LESSONS FOR WRITING A BOOK:

Thrill Clients and Sell More Business with Your Book Tours - By: Donald Mitchell

A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.

--Winston Churchill

There's nothing quite like a business book tour to get you out of the office and meeting lots of new people. Naturally, you'll want to say hello to your clients while you are away in all those cities.

Be careful how you handle those contacts: They can either be positive or negative for your clients.

Here's what to do:

1. Bring new information that's relevant to your client . . . that's not in your book!

2. Make it clear that your client's needs and success are more important to you than your book and its readership.

3. Try to comment about local companies to the media in a way that will be flattering to your clients without giving away any secrets or confidential relationships.

4. Talk about your clients' interests when you are with them rather than your book and book tour.

Naturally, I didn't do those things. I did just the opposite. Here's the story of what to avoid doing:

Never before had so many clients seen me so often in their offices. Many of our clients work in corporate headquarters far from the financial centers. They were accustomed to visiting me in Boston when there to speak to investors or while in New York as we worked on projects together.

Suddenly, here I was coming to places like Denver, Miami, Phoenix, Montreal, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Houston, and Detroit. Naturally, clients were curious about what brought me to their town.

Business book tours were new to most of our clients. Most had hired us because of our skill and experience in corporate strategy and finance, not because we had written books about creating exponential solutions.

Many clients had not been to any of the 400 Year Project meetings, so these meetings during the book tour provided an introduction to that work for some.
There was a distinct look of amusement in most of their eyes as I recounted what had been going on and delivered an inscribed, autographed copy of the book.

I can only assume that many were thinking, "Has he lost his mind?" But all were too polite to say so.

Then they looked downright relieved when I noted that they could get an overview of the book in 15 minutes by reading the first paragraph of each chapter and glancing at the questions at the end of any chapters that interested them. I suspect that some feared that I would be calling back to discuss every page in the book until I provided those time-saving instructions.

Turning back to their situations and needs, it was clear that they had no immediate need at the time to talk to me about consulting projects. After all, I had asked for the meeting. They would have picked up the telephone and called if they felt a need to talk or meet.

I wasn't sure that I had enhanced any client relationships in the process, but I certainly enjoyed seeing their offices and meeting some of their colleagues. However, I decided I wouldn't ask for client meetings when I was out promoting books in the future unless those meetings would add a lot of value to those clients in following the four lessons I described in the beginning of this article.

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Twilight: The Series By Stephanie Meyer - By: Marvin J Markus

The Twilight book series has overtaken Harry Potter as the new sensation among preteens, and the teens and adults who still enjoy reading books aimed at younger people. With the first book being made into a blockbuster movie the series is starting to attract even more attention. The movie will only tell the story of the first book but there are three books after that (and another one on the way!)

The first book is titled simply Twilight and it sets up the story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. At it's heart this is a story about the unlikely budding romance between Bella and Edward. What makes it so unlikely? Edward is a vampire who is over 100 years old (although that's actually quite young for a vampire!) Bella on the other hand is just a 17 year old girl. But while Edward is over 100 years old, he looks 17 too and he will look 17 forever because that's how old he was when he became a vampire. Yes, that's how it works!

The second, third, and fourth books are called New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I do not want to give a synopsis of each book as that would be giving too much away.

There is a 5th book planned by author Stephanie Meyer. The 5th book isn't really an extension of the story but rather a different point of view of the story. The four books are told through the point of view of Bella and Breaking Dawn will tell that same story through the eyes of Edward.

While that's an interesting literary device (have you ever read The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner?) it does seem unlikely to be ripe for a film adaptation but perhaps if the Twilight movies do as well as the Harry Potter movies, the movie studios will go ahead with it anyway!

The movie version of Twilight stars Robert Pattinson as the vampire Edward and Kristen Stewart as Bella. Robert Pattinson has become a heart throb for many young girls (and some older girls who should really know better.)

Pattinson first gained attention as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Kristen Stewart has been in movies such as 2002's Panic Room (she was Jodie Foster's daughter) and 2007's Into the Wild (which is a very good movie by the way.)

If you enjoy "young adult" fiction and in particular romantic young adult fiction then you may very well enjoy these books. They will not be for everyone that enjoyed Harry Potter (which I think has a wider audience) but if you do like the Harry Potter books that may be an indication you would like these books as well.
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Two Reasons Why eBooks Would Become More Popular - By: Don Latu

In recent years, there is increasing trend toward reading ebooks instead of traditional books. While most people still read traditional books instead of ebooks, if the trend continues there is a good chance that several years from now there will be just as many people reading ebooks as those reading traditional books. Who knows, perhaps eventually traditional books will disappear. But why is that the case? Why do ebooks become more and more popular?

I can think of at least two reasons for the increasing popularity of ebooks over traditional books. First, you can easily carry ebooks – even large number of them– wherever you go. With traditional books you will have to carry a large and heavy bag to do that. But with ebooks, all you need to bring is a device like a cell phone or PDA in which you store your ebooks. There is no difference between carrying just one ebook and one thousand of them. It's like bringing a library along with you wherever you go.

A second reason is the the ability search within ebooks. With traditional books, you can only use the index to find topics you are interested in. But there are times when the index can't help you find what you want and you are left alone with a large amount o f text to search in. This problem doesn't happen on ebooks since you can easily use the search feature to find exactly what you want. I don't know about you, but for me this is a great benefit since I often need to refer to parts of books for writing purposes.

There is a good chance that these two benefits (portability and ability to search) will become more and more important for many people in the coming years. As people become more mobile and information oriented, the those two benefits of ebooks will make them the preferred choice over traditional books.

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Get Your Story Across to Get the Action You Want: Lessons for Writing a Book - By: Donald Mitchell

Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and above all accurately so they will be guided by its light.

--Joseph Pulitzer

When I started the 400 Year Project (to demonstrate how 400 years worth of normal improvements could be accomplished in only 20 years), I began sharing our message on the Internet and through articles.

I also planned to create a series of books and articles that would begin sharing helpful information about our project.

One such source of material already existed. Since 1992, I had been analyzing the behaviors of CEOs whose companies grew their stock prices the fastest during the prior three years through an annual series of articles for Chief Executive Magazine.

This research was the first (to my knowledge) tracking study of CEO best practices, and I had high hopes for what it would reveal.

My idea was to locate practices that other company leaders could use to grow 20 times faster than usual. The study did indeed become a potent source of information.

Carol Coles and I used the insights we gained to write about the importance of continuing business model innovation in a book we wrote in 2003).

While the CEO tracking study continued, Carol Coles and I asked Robert Metz to assist us in creating a book that would outline a process that almost anyone could use to accomplish 20 times as much in a given area with the same time, effort, and resources.

We correctly saw this book as the first major output of the 400 Year Project.

While most people try to write business books to boost their consulting and coaching businesses, our intention was to boost interest in and activity for finding new solutions through the 400 Year Project.

The good news was that we already had such a process that could be adapted for the purpose: the universal problem-solving process that Peter Drucker had noticed that we always used.

He had correctly perceived that we had moved past our clients in creating innovative practices.

