References Books

You've written your book. It might be the next great American novel, your heartfelt memoir, the results of years of personal research, a collection of poems, or anything in between. You thought the hard part was behind you. Unfortunately, it's just about to begin.

Now with manuscript in hand (or rather on file), you need to find someone to publish your work. Maybe you've gone to countless publishers and been turned down. More likely, you've decided that you want more control over your baby. So you've chosen to self-publish through a Publish on Demand (POD) firm.

Now comes the hard part. Not all POD's are equal. The amounts that they charge vary substantially as do the services they provide. Then there's distribution and royalty rate issues to work through.

Thank goodness for Top Self Publishing Firms. This book includes an easy to understand chart showing the overall ratings in a variety of categories (sales results, royalties, costs, distribution, and overall value) of the top POD firms. This makes comparing the different options so much easier. More information about each company is then provided later on in the book so that you can find the publisher that best suits your needs.

Stacie Vander Pol did an outstanding job, not only in pulling the information in this book together, but in presenting it in such an easy reference format. It's a great book, so needed. The book is not only informative but, as an author, I found it inspiring as well. every author who is considering self-publishing should get a copy of this book before making a final decision.

Stacie really did her homework for this book. If you are considering publishing with the assistance of a print-on-demand firm, this book will likely save you a lot of research time. The comparison chart on pages 46-47 is worth the price of the book alone! Well done.

If you are thinking about self publishing, this is a must read. It can save you lots of grief, point you in the right direction, and help you to make the best decisions possible. Stacie Vander Pol's extensive research and business expertise combine to work for you so that you can smartly choose the best publisher for your book. She takes the 26 best firms and compares them head to head on a variety of dimensions such as best value publishing packages, sales performance, royalties, contracts, and distribution. There is also valuable information on leveraging Amazon and promoting your book. Do not self publish before you read this book!

How embarrassing for Stacie - she has written a wonderful, helpful book on self publishing, which I will use often. In the book she rates CreateSpace, her own publisher, very highly. Imagine my surprise when my copy arrived from Amazon - I had TWO full copies of the book bound inside one cover! Possibly due to this, the cover wasn't properly printed. The "podpeople" have struck.

There are some that believe Catholics worship the Virgin Mother. There are some they believe this book is filled with blasphemy, yet reading this book I found none. I found a book that taught that Mary helps us build a deeper and meaningful relation with Jesus. This book is about how Mary is part of God's will.

The book may be a little hard for some to read, but do not be worried. It is filled with so much rich and beautiful text, that will have you want to know anything and everything about Our Lady.

This book gave me a phrase that I will hold close to my heart:

Maria Numquam Satis " Of Mary, there is never enough!"

This is the best book written about Mary. How simple! Easy to follow and great inspiration for my life and devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. If you love her, your love will grow deeper. You most buy this book and certainly feel more attached to her. Seller is excellent. Buy at ease from them. GOOD PRICES!!!

I have spent the past four years discovering my Catholic faith after spending decades chasing professional goals of far less importance.

I have found this book to be the most important "writing of the saints" book I've read while on this four-year journey.

I highly recommend reading it slowly and prayerfully, and making the formal personal consecration. For me, this has been a life-changing discovery for which I am very grateful.

This is an important book. I am a recent convert to the Catholic Church. I grew up in a protestant denomination and Mary was someone who appeared for a couple of weeks at Christmas and then faded back into the dust of first century christianity. She was just one of many players in the drama of God. This book blows that shallow understanding to bits. Over the past year I have been getting to know my Mother. This book came to my attention only recently and I can not put it down! I will say this, one must read this book with faith. This is a very deep book, yet beautifully simple. It is a love story of devotion and courage. This book is a high calling to know Jesus in a way one may have never imagined possible.

Peace,
Keith

This is, in my opinion, the greatest single book ever written on the Blessed Virgin. It is, in reality, like a compendium of all that the Holy Catholic Church had taught on devotion to the Blessed Virgin up to that moment, although nothing has really been added since then. In 215 pages it explains everything you need to know about TRUE devotion to the Blessed Virgin - it even explains false devotions, such as hypocritical devotees etc - and the crucial importance, by the will of God, of Mary in salvation history. You can clearly get the impression when reading this magnificent book that the author was not really the one who physically wrote down the words, St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, but in reality the Holy Ghost himself acting through this servant of God. This book is an absolute must for anyone who wishes to better his/her spiritual life. Needless to say, I think everyone should read this book - sinners and saints alike. For sinners, as a way to escape from spiritual ruin, and for saints, as a way to reach perfection which otherwise is very difficult to reach without a deep devotion to Our Lady. This book definitely has the power to change the life of the one who reads it. As St Alphonsus de Liguori stated, "Only God knows the good that can be done on a soul by reading a good book" and this book certainly falls in this category.

