United States Books

Both of my sons and my husband enjoyed this book. A lot of fun to read.

Mick Foley's "Have a Nice Day" is his first and his best. It is a whimsical journey in the life of one of the greatest hardcore wrestlers ever. Foley has always had the gift of gab, and it translates very well to the written page. Hysterical, insightful, and heartwarming.

If you are interested in the behind the scenes of wrestling, here's a great place to start. Mick speaks on his rise from childhood fan to wrestling superstar. He even talks breifly about the Boiler Room Brawl and his Cleveland promos! (I wish he would have went more in-depth on these topics, though.)

See a different side of wrestling with this autobiographical book. You'll laugh your way through this brilliant work of art and ask yourself how Foley survived.

Amazing that in a few weeks, Mick Foley poured his life and soul into 760 pages of notebook paper that would make it, lightly cut and without any major edits, onto book, and earn it's New York Times #1 Bestseller's List. If only it weren't for that Oprah! (readers of the book will understand)

Starting from childhood, he makes it quick, but sweet as he tells humorous stories about his friends, and the origin of the name "Cactus Jack", and his time in college, including the inspiration for Dude Love and the start of his wrestling career.

Foley's writing is so personal and engrossing that he easily captures our attention with riveting stories ranging from lying to his parents and almost getting caught skipping a bus to college in order to catch a wrestling show (the famous Madison Square Garden match between Jimmy Snuka and Don Muraco), to gaining the respect and friendship of ex-wrestler and trainer Dominic DeNucci and being taken under his wing, knowing Foley couldn't afford classes, by reducing his fee, and then not charging altogether.

Foley's tales of his independent circuit runs are definitely a grungy, and in some cases heartwrenchingly painful experiences, which his natural humor and goodnatured attitude help liven up and spare us the angst he must have felt, but without completely sugarcoating it.

All along the way, Foley maintains a very brilliantly hidden line between kayfabe and shoot, though focusing more on the shoot aspect (for nonwrestling fans, kayfabe means the "fake" world of wrestling, including storylines and gimmicks, shoot is reality) and readily admits his talent isn't in technical or even very good wrestling, but rather in taking bumps and making the other guy and himself look good.

From hellish stories of being stalked by crazed female fans thinking his real name is "Cactus Jack Manson" to wrestling in Nigeria and almost getting robbed by the corrupt government police, to losing out on a 3,000$ paycheck in Africa after the president of the country he wrestled in (who organized the event) was assassinated and the regime overthrown within weeks of his departure, Foley's wit and charm keep the story of his life so lively, you'd think it has to be fiction.

Moving on to his time in WCW, he recounts the horrors of the backstage mechanics, from Ric Flair's awful booking and the backstage team's failure to recognize great potential talent, and hiring college TV production students to man their editing, to Foley's disillusionment as the feud between he and Vader was played down, a massive bump taken by Foley which the commentators could have brilliantly sold was sardonically mocked with a derogatory statement like "that's got to be excedrin headache #9!!", and Cactus Jack being attempted to be turned into a childishly ridiculous heel that would have ruined Foley's career.

Then came Foley's run on the independent circuit, and shows for ECW, including full transcripts of some of his best, and in my opinion some of the best ever, promos, trying to be anti-hardcore and promoting WCW and trying to get Tommy Dreamer to go to WCW and be the pretty boy wrestler again.

From the independent circuit, to stardom in the WWF, Foley is never sparse on details about stories while on the road, his many friends along the way from Mr. Haiti in Africa, to Steve Austin and Steve (William) Regal, The Undertaker, Sting, Owen Hart, Vader, and of course Terry Funk. Virtually every stop from his career, including the Japanese tours, the King of the Deathmatch, etc, and the evolution from "Mason the Mutilator" to "Mankind the Mutilator" to "Mankind" and the use of all three of his gimmicks in the WWF to eventual WWF Championship gold.

