Since the original publication of this article in the early 2000s, traditional publishing has declined due to the loss of bookstores and the surge in ebooks. Print on Demand and ebooks are no longer stigmatized as they once were, and there are excellent cost-free Print on Demand services such as Amazon’s KDP. Nevertheless, caution is…
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Middle Grade Non-Fiction
Click here to download a pdf version of Middle Grade Non-Fiction Teacher’s Guide
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: A Synopsis
This is the foundation, the book that sets the stage for the series and introduces the major characters. The hero is Harry Potter, an 11-year-old boy reared Cinderella-style by his cruel aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. In contrast, the Dursleys lavish gifts and attention on their son, Dudley. Harry spends the first years…
Hi/Lo Books: Writing for Reluctant Readers
by Eugie Foster As writers, we’re already sold on the premise that reading is fundamentally enriching as well as essential. However, reading is a skill that eludes a growing number of children, reluctant readers who have never been engrossed in a book, or who think of reading as a chore, work to do rather than…
Gustav Freytag
Gustav Freytag GUSTAV FREYTAG (1816-1895), German novelist, was born at Kreuzburg, in Silesia, on the 13th of July 1816. After attending the gymnasium at Ols, he studied philology at the universities of Breslau and Berlin, and in 1838 took the degree with a remarkable dissertation, De initiis poeseos scenicae apud Germanos. In 1839 he settled…
Advice on Novel Writing
by Crawford Kilian Contents Foreword Developing Efficient Work Habits Elements Of A Successful Story In the opening… In the body of the story… In the conclusion… Throughout the story… Style: Checklist For Fiction Writers Manuscript Format Storyboarding Ten Points on Plotting The Story Synopsis Understanding Genre: Notes on the Thriller Symbolism and all that The…
Look, look. Dick and Jane are back.
Go, Spot. Go and find Dick. Go and find Jane. Run, Spot, run. Dick and Jane, the children’s book characters who taught an estimated 85 million children from the 1930s through the 1960s how to read, are back in print, and nostalgia-crazed baby boomers are scooping up the titles as fast as they are being…
The Golden Age of Self-Publishing
If there was ever any doubt about this being the golden age of sef-publishing, these statistics should demonstrate what a great time it is to be an author. Hugh Howey, author of the bestselling, indie-original science fiction series Wool, has published a report on independent author earnings from ebooks sold on Amazon. Here are some…
Ten Effective Tricks for Marketing Your Book
Publishers spend little or no money marketing new authors these days, which is a great reason to publish your own book. On-demand printing services such as Amazon’s KDP provide a nearly free way to get into print and sold through amazon.com. Best of all, you’ll make ten times as much on each copy as you…