Category: Books and Words

Infographics about books, words, content, poetry, fiction, and more.

  • Mark Bittman: 5 Commandments for Better Eating

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    Food Matters

    Mark Bittman’s 5 Commandments for Better Eating

    1. Go mostly vegan. Don’t eat animal products before 6:00 p.m.

    2. Minimize the meat. Cut the portions of meat you used to eat.

    3. Weigh yourself regularly. Use your weight as an indicator of whether you are eating too much.

    4. Cut yourself some slack. No single meal matters. No single day matters. What matters is the pattern of your eating.

    5. Make it your own. Use these rules as a guide. Figure out what works for you.

    Excerpted from Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman


    Charity Showcase

    City Harvest collects almost 115,000 pounds of surplus food every day from restaurants, grocers, wholesalers, and farmers to distribute to 600 community food programs in New York City. Find out more about this great program at http://www.cityharvest.org.

    Curator:


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  • John Kremer: The 7 Rules of Life

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    The 7 Rules of Life via John Kremer

    Here are the seven rules of life (according to John Kremer):

    1. If you wish to control your ends, begin at the beginning.

    2. You have no right to suffer. It is not necessary. Just take action. Give to the world. Give love. Give honesty. Give kindness. Give of yourself. And showering back to you will be love, honesty, kindness, and all sorts of riches.

    3. Shake things up sometimes. Do things differently. Break all the rules. Create some new rules. Have fun.

    4. If your aim is small, the results will be small. If your aim is large, the results will be large. Very simple math. But absolutely accurate.

    5. Never lie. Never cover up. Tell the truth at all times.

    6. Always do the impossible. It’s the only thing worth doing. The possible has already been done.

    7. The best use anyone can make of any day is to enjoy it—and then spread that joy to others.

    Photo of an Olympic Mountains sunset by Rita Kaiser (my older sister).

    The Seven Rules of Life by John Kremer


    Charity Showcase

    St. Labre Indian School supports the needy Native American children (Crow and Northern Cheyenne) who live and attend school at St. Labre. This is one of my favorite charities. I love the spirit of these kids. Donate via http://www.stlabre.org or by calling 866-753-5496.

    Curator:

    John Kremer on Google+


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  • Bill Baxter: The Secrets to a Happy Marriage

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    The Secrets to a Happy Marriage

    Dick Baxter, author of Standing Tall in the Shadows, has been married to his sweetheart for 57 years.

    Marry your best friend.

    Don’t try to change each other.

    Be honest.

    Don’t argue over small stuff.

    Trust each other.

    Laugh together every day.


    Charity Showcase

    Safe Horizon is the nation’s leading victim-assistance association and service provider for people suffering from abuse. Contribute time or donations here: http://www.safehorizon.org. If you need help, call 800-621-HOPE.

    Curator:


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  • Infographic: 21 Predictions for eBook Publishing in 2013

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    21 Predictions for eBook Publishing in 2013

    Infographic: These predictions for ebook publishing in 2013 are excerpted from a recent blog post by Mark Coker of Smashwords.

    1. Ebooks as a percentage of overall trade book sales in the US should hit 45%.

    2. 2013 will be the first year unit volume of ebooks exceeds print.

    3. The current glut of books will become even more pronounced.

    4. It’ll get tougher to sell books. All authors will need to up their game.

    5. Publishers, in search of Black Swans, will lose authors to self-publishing platforms.

    6. Overall ebook prices will decline, though author brands will retain pricing power.

    7. Passive discoverability trumps other book marketing methods.

    8. Tablets will become the new paper as ereaders becomes niche products.

    9. Global will be the biggest story of 2013 for indie authors.

    10. Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo will redouble global expansion efforts.

    11. Apple iBookstore will be the breakout story of 2013 ebook retailing.

    12. Amazon’s global ebook market share will decline.

    13. Barnes & Noble and its Nook will rise again like a Phoenix.

    14. In the self-publishing gold rush, more money will be made in author services than in book sales.

    15. Pearson/Penguin/Random House/Simon & Schuster will either cut bait on Author Solutions or ride this anchor to the bottom of the sea.

    16. The Big 6 will become the Big 4 as bean counters take over the farm.

    17. The stigma of Big 6 (or Big 4 or Big 3) publishers will increase as the prior stigma of self-publishing evaporates.

    18. EPUB 3 will disappoint.

    19. Ebook subscription offerings will face uphill slog.

    20. Indie authors are poised to capture a growing percentage of the library ebook market.

    21. Indie ebooks will start driving more film and television projects.

    Source: http://blog.smashwords.com/2012/12/mark-cokers-2013-book-publishing.html

    Secondary Source: http://bookmarketingbestsellers.com/mark-coker-ebook-publishing-predictions-for-2013

    The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success: https://www.smashwords.com/books/download/145431/1/latest/0/0/the-secrets-to-ebook-publishing-success.pdf

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    Blog Tour Palooza Banner


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  • Jennifer Miller: 6 Innovative Tips for Marketing Your Novel

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    Marketing Your Novel

    1. Practice Lean-Forward Advertising.

    Or, as she noted, give people what they want. You’re not pushy if you target people who are already looking for your kind of book.

