Careers Books

I have a number of Voice over books, and this one is hands down my favorite. Even though I've worked in the voice industry for years, there are so many proven voice techniques in this book that I keep it handy in my studio. I strongly recommend it to beginning students as well as veterans.

My favorite aspects of this book are:

- outstanding presentation of the fundamentals of voice over. When you read each technique, it's absolutely clear how to use it AND how it improves the result.
- great advice for revising my demos (or creating them if you don't have one)
- interviews with copy writers and agents, to give a real-world view of the industry

I've seen proven results in my own work, and I highly recommend this book to anyone serious about a career in voice over.

I'm at the beginning of my career in voice-over and I've read a good handful of books on the topic and taken tons of classes...but rarely has anyone "broken down" the essentials of technique quite as clearly and succinctly as Elaine Clark does in this book. For the first time, I felt like I had some practical tools I could refer to when approaching copy, which not only gave me a promising ground to start from, but also helped build my confidence and desire to "stick-to-it." Rather than give you hollow, abstract phrases about the need to connect emotionally to the copy, she shows you "how" to make it "yours." Obviously she's a great teacher with a lot of experience, as she leaves no stone unturned in this book with regards to what to expect in every aspect of this career and how to be best prepared so that you can succeed.

Elaine Clark is my guru. I have read this book a number of times since purchasing it in 2001, and I return to a number of specific passages when I need a refresher. Having worked steadily in this business for 20+ years, and having purchased many books on voice acting, I 've found "There's Money Where Your Mouth Is" to be my absolute favorite. The reader is taken from the basics to the multitude of details involved in running your own successful voice-over business.
Thanks to Elaine Clark, I have grown professionally as a voice actor, and enhanced my voice acting and copy interpretation skills.

If you are at all interested in VO, get this book. I read it cover to cover a year ago, and I've been cherry picking those areas that I've needed to focus on ever since. Now that I've marked up my copy at least three times and pages are starting to break loose of their binding, I'm ready to get an agent and start working. If your an actor or improvisor this book will help all areas of your artistic endeavors. The nuances & subtleties of speech are examined in great detail. The bottom line throughout this book is how to stop "acting" and be real. The market is hungry for every day real people. There's a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, pick it up.

This book is very helpful for those new to the industry. It contains information about putting your demo together, about getting an agent, and has sample copy to practice with, and tips for exercising your voice. I definitely reccomend this for anyone who is interested in trying this line of work for the first time.

this book is absolutely wonderful in guidence in the interview process. i havent' been in the managers position in about 10 years and had forgotten what was allowed and not allowed to ask. i'm glad this book was there for me to review and learn from. the "red flag" information was a great help in determination of review. very to the point and easy to understand.

This book was an excellent resource in recent interview preparations for a new hire and I will definitely keep it in my collection. I was able to quickly compile ones I thought were applicable and have a handy list for the interview. My only wish is that they made more interview books suited towards public sector jobs. Still I highly recommend it.

Paul Falcone worked as the Employment Manager for a very large mortgage company. His 96 questions are a compilation of questions that he gathered over the years that help narrow down a candidate pool. These questions are above and beyond the normal tested legal quidelines, they ask whether a person can do the job as described.

If you are a hiring manager, this will help you to have a template to ask great job related questions. For those organizations who like to have structured interviews, this can be used to pick and choose questions for various managers to help compile a great profile from the interview process. Structuring allows you not to repeat the same questions and shows the candidates that you are careful in your selection process and are interested in getting the best.

If you are a recruiter, manager or even a job seeker wondering what may be asked in an interview, this is a great tool to have in your library.

