We live in a very fast paced society. Even though everything is more convenient today more than ever, people seem to have less time to do the things that need to be done. We teach are children that they have to fill every waking minute with some type of activity, and yet we get upset with them when they claim to be bored. We have become a society of people that cannot just sit.

Part of my crazy daily routine includes commuting two hours a day. I am making this sacrifice because I have a good paying job and our home is on a lake. I compromise and drive during the week so I do not have to drive on the weekends to get to the lake. One of the things that I have found to fill my commute is listening to books. I am always looking for audio book sales so I can buy something to listen to on my way to and from work. I like to buy the books because I do not always get to listen to them in a timely manner so I constantly had to run back and forth to the library. By watching for audio book sales I am able to pick them up for just a bit more than the reading version of the book.

When audio books first came on the market I thought they were ridiculous. It seemed to me that it was just one more way people would avoid the quiet. I also thought it would contribute to illiteracy. I am finding that I was wrong. Listening to the audio books increases people’s interest in books. My children have started to read more because of listening to some of my books with me. Also listening together helps stimulate some lively discussions about the book. For me the audio helps to bring the characters alive. I especially like the books that feature the author as the narrator. With the author reading the book you know that the emphasis will be placed on what the key words are. It is interesting that there are some audio books that I am not able to listen to because I do not like the narrator. I need to have a certain pitch voice to hold my attention and interest level. If the pitch is not right I find that I get irritated and my anxiety level goes up. My travel time goes much faster when I am listening to a book. I find that I arrive in much calmer spirits and traffic and poor drivers do not bother me as much as they used to.

If you’re an avid reader and checking books out of your local library just isn’t your style, perhaps you should consider joining a book club. A lot of people have negative impressions of book clubs but they can be quite convenient and worthwhile to some people. Sure, getting the monthly catalogs and having to return a postcard can be a nuisance. However, most book clubs will now allow you to respond online and you don’t have to worry about mailing anything back or getting unwanted books shipped to you simply because you didn’t return the postcard quickly enough. In fact, everything through most book clubs can be done online. Sometimes you’ll find better savings online than you do in the catalogs that are sent to you via the regular mail.

Most often, you’ll get a bunch of books free up front just for joining. You’ll pay shipping and that’s it. Usually, books from book clubs are all hardcover, which means that getting those books for free is a great deal. Of course, you’re usually then obligated to buy a few more books within a certain time frame in order to complete your membership. Considering the fact that the prices are usually pretty good in the first place, fulfilling that obligation isn’t too difficult. Books make great gifts, so you can always fulfill your obligation by purchasing them as gifts for family and friends.

I belong to a book club. Every few weeks, I get advertisements or catalogs from them, so they do create quite a bit of extra garbage for my cans. I always respond online and have never had any issues. I’ve always paid my bills online when I place an order as well. My orders have always been correct and I’ve always been satisfied with the service that I’ve gotten from them. I fulfilled my obligation in no time and last Christmas, managed to get my father a collector’s book that just thrilled him to tears. I couldn’t believe that the book club would have it, but I searched their site online and found it. That’s another great thing about book clubs – browsing online always finds more titles than they send in their catalogs. You’re not so limited to your selections.

Years after joining a book club, I have quite the collection of books in my house. I hate to part with books, but after they start to pile up, I’ll sell them at a garage sale, pass them onto my friends or donate them to a library. In my opinion, a book is never a bad investment. And book clubs just may be a worthwhile investment of your time, if you’re as huge a book lover as I am.

Did you know that a trucker working to the legal limit in the U.S. can rack up to 3,432 driving hours a year nearly 10 times that of the average New York commuter or enough to listen to the unabridged audio book version of Bill Clinton’s My Life 77 times? (Publishing Trends, Market Partners International, September 2005).

Think of the way audio books could optimize your time management. Audio books can turn the day to a 26 hours day. Yes, audio books can add extra two hours each day. Still not convinced?

Did you know that The average rush hour driver will spend an additional 62 hours stuck in traffic—at standstill—each year and that More than 97 million workers drive alone to work each day.