What can one say, really, about this . . . this . . . "Masterwork"?!!?

A "Lifetime of Correspondences" doesn't give it . . . "Justice," to me. I mean, it's like calling Martha Stewart's "Roladex-for-NYC Restaurants" a "Phone/cook Book," or something.

Okay: that was lame.

Crowley's _777_ certains makes the life of a "working magickian" one hell of a lot easier, doesn't it? What a misunderstood Master.

A genius, truly. The work is to vast and exacting that it's almost . . . an awe inspiring achievement, to be sure.

Twenty-years-old and STILL not met its match! (((_Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to Cabalistic Magic_, by David Godwin "might" be close, but . . . I've not read that one, yet!!!)))

"I was asked to memorise what I did not understand; and, my memory being so good, it refused to be insulted in that manner."
~ Aleister Crowley(1875-1947)

Quite simply put, if you are a practicing occultist, Thelemite or not, you NEED this book. It is THE key text in magickal correspondences of our modern times.

a very concise and well assembled reference book for occult studies. if you're new to the western/hermetic traditions, grab dion fortune's qaballah books first. then israel reagardie's material. then this and some other crowley material. i'd also suggest z'ev's sound treatment of the sefer yetzirah and the pdf it comes with. after that, you're on your own.

...for any Thelemite or serious high magician. Inside are all the tools required to devise ceremonies of any type. Want to do a love spell? Look at all the correspondences for Netzach, including colors, scents, and goddesses, and then use your imagination and decorate and prepare your altar! (That might be a rather physical form of love, though. Want love on a higher plane? Then try the correspondences for path 14. It will be more nurturing and loving, untainted by the corruption of Netzach.)

There is also a lot on Gematria which can be useful for some magicians, I suppose. To be truthful, I feel Gematria is somewhat overrated in modern magick, due in part to Crowley. Certainly it has its place, but I've seen too many magicians put way too much credence in the way numbers add up to the point they become silly numerologists. Either way though, here is a good place to start for making your own Gematric encyclopedia.

All the nuts and bolts data needed to create any magical ceremony for any purpose may be found in this book. Crowley's insights into the inner meanings of the various subjects of Qabalah will greatly help any magician work with the literary aspect of the magical tradition. This book is a must for any magical library of any tradition.

The product arrived in no time and in perfect conditions. I am very pleased with my purchase. Thank you! Cec!

This is the grandaddy of all of studio session books. So many have come after this (Jimi Hendrix, Clapton, etc.) but this is the gold standard. I have given this to a few people that I know would appreciate it, and every one of them has raved... just like I am doing.

My only suggestion is that Mr. Lewisohn updates it with all of the new information that has been put out there since this was published (many books including The Beatles's ANTHOLOGY CD and book for example).

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

This book is a must for any Beatle-fan, or anyone working in a studio who knows the Beatles' music. The book is a cornucopia of information on how the Beatles' music was created in the studio. Sit down with the book and the CDs, and listen to each song as your read Lewisohn's description of the recording session. It's like being there!

I love The Beatles records and have since my Dad purchased "Meet the Beatles" in 1966. The first records I bought on my own, as soon as I had a paper route and spending money, were The Beatles' LPs, in order of American release. I even knew the exact running time of every Beatles song and couldn't imagine that there were people in the world who didn't know every Beatles song. If you're like me, the revelation of the details of the recording of every Beatles track, as detailed in this book, will be a thrill to pore over.

Some Beatles books are gossipy, and others feature questionable armchair critical analyses of their music. Lewisohn takes a totally different approach. Working with the original Abbey Road studio logs, he's created a day-by-day record of what the Beatles were doing in Abbey Road studios, who played what instruments, and how long it took them to record and write their songs.

I own a first edition of this book and have used it ever since I bought a used copy sometime in the early 1990s. I reread it many times that summer, and that somewhat battered, oversized copy still sits on my shelf. It's a book I returned to when I set up a mini home recording studio, and returned to yet again when I was learning how to mix my sounds. Although this is not a "how-to" book, you can learn an awful lot about good recording and mixing technique by carefully reading it.