The key to our effectiveness was a master process that could quickly resolve most problems with superior solutions that no one had ever employed before. In early 1995, Peter began insisting that we take this process and turn it into a universal resource.

Otherwise, he was concerned that a tool of immense practical value would be lost, potentially for centuries.

We were flattered by Peter's high opinion of our work's potential. The bad news was that Carol and I had no experience with turning processes we used into books. We again turned to Robert Metz to help us.

Robert had written a number of investment-related books and had authored one best seller. Robert had helped new authors before and felt confident he could shepherd us through the process.

Having heard a lot about interfering agents and intractable publishers, we asked Robert to advise us on how to get an agent and a publisher. His advice was to simply write the book and then look for a publisher.

In this way, we were likely to be able to write a book that contained the content we intended rather than the direction that a publisher wanted us to take.

Beginning around 1997, we started the conceptual development of that book. We needed to lay out a format that people would enjoy using for learning.

Early on, we decided to fill the book with as many examples as possible and to make the information accessible to those with many different learning styles.

That approach was quite a challenge because most people have read or experienced relatively little in the way of advanced practices. We had to take the most solid information available and reduce it to tasty bites that contained the essence of the lesson without cloying our readers' appetites for more.

In one-on-one conversations about the project, it was obvious that people loved specifics and were confused or bored by general principles. But we needed to express general principles, or people wouldn't know what to do next. What model could we use to get around this problem?

The story of Scheherazade came to mind. She married a king who had executed a string of brides after each wedding night. To stay alive, every night she told her husband a new story that ended in a cliffhanger. She continued to tell the stories for 1001 nights, gave the king three sons, and so avoided execution.

Could we similarly string together a large number of fascinating stories, stories so rewarding that readers would race forward to find the next one? Well, it was worth a try.

Robert, Carol, and I were all accomplished storytellers and had large repertoires of stories we had accumulated from our reading and contacts. We could draw on those resources and see what we could do.

The results turned out great.

What stories can you tell that will excite, invite, encourage, and stir your readers and listeners to action?

Start writing them down!

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Discover How Steven E Schmitt Enables You To Be A Best Selling Author - By: StevenE Schmitt

Wake Up Live Team Publishers invites you to join some of these celebrities pictured on this website along with other world wide inspirational leaders in our next best-selling book. Wake Up Live Team Publishers is the best publishing alternative in the book industry. With Wake Up Live Team Publishers, you submit your story and Wake Up Live Team Publishers does the publishing in record time then Wake Up Live Team Publishers promotes your book to the best seller list making you a best-selling co-author. If you research self publishing instead of Wake Up Live Team Publishers, you will discover that there are many aspects to publishing and distributing a book. When you explore submitting your manuscript to traditional publishers instead of using Wake Up Live Team Publishers, you will find that most manuscripts are never read.

Wouldn't it be great to get Instant Credibility with your clients and customers?

You have an invitation to join some mega-best selling authors, speakers, trainers, mentors and world class business leaders in an amazing book project. You will be included in a book series with coauthors who have appeared around the world on television networks and shows including Oprah, The Tonight Show, The Late Show, BBC, QVC Network, CNBC, PBS, Bravo Network and Good Morning America. You will be associated with authors who have been praised by The New York Times, USA Today, People Magazine, The LA Times, Money Magazine and Success Magazine. We call this Instant Credibility.

You will be taught the ultimate skill - How to attract clients, customers and create a rush of new business because, with a book, you will be considered a "celebrity" in your industry as a best selling co-author. A book will bring you a lifetime of powerful positioning that will go with you anywhere and anytime for the rest of your life. By following a few simple-to-understand, super-charged business building strategies, you will be automatically propelled to superstar status.

12 million stories in print around the world! Through our teamwork approach, we incorporate a unique joint publishing venture that now has 12 million stories in print around the world with highly effective training and powerful marketing to accelerate your life and business.

It doesn't matter how many training programs you have attended or accomplishments that you've made in your life. Everyone wants more attention and greater financial rewards.
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Online exchange of books – A boon for book lovers - By: Dianne deton



Books are considered by many to be the best friend of the human race. This is at least somewhat true because ultimately books keep increasing our knowledge without expecting anything from us. Books also serve as an alternative to our memory as we cannot remember everything, but books bring back the old, forgotten things to life. Books are, in fact, a good collection of the past and the present, with an insight into the future.

True avid readers never sit idle -- they always keep at least one book with them to read in their spare time. Books are not only a great way to spend leisure time, but they also help in the all around development of a person. It’s a tough job for book lovers to go on a shopping spree every time they get the urge to read a new book (which is quite often), due to lack of time, and also the expense of new and even used books. Those who are fond of books are always looking for new and better ways to get more good books. Some book lovers trade books with their companions, family and coworkers, but this is dependent upon them all having similar interests, and it can sometimes be a bit of a hassle.

Luckily, today there are venues available for book lovers to help them feed their voracious appetites for reading material. These online book exchanges provide platforms through which readers can trade books with other readers, without regard to the distance between them. These book exchanges encompass the reading interests of people from all parts of the country and are the best service available to date for book lovers.

Online book exchanges are easy to use and convenient, with everything done from the comfort of home. Any book lover knows how easy it is to order duplicate books, so the exchanges make available a personal record of the user’s transactions so this common mistake can be avoided. These services are a welcome gift for book lovers. If you’re an avid reader and haven’t yet tried an online exchange service, you should!


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Free Online Books for Everyone - By: Bryan1

Why are not there more sources for free online books? There are cheap books, good offers on online book stores, or online books available for download, but mostly not the best selling books or at least not right at release date. The reason is that the book industry has not really figured out how to make money with books in the digital space.

Easily available and distributable, buyable anywhere where consumers have an Internet connection. In the novel 8W8 – Global Space Tribes by Ralf Hirt, the Internet-think-tank The Golden Sky each member uses a device called “Inraxx”, which allows them to do everything users desire or would expect from a device. So the world is turning digital, consumers want to have their books digital, too. No problem, but the book publishing industry has got a headache because of this. Who cares? The digital consumer may think, and actually, true, who cares? Free online books will be available more and more as the new generation is going to publish – digitally and explore other revenues streams than just book prices. Without natural resources wasted and logistics to be paid. The good news is: There will be more cheap books, there will be more free online books also. Online books will be there for everyone and the online book stores will need to do more than just boringly list their inventory, which are simply commodities in cyber space.

What is more in the world of globalization, the Internet, globalized economies and businesses everyone has to go new ways and in order to visualize this “8W8 – Global Space Tribes” offers a glimpse into the futures. From free online books to a globalized, flat world seems to be a long way, but it just all part of the change happening right now and everyone is part of it. Whether someone wants or does not. We are all part of this single tribe of human beings on this little planet we do not have quite under control. Understanding it better and making knowledge available for everyone for free should be the greatest accomplishment of the next few years.

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An Ideal Online Destination Of All Book Lovers - By: Dianne Denton

Are you an ardent booklover and always looking out for something new? If books are your passion, then Novel Action is your ideal destination. Novel Action is an online book exchange offering a wide selection of books for book lovers. At NovelAction.com, you can easily get used books, and exchange and share your own collection of books with other readers, in the most inexpensive way. You can also gift books for various occasions with their selection of gift baskets and gift certificates. This online exchange provides you with a never-ending supply of books. So why would you pay for books when you can easily access them for about $1 a book?