Well, enough with that pile of useless data, Think about yourself – what have you been doing while driving – Listening to the radio? Making unnecessary calls with your mobile phone? Wasting valuable time?

Now close your eyes and imagine you could read the last edition of the New York Times, Read the last Harry Potter book or learn Chinese – all simultaneously while driving your car. Now open your eyes and stop dreaming, you can do it all now. The only difference is that you are going to use a new method of reading – listening to audio books.

And it is so easy: You may get audio books in different formats from books on tapes and audio books on CD to downloadable audio books. You can get it from different sources – libraries, book and music stores and online audio book sources. You could buy audio books, rent audio books and even get free audio books.

According to eBrain Market Research survey, 71% of the audio book listeners listen to them on long car trips.

Believe me; I couldn’t wait getting into the heavy morning traffic listening to the audio book “IT” by Stephen king. In fact, I couldn’t resist listening to it at home after work. I love audio books.

Most people are not aware that everyday books, maybe even books you have in your house right now, are actually worth a lot of money! Not all books are valuable, but how would you know the difference? Until now, there was no easy way to tell.

I’ll give you the ‘inside’ story on how to setup your own business buying and selling certain used books that could earn you more now than you ever thought you could working from home!

I’ve been an information junkie, avid book reader and lover of books since I was very young. A few years ago I discovered that certain books are highly valued by collectors worldwide and that you could make a living, even $100,000 or more each year buying and selling …used books! I couldn’t believe it, until I discovered this ‘hidden market’ for used books in my local library.

I was in my local, public library one day looking for any information that I could use to make some money. I came across a book called, “Collected Books, A Guide To Values”.

Since I loved books I was curious about this book and what it was all about. I picked it up and started reading it.

I almost dropped the book on the ground, when I read that a certain book, in my own collection, was worth almost $3,500 and I NEVER knew it!

I decided to purchase a copy of this Guide and when I got it I went through my entire library of books to see if any of my other books were ‘valuable’….

It took me several days, but when I was done I realized had a Gold Mine on my hands. I had 22 books that were valued at $200 or more, and the total value of my ‘collection’ was $6,275!

The scary part was I didn’t even know how valuable some of the books in my collection was. Well, let me state that another way- I didn’t have a ‘collection’ at least I didn’t think they were a ‘collection’. I bought books because I liked them… I didn’t even know they could be VALUABLE. I had NO CLUE.

Over the next several months I read as much as I could about used and rare books. I also picked the brains’ every well known and respected book dealer in my area that I could get to talk. I tried speaking anyone and everyone in this business, but most weren’t willing to give up any of their secrets… except one old-time dealer.

Maybe he was ready to retire, or he just wanted to help me get started in this business. I don’t know. But he told me enough to get me started in this business and even make a small fortune.

That was over 10 years ago…

Today the market for used and rare books is HUGE and growing each year. The Internet has made it so much easier to buy and sell books. The market is huge and many are making a small fortune in this pleasant “gentleman’s” business.

It’s also a FUN business to be in, especially if you love books! I think it’s one of the easiest businesses to start, one of the most profitable and one of the most pleasant.

As an undergraduate and then a graduate student majoring in contemporary literature, I had the opportunity to read a number of Mark Twain books and short stories, including The Tragedy of Puddin’head Wilson and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Next, as a college English instructor, I would include a lengthy classroom discussion of banned books, among them the work often removed from school library shelves and omitted from the lower grade curricula – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and/or Huckleberry Finn. Then, just recently, I was called to help a student read one of the lesser known or less often academically included Mark Twain books: The Mysterious Stranger.

What a literary delight! The Mysterious Stranger was evidently the last of the Mark Twain books and is supposedly unfinished. Granted, the ending does not give readers closure, per se, other than to offer the ‘cop-out’ dues ex machine solution of all of the events and the visit by Satan having been a DREAM. But the subtext, the underlying themes, and the traditional and classic Twain humor are irrefutably wonderful. There is an implication of doubling – a device Twain perfects in numerous books – and concepts regarding power, hypocrisy, and the most metaphysical of all, free will and choosing.