Throughout it all, Foley never loses his charm or wit, or the incessant Al Snow bashing, with plenty of pictures scattered around the text and plenty of personal stories (like the time he shared a house with a junkie, a guy who was having sex with his girlfriend's 16 year old daughter, and the 16 year old trying to flirt with Mick) and stories with friends (like "Vader" Leon White's spendthrifting with hotels, or Owen Hart's penchanse for practical jokes) that his story never gets old or repetitive and when the story finally ends, you feel like you've known Mick his entire life.

This is THE shining example of a great book about a pro wrestler's life, and I hope his other two books are just as great.

I'm usually concerned about purchasing items on line, especially books. I can honestly say that this experience was worth it. I would recommend this seller to anyone interested in purchasing good quality books at extremely reasonable prices.

Buy with confidence, I did!

I can't recall the number of non-fiction books that I've read. Little matter, this is the most incredible true story that I've read!!
Laura Hillenbrand has captured a time in American History. She is a true storyteller who has done impeccable research. It must have been the time she spent in Gambier, Ohio at Kenyon College that inspired her to such great in depth writing.
For those of you who have not read this book or have not seen the excellent movie, you're in for an incredible treat. Trust Me!!
If I were writing fiction, this true story would not have been told. Charles Howard, Red Pollard and Tom Smith are indeed the Holy Trinity. Remember these names, after reading this book, you will never forget them.
One little horse, so much history!!! Incredible!!!!

I have recently read Seabiscuit and watched the film and found both to be very compelling. We dont think much anymore about the dark days of the Depression but Laura Hillenbrand puts us right back in the middle of it. The important lesson was to look to the future as Charles Howard implored, the sun will come up tomorrow.

Three incredible characters intersect with this horse of unknown promise. Howard is the wealthy owner, despondent over the death of his son and unsure how to live the life of leisure; Red Pollard is a jockey not able to break into the big-time, due to his attitude, blindness, and injuries; Tom Smith is a taciturn man who belongs in the 19th century of his youth, not the modern world. Together they develop and promote Seabiscuit, a horse of incredible bloodlines, yet given up on by better trainers due to his work habits, attitude, injuries, and size.

Eventually the Biscuit wins all the stakes in the state of California and gets a shot at a match race with the great Eastern horse and Triple Crown winner, War Admiral. Both horses are descendants of the great Man'o'war, but the eastern elites dont want to give the western upstart his chance. After a few cancellations due to injuries and prickly owners, the match race goes off in Baltimore and the smaller horse brings it home.

The book is more enlighting with respect to the fuller stories of the characters, especially the relationship between the jockeys and Pollard's romance and marriage to a Boston nurse. The movie brings the times to life. Howard and Pollard were the raconteurs who made Seabiscuit the hero of the little guys during those lean years. Dont forget, tough times dont last but tough guys do.

Ms. Hillenbrand is an equally interesting story. She suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and is only able to work at a fraction of the typical writer. Here she focused her energy on this story and these times. Seabiscuit has been the story many times in film and books but Ms. Hillenbrand brings it to life for us.

This book is a true American legend at its best. "Seabiscuit" was written by Laura Hillenbrand based on a true story of one horse and jockey's incredible life. This biography is set in the 1930's and 1940's and takes you on a journey with someone and something that no one believed in until they were given a chance to prove themselves. The perseverance of these two characters is admirable; they never give up, no matter what. The jockey, John Pollard, was struggling in life until given the shot to show he was more than just an average jockey. Seabiscuit, on the other hand, is my favorite character; he never accepts the possibility of losing. Pollard and Seabiscuit's relationship started when trainer Tom Smith paired them together out on the racetrack. I love that they were given a chance to prove everyone wrong by winning race after race with odds stacked against them; both had been injured numerous times. Read about how they smashed people's disbelief and made history, performing one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports. The theme of "never giving up no matter what" would most likely interest people who enjoy sports novels. "Seabiscuit" is truly the greatest sports story of all time.

Seabiscuit is a great story, book, and movie. If you have not read it, buy it today and start reading. You will not be disappointed.