Falcone offers invaluable advice as to how to "identify high performance candidates, probe beyond superficial answers, spot 'red flags' which indicate evasions or untruths, get references which provide reliable information about candidates, and negotiate job offers which attract winners." The value of this book is perhaps best indicated by the results of research conducted by Bradford D. Smart of more than 4,000 executives in 50 of the "Fortune 500" companies, shared in Topgrading which I have reviewed previously. The results confirm Peter Drucker's assertion that "The ability to make good decisions regarding people represents one of the last reliable sources of competitive advantage, since very few organizations are very good at it." For me, the most stunning revelations in Smart's book are found on page 50, in Figure 3.2, "Cost of Mis-Hire Study Results." According to the results of Smart's extensive research study, the sum of total costs of a mis-hire (on average) are as follows:

Base salary Less than $100,000: 14 times salary

Base Salary $100,000-250,000: 28 times salary

All Salaries: 24 times salary

Sobering statistics indeed. In his book, Falcone includes two recurring sections which define the context within which each of the 96 questions is asked: "Why Ask This Question?" and "Analyzing the Response." He also alerts the reader/interviewer to relevant "Red Flags" which might otherwise be invisible. Books such as this (and it's one of the best) can guide and inform a rigorous process by which to identify those candidates which offer the strongest talent, skills, and (yes) character. I strongly recommend this book to any and all decision-makers and decision-influencers who are involved in their organization's hiring process. But please keep in mind that candidates may have also read this book. For interviewers, it is highly desirable to reveal the person "behind the resume." It is also imperative to obtain "real information" from credible reference persons. My own opinion is that they as well as candidates need to be thoroughly checked out.

From a job seeker perspective, this book has been worth personally more than 2000 times its list price. It is like being able to read the other team's playbook before the championship game! If you are seeking a job in Corporate America, don't go in without reading this book because this book will get you half way there......and in some unfortunate "buzz-word company" cases - all the way. It tells you everything they want to hear and why. Satisfy HR first, and then worry about your potenital new boss. Why waste your money on learning what you could say during an interview from other books. This book truly allows you to switch seats with your interviewer. This book is truly deserving of the yellow cover with black stripes and should be entitled, "Interviewing in Corporate America"

I discovered Betty MacDonald when I was about twelve years old, after checking The Egg and I out of the Carmichael Branch library here in Sacramento, about 22 years after it was first published. My parents had mentioned that the egg ranch Betty lived on with her first husband in the 1920s, which she writes about in The Egg and I, was located some miles from the place where we lived in Washington state, in the late 1950s. Furthermore, they had actually taken a day trip with friends to look at the old place, sometime after the book and the movie of the same name came out in the 1940s.

This familial connection, however faint, to an old, famous book and the movies it inspired, piqued my childish mind, and I eagerly started reading about life on a chicken ranch on the Olympic Penninsula. I fell in love with Betty's easy, friendly, hysterically funny, down-to-earth yet somehow elegant prose, and immediately checked out her other autobiographical books: The Plague and I, Anybody Can Do Anything, and Onions In The Stew.

In all of her autobiographical books save Onions In The Stew, Betty uses the first chapter to presage her theme by describing her experiences as a child in a large, boisterous family, in loving and extremely funny detail. In Anybody Can Do Anything, Betty describes life with her family and her two young daughters, Anne and Joan, in Seattle after she has left her husband and the egg ranch behind. The Depression is on, and Betty, now a single mother, struggles with her large and interesting clan to make ends meet, somehow finding a lot of laughs and funny adventures, often with her exuberant sister Mary, the inspiration for the book, along the way. Anyone who is interested in what life was like in Seattle in the 1930s, in witty character descriptions, and in a personal glimpse of how families coped with the "Great Depression", will find this book fascinating, not to mention frequently hilarious.

Betty, I miss you and the way you used to make me laugh out loud--I was sad when I finished reading Onions In The Stew for the first time and then realized it was the last autobiographical book you wrote: the tuberculosis finally caught up with you in 1958, when I was only four years old, still living in Washington, not far from your home on Vashon Island. I re-read your books many times as I grew up, even visited Vashon Island, and often wished I could have met you and your family. It's silly, but I've always felt a sense of loss at never having known you, because I am sure you must have been a marvelous friend. Your sense of humor had a profound effect on me, and inspired me in my earliest writing attempts. It's been many years since I've read your books, but I've never forgotten your irrepressible, bona-fide funniness. Wherever you are, thank you!