Other Mark Twain books are equally involved and involving, are engaging narratives with subtle morality lessons, and still other Mark Twain books, which are STILL misunderstood, point the basest of human qualities and goals, such as friendship, love, justice, and fate.

I would be, however, hard pressed to recommend just one or two Mark Twain books, and will instead give you a short reading list so you and/or yours can decide for yourselves. While my list is incomplete, though, keep in mind you can go to a number of sites online where you can not only get a summary and/or a brief critiques but where you can find the full online text of many if not most of Mark Twain’s books.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The American Claimant

A Burlesque Autobiography

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

Carnival of Crime in CT

Curious Republic of Gondour

A Dog’s Tale

A Double-Barreled Detective

Extracts from Adam’s Diary

Following the Equator

The Gilded Age

How to Tell a Story and Others

The Innocents Abroad

Life on the Mississippi

The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg and other Stories

The Mysterious Stranger

The Prince and the Pauper

Roughing It

The Stolen White Elephant

The $30,000 Bequest

Tom Sawyer Abroad

Tom Sawyer, Detective

A Tramp Abroad

The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson

 

Creating a strong, solid resume involves several steps, which, when taken together, prove fruitful for an improved resume. Simple enough in themselves, it is important to actually go through and check that all the elements needed for a strong resume appear. First of all, an aesthetically clean, grammatically correct, and clear resume is a must. This indicates a well-educated and polished individual. The resume must be well organized and focused to be considered. In other words, include only previous employments that apply to the new job which you want in most relevant order. In the process of polishing up your resume, be sure that it stays interesting to the perspective employer. Your resume should be specific to each job to which you are applying, and your resume should speak for you as to why you are the right candidate. Your resume represents you, so the impression your resume makes is the impression that you have made. With these points in mind while writing and revising your resume, you shall end with a strong, attention-grabbing resume.

Language is indispensable to us and we use it constantly, but grammar, spelling, and writing style have taken a back seat for the majority of us thanks to computer technology which corrects for us. All too often though, these corrections leave much to be desired. In other words, it is still up to the writer to ensure that what he has written is well written. Any blatant spelling or grammar errors jump out at the reader, and your strengths and talents take a far back seat to the minor spelling mistakes. Revisions must be done on resumes, and the first revision should check for correct grammar and spelling. Many executives find that typos and grammar mistakes are the most common oversights writers make on their resumes ( http://www.jobweb.com/resources/Library/Interviews__Resumes/Typos__Grammati_270_1.htm ). Having someone else proofread is wise, as it is always easier to see others’ mistakes rather than our own. Resume builder websites specializing in optimizing and improving resumes are also a great idea to help you avoid the pitfalls of resume writing. These specialists will view your resume objectively and will notice mistakes, both of grammar and good resume form.

Clarity and conciseness are also important in the resume. The fewer unnecessary words and the more direct your phrases are, the easier it is to read through your resume. Keep in mind that resumes are not read, they are merely read through. They are glanced at, or at best skimmed, so the clearer and more concise you are in expressing yourself, the larger portion of your resume will be noticed. One page resumes are preferred as they are concise and help you focus. This focus forces you to choose and include only your most important jobs and achievements.

When writing a resume, never lose focus. Remember the point of the resume: the key to securing interviews. Thus, make sure that every point included in your resume indicates to the resume reader why you are the one who should get the interview and, eventually, the job. Don’t include extras in your resume. If they have nothing to do with the skills and talents you will need for the job you want, they do not belong on the resume. Again, keep in mind that resumes are only skimmed over, and so should contain only that information which applies. If you have a life experience that is so unique and interesting that you have to put it on your resume, tie a skill learned from it with the job you hope for. The unique activity will be noticed, and the fact that you learned from it in a way that will help you at future jobs will be viewed as a plus.

In keeping organized and focused, state your work experience in relevant order. Hopefully, and most likely, your most recent work experience is most relevant to your future job. If you are fresh out of college, you will likely want to prioritize your education, as presumably you will not have a meaty employment section at this point. On the other hand, if your college graduation is an old, fond memory at this point, start your resume with work experience.

