CANNONGATE

denniscass.com

U… Boldly conceived and brilliantly executed with a striking black, red, and white palette, this is a book that readers and art lovers of all ages will treasure for years to come. MARION BATAILLE is graphic and book designer who has never before been published in this country. She lives in Paris. This is just a hand-made mock-up of the actual book which publishes in Oct. 2008. We couldn’t be more excited about it. Also for those asking that’s the incredible 30’s trio The Boswell …

I’d like chapter books that are in paperback and are age-appropriate for 3rd-6th graders. Cussing and sexual content should be kept to a minimum if at all. Classics are probably out of the question b/c I don’t want to step on the toes of teachers. So far I’ve got The Secret Apartment, The Landry News, The War with Grandpa, and The Watsons Go to Birmingham. If you’re a middle schooler who has some books you really like(d), I’d love your opinion. Same thing for parents and book lovers in general. Thanks!
Thanks for the suggestions so far. I’ve thought about series books as many of you have mentioned, but these are books kids read already. I’d like for the books to be ones they might not normally select on their own. I also don’t want to alienate boys w/the selections as they’re less inclined to go to the club meetings as it is. Keep ‘em coming!

Long before the internet, people have read book reviews. Before spending their time and money on a book, they wanted to find out if a book would be a good investment. Today is no different. People simply have many more choices now that the internet is so commonplace. We have the ability to read numerous reviews about any book that interests us, those written long ago, or bestsellers of today.

A quick search will yield results for numerous online book review websites. A few of the top ones, and most used are Amazon.com, bookstore websites like Barnes and Noble or Borders, and those that have been around long before the widespread use of the internet, like the New York Times book review. Some consumer networking sites like Acobay also has book review category.

Amazon.com is one of the top shopping and review websites. Along with editorial reviews, there are customer reviews. Because of the sheer number of people who use Amazon, there are many customer reviews on most books, especially best sellers, giving the reader a larger number of reviews to base their decision on. This can be good for the reader, giving many different opinions. Once a book has reviews in the thousands though, it can be overwhelming to wade through all of them.

Amazon provides reviews for all types of books, including fiction, non-fiction, bestsellers, and children’s books. Books can be searched by title, author, genre or ISBN. Amazon also gives recommendations of other books the reader might like based on the books they have searched for. It is easy for the reader to find most any book. And Amazon has a useful feature which allows the customer to “look inside” select books, sometimes being able to read a few pages.

Borders.com is another shopping and review website. It, like Amazon, has customer reviews, though not as many. For example, a search on a popular book, “Eat, Pray, Love” turned up 1792 customer reviews on Amazon. The same search on Borders only turned up 21 reviews. The website gives a description of the book, but no editorial review. The customer can use a wide variety of searches including title, author, ISBN or genre. Borders also lists similar books to view based on current searches. If the customer has a Borders store nearby, a quick search can tell if the book is available at their local store. Similar to Amazon, Borders gives the reader the ability to “look inside” select books. Borders also has a large variety and amount of books available, allowing the reader to search for and find most any book they are looking for.

A different, yet well-known book review website is the New York Times book review. It lists the top books, based on sales each week. The New York Times lists the latest books. Not all are reviewed, though they may be in the bestsellers list for the week. The reviews that are listed though, are very detailed and thorough, giving the reader a good idea of what to expect from the book by professional reviewers. Because different works are placed together on the same page, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, it can be difficult to determine what genre each writing is at first glance. Therefore, the website requires more navigation to find books the reader may be interested in. The online database goes back to 1981, giving the reader access only to books reviewed since that time. On some books, the reader can choose to read the first few pages or chapters of a book. This is a nice feature, since sometimes it is in the first few pages that the reader makes the decision whether they would like to continue the book or not.

Overall, each book review website has some unique attributes. If the reader is looking for a place to review and purchase a book in one easy step, a place like Amazon.com is a great place to look. If the reader would rather get an idea of what a book is about before going in to shop at a nearby bookstore, a website like Borders.com might be the top choice, since local availability of the book is also given. For a more thorough and professional look at bestsellers, the New York Times the top place for many to search. Whatever the choice, today’s reader has many options and the ability to find a new book to read in just a few clicks of the mouse.

Swingdance in Jungle Book

Overview of the Espresso Book Machine by On Demand Books.

*The succeeding article is about Marketing Self Published Books, Online Marketing Campaigns, Book Marketing Strategies, and many other useful tips about book marketing.

Being a good book marketer is just as important as writing a good book, and requires certain qualities for an effective campaign to bear the fruits of success.

Being a good book marketer, however, does not necessarily guarantee profitable sales but they are nevertheless the ideal values that authors should have and manifest so that the book will be made known to its demographic readers.

Whether you are a self published author or a book marketing services provider, it would be helpful to appreciate the importance of the following book marketing values and qualities in order for you to market more effectively:

Self-initiative. A good book marketer is proactive and does not fall into a false sense of complacency that the publishing industry will do all the marketing works for the book.

Being a good listener. A good book marketer welcomes ideas and suggestions from all sources, and is fair minded enough to find marketing wisdom from the pronouncements, including reader comments, genre experts’ opinions, book critics’ reviews, publishing industry executives’ perspectives, and advice from book marketing services providers.

Being a good decision maker. A good book marketer knows how to determine which among the many book marketing options, both online and offline, will be effective in promoting his book. He knows how to find the right kind of balance from among the many marketing options presently available. He does not waste time on pursuing or insisting to market with futile and cumbersome practices that does not yield profitable sales income.

