Tools Books

This book has it all! It is an easy read with practical information that can be easily applied to your life. It will help you understand and know how to improve every relationship in your life. It will even help you understand yourself and how you can be a better person. The principles in this book have changed my life for the better, and they can do the same for you.

Katherine Cook Briggs and daughter Isabel Briggs-Myers, shared an intense curiosity about typology and together they co-created what became the "gold standard" for personality profiling, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. In a remarkably similar fashion, Florence, with husband Fred, began research into the four temperaments, which led to her body of work on the Personalities, paving the way for daughter Marita Littauer to add her own research and insights. Together, sharing forty years of study, they are inarguably, the Myers-Briggs for a new generation.

Now Marita Littauer has written the definitive book (with insights from Florence) about the Personalities under the clever title, Wired That Way. Let me say this plainly - you won't find the Myers-Briggs 16 personality types in this book. What you will find is the latest available information on the four basic types - often attributed to Hippocrates - of Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Melancholy, and Choleric.

Ms. Littauer writes in a conversational style that pulls you through the book, as she dives straight into the heart of practical everyday application. Through the use of story and metaphor, she takes us into the familiar daily-ness of life, and along the way, we suddenly realize we can better understand the strange people at work and the - um - "quirky" behavior of certain family members, as well as those curious individuals in our Bible Study group. In other words, wherever you find people, you will find fertile ground for applying these techniques.

I don't think it will be giving anything away to say that Ms. Littauer concludes her book with a caveat: Don't let the preferences of your personality be an excuse for poor performance or behavior. Rather, focus on using your strengths to overcome your weaknesses. Understand that it's your differences that make you a unique child of God. She notes that throughout the Gospels of the New Testament, the personality of Jesus Christ "contained the strength of all four personalities and the weaknesses of none." Marita's powerful, heartfelt call to action is "to live in your strengths - to be more like Christ."

Buy one book for yourself and send another to a friend - you know - that person who really needs to read it.

Marita's new book 'Wired That Way' combines in one place the resources anyone needs to build better relationships and understand oneself. With my business name as 'Word Wardrobe,' I ask the question in my speaking and writing, 'What kind of words do you wear?' Wired That Way provides myriad examples relating how we often hurt people's feelings who have different personalities than our own. Because my emphasis is on words and the response those words bring, I'm excited to share in my Personality Trainings one comprehensive book which meets the needs of everyone. After reading this book, no one will be able to blunder through life slaying people with their words.
Glenda Schoonmaker, Writer, Speaker, Trainer

As a professional speaker who spends her days empowering others with the skills they need to build better relationships through improved communications, I'm just thrilled that Marita has updated her personality materials into one compelling resource. I've been recommending her books for years, and now "Wired that Way" is sure to become the primary foundational resource I will strongly recommend to everyone who is serious about communicating effectively with others!"
Christy Largent
Motivational Speaker, Trainer, Humorist and Member of NSA

I am excited about Wired That Way! It's full of fresh stories and examples that help illustrate the principles. Having all of the information about the different aspects of The Personalities in one place is going to be an awesome tool!

Nutting and Pike take you through the job offer negotiating process step by step. They point out negotiating techniques that allow for both the employer and candidate to leave the table satisfied using a win, win strategy. Nutting and Pike also make it clear that an understanding of your desired quality of life versus salary is an important factor to leverage when coming to the negotiating table. I highly recommend this book for anyone that is looking to develop the skills to negotiate the best possible job offer.

I highly recommend this book. It really gives you a lot of good info on negotiations which can be applied to other situations besides just negotiating a job offer. But in any case, I was able to get 10% over the initial offer during my very recent job search. For such a low price, this book is a no-brainer.

Clear and concise, this short book walks you through a process to identify your compensation package priotities and to negotiate strategies for satisfying outcomes. Use the efficient analytic tools presented to analyze the alternatives; then use the acquired skills to decide many other life issues!

Written with clarity and simplicity, the prose keeps you reading. This book works for me!

Just entering the job market after graduation I was naturally apprehensive about job interviews and negotiating the most value for my qualifications. On a long shot, not having much faith in "how to" books, I researched and bought the 1-hour expert's "negotiating your job offer. After receiving and reading the book I was amazed at how concise and focused the information was. The book was a quick read and I came away with maybe 10 - 12 major points for me to focus on. I felt confident, informed and prepared for my series of job interviews. I finally got two offers I was excited about and chose the one where my compensation package was more comprehensive then I expected. I owe a great deal to this book for laying the groundwork and preparedness that led to my very satisfactory compensation package. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gaining confidence and the skills needed to negotiate the best possible compensation package.

