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The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law

Norm Goldstein

The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law Norm Goldstein Amazon Price: $12.89
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By: Basic Books
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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The supreme authority! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have used the AP Stylebook for over 5 years. The entries are easy to find and easy to understand. Entries are brief and to the point. Are the seasons capitalized? How about north, south, east and west? Where do you place adverbs - before or after the verb, or someplace else? It's Web site - two words and the first one is capitalized. Internet is capitalized because it's a proper noun.

This book has the definitive answers. I don't work for a newspaper anymore, but, as a freelance writer, I miss this book more and more everyday. I must get my own. You will never be sorry that you bought this book. It will help you no matter what kind of writing you do.

Editorial Review:

More people write for The Associated Press than for any newspaper in the world, and writers-nearly two million of them-have bought more copies of The AP Stylebook than of any other journalism reference. It provides facts and references for reporters, and defines usage, spelling, and grammar for editors. There are separate sections for journalists specializing in sports and business, and complete guidelines for how to write photo captions, file copy over the wire, proofread text, handle copyrights, and avoid libel. This edition of The AP Stylebook keeps pace with world events, common usage, and AP procedures.

Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing

Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing Amazon Price: $11.55
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By: Writers Digest Books
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Essential resource for freelancers 5 out of 5 stars.
81 of 81 people found this review helpful.

The "Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing" takes information from a wide variety of highly successful freelance writers and edits it together into a seamless instructional manual. It starts off with a discussion of finding ideas that addresses more than inspiration--it delves into methods to find topics that will sell. "Querying" and "Finding Markets" teach you to pick markets for your work and get assignments from them. "Selling Reprints and Rewrites" and "Business and Rights-Related Issues" help you to understand what your work is worth to whom, and how to make sure it remains worth as much as possible to you.

"Researching" and "Interviewing" get you through the information-gathering phase, which can take longer than the actual writing. "Avoiding Problems" helps you to avoid accidental plagiarism and similar legal problems. "Writing Techniques and Revision" deals with general issues of writing magazine articles, while "How to Write Common Articles" delves into specifics on article types such as profiles, roundups, how-to articles, service journalism, art-of-living articles, and even pieces for children's magazines. "Working With an Editor" shepherds you through the relationships that will make or break your career.

Because the book gets into so many specifics (there's even a sidebar on writing book reviews!) regarding particular article types and so on, you're likely to find it useful even if you've already done some magazine freelancing. It's so helpful to know all the little rules of thumb and instructions regarding different types of articles, not to mention what editors are looking for and get the least of in their submission piles.

The chapter on working with editors presents particularly valuable information in a remarkably even-handed and balanced format. It presents a number of ways to maintain a good relationship with your editor, and these tips are useful and specific. A "damage control" section is included, since everyone runs into trouble now and then despite the best of intentions. There's information on "problem editors" to watch out for and how to best work with (or avoid) them, as well as types of writers that editors hate to find themselves working with and how you can avoid being one of these writers.

Quotes from freelancers and editors liven things up and bring a personal touch to the book. Clear, bulleted lists of helpful points are balanced by enough detail to make sure that you can figure out what you're doing in specific circumstances. The information presented is broad enough to be applicable to any sort of magazine freelancer, and specific enough to be applicable to every sort of magazine freelancer.

Editorial Review:

This highly anticipated update of the Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing builds off the excellent reputation the first edition enjoys with more of the great information readers have come to expect.

With original material as well as articles taken from the pages of Writer's Digest, the leading authority in the field, this book is the only resource readers need for all of their questions on how to:

* Brainstorm creative article ideas magazine editors will find irresistible

* Find the right magazine for their work

* Compose a professional, sophisticated query letter that catches the editor's eye

* Keep editors coming back for more (get repeat assignments from magazines)

This book is the writer's treasure map to the lucrative field of magazine writing!

Associated Press Guide to News Writing: The Resource for Professional Journalists

Cappon

Associated Press Guide to News Writing: The Resource for Professional Journalists Cappon Amazon Price: $10.17
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By: Arco
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This author is the epitome of witty 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Even if you're not interested in journalism - if all that you're looking for is a fun read - then pick up this book. He takes examples of good work and explains why it's good, as well as poor work and points out the deficiencies in a way this is both entertaining and enlightening. I don't agree with all of his opinions, but I very much enjoyed the book nonetheless.

A Great and Essential Read for New Writers 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I love this book! As a working journalist for some national newspapers the sentiment here reminded me of what my editors told me when I started out. I also work as a writing professor and started using this as mandatory reading for my newspaper and magazine writing class. The basic premise of the book is to write tightly, clearly and to rid one's work of irritating nonsense and twaddle. It's the only way to get published so the advice is best followed. The examples of news writing that the author offers are also very helpful.

excellent refresher--but have your dictionary handy 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

A superb refresher for veteran journalists--and light-hearted. Cappon is as much a humorist as an editor and instructor. Besides its wealth of ideas and corrections, the guide is a fun read. But be within arm's reach of your dictionary as you proceed. Cappon assumes such terms as "rococo," "fatuous," "tautology" and "pedagogue" are in your casual vocabulary. And of course you know what "bowwow language" is. (Are you certain?)

