THIS AUTHOR WAS NAMED BOOK PUBLICIST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THIS BOOK WON THE IRWIN AWARD FOR 2000. SPIZER REGULARLY TEACHES CREATIVE MARKETING, MEDIA CLASSES AT THE UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE LEVELS, AND AT WRITING CONFERENCES SHARING HER INNOVATIVE IDEAS WITH OTHER AUTHORS. THIS IS THE CONSOMATE "HOW-TO" FOR PUBLISHED AND PRE-PUBLISHED AUTHORS.

Whether you sell out to a large (New York) publisher or publish yourself, the author must do the promotion. Publishers only produce books and place them in stores. Authors must generate interest to encourage people to go into the stores to pull the books through the system.

There are two major categories of books: Fiction and nonfiction. Fiction is entertainment and as such it is more difficult to sell. Fiction must compete for people's (scarce) time. They must make choices between reading your story, and seeing a film and taking their kids to the zoo. Nonfiction, on the other hand, is valuable information that people buy to save time and money. Each nonfiction book is unique; each is on a different subject. A nonfiction book on parenting does not compete with a nonfiction book on parachuting. Most publishers will caution you to write your nonfiction books first-and to save your fiction until you can afford them. If you are writing (and selling) fiction, you need industrial-strength help. Joyce Spizer is coming to your rescue.

This book is brimming with every conceivable book marketing and promotion idea. Some are expensive and some are free. Some are hard and some are easy. Some require you to personally flog your own book and some are (comfortably) remote and anonymous.

As a publisher and an author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I highly recommend this book to both authors and publishers of fiction. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

You are a business. You are an artist. You are a writer. And unless your name is Stephen King, your work won't sell itself. I have heard this author speak and she has personally taught me her marketing tricks. I recommend this highly for any author, including those who want to publish e-books.

Kristine Napier writes from experience in her newest book, Power Nutrition for Your Chronic Illness: A Guide to Shopping, Cooking, and Eating to Get the Nutrition Edge. Napier, who directs the Nutrition Enhancement Project for Preventive Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, has faced the challenge of systemic lupus. She developed and perfected the recipes in her book at a time when she was unable to leave her wheelchair.

Napier writes that "as a registered dietitian, I have been acutely aware of the importance of good nutrition as an asset in fighting my disease. I have been frustrated, though, at my inability at times to get healthy food into my body. I have long sought ways to simplify the task." She assures readers that "no matter how disabled you are, you, too, can get back into the kitchen and warm up your tummy, your family, and your home with delicious and fabulously nutritious home cooking again."

Napier starts with basic nutrition information, explaining in layman's terms how bodies turn food into energy. She also includes a chapter on the role of nutrition in disease prevention, because the risk of developing diseases like heart disease or osteoporosis is often greater in people who have chronic illnesses.

Chapters like "Shopping Made Easier," "Creating an Energy-Saving Kitchen," and "Entertaining: Yes It Is Possible!!" reflect Napier's philosophy that, with planning and a few kitchen adaptions, chronically ill people can prepare and enjoy healthy and nutritious meals. She also devotes a chapter to the interactions between medications and nutrition, with additional information for those who must use steroids.

The second section of Power Nutrition for Your Chronic Illness focuses on specific details for the following illnesses: AIDS/HV, Alzheimer's Disease, asthma, arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Parkinson's Syndrome, psoriasis, and Sjogren's Syndrome. Napier provides a week of sample menus for each illness, integrated with the special challenges presented by that disease.

The final section of the book includes nearly 200 recipes. She has simplified the instructions so that many dishes can be prepared using only one pot or bowl. Although most of the recipes are low-calorie, Napier offers alternative ingredients for changing them to "a high-calorie food for people who simply cannot keep weight on" in recognition of those who have poor appetites or wasting illnesses. Each recipe includes serving suggestions and nutrition information.

Napier provides a list of manufacturers who make adaptive kitchen equipment and supplies. She also includes the addresses and phone numbers of chronic illness associations and organizations.

Most people challenged by chronic illness need a little help from their friends now and then. An easy way for you to provide some assistance is to present them with a copy of Power Nutrition for Your Chronic Illness. You'll help them achieve treasured independence and better health through good nutrition.