I definitely recommend this book because it recently helped me to make a difficult decision between two excellent job offers. I did not have time to seek one-on-one guidance, yet I knew I needed the tools necessary to negotiate well and make intelligent decisions. I particularly found the work sheets to be useful and practical because I was able to see what aspects to my job were most important to me. I'm very happy with my current position and will most likely refer to this manual in the future should I find myself in a similar situation.

Ever wondered if anyone *really* understood you, or if you could *really* understand yourself? Wonder no more. "Three Sides of You" is beyond Myers-Briggs or IQ tests. Sandra Seich's book examines how you think, how you work, and how you feel--the three sides of you--and shows how each of these separate parts work to create the "whole" you. After taking the test the "Three Sides of You" book will reveal a deeper part of yourself in an amazing way. You'll never see yourself, or others, the same way again.

3 Sides of You by S. Seich is a unique book built around a personality test that is available only on the web. The test itself is called the Profiler™ which is a self-perception inventory. The Profiler™ contains three sections of 56 questions (168 questions total) which test how you Think, Work, and Love. When you've finished the test, the results are a 3-sided profile and Boss Style. The possible combinations are 2,744, which makes for a very individualized assessment.

In the ANSIR system (ANSIR stands for A New Standard In Relating), an individual is assigned a Profile Boss. Boss determines Life Purpose; that is, this purpose draws together innate strengths and talents of dominant support Styles (the other 2 Styles in the profile that aren't Boss) and pretty much dictates and shapes these Styles toward self fulfillment. Life Purpose is never Thinking--only Working and Emoting. This is the drive and juice for our individual purposes. Five of the Styles find fufillment through work (Idealist, Visionary, Healer, Philosopher, and sometimes Evokateur) and the rest of the Styles find fulfillment through the Emoting realm. Since it seems that the areas the individuals are most unhappy in are work and love, it makes sense that the Life Purpose Boss would be in either of those two realms.

According to the book, Thinking is a discernible, predictable pattern of balancing and applying knowledge. How individuals process order, solve problems, and rationalize outcomes. Working is the conscious application of knowledge according to acquried skills and innate abilities of individuals. Emoting is an unconscious response pattern guided by unique intangibles, such as emotions, feelings, and nature. Boss (Life Purpose) is your profiled "why"--your reason for being.

The 14 Boss Styles in the ANSIR system are as follows:

The Physicals Extremists; Realist Keenest intellect is through physical interaction.
The Instinctives Scintillator; Sentinel Keenest intellect is from muscular feedback/gut smarts.
The Logicals Diligent; Sage Keenest intellect is rationalization.
The Practicals Eccentrik; Idealist Keenest intellect is solution determination.
The Emotionals Kinsmen; Empath Keenest intellect is emotion sensitivity.
The Intuitives Visionary; Evokateur Keenest is emotion-based guidance.
The Spiritualists Healer; Philosopher Keenest intellect is self-reliance.

I've have taken many personality tests on the web and on paper, but I've never encountered a personality system that's based on self-perception and self-propulsion, and that concentrates on the individual as knowing what's best and why. Also, the Ansir system is heavy on what's right with you as opposed to why you're defective and need "fixed". Ansir maintains that there's nothing wrong with you--that it's a matter of removing reticence, and living your life as born and meant.

3 Sides of You: Unlocking The Way You Think, Work, and Love is a hefty 516 pages that gives you indepth and practical information on not only your own profile, but all of the ANSIR Styles. Sections in the book include indepth Profiles for each of the 14 Styles--in each of the 3 realms, as well as thorough information on Boss/Life Purpose, work attributes and occupation matches to plan a more fulfilling career, and Style compatibility.

If you take the ANSIR Profiler™, but find your results inaccurate, this could be for several reasons. A main reason is that you've been living someone else's life with someone else's ideas of what's best for you. You are encouraged to re-take the test until it fits, and the book is very helpful for understanding the profound and unique differences among the 14 Styles if you need more clarity on your profile.