Ron Paul stands out for one simple reason. He is the only politician of national stature who absolutely sounds like he means what he says. Others may be just as honest as he is, but Paul has the sincerely thing down cold. One absolutely believes him even if you don't believe in him. I was impressed by his passion and deep patriotism. What a breath of fresh air. Compare the oily rivals for out attention. Paul never says things that just sound good, he doesn't need cue cards to help him remember his positions or policies, he is bright and clear and sincere. Compare the rest of the candidates who can't even remember their positions, let alone explain how they got there. And they change positions everyday after reading the paper. This goes for the current crop but basically all of them are the same all the time. And this is just the beginning of what it is that makes Paul stand out. He was very impressive in the debates, although one certainly never believed that he would go far. Even his anti-war policy is portrayed by the press as off-the-wall. This guy sounds like he means it when he says we must get out. It would be hard to say with confidence what the others might do. This is a salt of the earth, tried-and-true spokesman for the truth.

In short, a liberal manifesto (although not nearly as liberal as the Bush/Cheney crowd.)

the bad:

* conservatives, by definition, do not go around calling for 'revolutions'
* his take on free trade is liberalism on steroids -- a conservative believes in free trade only as far as it benefits the interests of the home country. Ron takes it too philosphically, and believes in trade with no restrictions.
* liberals always have their heads in the clouds, and looking to establish utopias on earth. Conservatives roll up their sleeves and deal with the reality we have to face. Ron has his head in the clouds, just like Bush.

the good:

* I agree with his take on the military, the gold standard, and minding our own business

Overall, a good read with some good moments.

What an enlightening book and excellent call to action. It reminds voters why associating yourself with a 'party' is as politically productive as investigating why dirt has a bad taste. A real wakeup call to how far the US Federal Government has gone to ignore, destroy, and bastardize the Constitution. Fire Congress and lets elect some law-makers who will obey the law!

I can see both good and bad in Ron Paul's book THE REVOLUTION, but let me say right off the bat that I do not support his unrelenting libertarian attitude that government is the source of all evil. Paul rightly points out many problems that we face today - high federal budget deficit, runaway health care costs, belligerent foreign policy, presidential illegalities, and on and on - but in my view these are not the result of government per se, but rather are the fault of the astoundingly bad leadership we in the U.S. have suffered from in the last 10 or so years. There is an increasingly common view, which I sympathize with, that Republicans have deliberately tried to ruin government functions in this country in an attempt to cause more people to reject ALL government. See John Dean's 2007 book Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches for a good example of this argument.

To take one illustrative example of the problems described in this book, Paul entirely blames government for the high cost of health care in the U.S. Here he quotes his hero, the economist Ludwig von Mises, who said that "government interventions create unintended consequences that lead to calls for further intervention, and so on into a destructive spiral of more and more government control." Yet one glaring discrepancy here is that most developed countries have much MORE government intervention in their health care systems than we do, yet health care costs in the U.S. are much HIGHER than anywhere else in the world! Nor does he mention the abuses of health insurance companies in this country. What can I as an individual do to deal with those companies? We need government to set some fairness standards here. But Paul would never propose such a thing, since that would dilute his black-and-white view that government is all bad and private enterprise is all good. So he just ignores the problem. The same is largely true with the environment, where he at least supports the concept of environmental protection, yet barely discusses the matter, and does not mention how to deal with the worldwide problem of global warming. Might we need government to do something here? Heavens!

But as I said at the beginning, I do agree with Paul in some regards, such as his emphasis that we must roll back our foreign empire for both economic and practical reasons. He has been an adamant foe of our invasion of Iraq, and here is an issue that we agree. What I am opposed to about THE REVOLUTION is Paul's relentless anti-government tirade that extends to virtually all issues, and which I believe is overly simplistic, sometimes to the point of absurdity.

