't think he did either. Rambling and random, but not boring at least.

Terry Pratchett: Pratchett was a bit condesencing (or more than a bit) in his essay, and it appeared to me that he came into the deal just to help sell the book with his popular name. No insights in this, and his lack of passion for Tolkien is apparent.

Robin Hobb: A refreshingly fluid essay, sharing her personal experiances and thoughts about the books. Loved this one, and I agreed with her on almost everything she said. Respectful of Tolkien in the way that I am...not forceful, but deeply passionate in a quiter way.

Ursula K LeGuin: Took me awhile to finish this one, but left me with a much better understanding of Tolkien's styles in prose. If you're shooting for new but not radical ideas and thoughts, this is worth the price of the book!

Diane Duane: More of a personal experiance essay, okay and entertianing enough, but not much substance.

Douglas A. Anderson: He said some things I didn't agree with, but his essay was excellent and informative, while being engaging. A nice history of Tolkien both personal and historical, nicely done.

Orson Scott Card: A bit rambling, but, though some of his ideas were questionable for me, very good. Card once again demostrates his understanding of the genre and its history and mechanics, conveying this in his usual intimate, sometimes sarcastic, fast-moving and informative fashion that I love so much.

Lisa Goldstien: Never heard of her, but a nice essay on why Tolkien was so different, important, and nessecary to our world.

Charles De Lint: I feel that he has seriously mis-interpretted certain bits of the book, seeing it as a bit too allegorical, and only grasping the points of it that he wants to understand. Poltically correct, this essay started good and went bad.

Hildebrant brothers: Can't say enough bad about them. They did this just for their own publicity, and I got very, very tired of hearing about how wonderful they were, and how perfect their interpretations were, and how much fun it is to illustrate...bleh. They are arrogant, concieted, and condecending, trying to compare themselves to Tolkien, and getting all upset over the lack of feminism in the books. Good for Tolkien, I say! I'm a woman, it doesn't bug me, and I don't need a bunch of guys looking out for my best intrests. I can do that myself! Burn this conversation, folks. It was awful.

Terri Windling: Nice conclusion to the book, inspiring and hopeful, and very touching. A bit feministic for my tastes, but a true tribute to Tolkien.

Overall, nice essays in general. If you're wondering, buy it. It's good light reading. But if you're looking for a serious academic study of Tolkien, buy Tom Shippey's "J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century" instead.

A must-have for working and aspiring writers alike. Beginners will find the articles helpful, working pros need the listings.

FYI: The listings makes side-by-side comparisons practically impossible, so I recommend inputting the information on your computer, then formatting it as a table. Pricing guidelines are sometimes inconsistent (average pay is listed as above-average and vice versa) and some small sections look as if they went directly to press without proofreading. Online updates more than compensate for such minor considerations.

I recently ordered Writer's Digest Market Online and am very disappointed with my order, if not downright angry. When I received it, I was dismayed to find out that this "Market Online" book is indeed the same thing, or very similiar, to the 2003 Writer's Market book. I ordered this with the belief that this book would offer online markets (websites) to sell articles to. Instead, it lists magazines and book publishers - the very same thing as the original 2003 Writer's Market! I feel that this book is a duplication of the first and cannot return my book now because I opened it and consider it a waste of money.

There are few events in life that I look forward to more than receiving my shiny new Writer's Market each year. Once again, the good people at Writer's Digest Books have outdone themselves. This exhaustively researched book contains more than 8,000 places to sell your work-- what more could you ask for? Oh! How about pricing guidelines, expert advice, info about agents, writing contests, syndicates, organizations for writers...

I mean it most earnestly when I tell you I wouldn't have a career without this book. And ever since I got the online version, I'm not sure how I lived without it. I use it every day to keep track of my submissions. It even tells me when it's time to follow up on a query, and allows me to record notes about different markets-- I can punch in my deadlines, payment info, contact names, etc.

Of all the books in the world, this is the only one that I can say with full confidence is an absolute necessity to those who want to make a career of their writing. The price is meager compared to its benefits. No matter what you write, you'll find markets for it here.

--Jenna Glatzer, Editor-in-Chief, AbsoluteWrite.com

Writer's Market On- Line Guide is an extensive resource for writers and one can easily become overwhelmed with such an exhaustive guide like this. It's mostly reference tools, with the bulk of the book dedicated to information from actual publishers, agents, and magazines. Only the first few sections, before the publishers, contain actual reading material. But it's all arranged very nicely and it includes very helpful facts for the aspiring author.

I like the sample form letters in the Query Letter Clinic. It's one thing to explain what works and what doesn't, but it's even more helpful to be able to visualize actual letters that are "good" and "bad". The contributors of this guide explain exactly what publishers look for when they review a manuscript and they give tips on common mistakes to avoid.

I spent most of my time thumbing through the publisher's reference section of this book. I was surprised at the number of publications, particularly magazines, that devote a substantial portion of their publication to freelance writers. With each listing, Writer's Guide shows the percentage of the magazine that is comprised of freelance writing, so that you can gauge your odds of getting published. Some are high, others are low. For example, Motor Trend Magazine contains only 5 to 10% freelance- written material, but the payoff for a published article can be as high as several hundred dollars. Entrepreneur Magazine, on the other hand, includes 60 percent freelance material. The payout is slightly less, but the higher level of freelance writing means that your individual odds of getting published are greater.

Writer's Guide includes a few postcards that can be removed to buy more products (like a magazine subscription to Writer's Digest), to send for free material from the Writer's Digest School, and to buy more Writer's Guides, like the Children's Writers Guide, The Literary Agent Guide, Novel and Short Story Writer's Market Guide, and a few others. There are countless listings of resources to access, including online and others.

One thing to note about this guide is that the title is a little misleading. While it does contain information on getting published by utilizing the internet, this is really only a small fraction of the guide. It actually contains information on all sorts of ways to get published, including phone and fax numbers to contact publishers directly.

Overall, this is a very good guide to writing and getting published. A little bit more personal reading would have been nice (there are only about 90 pages of actual reading material) but the reference sections are invaluable to the aspiring writer. If you have ever considered selling your personal writing, then you will find this guide very helpful. It's a heap of writing information, right at your fingertips.

[$$$] book offering great online access BUT you have to scrape off a number (like a lottery ticket) to access your code and mine got all mangled (not like a lottery ticket) - and Writer's Market just ignored me when I contacted them. That's fraud! I wasted [$$$] for nothing!