I've owned this book since it first came out, as well as its precursor Rare Conversations that is no longer available. I've also been a student of personality for as long as I can remember, and I've yet to come across a personality system that is as affirming, eerily accurate, thorough, and insightful as the ANSIR system.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book if you want to understand self and others, and if you've been short-changing yourself by living a mediocre life--and not living as born and meant.

The author, Sandra Seich, in her unique writing style literally unlocks your thinking style, working style and emoting style unlike any other way you might have experienced in the past. Not only can the reader discover the "who" of what they are, they now can discover the "why" - their reason for being or their mission in this life.

This work will no doubt result in changing the way we think, feel and work from now on. There are some practical applications for corporations who are serious about changing the way they hire, motivate, teamwork and retain their employees. The knowledge in this book is not for the weak minded. This book has the power to actually change the way we apply for work and how positions are filled by the "right" individual.

As a management coach, I highly recommend this book to coaches, executives and individuals.

I received my copy in the mail yesterday and I haven't been able to put it down. I have learned more about myself from this book than I thought anyone could know about me. S. Seich's writing will have you bouncing up and down the full range of emotions. One page I'll be laughing at how accurate the descriptions are. A while later I find myself bawling like a baby because somebody understands -- I'm a grown up for God's sake! The thing that stands out most to me is it's okay to be different. This is a feel good book that doesn't preach or want you to change. The author just talks to you like he's telling you a story about someone you both know. Later you realize that a powerful message was received - like a parable. It will change the way you think and feel about yourself. As for me, I feel a lot more confident and not so concerned about being different from other people. I think 3 SIDES OF YOU should be compulsory reading for parents & teachers -- for the sake of the kids.

Finally, someone has come up with a personality profile which recognises that we are three sided human beings. We think, we work and we love. We might be rational at work and weepy at the movies; punctual but scatterbrained; mundane during the week but living at breakneck speed on the weekends. The all of you is revealed in this personality typology which is simple, but has over 2,700 variations.

This excellent book (or its softcover version) is not a self help manual, nor a management text. It is a self perception text that cuts to the core of over 2,700 profiled personalities, and describes them with rare perception and detail. Each profile will receive about 15 pages of exquisitely crafted description. Each chapter focuses on the positives of the style. Nothing in this book will tell you what to do or how to do it. Indeed, the message is "understand yourself, be yourself".

Want to communicate better with your colleagues and loved ones? Well then, find them in here, too. Understand why they always set the table right handed even although you're left handed. Explore why a simple discussion work discussion escalates into defensiveness. Have a look at your own "Achilles' heel" (as they call it), and see where you might be stepping on someone else's.

This is a "feel good" book, not because it's full of little catch phrases, but because it's full of the truth, about you. Finally, someone understands.

The book was shipped quickly. The book was in good shape as advertised. I would buy from them again.

This book is a good resource on the roots of the basic terminology of Aikido and the Japanese language. Any disciple of Aikido should read it and keep it in their reference library.

This book contains terminology, pics and all those terms that sometimes you have heard at the dojo but were afraid to ask how to pronounce or write correctly. In addition it has the kanji for the terms, which helps a lot if you plan to travel to Japan to train- since not all dojo have terms spelled out in "romaji." I used it in order to prepare for a trip to train in Japan and found it invaluable. I highly recommend this book, whether you are a beginner or an advanced level student.

I have been practicing aikido for 13 years and I still don't understand some of the Japanese Aikido Terminology. It's a good thing that Michael Taylor published this book because it helped me understand them. This book covers all of the Japanese words used in aikido with its kanji character, meaning in english, and pronounciation in an easy to use manner.

This book is not a technical book on aikido techniques but a terminology guide of japanese words used in Aikido just like a dictionary.

I highly recommed this book to all practitioners of aikido who wants to deepen their understanding of aikido by knowing the meaning of Japanese Words used in Aikido.

"The best Aikido Terminology book I have ever seen." Shihan Carmen Pelusi - Eight Winds Aikido.

"A helpful guide for anyone who wishes to truly grasp the meaning of Aikido terminology. Steve Wade - long time Aikido practitioner.

Aikido Terminology is the most comprehensive Aikido terminology book currently in existence.

It includes a description of all fundamental Aikido terms, the Japanese kanji characters as used in Aikido, their meaning, a phonetic guide and cross-reference to a kanji guidebook for those who wish to study their meaning further.