The United States has managed to go from being the biggest creditor nation (a good thing) to the biggest debtor nation (a bad thing) in a mere 30 years. We have our politicians and the federal reserve to thank for this. We can all continue pretending that there is not an 800 lb gorilla in the room and just wait for a total collapse or we can heed the advice of Dr. Paul and people like him. It's hard to believe that we fought for our independence from England less than 250 years ago and we've apparantely forgotten why we did so. The constitution is that reminder. It is startling how many personal freedoms and liberties we are willing to keep giving up. We need someone to fight for us. The government is supposed to serve the people; not the people serve the government. This book is a great reminder of the way things were intended to be and where we are straying from the path.

Was purchased due to a requirement by my childs school. He has informed me it is a good book.

I was a little disappointed by the ending and the fact that Homer Hickam gave John Kennedy the idea to go to the Moon but other than that I couldn't help but root for the band of misfits.

I bought this book and the audio tapes and my son and I listened and read this amazing book together. Our plan was to read for 30 minutes a night...however it was sooooooo good we listened and read for 5 hours!

We are now going to rent the movie that was made from the film! All systems go....we enjoyed the adventure!

... "On June 4, 1960, the Big Creek Missile Agency, fresh from its medal winning performance at the National Science Fair, is sponsoring a day of rocket launches at its Cape Coalwood range. Everyone reading these words is invited..." This quote can be found on page 356-357 of a book called Rocket Boys; this statement showed me that the success of the main characters was a result of personal hard work and teamwork.

"Rocket Boys" by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. is a nonfiction account of a group of friends from Coalwood, West Virginia in the early 1960's who have a fetish for making rockets. Homer and his friends have a dream to shoot a rocket up into the clouds. This story gives the reader a message that dreams really can come true.

Rocket Boys is one of the strongest books I have ever read. The author accomplished his goals to tell people that team work is one of the most important things to know in your life. This book is recommended for people that like space and rockets and who want a hopeful book to read. Reading Rocket Boys really gets you thinking about team work and how far you can get with it.

Homer Hickam grew up in a rural isolated mountain town but went on to win the National Science Fair.

This book is his story and how he was successful.

I bought 24 copies of this book to inspire my advanced 6th grade Reading class. They loved the book. In our discussions they mentioned never giving up. Homer and his friends kept trying until they had success.

Thank you for sharing your life with us, Mr. Hickam.

What a story! What a writer! I could not put this book down. Colin Channer is a talent. I cannot wait to read his next adventure.

The book was well written, great humor and very relatable for anyone who has ever been in love or would like to be. The only thing is that the cover does not give the book any justice. At first glance you would think its one of those trashy romance novels, however its about more than romance, its about true love and the romance behind it.

This novel was a soulful journey. It connects with the reality of relationships and with all of its struggles and triumph. I was drawn into the characters from the opening page. He tells this tale with a poetic spin. His words unfold beautifully and each character takes on a life of its own. I think readers will find a little bit of themselves in this book. I loved it!

This book is a beautiful experience. It is one of the most passionate and real books that I have ever read. I couldn't put it down and I wish that it was longer. The emotions of the characters are so strong that they leap off of the page. This book makes you want to go out and fall in love and hope that you experience half the passion and true love that these characters experience.

Colin Channer to me is like a modern day Picasso with a pen. His dialogue is compelling, soul-stirring and purposeful and his characters are engaging. You can almost close your eyes and imagine yourself seeing the story unfold as if you were a fly on the wall at a gallery in New York, a beach house in Jamaica, or the Streets of London. This is the mark of a truly great storyteller.

Our main character, Fire, is a "simple" man with a "complex" life. By simple I mean he wants what any sane person would want, a circle of good life-long friends, a fulfilling life, and someone emotionally and physically available to share it all with. So, when he meets Sylvia, he feels like he has found the one. What he doesn't know is that Sylvia, an engaged magazine editor, is all but disengaged from her own true desires for her life. Soon we see that complications abound, and the journey they take throughout the story takes the reader on a cross-continental journey in search of introspection, true meaning and, possibly, true love.

An interesting point is that Channer's characters are written from their souls - what drives them to do the things they do is less about their gender than their emotions and their pasts. With such a multi-faceted story, several layers of conflict, we still get a crystal clear picture and understanding as to why things unfold teh way they do. It is a believable, gripping, page turner, and Channer conveys it effortlessly.