Once you sign up as a member of this online book exchange, you get an unlimited number of book exchanges a full year. Membership is just $ 25/year. Isn’t that incredible? Besides this – this is a place through which you can send book gifts to your friends and relatives. The book baskets at Novel Action are a wonderful alternative to traditional flowers or other perishable gift items, because books can last for a lifetime. Membership gift subscriptions offer the book lover a full year subscription at NovelAction.com. This can be your new online book gift shop for any occasion -- Christmas, Birthdays or even retirement parties. Books are arranged in an attractive manner in these gift baskets, along with bookmarks and a personalized gift message. These gift baskets can be the ideal gifts for travelers, vacationers and the retired. The book gift baskets come in large and small sizes, and there are even baskets shaped like baby bassinets and suitcases for greater personalization. These gift baskets are memorable and fun; one of the best mementos you can present your loved ones. You can be assured that your recipient will surely treasure the gift for years to come.

Novel Action offers a number of benefits and features for all its members. Book lovers can browse through an incredible collection of hardcover and paperback books. Exchanging books is hassle free and inexpensive, with excellent customer service provided by the Novel Action staff. Once you exchange books at Novel Action you are assured a flat rate of shipping ($ 4.80 for about 12 paperbacks). You also won’t have to wait long to receive the books, as Novel Action assures rapid delivery -- within 24 hours of receiving your exchanges. Among other features offered by Novel Action are the custom e-mail alerts that you can receive for specific authors, genres, and books. Book lovers can access all these features with no transaction fees. With Novel Action you just enjoy and read books of your choice that you order from the comfort of your home.

If books are your passion and you want to connect and share with other book lovers, then Novel Action is just right for you. Don’t forget to see their book gift baskets and gift certificates. Go ahead and be a part of Novel Action!!

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The Many Benefits of MP3 Audio Books - By: Brad Morgan

With the ease and convenience that the MP3 format offers, it is natural that MP3 audio books have become popular.

Purchasing MP3 audio books offers a lot of benefits that aren't available when you purchase conventional audio books. The format itself is full of advantages. Let's take a look at what you get when you buy a book on MP3.

1. MP3 books are eminently more usable than other audio books.

Very little equipment is needed to use and transfer MP3 files. You don't even really need an MP3 player: at bare minimum, you can use them using only your computer.

This presents an advantage when you listen to the books and then want to share them with your friends. With a CD, your friends would need a player on which to listen. While CDs seem ubiquitous, they are fast becoming obsolete and not everyone has a CD player, much less a portable version.

MP3 books are much more usable than more conventional CD format books because they offer more choices for playing them.

2. MP3 formats offer a price that is much more reasonable than other formats.

Because no packaging and shipping costs are required, and because there is little overhead for companies providing MP3s, books on this format are much less expensive than traditional books, CDs, or tapes. Simply purchase your MP3 book, download, and enjoy.

Because the format lends itself to inexpensive use, you can purchase two or three MP3 books online for the same price you would pay for only one in a bookstore. You can build your library quickly and relatively cheaply.

3. MP3 audio books surpass the convenience of other forms of audio book.

When you purchase an MP3 book, you simply purchase and download directly from your home computer.

You don't have to drive through traffic to a store, deal with other customers and long lines, or limit yourself to the store's selection and pricing. With MP3s, you can quickly and easily find the titles you want at the best deal.

4. The selection is outstanding and unmatched by traditional bookstores.

Looking for children's books? Classics? Books on art, music, drama? Whatever you are looking for, you can find it on MP3. The selection online is unlimited.

When you are searching for an MP3 audio book, you are browsing through an immense online digital library. These are much cheaper and easier to maintain than a store's inventory, thus ensuring you the best selection and price.

If you have ever tried to order an obscure, hard-to-find title, you know that it can be a tedious process. Even online giants like Amazon can be cumbersome, and you still have to wait for the shipment to arrive. Going digital with MP3 purchases is the easiest and fastest way to get the books you want.

The choice is clear: quality, lower prices, better choices, and more convenience. MP3 audio books leave the competition behind.

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Be Featured in the next Best Selling Book with Steven E Schmitt - Part 2 - By: StevenE Schmitt

Here's what one of the previous co-authors said:

Being an author in the "Wake up...Live the Life You Love" series has been an amazing opportunity for me both personally and professionally. It has allowed me to expand my business and share my passion for helping others improve their lives on a global level. Not only am I able to share my words through print, but now through our group workshops and seminars, I'm able to reach out, and work with people face-to-face on a large scale. Becoming a published author has given me instant credibility. On a personal level, I have been able to meet many other successful authors who are living the life they love and it's been a wonderful experience for me to learn and grow. I truly cannot say enough about my enthusiasm for the group of people I'm working with and the work we're doing!

Sean Greeley Business Owner Orlando, FL

Being an author can be a real door-opener to promote your business on radio and TV and get a lot of free publicity. Believe me, once people find out that you are a best-selling author, it really changes their perception of you. The book gives you tremendous credibility which is a powerful secret to success and greater profitability.

Doesn't it make sense to attract new customers and clients instead of pursuing them?

Steven E, Lee Beard and the "Wake Up...Live the Life You Love" team know how to show you what to do to utilize the book as tool to bring you a lifetime of credibility and success.

What would that do for your career? Would any of these be interesting to you?

Do you want the most powerful business card or brochure in the world?
Would you like to be contacted by people who are already sold on working with you?
Do you want to learn the newest business strategies for lead generation?
Do you want to be known as the expert in your industry?
Do you want to automatically bring in new referrals to your business?
Would you like to be paid to send people your contact information?
Do you want people to call you to do business with them?
Do you want media attention in your local area?
Do you want a lifetime of credibility?
Do you want even your family to be impressed with what you do?
Do you want to expand your customer reach?
Do you want to effectively separate yourself from your competition?

Here's how you benefit by becoming a co-author in this book:

1. Steven E. Schmitt and Lee know that this book will become a bestseller...and that you really will become a best-selling author...

2. You'll have the opportunity to participate in marketing programs, which are a lot of fun, and also great for your business...

3. You learn how to generate a lifetime of credibility using a book as the most powerful lead generator ever.

4. You submit a 1,000 to 1,200 word story ready to print and they do the rest to deliver you a powerful business card. It is as easy as 1, 2, 3. You give us a story; we publish your story in a book and you have instant credibility as a published author for life.

5.You get to participate in some great tele-seminar that teach you how co-authors have exploded local businesses into national, million dollar businesses, how co-authors have been mobbed at events by people wanting to get their autograph and how co-authors of previous editions have used the book as a powerful tool for their business or career... and how you can do the same thing.

6. The book will create a lot of publicity. You will get a chance to appear in the media, which is great for your business...

7. The book makes a great revenue source, or a lead generator, for your business. The book sells for $14.95, and as a co-author, you can re-sell the book to create income--or, give them away, which sometimes ends up being even more profitable, if you know how to do it--and they tell you exactly how to do it...