My husband is one of Betty's nephews.All of the sisters had an incredible wit about them - probably because of their mother Sidney Bard. She did a wonderful job raising her children with out her beloved husband Darcy. It's too bad the children and grandchildren didn't learn lessons from Betty's books. She would be sad to see the way the family turned out.

It's just so heartening to know that others love Betty MacDonald's books as much as I do. I've been giving Anybody Can Do Anything as my female gift book of this year.

we get the story of what she and the children did with themselves.

Her father had been a mining engineer, and although he died fairly young he had been able to save quite a bit; her mother had come from a 'good' East Coast family--not REALLY rich, but apparently quite well off. Betty and her siblings had grown up in large houses with music and dance lessons. However, the Great Depression reduced the family's portfolio to wastepaper. The children had never been taught to actually *do* anything, and actually going out to work for a living was something that they (especially the daughters) had never thought that they would have to do.

The story of how they scrambled to make ends meet during the 1930s would have been grim, but the Bard family despises self-pity above all other faults, and Betty is able to find humor in any situation.

After women having to work to survive during the 1930s, and having to work in the 1940s when all the men were off to war, is it any wonder that the women of this generation and their daughters wanted to retreat into domesticity during the 1950s?

This book is hard to find, so if you get the chance, snap it up!
This is a hilarious account of the author's life post-"Egg & I."
Betty moves from the chicken ranch back to her family's home in Seattle.
Sister Mary, undaunted by the fact that Betty has no experience, eagerly launches Betty's business career and social life.
The mishaps that ensue are absolutely hilarious.
Skillfully written, this book makes the Depression a laugh riot.
BUY IT!
I only wish that Betty had written more books.

Thanks to the knowledge I gained from the book - nine months into my new job I received an excellent performance review as an executive assistant and also as a personal assistant to a high-powered executive and his spouse. I especially liked the entertaining examples for creative problem solving and exploring options for pulling off miracles. I learned how to prepare for "whatever it takes moments" - and it worked. I saved the day for my employer when he was late for a plane. I loved the challenge. Be The Ultimate Assistant reminds us, "You don't get if you don't ask." I called the airport and asked if they could open up a few more security lines as the lines were really long and my employer was running late and might miss his flight. The lady I was talking to said she would see what she could do. The next email I received was from my employer telling me, "Never mind about the next flight, they opened up more lines." I just smiled and emailed back - "Yes, I know, I just talked to them." He emailed back - "You're a Star!" The resources in the book are worth the cost of the book alone. I love learning from the success of others -- enjoy the read.

Everything you need to know to be a top-notch assistant is in this marvelous and entertaining book. Bonnie Kramen has written a fun, wise, and insightful guide to what it takes to assist an Oscar-winning actor. I recommend this book for everyone who wants to learn how to work well (or better) with people--which means all of us! This is a classic business reference that should be on every book shelf.

Bonnie Kramen is the ultimate assistant and we can all learn from her!

As a fellow assistant to a celeb, I can say without hesitation that Bonnie's book is "must-read!" Assistants of every type will find practical tips and vast insight. I know I did!

This is an excellent book on a very interesting subject - working with celebrities and other important, demanding employers. The book is written in a friendly, warm voice that makes the tips and stories come across with real advice and a passion for the subject. This is a great book for anyone who works for anybody in an important position - and would be a great gift for the employers as well! A fascinating, highly recommended read.

What a brilliant well-rounded book! And this is coming from someone who has been in the 'business' for well over 20 years and having worked for many high profile people. No matter how much experience you have under your belt, this book certainly proves the point - 'you are never too old to learn'.

The book is very well written, and whilst it is primarily an informative book it is also full of anecdotes with a tiny smidgen of [confidential] gossip for good measure. The list of resources at the back of the book is very helpful even if you are not living and working in the USA.