Waiting in Vain, simply put, was one of the two best books I have read in a long time. The other was Satisfy My Soul (also by Colin Channer). As an aspiring writer, I wish my prose was as naturally beautiful as Mr. Channer's. Until it is, I will keep devouring his work in hopes that some of his literary poeticism rubs off.

This novel is like the Rio Grande river, where the story begins: Long, wide, but only a few feet deep.

I read almost 400 pages, waiting to be gripped, but then I gave up and rented the miniseries on DVD instead. It's terrific -- four stars!

The next time I want to read a Western, I'll get a Louis L'Amour. Fun, well-written, packs a punch, and done in two days.

I need the book-equivalent of methadone to wean myself off the the genius that is Lonesome Dove.

This is one of my top three books of all time. The characters are well written, the story is exciting, sad, happy, scary and tender. It's a story about friendship, hardship, making a living, and a great history of what the West once was. I read this book at least twice a year, and still, it effects me the same way it did when I read it for the first time 15 years ago. I recommend it to anyone who likes a sweeping story full of great characters and emotion. It is also part of a great series of books. If you like this one, be sure to check out the others in this series.

I originally saw the movie "Lonesome Dove" which intrigued me and interested me in the book. I loved the book! It had even more info then the movie (as is generally the case) and though the 8 hours of movie are very true to the book, there is a lot that you miss until you see it in print.

I disagree strongly with the reviewers who say this is not a western. It is a story rich with action and human interactions. The characters are developed and become so real - I cried along with their triumphs and tragedies. There are many stories in this one book. Each character has a history and story to tell and McMurtry does this very well in "Lonesome Dove". (Not so much in other books - In "Sin Killer" he creates characters barely enough to kill them off two pages later.)

This is definitely a rich story well worth your time. It is a heavy read - literally and figuratively. Enjoy!

Count me among the many people who completely loved this book. Even at nearly 1,000 pages, I didn't want it to end. To say it's about a bunch of cattlemen making a drive from the Texas-Mexico border all the way up into Montana hardly makes it sound exciting. To say it's a romance between a cowboy and a reformed whore makes it sound more melodramatic than it is. But to say it's about the American spirit in the 19th century, or pointless ambition, or blind allegiance to an outdated code, or aging heroes, or the disappearing wilderness--and it's about all of those things--makes it sound too grand and high-minded. The charm of McMurtry's writing lies in its simplicity. It's about a lot of things. Mostly cowboys.

The Old West, as portrayed by Hollywood and popular fiction is said to be in large part a myth. High-noon duals, standoffs between train robbers and sheriffs, and gunfights between cowboys and Indians are more legend than history. LONESOME DOVE has to be considered among the canon of the old west, as one of the archetypal books of the genre. It is a story full of stock western players--the heroic Texas rangers, the sheriff, the whore, the cattle rustlers, the Indians, the wide-eyed cow hand. But in the end, the characterization of these players flies in the face of everything we'd expect of them. They are each flawed in their own way, and none completely lives up to our expectations of what he should be. They're decidedly not stock characters. They're real. They surprise us at every turn with their actions and inactions. And while it's tempting to call this the quintessential western, it's more a deconstruction of the western. A reality check. It's more about romance than gun fights. The conflicts are internal. And it's more about character than characters. That's the greatest strength of LONESOME DOVE. McMurtry makes you fall in love with the cowboys, then breaks your heart twice--once at their fates, and once when the book comes to an end.

I couldn't have been more pleased with this book. I love David McCullough and he never ceases to amaze you with this intimate portrayal of Harry Truman's life. He brings the President to the level of an average man who finds himself in an above-average position. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an in-depth look at one of our most interesting Presidents to-date.

I have to agree with a previous reviewer: upon reading this, I have such a desire to meet and converse with HST--that's how interesting and honorable he was.