8. You have the opportunity to meet and network with new like-minded friends who are also looking for more success in their life...
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The Secret to Raising Readers - By: Emma Walton Hamilton

For the last fifty years, reading has suffered a precipitous decline. Blame has been widely assigned to electronic entertainment, but there is perhaps a subtler, more subversive force undermining the reading landscape: the association of reading with "chore".

Ideally, our earliest reading experiences are warm and fuzzy. We snuggle up with loved ones while listening to enchanted tales... Reading = JOY. Then, we go to school. Little by little, our parents stop reading to us, feeling it more important to promote our independent reading skills. Perhaps it's the struggle to learn to read, perhaps it's the hours spent reading dry material designed to educate rather than inspire, perhaps it's simply the responsibility of having to read - whatever the case, those early underlying connections between reading and pleasure now begin to be replaced by feelings of pressure, responsibility, frustration, even boredom.

To build, restore or maintain a love of reading, we must continually reinforce the subliminal association between books and pleasure. We must look for ways to ignite - and then preserve - an internal fire, one that makes kids want to read rather than feeling obliged to do so.

But how to begin, when electronic entertainment provides such seductive, addictive competition? The answer lies in making active choices to support the JOY of reading on a daily basis.

Here are just a few ways:

- Surround kids with, and expose them to, great books. Keep them everywhere - in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, even in the car.

- Cuddle up and read aloud together as early and as often as possible - and continue to do so, even as kids get older.

- Provide a warm and inviting reading atmosphere, minimizing distractions like background noise or harsh lighting.

- Make regular trips to the library or bookstore to explore the tactile, sensual pleasures that books provide.

- Give books as gifts and encourage others to do the same.

- Provide books that cater to individual passions - be it baseball or ballet, trucks or horses, great fiction and non-fiction abounds in all categories.

- Don't force completion of a book that isn't resonating - there are too many great books out there that will. Help kids find the ones that speak to them.

- Don't use book as weapons ("If you don't ___ , then no reading tonight.")

- Allow your child's personality and learning style to influence reading choices. Aural learners may like audio books, visual ones may appreciate graphic novels. Comic books, magazines, how-to books - it's all reading, and if it's done with genuine interest and passion, its all good.

- Take note of what your child does respond to with respect to reading material, and endeavor to provide more of the same - whether it's books by the same author, in the same genre or about a similar subject. Ask your local librarian or bookseller for guidance.

- Look for ways to make practical connections with books. Cook recipes, listen to music, see a film or play, explore art, make crafts etc. inspired by books and stories.

In the words of author/educator Daniel Pennac, "A child has no great wish to perfect himself in the use of an instrument of torture, but make it a means to his pleasure, and soon you will not be able to keep him from it!"
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Audio Books for the Blind: Technology Bridges the Gap - By: Brad Morgan

The goal of technology is to make people's lives easier, more convenient, and better. Nowhere is this more prominently demonstrated than in audio books for the blind.

Our society has always been visual and is becoming increasingly so: from newspapers and books to computer screens, blind people have faced the struggle of accessing information that is readily available to most other people. The ability to read a book or newspaper is taken for granted by many of us, but it is a pleasure that is often denied the blind.

Today's biggest technological advancements - computers and internet access - provide an opportunity to view even more information, but in a format that is difficult for those with visual impairments. Braille, of course, is one method that blind people can enjoy written language and learn. However, this tactile form of reading is expensive, making it unhelpful for many who are blind.

With one seemingly simple advancement, doors to gaining information, being entertained, and staying current with the news were thrown open: enter audio books for the blind.

For the first time, visually impaired people could go online and download their choice of books. The mass production of audio books for the blind, the opportunity came to learn in a way that had never been available before. In addition, the audio books were inexpensive or even free, making them accessible to most blind people.

Technology really can help improve and enhance people's lives: in the case of audio books, it has helped blind and visually impaired individuals obtain knowledge in a way that they couldn't just five or ten years previous.

Art, music, drama, history, geography, economics, current events, fiction, biographies, poetry - no genre, subject, or style is off limits when it comes to audio books. Visually impaired people have access to the world of knowledge that was previously housed in books, newspapers, or magazines.

In the area of education, audio books have been particularly helpful and effective. Core subjects of reading, writing, math, and science are able to be learned through audio books, making easy access to education a right enjoyed by the blind and visually impaired.

There is more to audio books than education. They can be accessed solely for the pleasure of hearing a story. Thousands of titles are available in audio formats, including popular and contemporary authors, classics, fiction, non-fiction, and much more.

With all the technological advancements being made, it is easy to forget the people that are an integral part of the equation. Audio books for the blind are an example of technology at its best and most helpful.

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Internet Authors are the new King Kong - By: Mike Scantlebury

No, not in the sense that Internet Authors are some wild animal, on the rampage and tearing up the big city. That's a job reserved for rapacious developers, Town Planners and Local Authority officials. No, the modern world is seeing a new phenomenon, and that's authors who can take old stories and give them a new twist, by not only changing the plot but also changing the audience and changing the delivery mechanism. It's a revolution, but the reason this quiet overturning of norms has largely gone unnoticed is simply this: from the reader's point of view, nothing has changed. For instance, I might mention here that I've written a book or two. A reader of this piece might then be browsing around their local bookshop tomorrow, remember my name and ask the establishment if they have any of my books on the shelves. The shop assistant will consult his computer and reply that No, there are no Mike Scantlebury books 'in stock', but, without hesitation, will then advise the customer, 'I can order it for you'. The person can review the books available on the shop computer, pick the one they want, and next time they visit the shop, the requested volume will be there, ripe for purchase. Hang on, you say: you're 'Mike Scantlebury, Internet Author'? How did you get into bookshops? You don't even have a publisher!

That's the revolution. That's the new plot device. Yes, 'King Kong' isn't really a giant ape. It's a movie that was originally made in the 1930s, revived and tried again in the 1970s, then definitively rewritten with computer graphics in the noughties. It's an old story, given a new twist or two. The bugs and creepy-crawlies that now threaten the explorers weren't in the original, but hey, we live in a more threatening age. Besides, nobody who could imagine giant insects in the '30s had any way of putting them on screen. Now we do. Similarly, no struggling author in the 1930s, scrimping away and tapping on a borrowed typewriter in an attic, could imagine any other way of getting their work into print than attracting the attention of a commercial publisher. Times have changed, and the device that makes all things new is the same thing that brought the giant ape to life so recently: the computer. The computer has made it possible for any author, any creator of a novel-length story, to bring it to the world as a fully printed book. Strictly speaking, the revolution is in printing rather than publishing, and it's as big a change as the invention of movable metal type in Guttenburg in the 1480s. It's very simply this: with a computer and the right kind of printer, you can print, cut and bind a copy of a book, or two. One or two? That's going to sound ridiculous to every printer from Caxton down to the men who make money out of Jeffrey Archer. But it's true. It's called 'print on demand' and it's exactly what it says. The point, of course, is how many you want to 'demand'. You can demand one, or you can demand five. You can demand fifty or you can demand five hundred. That's no problem. The difference, between now and say, ooh, ten years ago, is that no printer, or no publisher, would ever consider handling an author who couldn't sell fifty thousand copies of a paperback book. The idea that you might ever make the effort of putting a book into print in order to see five copies, or even five hundred, was laughable. The thing that makes publishers tear their hair out now, scream and laugh, shout and cry, is that not only is the plan achievable, but worse, far worse from their point of view, the deed can be done as a transaction between author and computer company. No 'publisher' is required.