Being a practical businessman. A good book marketer makes a sound marketing plan even while still in the process of writing the manuscript, and considers what could be effective marketing resources. The marketer also researches for effective, cost-efficient book marketing options; studies the trends of book marketing in relation to reader preferences; and evaluates the success-failure ratio and effectiveness of the marketing options chosen. More specifically, the business-minded marketer also compares the book price, success factors of the genre competition: How did these authors market their book? Is the author concerned in a similar situation to also benefit from the success example, or are there factors that distinctly differentiate them thus calling for a totally different marketing plan?

Having versatile professional values. A good book marketer is multi-talented in every aspect and respect, endowed with certain worthy professional skills including the cleverness of an entrepreneur, the wisdom and sound advice of an expert, the inspiration of a motivational speaker, and the charm of an entertainer.

Resourcefulness and flexibility. A good book marketer accepts marketing failures in a constructive sense to find better and more effective means to promote the book.

Complete commitment. A good book marketer is committed to all aspects of the book marketing process, from start to finish, including the progress of the book promotion, and the evaluation of its effectiveness.

Before commencement of book review writing, you should distinguish between two terms: book report and book review. Many people use these terms in the same breath, however there are vital differences in the very essence of these notions.

Book Review and Book Report – Is There a Difference?

A book report has a factual emphasize. It is a factual account of the subject matter of the book, which implies to be descriptive rather than persuasive and analytical. Its aim is to present the content and the structure of the book as objectively as possible. The book report includes a plot summary; it doesn’t look into deeper meanings of the book and doesn’t contain the identification of the symbolism.

Book report writing is a good way to structure and articulate the thoughts about the book you’ve just read. In a nutshell, it is simply a summary of the contents of the book.

A book review is a critical evaluation of the book that provides a thoughtful and in-depth analysis, and evaluation of the main idea, and purpose of the book. It is also a kind of reaction paper, which analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the book in terms of accepted historical and literary standards, supporting this evaluation with evidences from the text. In a word, it presents the assessment of the quality, meaning, and significance of the book.

What, in fact, sets book reviews apart from book reports is their personal character. Book reviews are highly personal and reflect the opinions of the reviewer on the given literary work. In the book review the reviewer clearly states his position and impressions regarding the book under consideration.

Structure of Book Review

The structure of book reviews resembles other types of academic writing. Book reviews usually comprise of a thesis statement, a supporting body paragraph, and a conclusion.

Typically, reviews are succinct, they rarely exceed 1000 words. Book reviews usually comprises of two elements: descriptive and evaluative. In the descriptive element you provide the essential information about the title, author, type of book, and general subject matters. While in the evaluative element you should present the assessment of the book, particularly of the perceived ideas and implied purposes, quoting exemplary passages from the text.

A good book review is well organized, and as well as the critical assessment and analysis it elucidates the essence of the literary work. Book reviews may vary in tone, style, and subject; however they share the common structure.

• Begin your Book Review with Introduction

Your introduction will bristle with factual and descriptive data, including the name of the author, some relevant details about his life and creative work, the title of the book, and the main theme of the given piece.

The second component of the introduction is the thesis of the book, which may be very perplexing to uncover since stories, novels, and plays don’t explicitly state the argument. Though, you should reveal this special angle and novelty of the piece that will actually become the ground for your further discussion and evaluation and allow you to make your book review original.

The introduction infers to be descriptive; however it should be catchy to seize the attention of the readers. So you should choose an interesting form of presenting your thoughts and ideas to make sure that the readers will keep on reading your book review up to the end. Many writers begin their book reviews with a quip or an anecdote that delivers their argument.

• Keep on Summarizing

Second, you should give your readers a concise summary of the literary work, where you state the author’s purpose of writing the book, provide its leading idea, compare and contrast main characters.

Here your aim is to plunge the readers into the atmosphere of the book, to make them interested in the ideas discussed in this literary piece, and to uncover them your understanding of the symbolism and implicit themes contained in the book. To reach this goal you should articulate your thoughts clearly, logically, and make your argument persuasive and sound.

In the course of making critical assessment of the literary work, you’ll have to back your arguments and assertions with concrete evidences from the text. Remember that critical assessment implies not only to analyze the literary piece under review, but also to tell your readers what struck you the most in this book, whether or not reading it was effective, persuasive, and exciting, and also your discussion on how it enhanced your understanding of the issue at hand.

Your analysis and evaluation should be organized into separate paragraphs that deal with particular aspects of your argument. You don’t necessarily should work chronologically through the book, though, you should make the structure of your summary logical and comprehensive for the readers.

• Draw a logic conclusion

Sum up and restate your thesis or make the final judgment regarding the book in the conclusion. Don’t introduce any new ideas and evidence for your argument, make up your conclusion copious with the ideas that extend the logic of your thesis statement.

Harnessing these simple and winning strategies of book review writing, you’ll surely turn your work into a writing marvel.

I am currently 6 weeks pregnant (YAHOO!!!) after trying for a little more then a year with the hubby, we finally got ourselves pregnant. I already have a couple books. But I’m looking for a book with pictures of the development that is happening now inside. My mom got my sister and I a book when we were younger to help explain what was happening with her pregnancy. It wasn’t a children’s book. It had some really great pictures and information. If anyone knows of any good Adult picture books for baby development, please let me know. Thank you.