As always, McCullough's narrative sweep is impressive. Truman as a lonely and bookish boy, Truman as a soldier, Truman as a failed businessman are the most interesting parts. When it comes to Truman's presidency, McCullough turns up little new grounds, however. It's the usual conventional wisdom about a guy who made tough decisions that turned out right. Read Perrett's "Commander in Chief" for a harsher and more surprising evaluation of Truman's decision-making and his monumental blunders.

The book itself was a winner - a gift for my husband. He "devoured" it. The only disappointment was how cheaply and poorly-bound the paperback was. Even with extreme care, it fell apart within the first 70 pages. The replacement nearly made it to the end, but not quite. Buy and read this book, but go for a better-bound version unless you like handling it in pieces.

Author David McCullough gives us an in-depth look into the life of President Truman. He shows how he evolved from a simple farmer to become the President of the United States. McCullough pulls no punches in his biography, and yet, Mr. Truman comes through as a simple man who rose to the challenge of becoming a true statesman and world leader. A Very compelling read.

I have read most of McCullough's books, and so I knew that after reading this I would understand Harry S. Truman more deeply than I ever had. What I didn't know what was that I would learn so much about 20th century American history. McCullough is a great story-teller. His use of historical details to recreate the man and the times is magnificent. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

This book was recommeded to me by someone who know I was careing for an elder parent. Lucky for me my father doesn't experience the rages the writers does. While my father doesn't experience rages he does have some of the other issues the writer deals with. Her experinces can be discribed as maddening but she tells her story and relates her experiences with a touch of humor; although I'm positive they were funny at the time.

If you are starting to deal with an aging parent I highly recommend this book.

This is a great book for anyone dealing with parents with dementia or alzheimer's disease. Although my dad does not experience the rage that Jackie's did, this book helped me understand that there are many of us going through the same stuff and we can help each other! This book is easy to read, FUNNY, frightening, and engaging. The tips for dealing with her parents are very helpful and the resources section at the end is great. Thanks for writing this book!

The situation is one that many of us just beginning to think about enjoying retirement find ourselves in. We work years and years and just when we think it is our time to rest a bit, wham, our parents get this awful disease. This book is riveting. I would put it down because I was so angry with Jake, then just a minute later pick it up again. I have to admit that I really ended up hating Jake and I blame Mariel for not protecting her children from this maniac. The author forgives, but I don't think that I would be as gracious or as good a person and be able to forgive. And I'm just talking about the behaviors prior to the onset of the disease.

The part of the book I didn't like was the writing style. The author lapsed into movie or song dialog or variations on a title. It was nearly every other sentence and became quite distracting early on. I suppose this is due to her involvement in the entertainment industry, but yes we got that the first 10 pages.

There are some very good resources and specific question and answers at the end of the book. It provides a good starting point for those just now entering this crazy world of eldercare.

I wish to extend a huge thank you to Jacqueline for writing this book! My mother-in-law had been diagnosed with dementia and had progressed to point where we felt it was no longer safe to allow her to continue to live alone. Our problem was that she was fighting us "tooth and nail" at every turn. She did not realize the scope of her problem. She felt she merely could not remember things once in awhile. Reality was, she was no longer cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, or bathing. We were having to keep her stocked with foods to eat that did not require being cooked, or even warmed up, because she no longer knew how to do that. Her home looked "neat" (other than the knick-knacks that she would constantly move from place to place throughout), but when one of us would go and actually clean - it was shocking the amount of dirt that we would take out of there! Yet, any mention of moving her to somewhere that could provide her with meals, laundry, cleaning, etc would result in her flying into a rage at the person suggesting it! We didn't know what to do.
Long story short, Jacqueline's book ELDER RAGE came up on a link on a website for dementia. I decided to read the book. First of all, her book is quite engaging and entertaining. Jacqueline's sense of humor and story-telling keeps the reader interested. I felt compelled to read it just to find out how things turned out! But also, throughout the book, Jacqueline tells of all the different things that she tried to do to help her parents. Just that, alone, was valuable - because she not only tells what worked, but also what DIDN'T work. The end of her book is a wealth of information for anyone caring for a loved one with dementia. It sure helped our family! My mother-in-law is now being cared for in an assisted living facility that specializes in memory care. The road to get her there was a bumpy one at times, but Jacqueline's book helped us realize that it was what we needed to do, and it helped us to know how to do it! If you have a loved one with dementia you MUST read this book!