Make no mistake, we live in a world where thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, make their living from the publishing industry. Not one of them, not a single soul, is going to be able to admit to you that they are no longer needed. Or, given a taste for compromise, that their world might have contracted to include the Jeffrey Archers of the world, the unimaginably huge bestsellers, but as far as most authors are concerned, they are redundant. They are no longer needed. Anybody who can put a book together, and then type or get it typed onto a computer, is now able to arrange with an on-line publishing company to put their text onto paper, glue the pages together and wrap a cardboard cover around it. From our point of view, each one of us readers, it looks like a book, it smells like a book and it reads like a book. The fact that there's no well-known and multi-national Publishing House behind the process that gave birth to it is not going to ruin your day, or you enjoyment of the story. Publishers? Who needs them. I've written a book, or two, and you can read them. And I'm NOT talking about bits of paper, hastily clipped together, or words on a computer screen. I'm talking paperback books. Thinking about it last night, I tally up that I've come up with fifteen fully-finished novels in the last few years. Every last one of them will be available soon, ready for you to order on your computer at an on-line bookstore, or in person, at a bricks-and-mortar bookshop, and the whole thing, the process that puts stories into print, has happened without the intervention of one single person who makes a living as a self-styled 'Publisher'.

Come to think of it, maybe King Kong is rampaging around the city after all, smashing down buildings, tearing up tram tracks and sweeping away motor cars. It's a monster, and the title of the newly-arrived giant on the scene, is Internet Publishing. Old theories, old certainties, are being swept away by a heavy paw, and Traditional Publishers are running for their lives, pursued by a new way of doing things. Of course, nobody knows the ending to this little story. We all know what happened to Kong, pursued up the Empire State Building and brought down by guns and helicopters. It was a climactic battle and the new ape on the block got smashed by the forces of tradition. What's going to happen in the world of Internet Authoring? If I was a betting man, I'd say the ape is going to triumph, this time.

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Determining What The Zodiac Symbols Control - By: Victor Epand

There have been many books written on this type of vedic literature that concentrate on the study of the zodiac charts that the zodiac symbols exist under. There are many vedic books on the market today that concentrate on the study of the zodiac symbols and how they affect each individual.

The zodiac symbol, Virgo, is ruled by Mars and Red Coral, while it rules over enemies, the navel area, intestines, and the digestive tract of the body. Virgo rules over worries, anxieties, obstacles, enemies that are external and internal, thieves, challenges, tests, and urges for perfection such as self-improvement techniques. Virgo also controls turning obstacles into opportunities, competitive power with the ability to rise above competitors, difference of opinion, and conflicts. Virgo controls borrowing, bank drafts, debts, diseases, suffering, and wounds and ulcers that are a result of disease. The majority of individuals born under the Virgo sign will seek the medical profession in order to care for the sick such as jobs in nursing. Virgo also rule over daily jobs, service, colleagues, co-workers, subordinates, employees, hygiene, preparation of food, appetite, quadrupeds, pet animals, and receiving charity.

Libra is ruled over by Venus and the Diamond, while it rules over the spouse, the area below the navel, the colon, and internal sexual organs. Libra rules over the husband, wife, partner, lover, marriage, partnership, sexual affairs, medium-term desires, business partner, co-operation, trade, and commerce. Libra also controls travel, journeys, law courts, litigation, residence abroad, nature of spouse, relationship with all others, the world at large as seen by the native, happiness from children.

Scorpio is ruled over by Saturn and Blue Sapphire, while it is known to have a vulnerable point. Scorpio rules over all external sexual organs, longevity, transformation, intuition, tantra, mysteries of life and death, past and future births. Scorpio also control psychic abilities, cognition of universal consciousness, transcendence, rebirth, discontinuation, separation, upheaval, calamity, change, and chronic ailments. Scorpio rules over dangers, agonies, accidents, enemies, conflicts, battles, battle forts, mode of death, wealth of spouse, unearned wealth, inheritance, underground places, hidden treasures, and overseas journeys.

Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter and Yellow Sapphire, while it is known as the natural law. Sagittarius rules over the vedic sciences, support of nature, merits from past lives, fortunes, wisdom, meditation, remedies, and medicine. Sagittarius also controls life philosophy, world view, religion, faith, guru, worship, piety, morality, ethics, higher education, professional training, children, solution to problems, visits to shrines, pilgrimages, foreign travels, air travels, and the hips and thighs in the body.

Capricorn is ruled by Mercury and the Emerald, while it is known for its actions. Capricorn rules over activity, occupation, profession, career, reputation, prestige, success, status in society, honor from government, promotion, and rank. Capricorn controls over the renown, fame, ambition, happiness, authority, royalty, ruling power, sense of importance, dignity, living in foreign lands, commerce, trade, clothing, and in the human body it controls the knees and spine.

Aquarius is ruled by Jupiter and Yellow Sapphire, while it is known for its gains. Aquarius rules over income, gains, long-term desires, profits, all articles, prosperity, fulfillment of hopes, and wishes. Aquarius controls good news, auspicious events, elder siblings, circle of friends, associations, community, club life, society, opportunities, success in undertakings, quadrupeds, difficulties, diseases, and the calves, ankles, and left ear of the human body.

Pisces is ruled by Saturn and Blue Sapphire, while it known for its losses. Pisces rule over expenses, losses, wastes, loss of relativity, renunciation, enlightenment, loss of attachment, and loss of identification. Pisces control intoxication, emigration, lonely places, donations, charity, journey to far off distant lands, confinement in prison, barracks, hospital or monastery, pleasures of the bed, spies, secret enemies, fall, and sin and the feet and left eye in the human body.

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A Look At The Ancient Vedic Civilization Through The Vedas - By: Victor Epand

Individuals can read about the ancient vedic civilizations that were associated with the India and Hindu societies through many vedic books that are now available on the market today. These books will give individuals a much more in dept look at these marvelous civilizations of old.

These ancient civilizations can be traced all the back to the very first millennium and classical forms of Hinduism have been found dating back to the six century. This period of time in India is known as the Vedic age, which consisted of the rise of Mahajanapadas who was succeeded by the age of Hinduism and the Sanskrit literature. Also included during the Vedic age was the Maurya Empire and the Middle Kingdoms of India as well.

The most archaic of any vedic texts that have been preserved are known as the Rigveda, which is also called the Veda. It is thought that its creation must have taken place over several centuries and was thought to be completed around three-thousand BC. Ultimately, the Rigveda is a collection of dedicated hymns and chants to the gods that are spread throughout ten books. However, there are over seventy-five original mantras that were not mentioned in the Rigveda simply because these mantras had to go through several different linguistic changes.

