Guides and Directories Books

It is so difficult not to get trapped into the "name-dropping" college game. This book not only introduces you to 40 colleges you may not have heard of, it helps you realize that looking at any college with fresh eyes is the key to the application process. By discussing the salient points that make each listed college noteworthy, Pope helps to outline experiences we may have never considered that would make a college great.

Each student has a unique learning style and personality. Pope futher delves into why these mostly smaller colleges can tap into what each student needs, to help them achieve their best during the college experience. With college costs escalating rapidly, choosing a college that will help each student flourish becomes even more critical. This book will help parents and students more effectively outline what they need to find in a college.

Further, I was impressed that his list included many different types of colleges - from one whose courses consist only of classic books, to those that cater to the outdoor student - which helped me to see that any college bound student should be able to find a college that fits.

I would highly recommend this book to any high school student and their parents.

I am a High School Counselor and I have used this book several times. It is good to have a book that is not for the Straight-A Student

Why are there no entries for the West? Could the author seriously not find any California or Arizona institution that meets the criteria? Besides that, this revised edition like others have stated seems repetative. Let's have a new version, hmmm? This one is 7 years old now, I think it's time.

On the positive side, it is great to know the truth about highly regarded institutions such as Harvard. Our children all aspire to Universities such as these because it's such a long standing myth that you will be among the best and be taught by the best and that a degree from such a place virtually guarantees your success. I would never have imagined my daughter might be taught by a teacher's assistant who barely speaks English or lectured to until she falls into a boredom induced coma. I hope we can find her a school with community spirit that will inspire her!

if you know someone making a decision on where to go to college, please buy them this book. it's a critical decision and there's not a book on the market that will help more with that big decision. the focus is on liberal arts colleges around the country that do great work turning above average students into excellent, independent learners, citizens, contributors. if you are looking for a "name" college, something your identity can attach itself too, then this book may be a disappointment. but then again, it may change your life by having you think more carefully about what is really important about your development those 4-5 years after high school.

Loren's book is a fantastic review of what lies beyond the Ivy League. As a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, I utilized my education to author The Interview Survival Kit and I have nothing but praise for what my undergrad and graduate experiences provided me. However, college applicants should know that finding the right college is about much more than finding the right "name" - many schools will provide students with powerful, transformational experiences that encourage personal, academic and professional growth. A fantastic book.

There is a better book on the topic. Take a look at Campus Free College Degrees: Thorsons Guide to Accredited College Degrees Through Distance Learning by Marcie K. Thorson and read my review. Plus, it costs less. You will be spending a lot of money to get a college degree, so do your research thoroughly! Thorson's guide will help you do that.

This is the one necessary resource for anyone looking to begin or continue education through non-traditional means.

This book provides information concerning many avenues of online learning in a convenient, useful format. It's a great source of information for the person who is just considering options as well as one who has already decided to take the plunge.

After ripping on many, many schools that are not "accredited", the book goes on to mention, how you can get a "real" credit by buying a persian rug. Because everyone knows how difficult it is to buy a rug, let alone a Persian one.

Anyway bears lists "accredited schools with degrees entirely by distance learning"
and lists Alberta's Athabasca U as an "accredited school" = the have been open for a number of years and only in 2005 did the received accreditation- just look it up on their site. So basically if your school is "unaccredited" they you don't have a real degree, tell that to Royal Roads, UBC, Uvic, Uof Manitoba, and on an on. Because if you read the "university and college act" you will know that you can accredit yourselves, mind you with a bunch of paper work. oh, Devrey accredits themselves, so their degrees are not worth the paper they are printed on.


IF you want to look at the world of education the way the book looks at it, you are limiting yourself. Education should be just that an education, but whether you come out of UBC or Harvard with an undergrad, you basically know nothing. Ever have to write a 500 word essay at your current job? most of you can say no.

I say revamp the system and get to the meat of the degree in 2 years or less- of a a 4 year degree 2-3 years of it is spent entirely on basic courses.

If you are looking for a resource that will provide literally thousands of addresses (snail mail, e-mail, web addresses, phone numbers) with a brief annotation about each school that offers distance learning, then this is an excellent resource. If you are wanting to learn the very basics of accreditation of online schools, this will be a starting point. If you want a detailed, technical look at online learning and about higher education accreditatiion, this is not the purpose of Bears Guide.