Daniel Elton Harmon
www.danieleltonharmon.com

Editorial Review:

Offers a practical review of the essentials of good journalistic writing.

The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage : The Official Style Guide Used by the Writers and Editors of the World's Most Authoritative Newspaper

Allan M. Siegal, William G. Connolly

The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage : The Official Style Guide Used by the Writers and Editors of the World's Most Authoritative Newspaper Allan M. Siegal, William G. Connolly Amazon Price: $11.53
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By: Three Rivers Press
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Is the deejay a wannabe?
Or does the D.J. just want to be?
When is heaven capitalized?
Do you stand in line or on line?

For anyone who writes—short stories or business plans, book reports or news articles—knotty choices of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and meaning lurk in every line: Lay or lie? Who or whom? None is or none are? Is Touch-Tone a trademark? How about Day-Glo? It’s enough to send you in search of a Martini. (Or is that a martini?) Now everyone can find answers to these and thousands of other questions in the handy alphabetical guide used by the writers and editors of the world’s most authoritative newspaper.

The guidelines to hyphenation, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling are crisp and compact, created for instant reference in the rush of daily deadlines. This revised and expanded edition is updated with solutions to the tantalizing problems that plague writers in the new century:

* How to express the equality of the sexes without using self-conscious devices like “he or she.”
* How to choose thoughtfully between African-American and black; Hispanic and Latino; American Indian and Native American.
* How to translate the vocabulary of e-mail and cyberspace and cope with the eccentricities of Internet company names and website addresses.

With wry wit, the authors, who have more than seventy-five years of combined newsroom experience at the New York Times, have created an essential and entertaining reference tool.

The Art and Craft of Feature Writing: Based on The Wall Street Journal Guide

William E. Blundell

The Art and Craft of Feature Writing: Based on The Wall Street Journal Guide William E. Blundell Amazon Price: $10.17
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent book for journalists 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book shows the nuts and bolts about good journalism: writing and interviewing techniques, how to get good story ideas, etc. It has a great deal of examples too. Every journalist should read it at least once. The best thing would be to revisit it every two or three years.

...Horsemen Pass By... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Cast a cold eye on life on death; horsemen pass by. That's an epitaph. Was it Yeats, or just one he suggested in a poem? How does it apply to Blundell's book? Just this: Here is the one and only worthwhile book ever written for writers. I know, because that's how I earn my living. Blundell is the best, bar none. Throw all the others out. Unless, of course you don't believe in preparation and craft, in which case, horsemen pass by.

(Many thanks to "Veritas," with my sincere apologies for aging eyes.)

Absolutely Reliable Book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is a true gem.
Set aside the absolutely helpful thoughts on generating ideas, structure, and the nexus of reporting and writing (all of which are invaluable).
The idea that there is a triad of elements upon which all good feature stories are based is an extraordinarily useful one.
Base a story on action, quotation and narration (i.e. the basic information necessary to the story) and go from one element to the next and so on, building the story block by block, says the author.
This concept alone is the best working guide for a writer on a nuts and bolts level, bar none.

The Powers That Be

David Halberstam

The Powers That Be David Halberstam Amazon Price: $16.47
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By: University of Illinois Press
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Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Crackling with the personalities, conflicts, and ambitions that transformed the media from something that followed the news to something that formed it, "The Powers That Be" is David Halberstam's forceful account of the rise of modern media as an instrument of political power, published here with a new introduction by the author. Beginning with FDR's masterful use of radio to establish the sense of a personal, benevolently paternal relationship with the American people and culminating in the discovery and coverage of the Watergate break-in, Halberstam tracks the firm establishment of the media as a potent means of shaping both public opinion and public policy.He tells the story through vivid, intimate portraits of the men, women, and politics behind four key media organizations: CBS and its board chairman William S. Paley; "Time" magazine and its cofounder Henry Luce; the "Washington Post" and successive publishers Philip Graham and his wife, Katherine; and, the "Los Angeles Times" and publishers Norman Chandler and his son, Otis.

Creating Short Fiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction

Damon Knight

Creating Short Fiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction Damon Knight Amazon Price: $10.17
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By: St. Martin's Griffin
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Best guide yet 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

First off, I've never taken a writing course in my life, so even though I feel I have some great ideas I have struggled with how to put them together. This book has really helped start to change that. I've gone through over half of Damon Knight's exercises and already I start to feel some of the barriers in my mind start to give. I don't know if I'll ever become a writer of fiction, however, this book certainly opens you up to the right path.
The process helps develop a whole different way of observing what you experience and how to go about communicate it to others in a way more interesting than a police line up.
Very solid fundamental group of lessons on how persuade your mind to put it all together into a form that makes sense before you learn how to find your own style.
Highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

Distilled from decades of teaching and practice, this book offers clear and direct advice on structure, pacing, dialogue, getting ideas, working with the unconscious, and more. Newly revised and expanded for this Third Edition, Creating Short Fiction is a popular and widely trusted guide to writing short stories of originality, durability, and quality. Celebrated short-story author and writing instructor Knight also includes many examples and exercises that have been effective in classrooms and workshops everywhere.