To the outside world a Celebrity Assistant has the ultimate, glamorous job and whilst in some respects this may be the case, behind the glamour is a lot of hard work, long hours and can be isolating. This book gives much valued insight and takes the lid off the secrecy surrounding this profession.

As President of the UK-ACA I will be recommending this book as a guide and reference tool to all our membership as well as other Executive and Personal Assistants.

After reading this book I can certainly see why Bonnie Low-Kramen is the Ultimate Assistant!

This is an amazing universal theory. It is couched in deep but simple drawings, fascinating and mind-opening verse, and original psychology theory. This will hit you right between the eyes. This theory is above Freud and any other supposed "theoretician". This is completely concise and through the right-left integration, self-evident. The sign of discovery is "does it work"? And this works--instantly. This theory is so profound it will become part of your tissues---hypnotically.

After reading "champion guides" I feel I know all I need about psychology and what makes people tick. I took alot of psychology when I was in college--don't expect this to be the same. This is not traditional psychology but a new look at the forces of today's society and how dysfunctional family systems can make one crazy! How our own bad habits ruin our life and especially how we should eat. I am no longer afraid of dietary fat--I know it makes me slim, and I love the daily fasting routine. The way she puts it makes so much common sense. I wish I could say it right here but you should just get the book. It will change your life. She hits all facets--it makes think about things differently. She especially appeals to youth, but also to "elders" in "elder consciousnessness" and also dieters in "fasting consciousness" and "swine consciousness" sticks in my mind right now. I like the chapter "ageless cornucopia" and for the first time I don't fear aging--I "hold my head up high" and speak the truth to youth. That I think is her biggest contribution.

This is a very unique and revolutionary view of psychology. It is refreshing to look at things this way. I recommend this book to freshmen or grad students alike. The genius is held down, Dr. Kellock says, by society, systems and habits and esp by food. Each chapter details how this happens. As I look back on my life and the people I have known it all seems scarily true! This book makes sense to me. I have become more into solitude now, without any apologies for staying home (before I always made excuses). This is a complete theory in social sciences which I am sure will have a greatly needed effect. I give five stars. On the diet part, it is also revolutionary--she says "high fat is high tech". Eat a fatty breakfast, and then just some fruit later. Fast 18 hours a day. I have started doing this. Not only am I much thinner, I feel so much more alert and healthy (the greatest part is I am never, ever hungry!) This book is packed and well worth it.

This is forever a classic. Who else speaks to the misfits of this world but Dr. Karen Kellock, a superb writer and amazing artist. This exquisitely genius classic (and landmark) is being sold for $120 USED at Amazon (worth every penny) but only $25 if you go to KarenKellock.com--where you can get it NEW along with her other works.

This is the most important book to have in your library. While the college campuses are being filled up with leftists who angrily shame the students to think their way, Dr. Kellock writes in such a unique and subtle though forceful way (and delightful witty style) that the correct conclusions are instantly triggered in the reader.

I don't blame Amazon for selling it for $120, for this is worth a hundred $100 therapy sessions with some so-called "psychiatrist" who just wants to implant his view, rather than evoke the patient's own trip (and destiny) so true.

There are no words to describe what I got from this book. After 60 years on this wretched earth this ONE book is all it took.
Harry Esquoine Jr.

Your problem isn't food. It's ADDICTION.
Champion Guide will set you free.
Karen Kellock is the way, the truth, & the lite.

We are using this book to discuss character and how to develop it in our Bible class. While the book is not written from a religious point of view, the principles in this book are congruent with Biblical principles. This is a truly wonderful book that I encourage others to read.

This book can probably be read in just a day, but the truths it emphasizes will be valuable for life.