The body of text is conveniently broken down into the following logical categories: stances, grasps, strikes, falls & rolls, fundamental techniques, various Aikido actions, body parts, weapons, Aiki-wear, ranks, special training and miscellaneous items.

Most importantly; all terms are quickly and conveniently referenced by two complete indexes located at the end of the book. The result is the most useful Aikido terminology book on the market. It is an indispensable tool for all practitioners of Aikido.

I thought it was an excellent book. The author was clearly very knowledgeable both as a basketball player and as a quantitative analyst. Probably this dual identity is also what allowed him to communicate the findings so well to non-analysts while preserving enough of the meat of the analysis for pure analysts to see where it would all lead to.

Best book on sports statistics that I've read.

First of all, I am the author, so the 5-star rating is admittedly biased, but also honest as I wrote the book under the influence of award-winning books like "Guns, Germs, and Steel," "Good to Great," and "Ender's Game." Now that it's 3 years after Basketball on Paper went to press, a couple years after the description here was written, and a year or more after the book got me a job in the NBA, I wanted to add an updated description.

I wrote the book in the hopes of presenting a scientific _method_ for approaching basketball. By "method", I mean that it doesn't present a magical all-encompassing rating for players, but rather a _structure_ for basketball as genetics provided a structure for understanding life and biology. The possession-based concept introduced early in the book allows you to evaluate strategy, the chemistry of a team, and, yes, who are better players. It doesn't matter whether it's the NBA, WNBA, college, high school, or the international game -- the methods apply and I've applied them. The book focused on the NBA and WNBA because that was where the statistics were most readily available going back more than a year or two. That is changing and I have already seen foreign leagues incorporating my work into their game.

This structure does introduce formulas, nothing more complicated than the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division that I learned through baseball cards when I was 10 years old. For coaches who want to avoid these, I actually recommend reading the last chapter first because it summarizes the conclusions of the previous chapters. For people interested in player evaluation, the book has numerous lists of player stats, how many wins and losses they contributed, and how they did it. This includes players as far back as Bill Russell, but as recent as Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and Allen Iverson.

For baseball fans, I should say that Bill James' work on Win Shares in baseball paralleled mine in basketball, though we did take slightly different approaches. Bill has even said of the book, "Excellent writing. There are a lot of math guys who just rush from the numbers to the conclusion. . .they'll tell you that Shaq is a real good player but his team would win a couple more games a year if he could hit a free throw. Dean is more than that; he's really struggling to understand the actual problem, rather than the statistical after-image of it. I learn a lot by reading him." I am happy to say that experts in statistical evaluation of baseball (like Bill), football (like Aaron Schatz and Ben Alamar of Pro Football Prospectus), and basketball are all communicating about the common goals we have for doing scientific evaluation of team sports, where analogies to business team environments and global politics abound.

I realized as I wrote the book that there were a million projects that I could do from what is in the book. Those projects have come about and grown even before I joined the Seattle Supersonics in October of 2004. Evaluating strategy has grown so much from the basics in this book. Player evaluation, especially as they move from one league to another, has evolved. And, with the experiment of the 2004-05 season, I got to show how the work significantly helps coaching a team. That season, I joined the Sonics with a fixed roster that was universally picked for last in their division. I worked with the coaches, management, and players to provide a different perspective to their own backgrounds, one that complemented their own expertises. At the end of the season, we won our division, we upset the experts by winning our first round series, and we gave the ultimate NBA champions one of their toughest playoff battles. I felt that we should have won the championship -- perhaps naive, but also a measure of the belief I had in not only the work in Basketball on Paper, but also in the ability of the staff and players I worked with.

Now that I do work in the NBA and apply new tricks of the trade, I can't really write another book sharing my secrets. But Basketball on Paper contains the framework, the basic insights, and a lot of the numbers for understanding a lot more about the beautiful game.

Oliver's work shows a maturity that has been lacking from many basketball evaluation books--John Hollinger's "Basketball Prospectus" being another exception. Not only are players evaluated statistically but their roles on their teams are considered in context in relationship to their numbers. If you want to gain an understanding of basketball as perhaps you've never had before, and are willing to accept the ambiguous nature of numbers themselves, this is the book for you!