I'm not sure this book needs another review as the majority of readers all agree this is an amazing journey of hope,depair and unrelenting love by the author towards her parents. Jackie,despite having her own health problems,continues to fight with and for her parents as they all negotiate the health care maze concerning dementia. I can't imagine NOT giving up with all that the author went through to assure her parents of the best care possible. But she continued to use her humor and love for her parents to marshall all efforts to find answers to her father's illness. This book highlights how extreme measures are sometimes needed to receive the proper diagnosis and treatment. For many in this situation if the finacial assets were not available,as in many cases, the elder relative might languish without the necessary health intervention. The Physicians guide in the back is a wealth of information in and of itself. Many thanks to Jackie for this riveting journal.

Don't self publish a book without first reading this one. It's the best. I also loved the grammar book from Jim Woods Two Dozen Lessons from an Editor

This was my very first self publishing book and one of the best. I have only come across three that are priceless!

I read this book and immediately put many of the ideas to work. I am waiting for the results, but what it taught me is awesome. Every idea is doable and each comes with different options which let you choose which one is better suited to you. It has inspired me to not only to keep going with the internet promotion of my book but also to try new things. It is a great inspiration for those days when things don't go my way.
Anna del C.
Author of "The Elf and the Princess"
The Elf and The Princess: The Silent Warrior Trilogy - Book One (The Silent Warrior Trilogy)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Self-Publishing Manual. Dan Poynter's book is on the short list of desk books for anyone writing a book. Even if you are publishing with someone else this book still has great ideas and resources worth the time.

As a writer (unless you are super famous), you are the marketing director. No one will care about your baby like you do. The Self-Publishing Manual provides you with great marketing ideas to promote your book.

The book covers such topics as: Producing your own book, Announcing your book, What is your book worth?, Promoting your book, Who will buy your book?, Advertising your book and much more. This is an essential resource for anyone writing a book!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

Step by step Dan Poynter takes you through writing and publishing your own book. He doesn't promise that it will be easy or that you will be successful, but he does explain the process.
The real work begins once your book is printed--you are on your own and he gives you an extensive rundown of the markets you can tap. For the novice author first you must make sure you have the best product that can be produced--a professional editor, which is one area he handles in marginal fashion though there is a list of editing services in the back. Make sure you obtain both a line editor and a content editor which are two difference birds. It is very difficult to spot the little mistakes because you read what should be there not what is actually on the page.
This is the grandfather of them all and an excellent survey of the field. All of the books attached to this review are self-published books, which have received strong reviews and sold well.
Writing as a Small BusinessQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelUnder the Liberty OakGuns Across the Rio: A Texas Ranger in Old Mexico

I compared it with three other guidebooks, and this one is hands down by far the best. I also like his sense of humor, and his ability to give us foreigners a realistic taste of the local culture. It is down to earth, not superficial, and it must have been a lot of work to write this guide! The first thing I did when I arrived in Oahu for the second segment of my trip was to go to the bookstore at the airport and buy his book for Oahu.

This revised edition is very comprehensive, written with a sense of humor and candor. Looking forward to visiting the island with book in hand to "test out" the recommendations.

Whatever you need to know about the Big Island, it's in this book. Excellent info, updated and concise, in a very readable form.

I found this book to give good recommendations for places to see on the island. Some were not as spectacular as described. Also it would have been helpful to have better overview maps. Those are obtainable for free in other publications such as rental car guides. Places to eat were good recommendations.

First rate guide to the Big Island. I bought their Kauai book years ago when I visited, and this one is just as good. You truly feel like your getting insider tips, and not just a project for a travel writer on assignment. Don't hesitate on this one.