Ethics means you should start with an open mind and listen to those you trust. Then, you make your own decisions. What is right for one may not be the situation for you. You must be able to dream and to hold to your dreams. That is most important, as the dreams tell us what is happening in our subconscious mind. It's hard, but you have to be able to accept criticism and grow from the hurtful comments of others. A great rule of thumb when someone does something intentionally to harm you or your psyche is to "consider the source," and go from there. If you value that person and his opinion, it might be choice to try his advice; if not, smile and say "thank you."

Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," was a failure to himself and his family because he embraced "a corrupt vrsion of the American dream which defines success as money, status and celebrity. Like that conman in "Born Yesterday," written by Garson Kanin. Both plays were written in the 1940s and showed capitalism at its worst.

A good moral code is basically a set of values and principles which guide one's behavior. To be perfect, it should be based on religious training of a lifetime starting with the Ten Commandments of the Bible. Jesus led an exemplary life for his time and place. Today's world is filled with evil. New Orleans, deemed the most sinful city (along with Las Vegas), felt God's wrath with Katrina. The Bible promised we would not be destroyed by floods in the story of Noah and the Ark. Knoxville is teetering on the brink of being almost as sinful with so much emphasis on liquor. It, too, is in store for some form of God's wrath -- in what form, I'm not sure. But I predict that the walls will come crumbling down on Gay Street someday. A moral compass is useful for questions of right and wrong.

The hardest choices rise to the top because the questions which could have been solved with simple rules are delegated to others. Such is our city government, as the mayor isn't facile enough to follow through on his promises to the common folk. This is a town of "studies and plans" going on for years, with no follow through. It takes outsiders to come in and corrupt the whole town. Drinking, drugging, carousing on the downtown streets openly by people who were not born here will be the downfall of a town, not the city it could have been. I have never been good at judging character; thus, I have been let down by some I trusted. But then, I am not a leader; nor a follower be -- I tend to take the road least taken. I believe in causes and was told recently that I came home for a reason. Whether I succeed or fail is still up in the air, and I have made an impact -- something I could never have achieved had I stayed here all of my life. We see in the photographs of the Civil War how Abraham Lincoln changed from the confident President to one of toil and pain etched "ever deeper" in his face. He cared deeply and the price he paid was his life.

+++++

This slim book by professor of ethics and philosophy Russell Gough is like a self-help guide for the soul, showing how we can lead better lives simply by being better people. Gough elaborates:

"This book offers what I call mirroring, rather than a finger-pointing, approach. In one-to-one, conversational fashion, its primary goal is to encourage each of us to think about improving our personal lives...in terms of our own personal character...Each chapter of this book is designed to emphasize a given aspect of the all-important nature of personal character [and are] designed to encourage practical self-reflection and enduring personal growth."

What is character? Character, as used in this book, is "what you are in your essence, the sum total of your habits, your personal assortment of virtues [or goods] and vices [or bads]." The title of this book, "Character is Destiny," is an actual quotation uttered by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus.

In fact, each chapter of this book is titled by an actual quotation from a person of great character. These quotes "capture the force and point of each chapter." You'll find that these quotations or chapter titles "are definitely well-worth committing to memory and...living by."

Each of these quotations or chapter titles comes from the following people:

(1) Heraclitus (Greek philosopher)
(2) Socrates (Greek philosopher)
(3) Dwight Moody (American evangelist)
(4) Anne Frank (German-Jewish teen who was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust and subsequently died at age fifteen in a concentration camp)
(5) Ralph Waldo Emerson (American poet and essayist)
(6) Aristotle (Greek philosopher)
(7) Paul (the Apostle)
(8) Albert Schweitzer (German theologian, musician, and missionary)
(9) Jean Paul Richter (German humorist)
(10) The author (ethics & philosophy professor and author)
(11) An anonymous person (thought to be Charles Reade, English novelist)

You'll find that each chapter is easy-to-read and written with great conviction and eloquence. There is not reams and reams of theory to sort through. This book is written in real English for real people on perhaps the most important subject of all--character.