Reviewer: Dr. Kellemen is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction .

i'd like to know about poet's publishers, and this is a good book to have all ads you need.

WHOMEVER DECIDED TO PUT THIS INFORMATION OUT, WAS REALLY A BLESSING TO ALL FIRST TIME POETS. THANKS!

Poet's Market is a valuable resource if you write poetry. It is good for amateurs and experienced writers. It is current in listings of magazines that you can submit your poetry to. And gives you advice that is helpful.

Extremely disappointed in Poet's Market, by Nancy Breen, who does not offer much by way of any assistance to Poets; we look for aids in these authors to promote and sell our works. Ms. Breen is not interested!

'The Poet's Market' is the best resource I have found for writers who want to send in their work to get published. It lays out really great guidelines and a list of publishers. They offer some really good advice and encouragement especially for writers who have never been published. I am very happy to have purchased this book!

I am a writer and this is my second edition of the Writer's Market, which is kinda one of a writer's main reference guides to resources for publishing. It also has handly info on contests. I like the fact I can go to a particular section and read about all the different magazines and trade publications for that subject in one place -- many of which I did not know about -- and quickly assess what they look for and how much they pay. One thing, however -- you should always check to be sure the same contact person is still at the workplace -- editors are quick to dismiss unsolicited work and queries and if it looks like you haven't done your homework on the publication to see who is still on the masthead, they'll toss your submission or letter into the round file.

2008 writer's market is a thick book, and has the listings for publishers, and some literary agents. For a FULL listing of agents one must purchase the literary agents guide. This is a heck of deal compared to paying $300 for a Literary marketplace. And keep in mind MOST places that do carry refrence titles, such as a liebrary, do not have the most up to date version of that. Always make sure to check the agents or publisher web-site for the latest info on submissions. It is a handy tool that is full of info about how to compose a query letter, basics on publishing poetry, freelance newspaper writing 101, non-fiction book proposals, the best part of the book is how easy they have made it to find a publisher that prints a certain genre, just look in the index, also some have tips on submitting a work to the publisher. This book is for more writers that do not need an agent, or if you want to sumit a work to a publishing house unagented, most publishers refuse unagented submissions, unless they are a newspaper, magazine, etc. If you have a book that you wish to be published, ficton or not get the literary agents guide first.

As an author...this is a necessary reference book for me. It takes a great deal of research for such a presentation. I sincerely thank Author/Editor, Robert Lee Brewer, and Assistant Editor, Chuck Sambuchino, for their very timely efforts into the publication of the Writer's Market, for the benefit of all writers. Peggy Inez, Author, [[ISBN 978-159858-400-4, The Gully.

I didn't even know there was such a book with so much information about publishers. This book will save me time finding the right publisher.

The 2008 Writer's Market Deluxe Edition cuts through the guessing at to which publisher I need to look at and which are not right for my work.

This addition also has the online access to it's resources. Easier to search. Great addition.

I thought I'd love this book and that it would help me pick the right toys for my baby on the way. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that the book analyzes very few toys (only the ones sent to them for free). It actually recommends very few toys too. The book helped me learn the categories of toys I should be on the lookout for but that's it. Also, their website being updated more regularly than the book, I'm tempted to sell my book back and use only their website for guidance. Haven't learned anything from it so I say : Not recommended.

I really liked the idea of this book and quickly purchased a copy. However, after reading it and working with it, I have become frustrated with the content of the book. I have had a difficult time finding many of the recommended toys. Some of them are no longer being produced by their manufacturers, others are primarily produced and retailed overseas, and therefore these items can be difficult to purchase. You can find some sold used through sources like eBay or possibly have them shipped from overseas. Neither is my perferred option.
I also would like to comment on the online website the Oppenheim's offer to compliment their books. I really find pictures of the recommend toys very valuable for helping to identify them online or in stores. I wish the online site and the book would provide many more pictures of the most recommended toys. Also, I found some of the editing of the paragraphs regarding certain toys confusing. Other toys are mentioned embedded in the text of the paragraph either as picks or pans. Some of the editing of the paragraphs is rough and doesn't make sense to me. On the web site some of the paragraphs read like poor cut and paste jobs. I am very appreciative that the site and the information on it is free without registration, but it seems like the authors would not want the site so sloppily edited. Some of the headers and links in the Toddler section, for example, relate to products in the Preschool group, which I found confusing. I could not tell if the hyperlinks were incorrect. I also had some difficulties in the Toddler section differentiating between toys which were more appropriate for my 14-month old daughter and those that are more appropriate for a 2-year old. I wish there were more differentiation and clarity in the recommendations. That said, many of the toys I've purchased based on recommendations (either the recommended toys themselves or toys that seem somewhat similar in properties) have generally been enjoyed by her.