Following the above tips will help keep the attention of your prospective employer. Keeping the interest of those reading your resume is vital, since these are the people who will be contacting you for an interview. Clearly indicating your career goals is a wise choice. It is an immediate indicator if yours are compatible with and conducive to the company you are applying to. The use of words indicating action, initiative, and energy is an intelligent move. Such words will help you focus on what you have done personally, and make your resume specific and unique.

It is wise to have a template resume from which you format specific ones for each job that you apply to. This way, you will never have a generic resume, which will naturally impress potential employers. When you take the time to personalize your resume, you show that you want the job more than others who are not willing to input this time and energy into theirs. A specific resume will wax the interest of the resume reader, and give rise to questions they will want to ask upon meeting you. In other words, the reader will want to interview you. There are resume builder services that you can utilize on the web to help ensure your resume is polished and professional. Shop around to find one that best suits your needs.

Investing time into your resume will lead to an investment of time by those reading it. The resume is the first impression you make on a potential employer, so use it to your advantage, and compose it carefully to separate yourself from other applicants. While it is important to use a standard resume format, it is not important, and even discouraged, to base your resume on the ‘standard’. The only result will be an average resume, and you want anything but. So focus your resume on your personal achievements and goals in a well-written, organized, focused, and interesting presentation. Once you send out this well-prepared resume, make sure your phone stays on as those phone calls start coming in.

 

Not only can you decorate your leather item, leather itself can be the decoration. Book binding is a great example, which has recently enjoyed renewed popularity. The way you look at this project depends on the condition of the book.

You may need to repair the spine and actual page bindings in order to install a new cover. In any case, this first step would be to remove the old cover. http://www.philobiblon.com is a site that has very detailed instructions to walk you through this. Half of the fun of leather book binding is learning about it. http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/don/dt/dt0412.html has information about book binding past, present, and future.

Their information is accurate and interesting! You can start from scratch with a hide, or order leather book binding supplies from a reputable supplier such as http://www.hewit.com

There is more to book binding than slapping a cover on. If you want a rich, professional appearance, you’ll find numerous books at your local library or in-depth information on the Internet on the process of book binding. Hand-bound books are considered rare, unusual, and in some cases priceless. Therefore, it would be worth your time and money to do it right and enjoy the results (or profits if you are doing it professionally).

 

Or maybe it’s the mind. Yeah, that sounds right! Now, the question is; how much and how often are you actually reading these days? From what I’ve observed, folks are seriously kicking books to the curb. They prefer a more quick-fix solution to entertainment, such as film and television. And I mean endless films and television. It’s a wonder we’re still able to function properly now considering all the garbage we watch night after night. Most likely what you need in your life is a good novel. And if you despise the current fiction gracing the shelves of Barnes and Noble, you can always test the waters of non fiction books.

I’ve always been a fan of fiction. In some respects, there’s nothing quite like delving into a well-written mystery/suspense novel. I used to lounge under trees for hours, reading countless chapters of cleverly plotted stories. However, I recently found a text from the genre of non fiction books, which really caught my attention. This book is entitled “Protecting the Gift”. Chances are you’ve never even heard of it. I had never come across it in a bookstore or library. But then the title was mentioned to me by a friend of the family. He basically instructed me to read this book by author and crime expert, Gavin De Becker. So I picked up a copy from Amazon.com and dove in, not knowing what to expect. I was taken-back by the way this book read. It contains a number of true occurences, which are referenced to help readers like you and me learn and better understand criminal violence and behavior. And while this book will certainly tug at your heartstrings and often keep you on the edge of your seat, it’s well worth a close read. I have never in my life learned more about the violence and realities of our world.

Okay, maybe non fiction books in general are not up your alley. However, I do suggest that you give “Protecting the Gift” a shot. This goes double for anyone who has a child/children. This book will assist you in keeping them safe more than any other attribute. Once I began reading it, I knew I had to finish in order to better protect my gift, a seven year old daughter.