There is an appendix (not labeled as such) to this book that, in my opinion, is very important. Here, Gough states the following:

"In this book, I have focused on the vast majority of times in our daily lives when we have a pretty clear idea of the ethical line separating the right thing to do from the wrong thing to do. Thus, our discussion has been one not of knowing the right thing to do but of having the character to do the right thing."

But what of those rare situations where there is NOT a clear ethical line where we "truly [don't] know what is most ethically appropriate to do." These are called ethical dilemmas. I was glad to see that the author gives us insight into handling these difficult situations.

Who is this book written for? I would say for high school students, college and university students, and adults: in other words, for everyone. (I disagree with the second part of the last sentence of the Amazon editorial review above.)

Finally, I liked the idea that the author stated that he was not perfect ethically. Thus, this is not a book written by a preachy person who thinks he's a saint or thinks that he lives on Mount Olympus.

In conclusion, this is a well-written, easy-to-read book that speaks directly to the moral crisis of our time!!

(first published 1998; forward; preface; introduction; 14 chapters; appendix; main narrative 160 pages; notes)

+++++

The author did a great job all around. He at least nibbles around the edges of trying to put a philosophical foundation under this, still largely, "how to" book. If, like me, you would like to go further and understand the solid foundation that supports all of the author's fine work, I'll give you a tip that can save you a lot of prolix philosophical reading. I found a book called "WEST POINT", by Norman Thomas Remick that explains all the philosophy in easy to read, understandable language behind the 200 years of character building at West Point, the world's premier school for that purpose. It will advance your understanding of the principles presented so expertly by Mr. Gough in his 5 star effort. Regardless of whether you are serious about understanding what all this is REALLY all about, you'll find "CHARACTER IS DESTINY" readable and enjoyable.

This book is not terrible. I found it to be cliche at times, and it definitely contained a number of gender stereotypes, which the author would include and apologize for, which I found to be somewhat annoying. It's a quick read, so at least I didn't feel like I was wasting a lot of time. I have read a lot of books on women in corporations, and I didn't think this one was particularly new or innovative, and at times, the writing was poor. At the end of every chapter, there were exercises, and I did think those were helpful. For example, one suggestion was to write one hand written thank you note per week - not particularly innovative, but it is a good practice, I think, and a good reminder to do that.

In all, I think Lois Frankel's books are much better written, with much better advice.

It was a pleasure having Kathleen Archambeau host a recent Bank of America Diversity Brown Bag event in Concord, California that featured "Climbing the Corporate Ladder in High Heels". The buzz continues among male and female associates about Kathleen's book because it is not only a practical educational reference but an actionable guide for dealing with work/life balance. The book supports a core value we have taken to make our workplace a family friendly environment through inclusive meritocracy.

"Climbing the Corporate Ladder..." is a practical guide to career success. Extremely well-written. Inspires lots of "ah-ha" moments. Helps young and seasoned professionals remember to find a better work and life balance. Encourages readers to consider success from all angles. I loved it!

Not just for women. Kathleen provides important tips that all men can use to further their own careers. Provided in an easy to read and use format.

Full of insight and inspiring stories that will make any woman, regardless of her chosen field or career path, search her heart for the answers she needs to live a rewarding and fulfilling life. This book brings light and awareness to the often difficult and confusing choices we make along our journey through life. With humor and wit, Kathleen challenges us to look into the deeper parts of ourselves to identify what our true hearts desire is and then guides and empowers us with tools to achieve it.

This book effectively takes the reader from start to finish regarding the publishing process. Avery Cardoza is truly gifted in his ability to convey information.

Though some of the data needs to be updated, the overall content is solid and time tested.

Pertinent, enjoyable read.