Furthermore, Lewisohn packed his text with surprises. I, for one, was shocked to learn how primitive Abbey Road's technology was, even by the standards of a British studio in the 1960s. I was also surprised to learn why the mono and stereo mixes of the Beatles' music often sounded so different from one another even though they were mixed from the same masters. Also, it's amazing to learn just how quickly some seemingly complex tracks were put together, while some seemingly simple songs took far more work. As a side benefit, Lewisohn's comprehensive notes probably knocked the wind out of more than one bootlegger trying to pass off BBC radio performances as lost studio recordings of Beatle tracks! Throughout, there are many, many excellent photos - many of which have not been reproduced elsewhere. Just when you think Lewisohn's run out of goodies, there's a rare interview with Paul McCartney that touches on the songwriting process.

I can't rate this as a five star book although I'd like to. As good as Lewisohn is, there are a lot of minor details here that are misleading or just plain wrong. Lewisohn can't seem to tell phasing from flanging (two very different techniques to create swirling electric guitar sounds). He also prints quotes from studio musicians without elaboration, leading me to believe he has a weak grasp on performance and theory. For example, one horn player describes a McCartney song as being "between the cracks" of two different keys; the song in question actually seems to have been recorded slightly flat and sped up to normal pitch upon playback, but we have no way of knowing what the horn player actually meant without more information. The average reader might walk away thinking that the song used two different keys, unless he also knew that the song was in a single key. I'm surprised an editor didn't catch this stuff.

If you're a Beatles fan who could care less about their personal lives, but would love to learn more about how they created their studio albums - this book is for you. If you're interested in home recording, you'll learn lots of tidbits here too. Lewisohn deserves a lot of credit for creating this resource, and I wish that it weren't such a difficult book to find.

Excellent advice on how to write, what to write, and where to send it once you've finished it. A realistic look at the romance industry.

I have pretty much every book on romance writing I can get my hand on, and while there's certainly a lot of overlap among them, this is definetly the best.

While all of the books have helpful information on the romance industry, this one really stands above the rest. It's wonderfuly organized - it's the one I turn to first when I need to find something quickly. It's also well written - the information doesn't differ a whole lot from the other books, but this is by far the most fun to read. I've also found that the suggestions are truly helpful. The hints/suggestions sound really basic, but have made the writing process MUCH easier (I'm a beginner).

Most of the books in this genre have something new to offer, but if you're only going to buy one, this is definetly your best option.

This was the first book that I had ever read by Julie Beard. After reading her thoughts and ideas, I'm sure that it won't be the last. The book was intresting and to the point. Her ideas were well organized and thought out. A two year old could understand and utilize the information. At points there was humor and it felt as though you were talking to an old friend. Julie Beard has a new fan in me. Even if I find that I'm not intrested in her romance novels, when I am asked who is my favorite author, my answer will undoubtably be Julie Beard. The help and confidence that she offered me in this book were well worth the price. I'm not sure that I'll ever be an author, but if I fail it won't be due to anything that was lacking in her book. If I were given the opportunity I would send her a personal thank you. My out look and my life were changed in a couple of hours.

Having read hundreds, maybe even thousands of historical romances over the last 20 years, I always dreamed of one day writing my own novel. This book is an extremely helpful tool for anyone that dreams of one day becoming a bestselling author. Julie Beard shares information about the industry and the various tricks to getting published. For those aspiring historical romance writers bogged down by the research process, Beard also gives insight to resources with which to build your historical framework.

This book is a great read. It's funny and inspiring. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to break into the romance industry.

If you are truly serious about becoming a successful romance writer then you MUST have this book. I've read TONS of books on writing, not only romance but fiction and non-fiction as well. None of them were as user friendly and focused on how-to info as this book. Most other books quickly brush over the how-to. This book actually shows you step by step what to do from choosing the type of romance to write, structuring your book, synopsizing each major part in 4 paragraphs to getting published!! This puts other writing books to shame and it makes me feel like I've wasted so many years with the others when I could have had this gem the entire time.

If you want to write romance and you want to get started on the right foot then you MUST HAVE THIS BOOK. No exceptions. And if you are trying to decide between this book and another (or several others), get this one! The others can't hold a match to this one. Not by a long shot.

Find the Constellations is an absolutely joy to read and study. Rey totally gives modern folk, young and old, a challenge in his opening comments: "Simple shepherds 5000 years ago were familiar with the heavens; they knew the stars and constellations--and they could not read or write---so why don't you?" (Page 3) I agree, and I wonder if we have lost something--as a species, for all our technology, in not observing and questioning the night sky.

