Editors Books

If you are serious about query letters, this will help you in someways. In others, perhaps not so. But anything that gets an agent's positive attention is good.

So download it and discover what works for you. It won't cost you a dime, so just do it.

Wolfe

How to Write a Great Query Letter provides an easy step-by-step process which concisely answers the question - What does it take to write a query letter that will get read? Lukeman offers ideas for research before you draft the letter, formatting and printing tips and reinforces the three-paragraph rule. Chapter seven discusses how fiction and non-fiction query letter should differ. Chapter eight deals with common makes made. This Amazon Short offers ideas on how to submit the letter and keys to following up. The checklists, examples, and clear verbiage will be helpful to new authors and those that have been in the game for a while. Definitely, a great deal for the price!

Put simply, this man has written a generous text from which I benefited greatly. I felt the entire time that it had been written by a sincere person who truly wanted to lend a helping hand (and it's free!). I will be taking the advice shared in this book.

This is not just a guide on how to write a great query letter. Noah Lukeman brings you down from the cloud you are sitting on, slaps you on the face a few times to make you snap out of it, and then points you in the right direction to finding the appropriate book agent for your written work.

Ah, the dreaded query letter. It's sad to think that a tiny introduction letter of your work can be the fine line between an author and literary representation. It's also sad because most authors don't enjoy writing them or don't know how. I was one of those writers only until recently. I've spent most of this year sending out query letters; I've gotten some rejections and am still waiting to get some responses.

I only wish I would have come across this free download a few months ago. Lukeman's information here is precise and very informative. Any aspiring writer who is thinking about querying in the near future should definitely download it.

By reading agent blogs and websites, you'll quickly discover that every agent is different in what they want. Lukeman touches on that here as well. Some want the first 5 pages. Some want 20. Some want an outline. Others only want a letter. Lukeman's advice definitely helps an author to be prepared up front in order to meet deadlines and stay on top of agent replies.

I will definitely be pulling out my copy of this download next time I'm ready to start querying again. It's better than anything I've read on the market today as far as "how to's" for writers go. Thank you Noah Lukeman for making it a free asset!

This is a useful book for any author who wants to understand the many important issues and details in a publishing contract. As a literary agent I want my clients to be as knowledgable as possible in all aspects of their careers. For those that are interested in understanding every contract clause and detail, I recommend Kirsch's book wholeheartedly.

Please understand, though, that this is an incredibly detailed, expert look at every clause in a publishing contract, which an agent negotiates on an author's behalf. If the nuances of legal language aren't of interest and you would rather just get an overview of key contract issues, I'd recommend Michael Larsen's "Literary Agents: What They Do, How They Do It, and How to Find and Work with the Right One for You" instead, or one of the other books on the business of publishing.

If you've ever received a book contract from a general publisher, it can be a frightening experience. I know firsthand because I have a number of these contracts in my files--which I have negotiated and ultimately signed (and the book was publisihed). Also I know how it feels to be the editor negotiating with the writer or the literary agent, since I'm an acquisitions editor for a book publisher.

Jonathan Kirsch takes the mystery out of the legalese in this comprehensive title about book contracts. Every author, editor and literary agent needs this book to increase their knowledge base about book contracts.

The best way I can think of to describe the value of Kirsch's Guide to the Book Contract is to quote from my own book Successful Nonfiction.

"The contract you receive from your publisher may be in two colors and printed on fancy paper but it is not chiseled in stone. Only new authors sign and return a publisher's first offer. You may make changes to the contract and return it-that is a "counter offer". The contract may go back and forth until someone "accepts it."

"I took a distressing telephone call from an author who had just received a contract from a large New York publisher. There were a total of 21 items in the contract she didn't like or didn't understand. After discussing some of them, I suggested she call her editor and have a discussion. Better communication was certainly required here.

She called back two days later, both astonished and delighted. When she asked about the first paragraph in question, the editor said, "that's okay; you can have it." She got what she wanted on the next paragraph in question too. On one other paragraph that concerned her, the editor said something like, "Well, that sounds like this but in the book trade it really means that; so it isn't a big issue."

The result: she got 19 out of the 21 things she asked for. So contract discussions do not mean pulling the wool over the eyes of your publisher. This was a win-win negotiation.

"Take the contract to a book attorney (not just any attorney, not a contract attorney and not a media attorney). When it comes to literary properties and money, you need professional help. And make a counter offer." Kirsch's book will help you understand the publisher's contract.

Jonathan Kirsch is a well-known book critic and book attorney in Los Angeles.