 

In my opinion, there is nothing better than a good book. When I do get time to myself, which is rare, I eagerly grab a book and curl up on the couch. I just stocked up on some new books for the long winter months that are looming. Of course, with a hyper preschooler, I still might not get too much read during the winter months. I’m on a limited budget, so it makes it difficult to walk into a bookstore and purchase any book that I want. I have found ways to get my hands on cheap books, which is much easier on my finances and allows me to get more books at once.

Obviously, you can’t walk into Borders and ask an employee where the section of cheap books is located. But, you can walk into a library and find that on occasion, they may have some books for sale. They might not be in the best of condition, but if you want cheap books, they are a bargain. I’ve found cheap books in consignment shops, flea markets, book sales and fairs and even at yard sales. Granted, by looking for cheap books I’m not finding any new releases or current best sellers. My findings may be older books that have been through many sets of hands, but still hold wonderful content in the pages.

If you want to find cheap books that are best sellers or newer, you could join a book club. I joined the Literary Guild several years ago. When you first join, you get several books for free. 99% of all of the books that are purchased through this club are hardback, which does cost a bit more money to begin with. However, once you join, you do get special offers and discounts that allow you to get some new books for less money. They aren’t cheap books, but definitely discounted. However, if you’re thinking about getting someone a gift, consider some sort of book. You can get them a cookbook, a biography on someone they admire, a history book, art book – anything. Book clubs have some cheap books that would be perfect for gifts for people. In fact, there are lots of books for children that are discounted through a book club.

Though I have never tried it, I’ve known some people who have gotten cheap books through Amazon.com. According to these people, the books are not new, which is why they don’t cost as much. However, the books arrive in mint condition without any suspicion as to them not being brand new.

No matter how or where you buy books at, cheap books can be found. If you aren’t concerned about your budget, then you have no limitations as to where you can find a good book. As for the rest of us, take advantage of a good deal and curl up on your couch.

 

Are you a writer who has just finished writing a book? If you are a first time author, you may be unsure as to how you should proceed, in terms of getting your book published. If that is the case, you will want to continue reading on, as a number of steps that you will want to take are highlighted below.

One of the first things that you will need to do is familiarize yourself with publishers. In addition to knowing where to send your book manuscript and who it should be addressed to, you will want to learn as much about the publisher in question as possible. What type of themes are they looking for? Will your book be a good fit? Are there are rules or restrictions in terms of formatting that you need to abide by? Does the publisher in question only accept agented submissions? These are all important questions that you need to have answers to.

As for how you can go about finding book publishers, you will be pleased with all of your options. You can look at the books that you own, the books in your local library, or the books in your local bookstores. Make note the publishers and perform a standard internet search with their names. Next, look for a section for writer’s guidelines. You can also perform a generalized standard internet search, such as with the phrase ‘book publishers’. There are also a number of printed resources, like the popular Writer’s Market books, that you can use as well.

As previously stated, you will want to learn what rules and restrictions publishing companies may have. If you can’t find this information online or in print, be sure to use your best judgment. Make sure that your book manuscript and all other documents are easy to read, formatted properly, and clean. Also, be sure to include a cover letter and a book proposal. Many authors choose to merge these two documents together. You can, but, be careful. Cover letters and book proposals should be right to the point and not clouded with too much information.

You should also consider using the services of professional literary agent and editor. They can be costly, but they are typically more than worth the costs. No matter how good you are at proofreading, you will likely miss some errors. A second set of professional eyes are advised. As for literary agents, they too have a number of benefits. If the publishers that fit your book the best only accept agented submissions, it may be in your best interest to hire a professional literary agent. They can help get your book into doors that you couldn’t.

As for follow-ups, they are okay, but also be sure to use your best judgment. Most publishers outline on their websites how long it should take for you to receive a response, like in two to four months. If you do not receive a response by that time, consider placing a phone call or sending a letter to the publisher in question. For your own protection though, do not make contact before the estimated response time.

By taking the above mentioned points into consideration, you may be able to see your book in print soon. As a reminder however, do not be scared of rejection letters. They are common, but that does not mean that you should give up.