I have purchased several issues of this book. Everyone is very pleased with the contents. A very valued source of reference for all new parents.
Two books were for my grandchildren and I wanted them to have the best in educational toys at the appropriate ages.

While their website does provide a good amount of information, the book is much more in depth and detailed. Our son, 6 months old, loves all the toys we have gotten him that were listed as winners by the book. We make our christmas shopping lists based upon the recommendations from this book. I would highly recommend this to any new parent.

The oppenheims never fail to recommend kid tested toys, books and videos that have been perfect gifts for my friends' kids. I read a bad review from a grouch who thought name calling was helpful.It was probably written by a toy person who did not get a good review.
I think the Oppenheims use excellent toy testers and I truly respect the assessments done by children. They are always right on!!
Myra Klahr

A necessity for any pre-med. Most colleges have their own, but I wanted a personal copy... Breaks down school by school what is needed to apply and gives a little bit about the school atmosphere and program type. Also gives degree types that are available. Extremely helpful!!! Very reasonably priced, item arrived in excellent condition.

this book just summarizes what individual med schools' websites say about their entrance requirements. it does have a few errors.

I got the book and it was in perfect condition, in its plastic covering. Thanks so much!

This is a great reference book and resource. It has all the information you need about medical schools and their admissions requirements, standards, and much more. A must have for the medical school application process. Great book!!

unfortunately, it was only when i got this book that i realized how much of a waste of $30 it was. i really wish i could have skimmed through it at a nearby bookstore so i wouldnt have to pay 30$ to look through less than 1/10 of it. i strongly recommend browsing through it at a bookstore (if it has it in stock!!!) or chipping in on buying one with a friend or borrowing a friend's. i remember that the 2007 edition strongly resembled this year's- so recent editions should be okay!

No book is going to give you all the tools you need to get published but this one makes a fair stab at helping - truly helping. My one complaint is they describe freelancing as this incredibly wide-open field for anyone with a modicum of talent, and a lot of perseverance. What they fail to point out is that to really make a good living, the way this book proposes, (to freelance periodical writers) one has to prostitute oneself to write about anything and everything. If spending the rest of your life writing to a health magazines about "10 Steps to a Clearer Complexion" seems worthwhile to you, than follow their advice. Otherwise, I would recommend that you decide what you like to write about first, and then go after that market. If all you like to write about is model train building than you should realize in advance you may never make a million as freelancer.

The writers market changes every year so it is wise to get a new one each year. However the front part is very informative for a new writer or a writer who just needs to familiarized themselves with the world of writing again.

A Writer's Market is an excellent reference guide every writer should have. Whether you're someone whose been writing for years or just beginning a writing career. It's an important writer's tool you should have sitting next to your computer along with a dictionary and "Elements of Style" for easy access. It is the yellow pages for writers.

Anyone looking to get published this will same time and money. If you looking to publish a novel you should also get Novel & Short Story Writer's Market. It has more publishers listed.

Some of the tips in Writer's Market 2007 you already know. That being said, you still need this valuable resource. It contains some information that, even if you alreay know, or think you know, is very good to be reminded of.

Using this reference, you greatly increse your odds of being signed. Follow the steps, use the professional courtesy, and follow protocol. These along with persistence will get you your acceptance letter.

Buy it. Read it. Live it.

This is a great book of sources for freelance projects. It has interesting articles and tons of people to contact. You do need to read through carefully to pick publishers who are more likely to need your services.

essential to the start-up freelancer or the old pro who wants new contacts for work. I wish they had this when I was starting out...

Full of information and where to submit things. It is really helpful. I'm so glad there is a book out there like this.

This book is so inspiring. I have not yet sent any art off to the world, but I feel confident now..before I had no idea how to go about it.