As the author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I highly recommend this book to writers and publishers everywhere. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

This book shows you a sample contract then breaks it down and explains every little piece. There are many alternative clauses too, showing you how to retain different rights and territories, handle secondary rights like audio and movie, and so on.
Even if you have an agent representing you, you would want to understand everything in your contract before you sign it.
My copy of this book is annotated from one end to the other, with folded corners, underlining and pen scribble highlighting the bits I consider most important. Bring on that contract...

Excellent for writing Author/Publisher contracts from the perspective of the Publisher. Explains each clause in the sample contracts, gives many many variations, and helps protect the publisher from many events that (in my experience) other lawyers/books did not include in their contracts.

Highly recommended, probably the only book you need to check your lawyer's work or probably even write your own contract from scratch.

Jonathan Kirsch is an interesting combination: he is both a novelist and an attorney. He puts both skills to use in this book by creating an interesting, easy-to-read, easy-to-understand dissertation on all aspects of publishing law. The book is highly recommended for both authors and publishers.

After a three-chapter introduction of some basic publishing law concepts, he spends almost 80 pages in chapter four going over the book publishing contract clause by clause. He examines the legal implications of each clause, the profit/loss implications for both the author and the publisher, as well as typical practices throughout the industry. Every author and every publisher should read this chapter twice!

Chapter five examines defamation and privacy issues that every author and publisher should know before they write or publish a book. Can you risk not knowing this?

After that he examines copyright, subsidiary rights, and trademark issues in detail-essential information for publishers.

A well-read copy of this book belongs on the shelf of every publisher and author.

Not only has this book saved me much time and money in research and legal fees, but the author makes the information accessible by offering myriad examples to back up his sage advice. I keep three books on my desk: the dictionary, the Chicago Manual of Style, and Kirsch's Handbook of Publishing Law. A classic.

Read this before you sign your first book contract. I'm glad I did. I made this material my crash course and it paid off. - DaveDavidson.com - author

Are you about to finish writing a book? Are you an editor, agent, publisher, or even rookie lawyer in publishing? If so, or even if you are considering publishing something- anything, really- than this book is an essential tool/workbook in navigating the potentially dangerous/potentially treasure-filled waters of the printed word industry. Do not sign any book contract- no matter how good it 'sounds'- without first reading this book. Do not quote another source in your material without understanding the possible copyright consequences as explained in this book. Do not sign on with an agent or collaborator without first studying this book. I have seen too many musicians get screwed in boilerplate recording contracts and now that I have moved into writing I am very thankful that I have found and read this book- as I do not want to be the next victim of the 'small print' of a powerful publisher or by a indemnity lawsuit due to any negligence on my part.

What Kirsch does in this publication is go through a book contract step-by-step, clause-by-clause, he 'reads between the lines' for us, he dissects the main deal points in a negotiation and summarizes the critical areas to pay attention to; he hems out publishing law as it applies to writing your book, selling your story to a publisher, and reaping your rewards without incurring a hefty lawsuit. This book is very-well formatted in a visual sense, is user-friendly, even for the publishing law novice, yet it teaches its concepts at a fairly advanced level. What more could you want?

Jonathan Kirsch is an interesting combination: he is both a novelist and an attorney. He puts both skills to use in this book by creating an interesting, easy-to-read, easy-to-understand dissertation on all aspects of publishing law. The book is highly recommended for both authors and publishers.

After a three-chapter introduction of some basic publishing law concepts, he spends almost 80 pages in chapter four going over the book publishing contract clause by clause. He examines the legal implications of each clause, the profit/loss implications for both the author and the publisher, as well as typical practices throughout the industry. Every author and every publisher should read this chapter twice!

Chapter five examines defamation and privacy issues that every author and publisher should know before they write or publish a book. Can you risk not knowing this?

After that he examines copyright, subsidiary rights, and trademark issues in detail-essential information for publishers.

A well-read copy of this book belongs on the shelf of every publisher and author.

Enjoy these puzzles and the puzzles are entertaining. The puzzles are ranked as beginning on up. Very fun!

The pictures in this book are really great. Don't want to write on them.
It is lots of fun and quite challenging at times.

I love brain teaser puzzles and this book is great fun. I purchased the 3 pack and gave a book to my 9 year old son, he loves it. It is addictive and hours of fun! Fun for the entire family. I would recommend these as great gifts for kids instead of video games. My husband enjoys the puzzles too, I use him when I can't find something.

As a child I loved hidden picture books and as an adult I still love it. This books is great for all ages. It has different degrees of skill levels for everyone. I am own my way to collect them all!