Oh, and you might want to buy another copy for yourself--just for the terrific recipes.

This book is excellent in helping people to tailor a diet that helps them cope better and live a more full life. Great menu ideas too.

This is not just a cookbook! It is a guide to healthy eating and nutrients, and includes background and reasons for all the advice, with specialized information for people with chronic diseases. As a cookbook, it is a great resource for anyone trying to maintain a healthy kitchen.

This book takes you places you have always feared and sets you free. It is never too late to explore and expand your world of relationships as this book empowers us to think and act with new insights. The meditations are expecially enlightening and can be used time and time again. Waiting for the next book .

Dr. Rick has written an insightful, soul-searching blueprint to help all couples -- gay and straight -- partake of an honest journey toward forming healthy bonds of all kinds. He offers guidance for creating healthy relationships with lovers, friends, family, co-workers, and perhaps most importantly, with oneself. This unique book includes common-sense advice, humor, meditations, and lots of examples of how other gay couples make their way through the myriad of relationship joys and struggles. I highly recommend Dr. Rick's style of relationship counseling !

I've read a few books on dating and building and maintaining relationships and this one truly stands out! Not only does it cover building gay and lesbian partnerships, but also having healthy relationships with friends, family, coworkers, and yourself! There's no snippy banter or feckless chitchat, just honest, useful, valuable information based on the author's 15-plus years experience as a counselor and therapist. This book is packed with practical, thought-provoking information that guides you on a journey in a warm, sincere, gentle style.

I began using this book one year after I was married, and all I could think about once I began reading it was "Why didn't I start this sooner!" Prayer truly does change things. It has been wonderful seeing the changes that God has done in my husband all because I prayed for him, but the most amazing thing for me has been the changes that have occurred in me, as a result of my prayers for my husband. I believe that when we truly submit to God in prayer he will open our minds to areas in our lives where we have been resistant. This resistants may be what has been inhibiting our mate from change.

God is great and worthy to be praised!!!

Changed entirely the way I pray for my husband and helped me develop a more Godly perspective on my role as wife--one that even I, a businesswoman, can understand and strive for. From the first moment I began to read and pray I experienced profound changes in my heart, and saw that my husband did too--in the first two days! Thank you, Stormie, for taking our marriage to a far richer level--so quickly. I had no idea how much power there was in praying in the right way. I have been transformed and the effects on my husband are nothing short of incredible.

I found this book quite by accident. I had already bought too many books on the subject of marriage, but this one was different. I thought my marriage was perfect.. so that is where the enemy attacked. It was so easy before, now I see it is something twe always need to be working on.. like in a beautiful garden, there is always work to do. I know now I need to pray for my marriage and especially for my husband. Like the author, I had already been praying for my children. This book not only helped me with how to pray for my husband, but it convicted me in areas I was completly unaware of. I cried. This book is a much needed tool for all marriages, and I wish I had read it even before I met my husband.

Hisham Nazer exposes the hubris of American political and cultural policy, and reveals the accompanying risks. This should be required reading for anyone in foreign affairs, international business, or anyone travelling outside the United States. Understanding his message could prevent conflict and suffering, and could help us enjoy people and cultures, while learning to appreciate that their differences are to be valued, not just overwhelmed.

Power of a Third Kind is a stunning work of intellectual prowess. The author speaks from a position of experience and it shows. Anyone who wants an insider view of the world order and political tides of the twenty-first century MUST read it!

Power of a Third Kind offers a fresh perspective on the rapid changes in global communications, going beyond the ubiquitous glowing endorsements of its future benefits toward a more thoughtful analysis of its political implications. Taken from the unique perspective of an intellectual from a non-Western country, Mr. Nazer's book links the sociological and political impact of advancing global communications on the power dynamics of Western nations' striving for dominance. Demonstrating that politics and culture are inseparable, Mr. Nazer pushes us beyond the limited scope of such analytical paradigms as "Clash of Civilizations," and "End of History" and more accurately illuminates the future structure of Western/non-Western relations. After reading this book, you read newspapers and newsmagazines, watch CNN and network news, with fresh eyes and a new awareness!