Don't waste your money. As an art-rep I think this book is depressing and does not give a complete view of the choices that artists have. I found many mistypes and I believe that their sources are not a good spread of the market. My advice is to get it from the library and explore your options on the web. Just like anything start at the bottom, be nice, willing to learn, and stick to it. It is possible to make it.
-KTB

I feel obliged to review this book after being unable to accomplish a simple css task: designing an improved css file.

Meyers knows his subject. But he keeps using fancy examples or unnecessarily complex coverage that detracts from the content non-experts need to learn. For example, I was attempting to figure out why a certain case of inheritance is failing. His section on that is too complex to follow, because he covers the entire inheritance resolution scheme of css, rather than the simple cases that most frequently appear. So I was never able to solve the problem. I had to resort to searching the net.

After reading the first few chapters, I needed to go back and find where he discussed first-child. Skimming did not find it, so I checked the index. It's not there! So I was forced again to search the net.

This could have been resolved by writing clearly. Every time you introduce something of importance, bold it or put it in a section heading. Then skimming will allow finding it easily.

At this point I decided the book was not quite worthy of sitting on the same shelf as my dozens of other web dev books, and so I tossed it in the trash. Your mileage may vary, but for me it's a time waster.

A real educational experience. Also a well defined book. Be ready to learn when you read this book. This book gets two thumbs up.

This book is very far from being a definitive guide to CSS. It's patchy and confusing and contains too few useful examples. It's printed entirely in cheap black and white, hence you have no idea what the colours do, and contains extensive coverage of features which have been removed from CSS over the years - not much use except for historians. The examples it gives are only a limited subset of CSS's possibilities and frankly they are almost all extremely ugly, discouraging the reader from wanting to try out the styles rather than attracting or inspiring him or her.

Further to this, I've repeatedly tried to master aspects of CSS using this book and repeatedly ended up frustrated, because it doesn't contain enough detailed information or illustrations of how the browser will look. It substitutes tedious meditations for factual discussions, and the writing style is turgid and pompous, bordering on the absurd in places - for example the author writes that CSS is "our last best hope" - for crying out loud, it's just a way of marking up HTML pages!

In the end you can probably learn CSS quicker and better from almost any other book than from this, and if you do use this book the information it gives is so patchy that you'll have to resort to a great deal of trial and error anyway.

Before purchasing this book, I had purchased about a half dozen books on css, one from the same author. I was really surprised to find new ways to use css that I hadn't learned in the other books. Each topic is discussed completely and in detail. For a reference on css, this book is the best I've found.

This is a book about CSS, and CSS, is about the presentation aspect of web pages. How the text appears, the size, the layout, etc.

However, the presentation style inside the book is kind of sloppy. For example, on page 186 and 187, when it talks about inline elements, Figure 7.33 "Strongly emphasized" is printed not as tall as Figure 7.34 and 7.35 when the CSS style is the same. And the word being used is "which is" and is changed to "that is" in Figure 7.34 and 7.35, when it is changing the vertical-align only. The reader would be better helped if they can see the contrast of the CSS style, without the change of wording for no reason at all. Also, in Figure 7.34, the bigger words should not overlap with the smaller words above, as tested in CSS compliant browsers, but it is printed so on the book.

Then again, in Figure 7.36, for no reason at all, the picture is shrunk down to 1/4 size of the previous examples, when they are all talking about the same case except for some vertical-align difference. It may be done just because the page is running out of space. That is pretty sloppy.

On page 181 to 182, it talks about various terms of the inline box model, and there is no figure at all to exemplify the terms at all. Then after the reader goes through a tough time to read through those text of hard definitions, 3 pages later, the figures start to appear. Please, can the book be designed so that the readers are considered? CSS is partly for making the content easy for the audience, and how about this CSS book is made easier for its audience too?

I am an independent filmmaker and run my own film festival in Utah, called The Gangrene Film Festival. I have striven to find a short list of film festivals that have good patronage and excellent exposure in which to enter my short films in. The truth is, the film festival scene is so saturated with fly-by-night film festivals that merely searching with Google only gives you a huge list of podunk festivals that aren't worth your while.

Chris Gore's book is an excellent resource to help weed through the white noise and get at the festivals that will truly find you exposure. He categorizes festivals into different groups, those with high-exposure, middle-of the road fests, and all the rest. He also categorizes festivals by genre, which I found particularly useful.