This book would be an appropriate product for family time and weekend time--sharing and learning together. The illustrations are easy to grasp, and the fonts are big, easily read even for eye glass wearers. Two chatty little characters appear on select pages to add humor, additional information, and / or emphasis to given material.

My favorite sections in the book:

Star Magnitudes & Examples
Orion & His Stars
Light-Years, Explanation & Examples
Constellation Quizzes
Seasonal Sky Views
Polaris, the North Star
Andromeda
Planet Finder for 2006-2016

NOTE: This book makes a great companion to H.A. Rey's "The Stars: A New Way to See Them."

**People who want more "hardcore" science and meatier cosmology will not be satisfied with this simple book. Not surprising: The target audience of Find the Constellations is for children, young people, and new casual star gazers. :)

We bought this book for our three girls, along with a telescope. The book is well written. Great for the whole family. Can't say enough good things about it!

My husband has a love for the constellations so I decided to purchase this book for him for Father's day; he just loves it and so do the girls. We went camping over the summer and this was a great book to use when we were star gazing; the illustrations are just wonderful. This is a great book for anyone that wants to learn about the constellations.

I bought this book a few weeks ago to use for school. I wanted the kids to learn what some of the constellations looked like and how they looked in different parts of the world. I got so much more! I learned about how the stars "moved" relative to the earth and seasons, I learned how to pick our constellations relative to others I already new, and I learned how these stars got their names. I would definitely recommend this for anyone from 5 - 55. Very simple, but very informative!

An excellent book for children and adults. Interactive. Fun. This books makes star-gazing understandable and easier.

I foster cats for a local shelter and have cats of my own. This book is very easy to understand and gives you very detailed information on whatever is ailing your pet. It has more serious ailments such as a heat stroke and more casual ones such as vomiting up a hairball. It also has a handy chart that tells you what human medicines will work for your pets. I highly recommend it.

A must have if you have dogs and cats, I've read a lot of books about dog health and this has got to be one of the best. It helps you prepare for and deal with an emergency. For example there's a whole list of items you should have on hand, a doggie first aid kit. Immediate action can be the difference between life and death of a beloved pet and this book really does describe important procedures that could definitely save a life in those crucial moments. The book is written in a clear and easy to follow fashion, I highly recommend it if you're a dog/cat owner/lover. This book goes very well with this one:
Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook

This book is extremely helpful when you have pets. I have used it many times now.

I definitely reccomend this for anyone who loves their cats and dogs like family members! There are many life saving tips in this great book. I bought this book because I have a cat who like to chew on things, including electrical wires. I learned a lot about this scary issue, as well as, many other life saving bits of information that I had never known before. There is even a section on human medicine that is safe for cats and dogs. I think this book would come in handy in the event of an emergency after vet hours!!

The book is in great shape and is new, however, it took too long to receive it & I wouldn't purchase another book from a1 because of the length of time it took to recieve it.

Great Book! Great pictures, great recepies, well written and it is dedicated to a great woman.

This book might not be perfectly edited, but it is beautiful just to page through and the recipes and clippings are very interesting.

Great history and stories re: Frida and Diego, fabulous pictures of their kitchen, great pictures of traditional mexican cookware. Education re: holiday's and special occasions Frida and Diego celebrated.

This is a fascinating book with gorgeous photographs of fiestas which would have been prepared by Frida for parties at home in Mexico. We all know that Frida was an extraordinary artist, but it's quite an eye-opener to find out that she was also an outstanding cook!

Since everyone has raved about this book, perhaps I'm looking at an old edition (1994). I agree that the photos are beautiful and the stories wonderful, but in the version of the book I have the instructions for the recipes are in the wrong order. For example, for Chiles en Nogada, the first sentence of the recipe's instructions are "Rinse the chiles and pat them dry. Spoon some of the filling inside each one..." Well, you have to go down the the second to last paragraph to get the instructions for making the filling. Obviously, the recipe should first tell you how to make the filling. Also in this recipes, it tells you to pour the walnut sauce over the chiles, BEFORE it tells you how to make the walnut sauce.

I have published a cookbook and these type of errors mean one thing: an editor who has not read the recipes and thought them through! (Much less tried to follow the recipes.) I noticed that in several of the recipes I've used, I have, with my editing pen, moved paragraphs around with arrows so that the instructions are in the right order.

