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Maria Tatar redefines the Grimm canon with this authoritative and entertaining collection. The Annotated Brothers Grimm celebrates the richness and dramatic power of the legendary fables in the most spectacular and unusual Grimm volume in decades. Containing forty stories in new translations by Maria Tatar—including “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Cinderella,” “Snow White,” and “Rapunzel”—the book also features 150 illustrations, many of them in color, by legendary painters such as George Cruikshank and Arthur Rackham; hundreds of annotations that explore the historical origins, cultural complexities, and psychological effects of these tales; and a biographical essay on the lives of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Perhaps most noteworthy is Tatar’s decision to include tales that were previously excised, including a few bawdy stories and others that were removed after the Grimms learned that parents were reading the book to their children—stories about cannibalism in times of (more…)

Becoming a New York Times Best Seller is a tough challenge. It requires a well-planned and executed aggressive marketing campaign and authors have to maintain a gruelling schedule of interviews, book signing, etc. So why do authors aim for this accolade?

Here are five reasons why authors strive for this coveted title:

1. Prestige
The prestige that you gain when you become a New York Times Best Seller is huge and it is a title that is yours to keep for life. The parameters for becoming a New York Times Best Seller are clearly defined. They are not subjective or open to interpretation compared to becoming say an Amazon Best Seller.

The latter can manipulated and can be achieved by selling as little as 300 books sometimes even less. In addition, some authors claim to be an Amazon Best Seller when they have hit Amazon’s top 100 or even top 1,000 which lowers the credibility of this title. No one questions your credibility when you are a New York Times Best Seller.

2. Visibility
Your book will receive prime placement in bookstores. Your book will be placed in a prominent place in show windows. Special displays for your book are also created within the store. This of course all adds up to greater visibility for your book and therefore a greater chance for people to see your book and perhaps buy it.

3. Discounted Price
Bookstores generally discount NYT Best Sellers anywhere from 20 to 50% and at no cost to the author. In other words, the bookstore will still purchase the book at the same price and so authors will still receive the same royalty for each book sold. However, the reduction in price will naturally encourage more book sales.

4. Greater Volume of Book Sales
As said earlier you have to sell many thousands of books to become a New York Times Best Seller. This is achieved through having a wide distribution and an excellent marketing campaign. However, success breeds success. Once your book hits the New York Times Best Seller list the publicity machine gains momentum.

More people hear about your book and more people want to discover for themselves what made your book so popular. The net result is that you can expect a greater volume of sales. And authors can capitalise on this, keep their marketing machine going to stay on this best sellers list for consecutive weeks. For instance, Stephen Colbert’s “I Am America (And So Can You)” was on the New York Times Best Seller’s list for five consecutive weeks during 2007 and 2008.

5. More Opportunities
As a Best Selling author you will receive far more opportunities as a consultant, trainer, leader, speaker, etc. There will be increased media opportunities as well. Where you previously had to court the media you’ll discover that the media will actively seek you out as Ephren Taylor discovered, much to his surprise, when his “Creating Success from the Inside Out” was published.

“I’ve been on National TV, CNBC. I’ve been on 2020. I’ve been on Montel – twice! I’ve got a weekly slot on Fox News Cable nationally…I’ve been on hundreds of radio shows and it has been indexed on blogs, in newspapers…My speaking fees have quadrupled. I’ve got an agent now – believe it not – an agent that represents me for speaking engagements. I’ve done two movies with the book deal. So the book was great for me. It’s brought in tons of clients – people who read the book.”

An important thing to note is that Ephren Taylor’s book “Creating Success from the Inside Out” has not, to date, made the New York Times Best Seller list. However, this book is an Amazon Best Seller and, given that this is a far less prestigious achievement, imagine how your life can change once you become a New York Times Best Seller.