Another sacred text and one of the four basic Vedas, which is often called the fourth Veda, is known as the Atharvaveda. The Atharvaveda was composed by two groups known as the Bhrigus and the Khilani. The third basic Veda is known as the Samaveda and is the ancient core of Hindu scriptures. Another of the four basic Vedas is known as the Yajurveda and is more of a Hindu Veda text. It is thought that this vedic text was composed during the Samhita period. The vedic culture make the political shift from the Kurus to the Pancalas at the Ganges. The mood of this time was an injunctive that was characterized by the Sanskrit. Aorist is a term that in used in certain Indo-European languages that refer to particular grammer tenses and aspects of the Yajurveda. The last of the four basic Vedas is the Brahmana and is the oldest of these four basic Veda text. These religious scriptures focus on sacrifices of horses mostly. Another part of the ancient scriptures that focus on philosophy, meditation, and nature.

The Indo-Aryan migration and the Gandhara Grave culture are related to the cultures that remain controversial and politically charged in ancient Indian society, which often lead to disputes on the history of vedic culture. In the Rigveda, which is a collection of religious hymns is a variety of myths and stories throughout the first ten books. The oldest hymns can be found in books two through seven. Book nine of the Rigveda, which is often called the Soma Mandala, contain elements that were inherited from the pre-vedic period of the common Indo-Iranian society.

The Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rigveda are described as semi-nomadic pastoralists that had been subdivided into villages where each are headed by a tribal chief. These societies were characterized by rural lifestyles where cattle rearing was the primary occupation. To the people of these societies cattle and cows were held in high esteem, which is the reason they frequently appear in many of the mantra hymns and chants. Goddesses were often compared to cows and the gods were compared to bulls. There agriculture grew much more prominent with time as the community settled down. The people had to barter with cattle and other such valuables, which replaced financial commerce.

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Vedic Book Teachings Of The Mantras - By: Victor Epand

In many vedic books individuals can learn about the mantra teachings of the past, which are a variety of chants or hymns that are recognized in the ancient traditions and beliefs. Understand the chanting of these ancient mantras, which are often thought of as a primordial language, can help the individual understand these ancient teachings better.

Many of these mantras consist of single syllable words that may have several different meanings depending on how they are used. Many ancient mantras were designed by the language of bija, which is also considered to be the root language of many vedic literatures of the past. Mantra knowledge will help individuals understand the inner meaning of these chants and hymns.

To begin with there are five main mantra words in each chant or hymn with the first being OM. The majority of every mantra will begin and end with OM, which affirms and helps energizes every thing that is being said after it. The word OM is thought to create a type of energy that will rise upward and that can cause the elements of fire, air, and ether to increase and expand. OM is also thought to give grace, protection, and strength with a guiding power as well.

The next four main mantra words are also know as the four Goddesses, which reign over heat, delight, magnetic force, and electrical force. The major mantra of the Great Goddesses and Rulers of the world was known as HRIM and is known for her great creativity and powers of healing. She rules over magnetic energy and the power within the soul. She was thought to be alluring and charming, but at the same time purifying. In mantras, this term means the sun or illumination in respects to helping increase aspirations in individuals are they seek out truth and wisdom. HRIM is thought to help open the heart of individuals.

The great Goddess of energy and transformation was Kali and this is where the mantra word KRIM originates. KRIM rules over lightning and electrical energy and is thought to awaken the subtle body as it purifies. KRIM is also thought to have the ability to destroy any signs of ignorance as it releases th absolute truth in life. HUM is the mantra word that stands for an inner fire or force, which is necessary to destroy any type of negativity as it creates vitality and passion within an individual and their life. HUM can be a very powerful mantra, but at the same time it can be used in a more gentle manner. HUM comes from fire and is often used in mantras when making offerings upon a sacred fire while it can also be used to make a flame brighter as well. It represents a hidden soul within the body as it rules the body.

The mantra word meaning love, beauty, and devotion is SHRIM, which is related to the Goddess of Beauty, Lakshmi. SHRIM is thought to assist in giving individuals the good things in life such as health. It allows us to take refuge, surrender, or become immersed within the mantras to enable us to gain the full power of their beauty and delight. It is thought to aid in fertility and rejuvenation as well as promote health while giving love, joy, bliss, beauty, and delight. SHRIM rules over the mind as it purifies through various areas in nature.

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Understanding Ancient Philosophy In Vedic Books - By: Victor Epand

There have been many books published that will assist individuals in understanding the ancient philosophies. These ancient philosophies are an essential basis in any type of vedic literature for individuals to be able to gain and catch a glimpse of the wonderful history that surrounds these truths.

The concepts behind these ancient philosophies are so advanced through their view points that they have stood the test of time. These philosophies are not new, but their purpose is simply to establish the truth and to help individuals reach and understand these truths at the highest possible levels. These marvelous philosophies encourages individuals to take a new look at life and will hopefully lead them to a new direction in a path of complete success.

In many ancient philosophies there are a number of ancient phrases that can be found that are still used today, but some of these phrases have not been translated so that individuals that were not brought up under these ancient traditions or philosophies would understand. One such phrase is, "Prana vyana samana apana udana." The most basic understanding I have found of this ancient phrase may help individuals understand this phrase a bit better.

A living creature is able to move through the breath in which is called prana. The living creature is able to put forth strength of action through what is called vyana. The living creature is able to move downward is called apana, while what resides inside of the heart is called samana. A living creature is able to speak in sequence through a combination through its lungs, throat, and mouth and through this is called udana. These five ancient words are types of wind that helps a living creature to live and move around.

The five general abilities of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching are said to come from different elements according to these ancient philosophies written in vedic literature. From the element of fire we get the ability of touch, while from the element of water we get the ability of taste, sound, touch, vision, and taste. The ability to taste can be sweet, saltish, bitter, sour, pungent, or even astringent. From the element of fire comes the ability of touch, while the element of earth gives us scent that can be agreeable, disagreeable, dry, pungent, sweet, varied, or indifferent. From the element of wind we are given touch and light, which contributes to vision and its form. These forms can range from tall, thick, short, round, four cornered, black, white, blue, red, yellow, reddish, bright, oily, hard, smooth, soft, or terrible. Various types of touch that the element of wind control can be warm, cold, burning, agreeable, disagreeable, mild, soft, light, heavy, and indifferent. The elements of wind, water, and fire are said to awake the body in these ancient philosophies.

The breath given to the body stays within the head of the body where the heat is and is caused by all types of exertion. Prana is a living creature in these ancient philosophies known as the soul, the mind, the intellect, and the consciousness of ever living creature. With a combination of each breath known as samana and will act the way they always do. Apana is when the breath of an individual has a reverse effect caused by heat in the urethra and the intestines in the abdominal cavity as it moves when it carries out feces and urine. All three of these are operated by one single breath called udana when in operation will live within the body inside of the joints called vyana. When the heat circulates over the entire body this is known as samana. Thus, within the body the breath controls different aspects that are associated with different elements to each living creature substance.

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Audio Book Free Downloads - Where To Locate Them? - By: Keith CK Lee

The audio book has been around since 1933 so it is not a new invention. The formats they are available in include CDs, cassette tapes and, thanks to recent technologies, you can now download them online. Downloading audio books is a painless process and convenient so you can even do it now.