I have been using the formulas and ideas presented in Dean Oliver's book for the past three years. I was never a math fan, but my spreadsheets for calculating basketball statistics are the most complicated I have ever created and it was this book that started my obsession. The book inspired me with a fascination over a new way to look at the game and the players that bring it to life. Mr. Oliver's work was just a starting point and over the past few years I have added other formulas and other mathematical approaches to looking at the game, but I would not have gotten anywhere without this book. It is an essential tool in my toolbox for evaluating and enjoying the game of basketball.

This is a great book for people who are both numbers geeks and basketball geeks. I wish that there was more of a focus on college basketball, but that's just me. The author even replied to a couple of my questions regarding some of the formulas via email. Highly recommended for a basketball fan intrigued by statistics and indexes.

I am beginning my first year teaching this fall, and I will have a kindergarten classroom. When I got this book I was so excited because it aligns very closely to my philosophies on behavior management. It addresses a wide range of issues that may arise and gives detailed, systematic information on dealing with those issues from a social/emotional standpoint. Besides that, the book is so easy to read and packed with valuable information--not a lot of filler material and redundancy. I literally completed this book in one sitting, because as soon as I began to read, I couldn't put it down! Since then, I have re-read several pieces from the text and appendices. I plan to use this as the cornerstone of my management system this fall.

It's about time! In all the years I've been dealing with children, I have never found a book that explains childrens' behavior in such a clear and understanding way.
The book takes you through a number of chapters, each dealing with a different aspect of behavior. Bilmes does a wonderful job illustrating these in a clear manner while providing the reader with charts and tables.
My favorite part is that she is understandable. She doesn't try confusing the reader with "big words." She gets to the point and the point gets to you. You don't need to read and reread sentences to decode them, which I found very helpful.
I could not be happier to have purchased this book. It is a lifesaver in the classroom.
Stephanie Anderson- California

I have found this book to be very insightful in reading the behaviours of children and young people. I am a high school teacher and it is very obvious when students don't have a chance to develop these six life skills. The ideas for activities to promote the skills were fun and easy to implement and made a lot of common sense. I feel inclined to send this book to all the local small people schools. Very easy reading too. Some generalisations were made however at the end of each chapter were lists that made it easy to research further if you need to.
Definitely a great find

This book is amazing! I have been looking for a book like this to guide me in teaching children the social/emotional skills they need to thrive in my classroom and in life. It is packed full of information, sample scripts, and activities that will help you successfully implement its ideas and principles in your classroom. Although it was skillfully written for use in the classroom, parents could also learn a lot from it. It is a must read for all preschool/kindergarten teachers. Read This Book!

This is the book I've been waiting for! It demonstrates such a wise and compassionate understanding of children and the root causes of their behavior, AND it gives loads of practical suggesions on how to actually work with kids in ways that are productive and respectful. I am a preschool director, and I bought a copy of this book for every one of my teaching staff. Jenna Bilmes goes way beyond stickers and charts and explains how teachers (or parents and other adults) can speak to children and frame activities to elicit very different responses and build social and emotional skills kids (and adults!) need to be successful and enjoy life. Thank you, Ms. Bilmes, for writing this book!

Every horse-owner, and especially those who aspire to train horses, should read this book from cover to cover and keep it handy by your nightstand!

It's a "must-read" if you really want to progress as a rider and become one with your horse. My guess is that far too many people buy bits because they look pretty without ever giving thought to the type of mouthpiece, length of shank, etc. If you dream of a truly responsive horse, then you must learn the mechanics of a bit!

Although it's true that when I was a girl, I did a lot of western-style riding and read every horse story ever written, I'm a far cry from a horse expert. In fact, back surgery twenty-five years ago, removed me permanently from the saddle.

A person who knows that I continue to have a deep appreciation for animals, horses in particular, who also knows my walls are covered with high quality photographs, and who is aware that I make my living as a writer perhaps realized that "Bits and Bridles" by Bennett and Lynch might feed all of these predilictions, and so he gave me the book as a gift. He couldn't have been more right.

The book is extraordinarily well written by authors who are highly knowedgable and humane and who consider both the horse and the rider in relationship to the all the information they impart on bits, bridles, and their relationship to the opimum horse-care and horse-riding experience.