    2. Target Interest-Based Communities.

    Find where your audience hangs out. Her audience hung out at GoodReads.

    3. Segment Your Audience.

    Look for all the micro audiences that might like your book – like teachers, teen readers, Jewish readers, secret societies, etc.

    4. Create Desire.

    Find the fun in your promotions. As she put it, turn novels into Novelades.

    5. Create a Platform.

    Her platform was her Novelade stands.

    6. Use Your Platform to Tell a Story.

    She is taking her Novelades on the road as a way of creating excitement about her Novelade brand. So, besides selling on the streets of Brooklyn, she’s now extending the brand to Nashville and beyond.

    More details on Jennifer Miller’s marketing plans here: http://bookmarketingbestsellers.com/jennifer-miller-innovative-ways-to-market-a-novel

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    Charity Showcase

    The National Audubon Society works to save imperiled birds, fights climate change, and conserves wildlife habitat. For more information, go to http://www.audubon.org or call 800-274-4201.

    5 ways to protect birds where you live:

    1. Reduce or eliminate pesticide and herbicide use. With fewer chemicals, you’ll keep your pets, family, and surrounding birds healthier.

    2. Plant native plants. Native flora provides birds with food in the form of seeds and fruits and are also home to taste bugs that birds love.

    3. Identify the non-native invasive plants in your region and work to removed them from your yard.

    4. Attract hummingbirds with sugar water (four parts water to one part white sugar boiled for a minute or two).

    5. Make your windows visible to birds to prevent crashes. Put up screens, close drapes and blinds, stick up decals.

    You can find more ideas for protecting birds by going to http://www.audubonathome.org.


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  • Susan Stiffelman: 14 Tips for Managing Your Anxiety After the Newtown School Shootings

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    Parenting without Power Struggles

    Here are some great tips on how to manage your anxiety so you can be a calm confident parent to your children after a major tragedy like the Newtown school shootings.

    1. Surround yourself with those you love.

    2. Engage mindfully in familiar rituals.

    3. Stay nourished.

    4. Take action.

    5. Schedule worry time.

    6. Exercise.

    7. Make a list of all the ways your child is safe.

    8. Allow yourself a good cry.

    9. Challenge your thoughts and beliefs.

    10. Meditate, pray, spend time in nature, or write in your journal.

    11. Sleep.

    12. Play with your kids.

    13. Do things that settle you emotionally.

    14. Stay sober.

    Advice from Susan Stiffelman, author of Parenting Without Power Struggles: Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids While Staying Cool, Calm, and Connected

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    Charity Showcase

    Stop It Now! offers a phone and email Helpline dedicated to preventing sexual abuse. For more information, contact http://www.stopitnow.org or call 888-PREVENT.


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  • Maya Angelou: What I’ve Learned

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    What I've Learned by Maya Angelou

    I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

    I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

    I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.

    I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.

    I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

    I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.

    I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

    I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.

    I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

    I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.

    I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

    The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou

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    Charity Showcase

    J.K. Livin Foundation promotes wellness with after-school programs for at-risk kids. Since 2008, it has helped 2,000 children in Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas, and New Orleans to improve their grades and lower behavior problems. For more information, go to http://www.jklivinfoundation.org.


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  • LinDee Rochelle’s 7 Tenets of Legacy Writing

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    7 Tenets of Legacy Writing

    1. Weave your memoir or biography around legendary events.

    2. Dull life? Write about others who excite you.

    3. Don’t write about you. Write about history. Put you in it.

    4. Interview and include other people’s stories (yes, even strangers).

    5. Research little-known, interesting facts of the era.

    6. Pictures, pictures, pictures!

    7. Write with truth, insight, and compassion.

    From: Blast from Your Past! Rock & Roll Radio DJs: the First Five Years 1954-1959 by LinDee Rochelle. Web: http://www.blastfromyourpast.net/bfypbooks-more.html.

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    Charity Showcase

    The mission of AdoptUSKids, a service of U.S. Children’s Bureau, is two-fold: 1. To raise public awareness about the need for foster and adoptive families for children in the public child welfare system and 2. To assist U.S. states, territories, and tribes to recruit and retain foster and adoptive families and connect them with children. For more information, go to http://www.adoptuskids.org or call 800-200-4005.


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