My parents bought me the book and I took it to my 4-H meeting. All my friends wanted to look at it. I ended up telling them to get there own because this one was mine!

I have 3 granddaughters who all all crazy about horses. Since they live in different states, this made a perfect birthday gift I could mail. I almost wish I had bought one for myself!

I really liked this book because I got to learn so much about horses. My friends thought the book was neat and wanted one of their own, so they could do the puzzles and mazes themselves.

I first heard of the Heritage Foundation while at college when I read a booklet by analyst Dan Mitchell about the flat tax. Intrigued, I started reading about Heritage. When I got my hands on this book, I immediately devoured it. It is an eminently readable history of one the greatest; if not the greatest; conservative think tanks in America.

Edwards starts at the beginning when Ed Feulner and others wanted to found a think tank to get ideas and papers out fast and timely. He follows through the troubled 70s into the triumphent 80s when Reagan became president. HE looks at the ideas Heritage put forth and how it did not hesitate to criticize Reagan if he went wrong. He follows through the Bush administration and into the 90s. This, like Feulner's book about conservative thought is a must read for all conservatives!

Lee Edwards has cranked out another gem on the history of American conservatism. I submit that one could say that he has taken up where the late Russell Kirk left off. In any case, Edwards is to be commended for bringing the history and role of The Heritage Foundation to light. And The Heritage Foundation is to be commended and praised for its significant contribution towards the propagation of conservative values and ensuring a conservative trend in public policy. I dearly hope that Edwards' concluding assessment is accurate, namely that Heritage will continue to play a substantial role in moving mainstream thought back towards the fundamental and enduring principles that are the foundation of American culture, economics, and society. And may God continue to bless Heritage with a steady flow of brilliant public policy experts willing to devote their energies towards advancing conservative values. And may God also bless Heritage with the type of brilliant leadership that it has received from Dr. Ed Feulner. And may the conservative movement continue to be blessed with historians willing to document the life and times of our heroic predecessors.

Lee Edward's "The Power of Ideas: The Heritage Foundation at 25 Years" is the definitive book to read if one wishes to understand the rise of conservative ideas in America. The Heritage Foundation helped, by embodying the principles of Lincoln, Roosevelt (Theodore), Nixon, and Reagan. Their work in shaping United States domestic and foreign policy is impressive. Lee Edward's book will inspire people in making America the place where freedom reigns and the individual and not the government holds the power. I hope the people who read this book have similar thoughts and ideas on how to make America GREAT. I also wish this book will rank next to "Democracy in America" in time.

So often we don't understand why our lives are so messy. We can't seem to keep our lives drama free. My eyes have been opened to the impact people have on my life. Good and bad. It is liberating to understand the power people have in our lives and the power WE have over the people we allow in our lives.
Thank you Ms. Verna for this valuable information. God Bless you!

Helped me kick some bad people out of my life and made me reconsider everything. I have met Miss Verna, she is friends with my English teacher and she gave a speech at our school. I learned so much from this book. I was also suprised to find out Miss Verna lives like 1 or 2 miles away from me!

Amazing book, I recommend it to anyone. Especially teens.

A friend of mine let me borrow her copy of "The Power of People" and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I purchased a copy for myself and read it a second time. After that I purchased 25 books for my church family and friends.

If you want to start improving yourself and understanding how people influence you than sit down and enjoy this book ride. This book will give you a new mindset on how you look at people and the situations in your life.

Parents should purchase this book for their teenagers before they venture off on their own.

The "Power of People" truly initiated a life changing experience for me.

By reading this book and doing the activities suggested at the end of each chapter, the reader will have at least one personal story to tell. And Jack Maguire comes across as very understanding and encouraging in the way he leads the reader through the whole process of personal story-making.

Maguire begins with the ideas, "Why tell personal stories?" and "Reclaiming your storyloving self." Then he moves on to ways for coming up with story ideas. That done, he helps the reader with actually putting together a story. Next comes discussion about what Maguire calls "embodying the story," an alternative to "memorizing the story." In chapters 20-23, he talks about how storytelling can be used at home, at work and in the community. And he's only finished after encouraging the reader to "take the telling leap."