I, who will probably never need to put Dr. Bennett's and Ms. Lynch's "best practices" into place and who,in fact, could not have cared less about what was in a horses mouth or around his head during my years as a young equestrian, was impressed by the clarity and communication impact of writing that made even me realize the critical importance of the proper hardware to both the horse and his care-taker/rider. The writing was suitably and quite beautifully augmented by outstanding, full color horse-photography.

This book is just what I've been looking for. It's a huge reference on the science of bitting for horses, and covers both English and Western bits and techniques. It's filled with tons of clear color photographs showing the various types of bits available out there, and long discussions about the whys and wherefores of choosing the proper bit for your horse.

The following chapters are included: The Language of the Bridle; Anatomy and Bit Selection; Dentistry and Mouth Care; an Introduction to Bits and Bridles: Fundamental Principles of Bitting; Snaffle Bits; Mouthpieces; Leverage Bits; Trade Offs; Gag Bits; Going Bitless; the Traditional Hackamore; the Spade Bit; Bit Accessories and Training Aids; Bit Progressions and Soft Mouths; Developing Soft Hands; Problems, Solutions, and Safety; Bitting and Competition. There is also a great glossary and effective index at the back.

All in all this book is a must-have for any intelligent rider who wants to work effectively and humanely with their horse. It's well worth the purchase price, don't hesitate to buy it!

This book is the most comprehensive book I have found regarding bits and their effect on the horse and his performance. It is extremely comprehensive, including information on how conformation, bit, bridle, horse health, rider, etc. affect the horse's performance. It covers all types of bits, from snaffles to spades, as well as bitless options (mechanical hackamore and traditional hackamore). It is extremely well-written and features beautiful pictures.

Most importantly, it has helped me understand how my bit and related equipment affect my horse's performance. I found this information very useful as I am currently transitioning out of the snaffle, and I now have a better understanding of what is happening physically and mentally with my horse.

I highly recommend this book to both english and western riders. The book does lean towards the western rider, but the english discipline is also completely covered.

I've been very proud of Bits And Bridles by Dr Bennett and Betsy Lynch, and how well it's been received by the equine community. I use the words "proud of" because it was my priviledge to design and layout the book for publication.

I have been a horsewoman for 30 years, and I was impressed with the manuscript from the first time I read it. I will be the first to acknowledge that I do not know everything about horses or tack, but I personally could not disagree with a single statement in the book. I learned a great deal as well, during the design process. I have recommended (or given) this book to most of my friends and acquaintances in the horse industry. As a horsewoman, as far as I am concerned Dr. Bennett and Ms. Lynch are the foremost authorities on the science of bitting. While I never had the opportunity to meet them while designing their book, I am honored to have been part of the process.

I am big fan of Nikki Leigh's proven skills in guiding writers toward success. Nikki Leigh's Book Promo 101 is an excellent tool that lays out her experience and method of getting an Author's name and literature available and accessible to readers.

I have benefited greatly in my writing career as a result of following Nikki Leigh's advice. If you are a writer who has written a great story that no one knows about, then you have to read this book and learn how to get your story into the hands of the public. I can say from experience, it works.

Author Steven Clark Bradley

An author can never get too much information about promotion. Book Promo 101 is a great starter. I can't think of a single aspect of promotion it doesn't address.

As a disclaimer, I didn't feel comfortalbe rating this book because I am quoted in it. I hope authors will forgie me for the indiscretion. I just know that Nikki's experience can make a difference in any author's campaign.
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Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers

Nikki Leigh has done an outstanding job of covering numerous aspects of book promotion any author needs to know. Here depth of knowledge is apparent from page one.

The book is an excellent resource for the most novice of authors on up to the most seasoned.

Anyone who is serious about marketing and promoting their book would benefit greatly by reading Book Promo 101 from cover to cover more than once. It will be like a good movie that reveals more with each viewing.

Book Promo 101 is a must have for any author's personal library.

Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Marketing
Bestselling author

Ms. Leigh is extraordinary. I have no idea how she is able to compile so much information into one book--and I hear she's writing another. This woman has helped me tremendously and is willing to share her expertise with all.

Follow her directions and you'll see a boost in your book sales numbers. I did.