Another ADDICTIVE puzzle book! Really great for giving as gift for the "hard to buy for" person.

"The Man I Might Become" is a landmark collection that shows a welcome maturation of the gay community - an acknowledgement that to understand and accept the self, we must understand and forgive others. And for many gay men, there is no figure more "other" than one's own father. Yet, as the title suggests, coming to terms with one's father is also a way to truly see oneself. The best essays in the book (notably those of Joseph Hansen and Bernard Cooper) are superbly written evocations of the knot of father-son love, scary and deep with feeling.

I'm not a fan of compilations since they tend to be uneven and often predictable but this one is an exception to the rule. It is by turns affirming and profoundly sad. The themes of conflict and acceptance, shame and forgiveness have rarely been touched upon in such a sensitive way. I found it terribly affecting and emotionally honest without it being sentimental. The sort of confessional, self-revelatory writing sometimes runs the risk of sounding preachy or self-rightous; this book succeeds precisely because it does neither. I'd recommend it to parents, gay or straight, as well as to their children.

A must read for ANY parent, gay or straight children, boys or girls. This book gave me great insight on a child's devotion and unequivocal love of their parents, both mother and father. Telling stories of how the words and actions of parents can impact a child.

This book book is great. Over the holidays I had a chance to read it (some of it twice). I have to say i didn't expect it to be such a captivating read. As it turned out it was the kind of thing where you cant just read one story - you have to get the next one in and then the next - staying up way past bedtime!! It was fun - in places dark, in other very funny. I am always amazed at how many different points of view there are on the topic of parents. It is amazing what some parents are capable of. It was fascinating to see how people had come to terms with their lot in life and managed to rise above, forgive, and so on. I also think it is a treasure in the sense that things are changing quickly and that in 20 years, folks might write quite differently. A must for every library. Enjoy!

This is a great collection of true stories written by gay men about their relationship with their fathers. Some are mundane, some are shocking, some are tender and some are thought-provoking. It would be great to see a follow-up volume written by not-so-famous gay men, just to see what would result. I suspect the same kind of wisdom, love and heartache would be present. Required reading for all fathers and all gay men.

This is our first family field guide that we picked up at a used book sale. It is not comprehensive, but covers more than the basics well. The color illustrations are great and we have learned much from the book so far in the year that we've owned it.

Our family uses this book for identification of North American Wildlife -Animals - all the time. We live on a farm with a lake and have many different waterfowl, fox, beavers, deer and other animals visit our farm and we really enjoy looking up the animals to learn its' name, habitat and food requirements. Also as an artist I personally use the beautiful color drawings of the animals as a reference guide to correctly paint them.

My dad would occasionally bring me a book or two, saying "Kathy, I think you would enjoy this." He's been gone for 21 years now, and I have had to reglue sections of pages back onto the spine with PVA glue, but this little book remains the most valuable of all my huge collection of field guides. It has so many entries, and indexed by both common and scientific names; most importantly, the listings for each grouping are organized in a logical way, clustering similar species together so that you can easily find what you are looking for. One of my big gripes about some otherwise-helpful field guides is that there seems to be so little logic in their organization. This one is my favorite because it's not exhaustingly bulky. but so well-researched, that most of what you are likely to come across in your field wanderings will be found here - or you will at least have clues to locating it in a more detailed field guide in your library. They have illustrations of 34 native orchids, again, not comprehensive, but such a good representative sampling of the most-frequently found, and so well and carefully illustrated, that, again, I can give my full recommendation for this fine book. Thanks, Dad! : )

This book has the best fact-filled text and color portraits of any I have read. It includes over 2,000 plants and animals of all types. It is easy to read and research because each section is color tabed. If you wont to exolore Wildlife you need this Book!!

This is the best resource book I have found on the subject matter. All illustrations are done beautifully in color. The following are a few of the specific identification aids used: check marks for physical feature identifiers, symbols identifing habitat, maps displaying geographic location. The book is indexed by common and scientific names, is compact, easy to handle, an excellent reference tool and is good for leisure reading

We were returning from Greenwich tired and footsore. The LONDON MAPGUIDE indicated we could transfer to another bus to Paddington right on Russell Square. When we alighted, there were no layover stops for the elusive Bus #7. After tromping for ages around Bloomsbury, we gave up and hiked back past the British Museum to Oxford Street, where we knew we could get a bus.

The flaw of this and all other map guides to London are the bus routes. The Underground is fun, but sometimes a bus is more convenient, and, as G. K. Chesterton wrote, the best way to see London is from the top of a double-decker bus.