This book has helped me to understand publishing and what it takes to start a company. Nothing is sugar-coated, and I really appreciated that. You learn where to go to get legally registered and how much everything will cost. When I went about starting my publishing company, everything was as Cardoza said it would be; no surprises. The book was interesting enough to be read within a couple of days, and it even had some humorous points. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the publishing business, or writers who are curious about the way it works. He covers publishing all the way from a mere idea to the finished product, and then he gives helpful insight on marketing and distribution. There are also some templates (for contracts and other things), and lists of people to contact in order to get your company listed (for writers to find you). There are a few typos, but the information is so well put-together that they aren't even an issue. I have no further publishing questions (at least not until I drastically expand my business) after reading this book. I can't praise it enough!

Whether you're considering starting your own publishing company or you'd like to self-publish a book, this gives you absolutely all the information you could possibly need. From registering a company name and getting the ISBN to the actual layout and printing of the book, it's all there! I thought I'd have to buy several books to learn everything I'd need to do, but this ended up being the most comprehensive guide I could find. I ended up sending my book to a publisher instead of publishing it on my own, but my closest friend in the world used this book to start his business and he's been amazingly successful! Even if the edition is a few years old, it's suprisingly relevant and accurate. It's a great buy and I recommend it to anyone even thinking of self-publishing, starting a publishing business, or even just a career in publishing.

This is comprehensive, good info, has all the details: layout, marketing, legalities. If you want to publish buy this book and be on your way!

Avery Cardoza's book about publishing is a little more complete than many of the others out there.
It isn't written for authors who self-publish, but for entrepreneurs who want to start a book publishing company, though it's helpful to both.
His tone is upbeat and encouraging. He's a successful publisher himself, and he shows you how he did it. He has an excellent chapter on finding your niche in the book market and on evaluating the profit potential of each area of book publishing. He has great credibility in this area.
Then he launches into the nuts and bolts of setting up your company, the company structure you want, and the investments you need to make, and what you can expect financially as you start out.
There's an excellent section on finding authors and ideas for books and turning them into profitable works. He shows how a small publishing company can leverage its advantage over larger companies and make a profit on books that they can't.
He discusses marketing, including the impact of your title and cover design, and has a great section on how to price your books.
There are several chapters on production and interior design that can help you as you work with printers and designers, or if you'd like to try to do the interior design yourself.
He wraps up the book with some nuts and bolts advice on running your business and improving your bottom line.
He deals with distribution and sales, and getting publicity, though he doesn't delve into publicity a lot. He also doesn't really discuss editing at all. There are some copyediting mistakes in the book which may make you reflect on how important copyediting perfection is to your bottom line. How many mistakes can you let get through and still have a profitable book?
I'd recommend other books to learn more about marketing, publicity, and editing.
He also has an interesting chapter on multimedia and software publishing and the great differences between that and book publishing.
Overall, a very well-rounded book that has some clear strengths that make it extremely valuable for a publishing entrepreneur.

Received the book in the condition specified in the listing. It was delivered promptly with no problems. Would recommend this seller.

Creating a Life Worth Living is one of the best purchases I've made in some time. Rather than the usual advice of satisfying an inner child or making a laundry list of things you THINK you might like to try, Carol Lloyd leads you through a series of exercises that help narrow down the field considerably. She requires you to work, to think about who you are, identify your bad habits and obsessions and incorporate those as well as your talents and inclinations. She encourages you, but it's clear the work is yours to do. This is a workbook for people who are creative, are looking for a direction, and can use self-examination as a propelling force rather than an excuse for not moving forward.

I've owned this book for a few years and even now, I turn to it once in while for motivation. Similar in objective to Julia Cameron's books, it is designed differently, more like a 15 weeks workshop. It is absolutely essential for creative types looking to guidance on their path, no matter what turn they are at.

Even if you don't make a living at your art or craft, this book is excellent for those who want to give more space for their personal project. "Creative types" loom large; there must be something in "Creating a Life Worth Living" for a large number of persons. Most alive and curious working people have a second or many passions beside working at their jobs: engineers writing science fiction books, secretaries making specialty chocolate or salesmen writing books.

Whatever your passion, whatever the stage you are at living it, you can find ideas to guide you and portraits of creative people enjoying their own life worth living. In the same vein, I would also recommend "The Pathfinder" by Nicholas Lore and "Soul Mapping" by Nina Frost et al.