Discover the marketing intricacies of how to make your book a best seller by attending the http://bookmarketing.megabusinessevents.com – Book Marketing University. Plus, visit MEGA Speaking to see how you can attend MEGA Book Marketing University for FREE.
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  You have just broken up with your ex and are looking to find advice.   Don’t be fooled by the best seller books on relationships when looking for books that can help you, I am going to show you how to select the best and what I teach you sill surprise you.  Start by ignoring the glossy previews of authors who have no practical life experience.  They have no doubt studied all the theoretical sides of the subject and can boast a list of academic qualifications as long as your arm. They, however, do not have the ability to relate their so called theoretical experience to the world around them.  Look for authors who can demonstrate that they have a practical grasp of what they write about.  They have put their life back together after coming through a break up or been able to help a lot of their friends, by showing they cared, either been through a break up and put their life back together successfully or they have been able to help many of their friends through a period of despair.  You should avoid the books that tell you to forget about your relationship for a month and get some psycho analysis.  These sorts of reports are usually drawn out into books that are void of any real substance.  They are nothing but a waste of money. Look for a book that will tell you things your friends can’t tell you.  It should set out what women are looking for most in a relationship, with a step by step description get help and achieve what they are recommending.    They will describe clear procedures for helping you get over a break up and fight the grief from which you are suffering. Look at who is recommending the book as testimonials are often written by friends of the author.  When they are given by people coming from all different walks of life and situations, they are more meaningful.  If they come from different places throughout the world, this would indicate that people from completely different cultures have all found the advice was useful.  You can find plenty of books written by people who have never been through or near to the destruction a break up can cause, and so have no serious practical experience to offer.  Their content is usually of a rather general nature; they should be avoided as they contain little information that can help you So take the time to find a book that will give you the advice you nee.  Your relationship merits this effort so be sure you get the best available. Joe Bisley  For further information click here. Joe Bisley writes articles about human relationship problems.

There’s a holiday marketing campaign going on right now called BOOKS=GIFTS. The program was organized by Random House, with many other publishing companies joining the effort. The goal is to emphasize that books are a more ideal gift than ever this holiday season, with the struggling economy.

Many high profile authors like Dan Brown, Christopher Paolini, Judy Blume, Deepak Chopra and Maya Angelou are doing short video clips that share their perspective on why books make great gifts, the gimmick being that each one says “Books make great gifts because… (fill in the blank for each author),” and then “Give… (blank).”

In fact, there are several important reasons why books really do make great gifts, for everyone on your list (and especially for kids), this year and any year.

Here are just a few:
* Books are evergreen – they keep on giving, well beyond the day they are received. They give with each read, and if they are subsequently shared or passed down, they keep on giving. They are like presents that can be opened over and over again.

* Books send a message to the recipient beyond that of the book itself. They tell the reader, “I care about you. I think of you as this sort of person, and therefore I think you would enjoy this book.”

* Books educate, inform and inspire. They broaden consciousness and perspective. They also cultivate curiosity, nurture the imagination, and promote a sense of wonder.

* Books provide outstanding long-term value for a relatively low cost.

* Giving young people books as gifts subliminally underscores the connection between reading and the joy of receiving, thus strengthening the association between books and pleasure.

* There are countless types, genres, styles, subjects and authors to choose from, maximizing your opportunity to find something uniquely suited to each recipient.

* If you are overwhelmed by options, or not sure where to begin to find the right book for a loved one, there are myriad resources to help. Your local bookseller is trained to help match the right book to the right person. You can also explore Amazon.com’s “listmania” lists and “Customers who bought this book also explored…” feature.

You can pick up a copy of the New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly, American Libraries magazine or any number of other publications dedicated to reviewing books. There are even websites geared to helping people find books they love – one to explore is www.goodreads.com.

So give the best gift of all this year. Give books! Emma Walton Hamilton is a best-selling children’s book author, editor and arts educator. Her latest book is “Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment.” http://www.raisingbookworms.comAir Hogs Review