Even London Transport's "Travelling in London" folder doesn't do justice to the bus system. Granted, it is diabolically difficult to keep up with route changes, but if someone were to undertake it and do a more thorough job, the result would be a truly useful map guide.

But don't let one complaint detract from the value of this otherwise outstanding guide. Because of the lack of bus information, most travellers take to the Underground and are quite satisfied with it. I still recommend THE LONDON MAPGUIDE and still would use it myself, if only for lack of anything better.

I have used this mapguide since 1990 -- it is my "bible" in London. Far more portable and much less overwhelming than "London A-Z," this mapguide contains everything a traveller in London will need. If I could only take one book to London, this would be the one.

The subways (tubes) are cleverly color coded and it's easy to decide where to make your connections. Bus numbers are confusing but only rode bus one time since tube system is so clean, quick and efficient.

Print is large enough to easily read, but overall size of book is small enough to fold and place in most jacket pockets, purses and shoulder bags. Informative enough to be the only reference material you need when leaving your hotel room for your daily excursions through the city.

I am a frequent traveler to London, and have worn out more than one copy of this excellent map! Among its best features are locations of prominent buildings and numbers of bus routes. Don't leave home without it!

Superb diagrams. Very easy to understand and follow.
Very tasteful projects. An excellent how-to book for moderately experienced beaders.

Love this book - most of the publications I end up buying I only work two or three projects, but there are only two or three in this book that I'm not interested in trying. They glaze over the odd count peyote stitch a little and focus on knot tying a little excessively, but it's still an excellent and inspirational book in a world where it's challenging to find much about peyote.

I cannot express how pleased I am with this book...it provided good wasy to follow directions AND the phoroas were very inspiring!

I liked the pictures, but haven't taken the time to actually do the projects. I would recommend this for anyone wanting to learn this aspect of beading. I've done a little of it before, and it can have some spectacular results.

I enjoyed paging through the book and looking at the great photos as well as trying the projects. A new beader will find the book very helpful and seasoned beaders will be able to do the projects handily and take off on their own from there. A great all-around addition to a beader's library.

A great deal of the information that you will need to get your feet wet in the field of Nuclear Medicine physics is contained in this book. I have used it to teach medical residents and it follows the board exam material pretty faithfully. Well written.

Sorenson and Phelps have compiled all of the relative and essential physics of nuclear medicine in such a way that is easy to understand. This text also contained graphs that illustrated points and made them much clearer. The pictures of hardware, although somewhat outdated, also were helpful in the learning process. This is an excellent text for any course of study related to nuclear medicine.

I like this text book..It is a great introductory book, very clear explanations, good references...It helped me a lot for my dissertation

Simon Cherry has recently updated this venerated classic textbook originally written by Michael Phelps and Jim Sorenson. The revised and expanded book makes a timely contribution to modern imaging. I just used this book as a supplement to a graduate course at San Diego State University on "Physics of Imaging". It is clear, thorough and very well written. Steven Goetsch, Ph.D.

"Sorenson and Phelps" is now "Cherry, Sorenson and Phelps." It is still the standard text for nuclear medicine physics, covering the topics well for the radiology resident, nuclear medicine resident or fellow, or a beginning medical physicist. While clearly (in my opinion) the best text in its field, I would suggest that the authors give future consideration for a companion CD ROM (as in many new texts) that helps the reader understand some of the more complex topics, and that they give more treatment to quantiative PET scanning (including a "cookbook" on Patlak analysis using either arterial sampling or modified for venous sampling with left ventricular or aortic region of interest measurement with PET/CT). Sadly, little PET/CT information is available, perhaps the "hottest" topic in nuclear medicine.

All in all, though, it is still the standard text in the field. I am glad to see (and own) the latest edition, and highly recommend it for purchase.

I get 100% great reviews for every Pillsbury Bake-Off thingy I make and bring to socials, church events, family events, as gifts ..... a Pillsbury Bake-Off recipe is A-#1.

Good recipes, easy to follow instructions and very nice pictures. It's a good book to have at home.

This book has beautiful photos. Each and every photo makes me want to make each dessert. I think all of these dessert deserves the title of winners.

I always enjoy the bake-off recipes. Some of the recipes I use and others just give me ideas of my own. Sometimes I am surprised at how well some of the ingredients go together like using waffles instead of bread to make a sandwich.Keep up the good work, Pillsbury!

I was one of the 100 finalists, Carole Resnick, at the 42nd Bake-off. This book is the best of Bakeoff momentos.