If you aim to send your films to the festivals, make sure you start with Chris Gore's book. It is absolutely comprehensive--the only festival guide you will ever need.

Thanks, Chris, and keep going man.

Hope this helps.

-Craig Nybo, co-author of Total Human: The Complete Strength Training System

This book is a much needed addition for any filmmaker. Not only does it list an extensive amount of festivals, it gives solid info about each festival that you usually don't find on the festival's website. Chris Gore also did a wonderful thing, he has top ten lists for categories such as; top ten underground fests, top ten digital media fests, etc. You don't want to blindly send out your film and pay the outragous festival fees if you know your film doesn't fit the vibe of the festival you are sending to. With this book you will avoid doing this. If you only get one book before sending your film out to festivals, get this one!

every independent filmmaker should own this book. I found it very useful on locating the major festivals & the do's & don'ts with applying to festivals. Highly recommended.

If you're planning to submit your film to a film festival, then this is a good book to get started on your research of which one to submit to and when. You can also get a sense of the perks, pros and cons of submitting to a selected group of prestigious festivals.

The first half of the book has lots of tips and interviews from filmmakers, producers and the like that can help you plan and execute a successful film festival strategy. Then you have a great categorization of over 1,000 film festivals that will allow you to find the one that's right for your specific type of film.

The 3rd edition has revised information, but as one might expect additions and changes happen very frequently in this business. So you can use what you find here as a starting point and keep updating your own database, as you see fit.

Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide
By Chris Gore
Review by Pi Ware

There are few books that truly deserve the term "Ultimate" in their title. The 3rd edition of Chris Gore's book, Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, is one of those rare books. This is a must-read for every filmmaker. And it is a must-read not only before you apply to film festivals, but ideally, it's a must-read when you're conceiving the script. Because Gore's guide is not simply an extensive listing of festivals or a compilation of checklists of what to bring, but-first and foremost-Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide is an attempt to understand the entire marketplace of independent film. And it's an attempt to arm the filmmaker with all the knowledge, materials, courage and charm to succeed in that marketplace.

Gore packs this essential guide with interviews from successful filmmakers like Morgan Spurlock and Jared Hess, with Sundance director Geoff Gilmore, and with notorious film rep Jeff Dowd. But Gore also includes interviews from filmmakers whose films have not sold at Sundance, filmmakers who have self-distributed, and filmmakers whose films have out-and-out bombed. All of which serves to give you a very well-rounded and realistic perspective of the indie film world-a goal that few people in the media have ever attempted. In fact, most of what you read about indie filmmaking concentrates on the 1 in a 1000 success story and then distorts it into some kind of low-effort "overnight" success. Gore bursts that bubble. And tells you the truth.

Here's the basics of what Gore's book arms you with:
- in-depth analysis of the Top 10 film festivals, and why you should apply to these first
- tips from true experts on how to make a splash to maximize potential distribution offers
- how to create the all-important marketing materials such as a web site, poster, postcard, press kit, and trailer
- lists of mistakes filmmakers commit that screw up their films
- comprehensive listings of over 1,000 film festivals, including travel tips and contact information

Perhaps what I like the most about the book is that Gore reiterates the secret festival strategy that select filmmakers have devised after attending festivals around the world: be nice. This underestimated strategy is part of the long-term thinking that characterizes Gore's guide. He advocates other virtues that you'll find equally as important during your daunting struggle through the film world: patience and humility. "When you pick up the trades and read that this film or that film sold for a million bucks," he writes, "don't let it get you down when yours does not sell. The cold truth is that the entertainment business moves at a glacial pace. Things happen very, very slowly, so you must have patience. You may not close a distribution deal for you film, but you'll have made many new friends and useful contacts that will help you along on your eighteen month (or more!) journey in getting your work seen in front of appreciative festival audiences."

The book suffers in minor ways due to Gore's overly informal writing style and the advertisements peppered throughout as if it were a magazine (and yet the cover price is $21.95). It's funny to note, too, that the most detailed of the checklists is about successfully crashing a party. But these criticisms are petty. Gore's twenty year real-world experience shines through and empowers you to take advantage of the ultimate launching pad for nearly every indie film in the world: the film festival.