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2008 was a rich year for really great books. Most of you that know me know that I refuse point blank to step into a Book Store, the books found inside such dens of iniquity are either over edited, under achieving New York Times Bestsellers or their fellow siblings from the giant Wal-Mart publishing houses. I prefer to seek out more satisfying fare. I am not sure how many books I read in 2008, but I will guarantee it’s at least 100 more than the average reader!
I am not sure that I have a favorite book for the year, but I certainly have a favorite author, so good were his books that I am going to recommend all three. Last spring I was invited to review Prophecy by Paul Mark Tag. It was a great read, a thriller with just a hint of Sci Fi. What would happen if ESP was found to be a genetic trait? A little twist in part of our DNA. Would a government view this as a potential weapon? Could this gene be a way to create the ultimate fighting force? I am not usually a fan of Sci Fi themes, but Paul Mark Tag hovers in that gray area where science fact meets science fiction. I found the book irresistible.
Following an interview with him he asked if I would be interested in reading his first book Category 5, a weather related thriller, once again a book that plays on the very edge of established science. This book was superbly crafted, it grabbed you on page one and held you in its grasp till he hit the back cover. The bad guys were pure evil, the heroes, heroic, a classic thriller, score two for Paul Mark Tag.
Late Summer he contacted me once again, would I be interested in his soon to be released book The Errant Ricochet. I said ‘of course’. But, he warned me, this is not like Cat 5 or Prophecy, this is a collection of short stories, most of which were written a while ago. It transpired that short stories were the medium Paul used to hone his craft. Quite frankly he could have told me that the title was ‘How To Avoid Diaper Rash’ and I would still have read it, I really like this author’s style of writing.
The Errant Ricochet had one failing, it was too damn short! The stories are wonderful. In the early 70′s children’s author Roal Dahl produced a series of adult short stories, which formed the basis for a very successful TV series ‘Tales Of The Unexpected’. The stories themselves were compact in construction, yet deep in plot, and each one had a sting in its tail. This sums up The Errant Ricochet very well. If I ever have the opportunity to teach a short story writing class, The Errant Ricochet would be on my must read list.
The rest of my picks are not in any order of significance, I have however tried to keep them in the order that I read them. They are all splendid, and every one is an award winner in my eyes. I read because I enjoy it, and these authors represent the best of the best!
My favorite Non Fiction writing team is Terry Turchie and Kathleen Puckett, two ex FBI wheels who wrote the wonderful book ‘Hunting The American Terrorist’ in 2007, a book whose timing was maybe not quite right. It hit the market right when a whole plethora of books on terrorism were published, and did not get the publicity that it richly deserved. Their new collaboration is Homeland Insecurity. This takes a long hard look at how the political machine, and some of Capitol Hill’s household names have taken advantage of homeland security to further their political ends, rather than the security of our borders. My good friend Don Bracken of History Publishing Company permitted me to take a sneak peek a couple of months prior to release. This meant I had to sit on my review for weeks! Hardest darn thing I think I have ever done! This book should be read by anyone who has an interest in the American political system.
Those of you that know me also know that when I am not buried in a book I am likely listening to music. I have not counted, but I would be willing to bet that I wrote over 250 reviews in 2008. My favorite musical period being the 1970′s and the rise and fall of progressive rock. One of my musical contacts sent me a CD by Ken Hensley, Ken was one of the forces behind the 70′s prog band Uriah Heep. Although they did not reach the prominence of Yes or ELP, they were certainly a force to be reckoned with. The CD Blood On The Highway was very well done, and it did not take a great deal of brain power to work out that it was a biographical work that covered Ken’s life then and now.
When I mentioned this to Ken’s PR guy in the US he said, “If you like it, you should read his book also called ‘Blood On The Highway’. I did. I liked it. This is a wonderfully personal adventure that chronicles Ken’s life. Everything you have ever heard about super stars and excess are true. They had it all, but was it really theirs? What happens when the Rolls Royce’s are gone? What happens when your name is no longer on the billboard and the spot lights dim? You enter the long middle age of the fading star. The stages are much like those that face an alcoholic or drug addict, there is denial. In the case of many rock stars this takes the form of touring constantly, but bit by bit you realize that the venues are smaller, the crowds are smaller, the glitter is gone.
Over the past couple of years I have interviewed well over a dozen superstars from the 70′s and the story remains fairly constant. Blood On The Highway was my first opportunity to really understand the process. It is also rich in photography, any music lover would covet this book in their collection.
Sometimes I don’t want to wrap my head around a complex book. One with seemingly hundreds of characters and so many interwoven sub plots that you need a note book to keep track of what is going on. Sometimes I just want to read a ‘feel good’ book, enter Dean Whitney and his delightful yarn Pinch Hitter. A forty something middle manager for a mega mart has long dreamed of playing baseball as a pro, but his aspirations were destroyed with a life altering accident on the baseball field when at age 16 his brother was seriously hurt by an accidental hit. His love for the game has not diminished, neither has his natural ability at bat, but now his at bats are confined to the pay as you go Batting Cages. Through a strange set of circumstances, his life may be forever changed. I personally do not like baseball, I can not see the attraction in it, but I can see the attraction in Pinch Hitter, if you have a base ball fan in your family, pick them up a copy, it is a fun little read.
A much more serious and thought provoking work is Paul Miller with A Place To Belong. Paul has wanted to write this book for 40 years, but could not bring himself to commit pen to paper. The memories being so traumatic to both him and his family all that could result would be the opening of old wounds. I am really glad that Paul found the courage to write A Place To Belong. It involves an unhappy and abusive childhood, and much time spent learning to survive on the streets, while kids of his age should have a warm and loving home environment. Somehow Paul made it. I spent more than 6 years working with the homeless in Calgary, the street is a lonely and unforgiving place. If you have an at risk teenager, they need to read A Place To Belong.
Everyone needs a little humor in their life, and when it comes to humor books in 2008 the one that stands head and shoulders above the rest is Bill Seaton with his wonder book My Seven Years In Captivity. This charming tale concerns Bill’s time as head of the San Diego Zoo Public Relations department. The San Diego Zoo was one of my favorite haunts when my children were young, and knowing the layout of the place, and the often quirky animals, I laughed till I could not laugh any more!
Bill really manages to capture the humor in situations that I am sure were anything but funny when they occurred.
Occasionally I dip into the realm of Historical Fiction, this tends to be a bit of a hit and miss affair. Credibility forces the author into a set of circumstances that are well documented, the fiction must be woven into the fabric of the existing circumstances. Sometimes it works well, most times it does not, either the story line is too far from the actual events to be believable, or the factual events are bent, again causing a credibility gap. That is not the case with El Tigre by John Manhold. He has created a wonderful work of fiction that weaves in and out of the facts in a seamless fashion. Our hero is Johann Heinrich von Manfred a young man born of Prussian aristocracy who finds himself without friends or safe haven who moves to the New World and becomes embroiled with the establishment of the Republic Of Texas. History buffs, and folks that enjoy a good yarn will love El Tigre.
My final pick for the year is Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco. I mentioned early on that I am not much of a Sci Fi lover, but this one stands out. Maybe it is because the Internet is the life blood of what I do, or maybe it is because the plot line contains themes that we are already acutely aware of. Could terrorists create havoc by using the Internet? Not to send Spam, but to take control of parts of our infrastructure? Power Plants, Telecommunications, Transportation, the list of vulnerabilities goes on and on. Already the world has become dependent on a small number of technology companies, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, to name but three, what would happen if one of them deliberately installed some kind of virus?
Unholy Domain is set in the very near future, so the technology is most definitely science fact, the company that he uses is science fiction, but the plot line is haunting. For the Sci Fi fan on your Christmas list, you can not go wrong with this book.
My great books of 2008 list could go on and on. But I think I should stop here, either that or I should find my own publisher and write a book about books! It has been a great year for great books. if your book did not get a mention, it is not because I did not like it, it is because I am out of space on this column. 2008 was also the year when I can honestly say I did not read one single ‘stinker’, usually I get conned into one or two books that should never have seen the light of day. Oops, I am wrong, there was one, I can’t remember the author’s name, or the title, but it concerned the JFK conspiracy, as I recall it involved clones and body doubles, trap doors in the open topped limo JFK was riding in, and there was some tie in with the supposed UFO that crashed at Roswell, New Mexico. I would go find the title of it, but I keep those books in a special dark corner, and even I am scared to go near it!
Have a great year everyone, and make a resolution for 2009, feed your brain, read some books.
(Originally published at Blogger News Network and reprinted with permission from the author, Simon Barrett). japanese koi carp