Downloadable Audio Books Are Cheaper

Learn new things by downloading the audio version of a novel and it is a super method to enjoy a new novel. Go online and you will find all sorts of titles available, from non-fiction to romance and much more. They are cheaper than the original publication of a book, and often less than the softcover one too! Free versions are quite easy to find - there are many available online which can be downloaded at no cost. Libraries offer these downloads too, and for books that have been published before 1923, or at 95 years before the most recent January, they are in the public domain and so are free. Books may be shared freely if they are in the public domain and royalties are no longer paid for them.

How To Download Your Audio Books?

The process to begin an audio book download is as simple as clicking your mouse. Online bookstores are easy to discover by searching for them on the internet. The online store you choose will usually request you to complete a form to become their customer and once this is complete you will then be able to find downloading audio books is a simple thing to do. When you've decided which books that you wish to hear, click the download button. A completed audiobook download can be listened to from your computer, by burning it onto a disc or by putting the file onto your mp3 player.

Downloadable Audio Books For Everybody

Sitting down long enough to read a book these days is an almost impossible task because most people have busy lives but with the help of downloaded audio books, this is not a problem. Encourage your children to enjoy some of the greatest books ever written with audio books which are also economical and readily available. The easiest way to enjoy a great read if you are busy is to download them and this way you are learning a new skill. Don't forget many libraries provide free audio books and free downloads of audio books are easy to find if you look for them.

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Vedic Books Teaching Ancient Traditions - By: Victor Epand

There are a great many vedic books on the market today that will teach individuals the ancient traditions used by the ancient Indian and Hindu societies. These traditions still have meanings that are relevant to our society during this modern technological era and many individuals are seeking out knowledge on these traditions to teach to their own families.

The ancient traditions and philosophies of the ancient Indian and Hindu societies are not myths as once thought, but are instead facts and truths. Many individuals view these ancient traditions as legends with much historical value that are uplifting to ones soul. These ancient societies had such a dynamic culture and practiced their traditions so routinely that the modern society of today are still practicing those ancient traditions. The one thing that is so incredibly amazing is that these ancient traditions are still relevant even today, although the majority of the population will take for granted all of the technological advancements and developments that have been given by any and all ancient traditions.

With all of the violence in our schools in America, it would not hurt nor hinder our youth to introduced to these ancient traditions, especially ones that would involve our youth becoming more involved in self expression whether it be dance, art, martial arts, or music. Two decades ago during the late eighties and early nineties, Americans never had to worry about sending their kids to school the way that they do today. During the first two weeks of this school year, two innocent children have lost their lives in an area high school. Always it was on television, but never here right at home until now. Before this happened it was always, "I can not believed that happened!" However, now it is, "Son, if you want to stay home from school today it is fine with me. In fact, if you want to me to I will start home schooling you!"

These two teenagers that lost there lives is a waste and shame! One died from a bullet at an age where he had not yet begun to drive. The other lost his life from not having parents around to guide him down the path of right and wrong. This child now will now go to jail, where his parents were when this happened, to spend most of his life in prison with his parents! Such a waste!

What has happened to the family traditions that was installed into us? Why does this generation not have the same traditions being installed into them? We are loosing our youth and there are a variety of ways that parents, family, and friends can teach this generation before it is too late like it is for these two boys that were too young to drive, but not too young to die. It is as much societies fault as it is the parents fault that this is happening. Exactly what is this generation being taught in school and at home?

I can tell you what they are not be taught. That is, old fashioned strong roots of ancient traditions and values by finding ways to get these children involved at every age level. Teach these ancient traditions and values to our children through games and activities such as camping, boating, swimming. Have musicals or even classroom sing-a-longs, but most of all make it fun for them so they will learn. Teach their minds what moral values are both old and modern. It is up to all of us as a whole to discipline our youth of today through teaching them values and traditions.

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Guide to Collecting Vintage Books - By: Sadie

First Editions
The easiest way to identity a first edition is to compare the date on the book’s title page with the copyright date printed on the back of the title page. Look for the number “1” in the series of numbers on the copyright page. Authors’ signatures add value to a first edition, particularly if it is a limited or special edition. These books would need to be in fine condition with all of its pages intact in order to be of any value.

Old Bibles are not of value unless they were printed in Europe before 1600, or in America before the 1800’s. However, even some of these are not of value either.
Local Histories fifty or more years old are significant. Early books about inventions or Indians, Early Dime Novels and Comic Books are all popular with collectors. Catalogs printed before 1950, and first city directories are also collected.
Paperback books from the 1930’s-60’s are usually collected for the design of the cover, rather than for their content. Most were inexpensive and not made to last, so some titles can be rare. Gangster, crime and science fiction are popular categories.

More Valuable Vintage Books

Character
1936: “Buck Rogers Solar Scouts” membership booklet ($650-750)
1954: “Howdy Doody Coloring Book” (uncolored) ($7-10)
1966: “Superman Smashes the Secret of the Mad Director” First Edition paperback. ($35-45)

Disneyana
1931: “Mickey Mouse Story Book”, published by David McKay. ($120-180)

Erotica
1989: “Hyper Illustrations”, Hajime Sorayama, published by Bijutsu Shuppan-Sha, Japan. ($35-45)
1989: “Hyper Illustrations Part 2”, published by Bijutsu Shuppan-Sha, Japan. ($35-45)
2004: “XXX 30 Porn Star Portraits”, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and Gore Vidal, published by Bullfinch Press ($25-35)

Film and TV
1954: “Picture Post” magazine (April 24th) with Marilyn Monroe cover. ($150-250)
1954: “Movie Stars” magazine, March 1954, with Marilyn Monroe cover ($60-80)
1956: “Bus Stop”, William Inge, first paperback edition published by Bantam Books, New York, novelization of the original play by the author with star Marilyn Monroe on the cover. ($20-30)
1957: “Le Film Complet”, no. 613 (April 18) French magazine with 9 pages of Marilyn Monroe in “Bus Stop”. ($30-40)
1957: “Photoplay” magazine (March) with Jayne Mansfield cover. ($50-80)
1959: “Life Magazine”, (May 25), International edition with Marilyn Monroe in “Some Like It Hot” cover and feature. ($150-250)
1976: George Lucas (Alan Dean Foster), “Star Wars”, published by Ballantine Del Ray, first paperback edition with cover artwork by Ralph McQuarrie. ($70-100)
1983: L. Neal Smith, “Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu”, published by Ballatine-Del Ray, with cover artwork William Schmidt, signed in silver pen by Billy Dee Williams ((Lando Calrissian). ($30-50)
1986: “Dr. Who: The Celestial Toymaker” Gerry Davis & Alison Bingeman, ($6-10)
1993: “The New Doctor Who Adventures: Lucifer Rising”, Andy Lane & Jim Mortimer, published by Dr. Who Books. ($6-10)
1996: A “Doctor Who – The Eighties” annual, published by Virgin Publishing. ($40-60)

Holiday
1896: “All About Santa Claus” color lithographed children’s book, published by McLoughlin Bros, New York ($250-350)