There are many things I like about this book, but what I like best is that it's honest. Unlike many other books, it doesn't promise you the world, and a successful career overnight, but instead gives you an inside look at the music industry and guides you on how to make things happen for yourself.
The language is conversational, and the author has a great sense of humour. It simplifies issues most artists find confusing (like legal documents and royalty calcuation!) and is a great read.
'Getting Signed!' is a text book, idiot's guide and light read all rolled into one. It helped me a lot, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who wants to have anything to do with the music business.
George Howard also teaches a number of great courses at berkleemusic online.

Highly Recommended! This is an excellent book for any one who is in the Music Industry or wants to understand how the Music Industry works. I purchased this book as part of the reading for Berklee Music Online course - "Inside the Record Industry". It helped me a lot with my course work and also in understanding how the Music Industry works. Thank you George !
Paulom

This book will take you step by step through all of the motions of getting yourself signed to a label. From press kits to the qualities that make a good manager, this book will hold your hand through the dark abyss that is the music industry. I would consider this a must read for anyone who would like to perform as a career. I personally have passed this on to all my bandmates, and many many friends. Do yourself a favor, and pick this up!

This is the book I needed when I was 15 years old, and grasping at any information to help move forward with a music career. Define where you are in your development as an artist, define where you would like to go, and more importantly why you want to go there. Then take action with the knowledge and confidence to realize your dreams and goals. Learn what labels look for in bands and artists, and how to position yourself to negotiate a win/win deal for yourself. Learn all the perspectives of the business of music from artist, label, distributor, publicity, and promotion, to management, and booking agents. Basically everything you need to understand to be successful, written in an understandable and accessible style, with a sense of humor. I loved it and learned so much I could write my own book with the research it inspired me to undertake. Don't just dream big, learn what it takes to do the work to become successful.

George Howard knows the music biz inside and out - reading this book is like having a top A&R guy as your personal coach. For everyone out there who wants to start a label or get a deal, the author dispels a lot of myths and helps you to focus systematically on the jobs you could and should be doing yourself. A very enjoyable read, this book is broken down into manageable chapters that give you the information and tools to help you reach your goals.

Being a bit of a nostalgia freak, I have more than a few books highlighting 50s and 60s pop culture. This is my second favorite, with only Populuxe rating higher. It's a memory-invoking rush of nostalgic nosh, with plenty for your mind to delightfully delight in. You'll treasure this book. Ton of full color pictures and lively appreciative writing makes you want to read this book again and again. Holy Nostalgia, Batman!

After hearing about this both the book and the CD, both by Hal Lifson, I just had to get these. I could not put this book down. I called my mother about it and thanked her for letting me born in such a cool year! I have always been a fanatic for that type of pop culture in the '60's. My sister once told me that I was born twenty years too late! After reading this book, I couldn't agree with her more! If you know someone who was born in 1966, and looking for a birthday gift for them, look no further than this book. This book rocks, and so does Hal Lifson!

Hal Lifson took me on a journey that was so exciting, I couldn't stand it! From Batman to The Monkees to the Beach Boys song "Wouldn't It Be Nice", I feel like I've relived my childhood all over again. Now if I only had my Batman utility belt again....

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to take that journey, even if you weren't born yet!

What a groovy book, baby! I was only three years old in 1966 but I remember just about everything in this delightful scrapbook that's a time capsule for everything from that hip decade.

Hal Lifson has collected photos, ads, album covers, toys, etc. that brings back a very cool, swingin' period in American culture. The Beatles, Batman, James Bond, Playboy, Nancy Sinatra--they're all here!

Definitely a book for anyone alive at the time. Or anyone interested in what that was like.

"Hal Lifson's 1966" is, indeed, the ultimate time machine. It works on two distinct levels. First, having lived in the San Fernando Valley during that period, I found the book to be the most delightful, teary-eyed journey back to the old stomping grounds...who says you can't go back home?! To see a picture of the old Encino Bowl...the last time I even thought about it was when I was sneaking a smoke in the parking lot on the way back from ELEMENTARY school! Second, and more important (yes, important), "Hal Lifson's 1966" captures the innocence of the period...perhaps the last innocence the country enjoyed before it was forced to grow up during the Watergate hearings. Indeed, the lack of any political references keeps the journey a magical mystery tour. Honey West, Catwoman, NANCY SINATRA...many a 13-year-old boy lost his innocence "appreciating" these classically sexy women. Thanks, Hal.