Ever since our childhood, we are told that books are our best friends and we must read as many of them as we can. It is definitely true that books teach us new things and improve our imagination and knowledge. They are also a great way to improve one’s vocabulary. There is nothing better than sitting comfortably with a great book in hand and with nothing else on the mind.
But in today’s world, when people hardly have enough time to sit in one place longer than 30 minutes, reading books is practically out of question. Most people would love to check out the newest books of their favorite author or give another read to a classic novel. But their time constraint stops many of them from doing so.
Of course there is a great solution to this problem. Audio books have emerged as a boon for literature as these allow people to listen to a book rather than read one. People can listen to the book while driving or doing chores around the house.
Audio books have also been used for many decades by the learning and visually impaired people. Earlier, they used to come in a recorded cassette which could only be heard on a bulky cassette player or car stereo. But today, audio books have become tech-savvy. Audio books have now become digital. They are easily available on CDs and can also be downloaded through internet also.
The invention of the IPod has done more for audio books than anything else. With an IPod, listeners can now enjoy their favorite audio books wherever they want to. These portable devices can store multiple books and their sound quality is unbelievable. The stereophonic headphones have enhanced the experience of listening to a book like never before. This incredible technology has even drawn sworn non-readers towards books.
But some people think that books should be read not listened to. But if we look at the whole action of reading a book and compare it to listening to an audio book, then we won’t find much difference. Audio books take us on a journey to a whole new place and make us visualize scenarios and experiences. Therefore, audio books don’t reduce the joy of a book at all.
On the contrary, some people say that hearing rather than reading a story is more engaging and enjoyable. This is a fact that every six year old will agree to. Audio books are also a great way to introduce a child to books. Some experts believe that children who listen to audio books at an early age are more imaginative and inclined towards reading. Audio books also instill a sense of curiosity in kids towards literature and different genres which is excellent for their intellectual growth.
Audio books are available at book and music stores everywhere. There are millions of sites on the internet which allow easy downloads of a wide range of books. So, don’t waste time, and start listening! family life videos

jeff kinneys best selling books, humor educational,funny for children worldwide, 2 book set diary of a wimpy kid the last straw and rodrick rules from schoolastic publishing.

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