Carol Lloyd's "Creating a Life Worth Living" bears a subtitle that declares it to be "a practical course in career design for artists, innovators, and others aspiring to a creative life." And in that, it succeeds quite well. The course (developed from workshops Lloyd teaches) starts with the assumption that maybe you have a yearning to do something different with your life, but you don't yet know what that is or, at least, how to do it. Starting with a "daily action" and moving on to some material on idea generation and abstraction, Lloyd mixes thoughts on creativity ("It's good to simply look at your lived experience and separate it from your concepts about 'life.'") with concrete exercises and interviews with successful creative people from all walks of life: teachers, painters, actors, writers, inventors, entrepreneurs, performance artists, dancers, directors, and more.

A book like this won't bandage up your life and make everything better in five easy steps. It won't reveal a magical key that will show you how to make millions from your watercolors. But it can help you to see your life a bit more clearly. It can help you to see the options and resources you might have missed, and it can help you to figure out what needs you have, creatively speaking, and how best to fulfill them.

Questions encourage you to take both the short and the long view, the practical and the ideal. Lloyd helps you to let go of your preconceptions by having you write down everything, no matter how silly, and by sharing stories of people who succeeded by doing what everyone told them they shouldn't do. So if you're already snugly fitted into your creative career, you'll have little use for this book. But if you're struggling to figure out what to do next or where to go, this book could help you turn your interests and desires into a concrete plan of action that fulfills both emotional and practical needs.

This book speaks specifically to people who aspire to creative careers. Lloyd talks about the pitfalls that keep people from creating, as well as the structures in the day that foster artistic activity. The author knows intimately what helps and what doesn't, in terms of an artists' career development and personal habits. Also, throughout the book are descriptions and interviews with successful artists. These were instrumental in helping me see that there are many different ways to be a successful artists, and that it is possible to make a living doing art. In fact, nothing seems more fun than that!

To anyone who is creative, not necessarily even an artist, I HIGHLY recommend this book. I've read many, many career books, and this one has done it like no other, because it goes beyond merely brainstorming what you love to do, into structuring your lifestyle to focus on what you love to do.

Micheal's words are those of wisdom and experience, and have really stuck with me. I believe that the insight I have gleaned from his work will accompany me on the journeys that lie ahead.

Michael Melcher has created a practical, easy to use, and brilliantly written guide to evaluating one's values, goals and dreams. People from all professions will find this book enormously helpful. BRAVO!

Michael Melcher's book goes beyond practical advice to inspire the reader on how to find true satisfaction in one's career. As a lawyer and a coach, I found the use of the Myers-Briggs typing to be extremely helpful in giving lawyers a better idea of what they can expect in the legal workplace and what they can aspire to being on the job. The exercises are fun and very well explained. Michael's methodology will help both lawyers and non-lawyers to figure out what makes them happy at work. It also lays out the steps to take in order to get the job that fits your type. Michael's book is short, readable, fun and very clear. A great resource.

There is a moment in every lawyer's life when you realize that you've made it--but you have no idea what "it" is. Luckily, that's the moment Michael Melcher's book sweeps in and (with rapier wit and profoundly clever insights) shows you which way is up. A law degree allegedly opens doors, but the right doors do not always appear in a typical law career. Melcher sheds light on the different--and creative--paths to true career satisfaction. Too many lawyers feel that they must abandon the law because they only know of one way to be a lawyer. Melcher shatters that myth and in the process, delivers tangible, effective advice from which every unsatisfied lawyer can benefit. This book is a perfect gift for yourself, a law student, or unhappy lawyer. Everyone should read it.

The Creative Lawyer is a must for all types of professionals---not only lawyers. The writing style is clear and concise---yet packed with powerful insights. What a pleasant surprise. This book is SO much better than those superficial self help books in airport bookstores. You will not go wrong with this purchase.