Book Promotion 101, the first in a series from author Nikki Leigh, is clearly a book written by an author with that rare blend of writing talent and keen business savvy. The book starts out by introducing the basics of promotion and tricks to help the reader develop what the author calls the "Marketing Mind" - something that doesn't always come easily for authors. Interspersed with meaty "how to" chapters, are advice from professionals in the world of book promotion, as well as tips and tricks from Muze, her cat and writing companion. Each chapter ends with exercises to reinforce the concepts it introduced and to help you dig deeper in your promotional efforts.

While all that is great, what makes Book Promotion 101 really unique is the depth and breadth of the subject matter covered: when to begin promoting your book, ways to promote through the development and presentation of your book, hiring and working with a publicist (and deciding if you need too!), how to develop a marketing plan, write an effective biography, build a press kit, get press coverage and book reviews, develop a brand and a website that reinforces it, ways to build your credibility as an author and why that's important, and even where to look for markets to sell it. By the time I got to the end, it didn't seem possible that Ms. Leigh could have more tricks up her sleeve. She does promise more, however, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next installment.

Great book. Lots of help, from felling your wood to finishing your home.
I reccomend it.

While no one book will make you an expert builder this book will show you that you can build your own Log Home. Roger Hard has written an easy to understand How To Guide with topics like tools needed, chain saw mills even alternative power sources. I especially liked the tree species map of the US and Canada and the insulation value chart of the different species of wood.
Along with other books, videos,web sites, message boards, talking with Log Home owners and dealers this book should be apart of your strategy.

This update of the classic 1977 book will help you choose a site, plan your cabin, find a kit or build from scratch. Easy to read text, illustrations, plans and details of a pretty 24' x 40' hillside cabin can be a do-it-yourself guide or can serve as your inspiration for other cabin designs.

Now in an updated and expanded new edition, Build Your Own Low-Cost Log Home is a solid, in-depth guide to a venerable and neglected art. Chapters cover log preparation, needed tools, site and cost considerations, sample designs, accommodating heating systems and other utilities, the differences between manufacturer's kit homes, maintenance of one's log home, and much more. Black-and-white diagrams and photographs illustrate this methodical, easy-to- follow instructional. Build Your Own Low-Cost Log Home is a practical-minded resource for creating a livable modern home, packed cover to cover with tips from firsthand experience.

This is the best of the cabin building books I've read yet. This book not only shares great technical detail with quality photographs but also discusses how to plan ahead to minimize the chance of mistakes. Discusses what the banks are willing and not willing to finance, land and site selection for building, type of ground to build upon among many other topics in addition to very detailed construction methods.
This may be the only book you need.

It is well-written, clear, and extremely USEFUL. And it is very easy to use.

The book clearly presents how to create a powerful career portfolio and market yourself effectively. Very valuable tools presented in a well-written book made this one of my best Amazon buys of the year.

I have worked as a vocational counselor for many years, and I use this book on a regular basis with my clients as well as with my own family/friends. A nice feature of The Career Portfolio Workbook is that it outlines what you need to do during the process of creating a portfolio, but also recognizes that some people don't have the time to work through the process in a step-by-step fashion. For example, the book has a note in the introduction that if you need a portfiolo in a hurry - say, for an interview tomorrow - you need to read chapters X and Y. With a week to prepare, chapters W, X, Y, and Z should top your reading list. If you have more time, read the whole book.

The directions are wonderful, and allow each person a wide range of flexibility in terms of developing a unique style of presentation. The book includes templates, sample portfolios, and other documents you can modify for your own use.

Highly recommended.

The Career Portfolio Workbook is a great resource which I have used to transition into a new profession. I was able to use the ideas in the workbook to market myself and to set myself apart from the competition. I have many career books but this is the best. The system is comprehensive and easy to organize. It is a unique way to manage your career.

This book really works! It is clearly written and is guaranteed to help you put together an excellent portfolio. Only days after using the guidelines of this book to create a PEAKS resume, I got 3 calls for job interviews. It really is amazing and I recommend it to anyone, no matter how far along you are in your career.

I know you've heard it before, buy this book and great things will happen. This book is different. It offers easy to read, true to life examples of what it is really like when your out looking for a job or promotion. The authors base the workbook on how you can set yourself apart from your competition. I was very hesitant at first but gave the career portfolio a try. The step by step directions in the book made a seemingly daunting task quite manageable and rewarding in itself. I put together my career portfolio and have a new confidence in myself that I am sure contributed to landing my new job. I wish I had this years ago.