As a business owner, would you hire a rumpled, smelly, illiterate person to head one of your most important, highly detailed, costly projects? Of course not. Keep this in mind when writing your query-the one-page letter designed to pique a publisher's interest in your work. The query letter is your initial meeting with the perspective "boss," and based on its content and appearance, it alone determines whether there's a second meeting.

Do you have an aptitude for writing? Do you love to enter contests? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you may have what it takes to win big.

The popularity of essay contests has increased over the years because the prizes are typically valuable and the entry fee is low. If you have ...

This is a true late eighteenth century book in the sense that it has a leisurely (very leisurely) opening, a great deal of waxing eloquent on the beauties of nature--which are well written, but so frequent that one becomes inured to them--and enough pages to fill up the four volumes that the book originally was published as (over 600 of them).

On a personal note, I do find it difficult to read books on breast cancer and memoirs of those touched by the disease, be it directly or via a stricken loved one. Having lost my maternal grandmother and nearly my mother to this illness, there seems to be an invisible cloud hovering over my head, ...

Well, first things first...stop staring at the computer screen expecting something to happen. The only thing that happens is your eyes dry out.

Next, take a step back and use a critical eye on your work. Here are a few suggestions to help:

Try to find what stalled your work. Was it dialog? Was it plot? Did the characters run off on you and you're not sure how to get them back?

When I first started copywriting for newspaper advertising, times were different from today. Ads weren't visually attractive, rather factual and precise. No fancy stuff, just the basics.

HERE I AM. COME AND BUY ME!

How conditions have changed. In the 40 years I spent in the selling business ...

If there's one thing that gets me miffed it's when ideas for a new story or article seem to dry up. So I came up with this technique that can spark ideas into life pretty quickly, and it's fun too!

You simply think of a common phrase or colloquialism and do some quick, actually very quick, research ...

If you're the parent or family member of a person with Bipolar disorder, you'll want to head to the bookstore. While there are lots of good reference books, ranging from clinical study guides to "how to" on coping mechanisms for people with Bipolar disorder, to family survival guides, one of the best is Mikowitz's Bipolar Disorder Guide for Patient and Family Members, currently in its second edition.

If there's one thing I love, it's the way that people can get so excited about struggling to find an answer to a question, when the real answer to their problem is that they haven't really asked the right question in the first place.

Here's an example.

"Please help me. I've just written a book. Which is best - trying to find a publisher the 'traditional' way, or trying to get it published on the internet?"

The Hero's Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188 stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

When people talk about education it is amazing how little they really understand. Funding for Education often has a lot to do with property taxes and therefore those folks who have wealth in real estate they are paying more for schools, even if they have no children in them.

Of course one might ...

When it is done well, writing feels good. The written word has a certain quality that other forms of expression simply do not have. I can't put it into a sensible classification or description, but reading a book is infinitely more enjoyable than having it read to me.

But, writing one's own pieces ...

Why do examinations cause so much anxiety even to those who have already studied thoroughly? Many of our fears are based on wrong beliefs about tests in general, and these myths unfortunately prevent us from faring well. Be aware of the following myths about exams and see if you agree:

1. If you fail, you have wasted your time.

What it is: Disaster triage, though based on the same principles, is different in a number of ways. Most importantly, it must be faster (because there are so many injured at once, and because seconds or minutes may make the critical difference) and it must be simpler, so that it can be done by almost anyone, without medical knowledge or professional training.

1) Sell To Everyone? Then You Sell To No One.

You must know who your audience is and target them like a laser. Know what their problems are... and deliver a clear, concise solution to that segment of the population. Don't have your solution suitable for accountants and mortgage bankers!

2) Make Sure Your Copy Fulfills What Your Headline Promises!

If you want to know how to find a person in the shortest possible time using the Internet, this article will hopefully help you toward that end. You might think that in this age of the Web and the information revolution it would be a piece of cake to find any person on the globe. But you would be mistaken.

Writing is more than just taking a pen to paper or tapping away on the keyboard. A good writer has a working knowledge of basic grammar, spelling, pronunciation, and vocabulary. You may be thinking you could never be a writer because your grammar and spelling skills are terrible. That's simply not ...

Giving interviews helps to establish you as an expert in your area of interest. Authors and people in the book industry are wise to participate as often as possible.

As a radio talk show host, I have the opportunity to interview authors and business people who work in the publishing industry every ...

Everyone has a story about their family life, achieving victory over hardship, or work experience. In which area of your life are you most passionate? Readers want to learn from your story!

The best exercise is to imagine what your life will be like once your book is published. How will the outcome affect you personally and professionally? Once you know your most desired outcome, you will be able to map out a plan for achievement.

One of the goals of writing is to get your work published. It is the ultimate proof your writing ability. It takes some writers years to reach the point where they are secure enough to seek publication. When you feel ready to start submitting your work, you want to be sure you are professional. Here are some things to keep in mind when dealing with the publishing world.