Magic
1863: A “LeLivre Magique” flickbook, with eight paired stencil-colored woodcut illustrations repeated six times, loose in original pictorial wrappers, printed in Paris. ($800-1,000)
1880: “DeLaMano’s Great Magic Book”, with illustrations and original pictorial wrapper, published by NY Popular Publishing Co. ($90-110)
1895: “The Boy’s Own Magic & Trick Books Tricks & Deceptions with Cards”, published by Aldine Publishing Co. ($40-50)
1900: Dryasdust, “The Wizard’s Mantle”, the preface inscribed “with the author’s compliments”, with printed illustrations designed by the author and original pictorial cloth. ($250-350)
1907: An American Crest Trading Co. “Standard and Up-to-Date Magic” illustrated catalog, with illustrations and original pictorial wrappers. ($80-120)
1923-1926: The Magical Monthly, edited by Edward Bagshaw, a complete set of volumes, 1-3, with insides, with rexine backed boards, and a duplicate of the first volume. ($80-120)

Space
1966: “Life” Magazine, July 16, First color pictures of lunar surface taken by Surveyor. ($35-45)
1979: A Czechoslovakian Oldich Pelcak signed copy of his hardback book, with dust jacket, inscribed “To Colonel Demin, L.S. for memory about mutual work, from the author. Cosmonaut engineer Oldich Pelcak, December 31, 1979.” ($80-120)

Sports
(Baseball)
1942: Major League Baseball “Facts & Figures and Official Rules” book, featuring Ted Williams on cover, published by Whitman Publishing Co. ($15-25)
1953: Yankees Sketch Book, with cover artwork by F.R. Ahlgrim. ($70-100)
1956: New York Yankees pictorial data book, containing team information. ($70-90)
1957: An official 1957 Baltimore Orioles Profile, Photo and Record Book, cover artwork by Hartzell. ($60-80)
1960: An official 1960 Baltimore Orioles yearbook, cover artwork by Hartzell. ($70-100)
1965: A 1965 New York Yankees Yearbook, with cover artwork by Southee. ($50-70)
1967: An official 1967 Philadelphia Phillies yearbook, with photographic color. ($35-45)
(Golf )
1900: Life Magazine, “Fore! Life’s Book for Golfers”, first edition published by Life Publishing, New York, illustrated throughout, green cloth-backed pictorial boards with cover design of an enthusiastic female golfer, in the style of Charles Dana Gibson. ($1,200-1,500)
1908: W.W. Tulloch, “The Life of Tom Morris, with glimpses of St. Andrews and its Golfing Celebrities”, first edition published by T. Werner Laurie, London, illustrated from 27 photographs, frontispiece, original pictorial green cloth cover, spine lettered in gilt, front cover lettered in black. ($1,600-2,000)

Famous Monsters Magazines
1951: “The Vault of Horror”, no. 19, June/July ($1,200-1,800)
1952: “The Vault of Horror”, no. 23, Feb./March ($1,500-2,000)
1958-1961: Various “Monsters” magazines, ($40-3,000)

Gene Autry Comic Books
1948: A Dell Comics “Gene Autry Comics”. March. ($10-20)
1956: A Dell “Gene Autry and Champion” magazine, July-Aug. ($10-15)

Captain Future Comic Books
1940-1943: Various Captain Future Comic Books ($70-200)

Hopalong Cassidy Comic Books
1949: “Six-Gun Heroes” comic no. 2 ($18-22)
1950: “Six-Gun Heroes” comic no. 3 ($20-30)

Horror Comic Books
1950: “The Vault of Horror”, no. 15, Oct./Nov. ($2,000-3,000)
1953: “The Haunt of Fear” no. 21, Oct. ($700-1,000)
1954: “The Haunt of Fear” no. 27, Sept./Oct. ($700-1,000)

Miscellaneous Comic Books
1941: “Classic Comics Illustrated – The Three Musketeers”, no. 1, Oct. ($12,000-17,000)
1945: “Classics Illustrated – Frankenstein”, no. 25, edition 6A, ($40-50)
1947: “Classic Comics Illustrated – Mysterious Island”, no. 34, Feb. ($200-250)
1955: “Mad”, no. 24 ($60-80)
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Five Things To Consider Before Joining A Book Club - By: franYo
Book club membership offers many advantages: great savings, personalized recommendations and often unique selection of reading material. However, there are two sides to every coin and, as always, it is a good idea to examine both sides, read the fine print and know what exactly you are signing up for before actually doing it. Here are five things that often get overlooked by prospective members.

Obligation

Book club membership, in the majority of cases, implies a certain obligation. Signing up does get you several books at a ridiculously low cost or even completely free, but in exchange you will usually have to agree to buy a few more books at the club's regular prices -- which are most often on par with those at large online retailers. Most of the time you'll still get a great deal and save tons of money, but nonetheless: you should be aware of this stipulation before joining.

Negative Option Method

Often, people who failed to familiarize themselves with the way book clubs work prior to joining, complain about the clubs sending them books they didn't order. But this is simply how it works. Many book clubs rely on what is commonly referred to as "negative option marketing method", a business practice in which the goods are automatically shipped to a customer at regular intervals, unless the customer refuses the shipment in advance.

To translate this into the book club realm: every so often (usually once a month or so) members receive the free club catalog. The catalog lists many books, plus one special title that is called "featured selection" or "selection of the month." This book will be sent to you automatically, unless you tell the club in advance not to do it. The easiest way to do so is online, by logging in to your account on the club web site and clicking the "Don't Send" button on the appropriate page. Alternatively, you can mail in the response card which comes with the catalog. You are always given plenty of time to respond.

To most people, "negative option" method is a drag, and it's hard to disagree with that. However, ever since there's been an option to decline the selection online, the nuisance is much lesser than it used to be, and, considering the benefits of book club membership, might just be worth putting up with.

Shipping Expenses

Here's another thing from the fine print that often gets overlooked. Book clubs advertise their introductory offers as "first 6 books for 99¢" or "8 books for $2", but 99¢ or $2 is not what you are actually going to pay. Shipping expenses need to be added to the equation and that decreases the fabulosity of the deal to an extent. Of course, this is still a great bargain, as in most cases you get several new hardcover books for about $3 apiece (sometimes less). Or, if you want to look at it from another angle: you pay full price for one book and the rest of them (up to 7 with some book clubs) are free, as is shipping and handling. Still, you need to be aware that your initial cost is not going to be 99¢.

Book Club Editions

Book clubs sometimes print their own editions, whether to achieve additional savings or bring into new life some long-forgotten title(s). Book club editions are identical to regular editions in terms of content and artwork: same words, same covers. However, they are sometimes altered in size or printed on less expensive paper. They may also have a "book club edition" mark on the inside flap. Such editions are generally considered to have a lower resale value.

Selection

This may seem like an obvious thing, but: be sure that the club you're planning on joining actually has what you're looking for. For example, if you are mainly interested in cookbooks, then you'd probably be better off signing up for a club that specializes in them, instead of going for one of the bestseller clubs -- although some of those will have a decent selection of culinary literature as well. The point is, there is plenty of book clubs out there and it's worth taking some time to browse the offerings and then choose what best suits your interests. The site listed in the resource section below has the majority of book clubs reviewed and dissected to the smallest detail, so -- why not take advantage of it.

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