The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success (The Renegade Writer's Freelance Writing series)

Linda Formichelli, Diana Burrell

The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success (The Renegade Writer's Freelance Writing series) Linda Formichelli, Diana Burrell Amazon Price: $10.17
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 59 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Written by two freelancers who broke the rules to win the game, this handbook contains a wealth of information for writers who are frustrated by the seemingly limited ways to operate in the freelance market. It explains that freelancers can negotiate for more money and better terms without risking their careers, shows that editors are not the writer-gobbling monsters many freelancers fear, and explains how to establish and foster work relationships. In this updated second edition there are more ideas, more rules to break, and more resources to get started, including a suite of appendixes covering topics such as contract procedures, getting paid, services for freelancers, generating ideas, and doing research. As inspiration, the book includes examples of real writers who have gone against "expert" advice and flourished. Being shy doesn't pay, and following the rules puts a writer in a long line of other sheep; with this text as a guide, writers can step out of the herd and build a successful business in a crowded market.

Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Short Stories

Margaret Lucke

Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Short Stories Margaret Lucke Amazon Price: $8.76
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This book is a gem 5 out of 5 stars.
59 of 61 people found this review helpful.

Over the past few months I have collected and read many books on creative writing with a slant towards the art and technique of fiction. All the while I write and read everyday improving my writing and improving my understanding. I can certainly recommend many books that I have recently read and studied and I must say that this book has a welcome place in my library. All of the books on fiction that I have are highly geared toward the novel. I had been struggling to write just one short story with the knowledge and experience imparted from other books. Things just didn't fit. I bought this book with three others not expecting anything special. I started with the book and a page and a half of short story. By the time I finished reading the first chapter, everything was so clear that I put the book down, and, with surprising success, finished my short story. It only took a matter of hours. I am a page and a half into another story told entirely from the omniscient point of view. I would also like to say that many of the books I have include a pre-amble or first section on the struggle of writing well. I have found many of these depressing even when I am shining with hope. The first chapter of this book approaches the subject of writers struggle with interspersed anecdotes of hope and quotes about the struggle and joy of writing from famous writers. If you buy this book for only one reason, let it be the first chapter. It is truly original. The rest of the book goes on to talk about many of the common elements in general creative writing that can be found in any collection. This book freed my style and showed me that I can use un-common technique to make an engaging story of less than 5,000 words.

If this is your first book you also want "Self-Editing For Writers of Fiction", and Sol Steins, "Stein on Writing".

Good luck with your endeavors.

Editorial Review:

This guide to writing compelling, memorable short stories gives you all the essentials without wasted words. It tells you how and where to get ideas, how to establish and sustain excitement, how to create live, colorful characters, and how to plot, develop and bring home your story. It even includes exercises to help you perfect your story-telling skills. Full of tips and techniques that work, it makes an indispensable, reliable collaborator. You'll find it ideal whether you're studying alone or supplementing a creative or fiction writing course, conference or workshop.

Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular: An Informal Textbook

L. Rust Hills

Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular: An Informal Textbook L. Rust Hills List Price: $16.95
By: Houghton Mifflin (T)
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Disparaging cynicism 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular' is directed at writers rather than readers. Yet in the introduction, Hills says "Everyone seems to know that, even those thousands all across the country sitting in creative writing workshops right this minute, either being paid to do the impossible or paying to have it done to them." (P. Viii).

This sentence is typical of Rust's writing. It is riddled with long, meandering sentences, that often start with 'And' or 'But', have parenthesis in the middle, and are often incomplete. They choke the enthusiasm of the reader like indigestible food.

The book has nearly 60 paragraphs in its 200 pages. Short stucco and poorly linked, they irritate the readers eye like dust from a sand storm. The book's structure does not appear to reflect the structure or skills of writing. The content is often repetitious. If a 'How to.." book has value then it will become a reference for writers. For that it needs an index.

Everyone knows that if a writer has a good story to tell, then the reader will often forgive the writing to gain the story. Especially a reader seeking to learn. Hills does not have a story worth the effort. All that he has to say can be found in a number of excellent texts 'on writing' some like King's 'On writing' are also also entertaining. "Writing ....the Short Story in Particular' contains little that is of help for that particularly.

"Even then," writes Rust "it wouldn't be a short story. I don't know what it would be." (P.81). The disparaging sentiment of the introduction is a theme continued throughout the book. If the lesson of Rust's years of editing short stories is that creative writing cannot be taught, then what was the point in Rust putting pen to paper to writers?

just Jack


Editorial Review:

The classic handbook of short story writing, now revised and updated.

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