This is a great book for learning to tell our own stories.

Something gave me an itch to make a hobby out of personal storytelling. I didn't know where to begin, but I found this book at Amazon.com (wasn't available in the bookstores). The title looked catchy, so I decided to give it a shot. I was richly rewarded!

The day may come when Storytelling re-emerges as a national pasttime. If it does, this book may very well be the handbook of such a revlotion.

The exercises are fun and enlightening. I've found my childhood memories to be more full of color and vitality after following Maguire's suggestions. The story prompts in the Appendix are just a ton of fun, too, if you want to get some freinds together and have a good time.

Well done, Jack!

Jack Maguire has a well organized approach to storytelling that provides resources for an individual wishing to tell his or her own story, for storytellers who want to develop some personal stories in their repetoire, and for those working in therapeutic settings. His selection of quotations about story are set clearly in wide margins and are unusually diverse and concrete. The book is chock full of ideas for finding your own story and for ways of helping others do the same. He interwines his personal experiences in ahelpful way to encourage the storyteller at anylevel.

The self can be trusted. This is the message behind Laurie Morgan's beautifully written book, The Power of Pleasurable Childbirth. In this fascinating exploration of modern-day birth practices, Laurie at last answers the question posed by many advocates of non-interventive birth - "Why not just hire a midwife?" Having never had a midwife-assisted birth myself, this was a question I could not fully answer in my own book, Unassisted Childbirth.

Citing examples from her own midwife-assisted birth, as well as those of other women, Laurie proves that the term "non-interventive midwife" is an oxymoron. Birth, like other natural bodily functions, requires privacy. Simply the presence of a midwife at a birth is an intervention. Add to this the fact that midwives are generally required by law to intervene and it is obvious that for a birth to be truly "pleasurable," it cannot be assisted.

Yet Laurie doesn't condemn midwives (or doctors, for that matter) or claim their intentions aren't honorable. In fact, she encourages women to use them as resources - "pick their brains" for what bits of wisdom they DO possess. Just don't assume their presence at birth is necessary or desirable.

The most inspiring parts of the book for me were Laurie's own unassisted birth stories. It is clear that all of her births were both life-changing events, and "ordinary miracles." Her joyful proclamation following her first unassisted birth sums up her feelings beautifully - "Pop a cork! I feel like having a party!"

This book was a joy to read and I highly recommend it to all couples, regardless of how or where they plan to give birth.

Birth books are my passion. Yet I have long ago stopped reading those that keep the prevailing myth in place -- that is, birth is innately painful. I had three babies without pain and wondered where Laurie Morgan has been all of my life when I picked up her book?

The Power of Pleasureable Childbirth is totally validating! As Ms Morgan points out, birth looks to be inherently painful in our society. In other words, our fear of birth is inherited. I figured this out decades ago, with the help of Dr. Grantley Dick-Read and my own babies. As with any legacy from the past, I can choose which ones to carry on. Ecstatic birth has everything going for it whereas the norm -- fear/pain/drugs in birth -- is an old story that no longer serves anyone.

I plan on giving this book to all of my grandchildren. Along with the book, Prenatal Yoga and Natural Childbirth, this will go a long way toward bringing more peace to all our relations. If there is one book to turn the angle of this culture's eye toward the light that birth can be, it is The Power of Pleasureable Childbirth. Thank you Laurie Morgan!

You should know up front that I'm in this book, in a variety of ways: I'm Laurie's mom, the kids' Grandma Annis, and one of the many hard-working editors who helped get this exciting text into print. So, yes, I am a biased reader/reviewer. I'm also an English teacher of 30+ years with lots of reading and editing experience. I'm here to tell you that this book is different from any other you've ever read, on this or any subject. From its intimate detail to its fearless proselytizing, you will be gripped from start to finish. The Power of Pleasurable Childbirth is definitely an "I can't put it down" kind of book. This book is not for the faint of heart or for those who don't want to be bothered by alternatives to the medicalized birth industry in this country. It IS for anyone who cares about life and love and children. Whether you end up agreeing or disagreeing with the writer, your preconceptions will be challenged and your hopes confirmed. This is not a book to "enjoy," but rather one to learn from, question, and remember.