LOS ANGELES –USABookNews.com, the premier online magazine featuring mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced the winners and finalists ofTHE 2013 USA BEST BOOKS AWARDS on November 14, 2013. Over 400 winners and finalists were announced in over 100 categories. Awards were presented for titles published in 2012 and 2013. Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of USA Book News, said this year’s contest yielded over 1500 entries from mainstream and independent publishers, which were then narrowed down to over 400 winners and finalists.
Highlights include the following Award-Winning Titles: (Fll results listing available on USABookNews.com)
Animals/Pets: General
Chasing Doctor Dolittle: Learning the Language of Animals by Con Slobodchikoff, PhD
St. Martin’s Press
978-0-312-61179-8
Autobiography/Memoirs
IMPOSSIBLE ODDS: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six by Anthony Flacco with Jessica Buchanan & Erik Landemalm
Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
978-1-4767-2516-1
In the Beginning: Moral Tails in an Immoral World (Maurice’s Valises) by J.S. Friedman, illustrations by Chris Beatrice
Mouse Prints Press
978-9491613036
Keen says of the awards, now in their eleventh year, “The 2013 results represent a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array of publishers throughout the United States. With a full publicity and marketing campaign promoting the results of the USA Best Book Awards, this year’s winners and finalists will gain additional media coverage for the upcoming holiday retail season.”
Winners and finalists traversed the publishing landscape: St. Martin’s Press, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, John Wiley & Sons, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Hay House, Llewellyn Worldwide, Thomas Dunne Books, Oxford University Press, American Cancer Society and hundreds of independent houses contributed to this year’s outstanding competition.
Keen adds, “Our success begins with the enthusiastic participation of authors and publishers and continues with our distinguished panel of industry judges who bring to the table their extensive editorial, PR, marketing, and design expertise.”
USABookNews.com is an online publication providing coverage for books from mainstream and independent publishers to the world online community.
I believe that every one who operates a fixer upper and rental house business, or anyone who is doing anything that they love, should also consider writing a book (and self-publish it, but that’s another article). Once we have paid our dues, and carved out our niche in our chosen field, we have a moral obligation to share that knowledge with others.
When you write your book, the circle is complete.
Writing blog articles is another way to share, but it doesn’t go far enough. A book is all your experience and wisdom concentrated into one simple package, like frozen orange juice. Someone can read it and be able to follow in your foot steps and do what you do.
Think Like an Artist
Where’s my coffee?
Writing a book requires the same perseverance and gusto that we bring to our chosen profession. However, it also requires something more. We need to be able to think like artists. Don’t worry, you don’t have to walk around with a tortured look on your face, grow a goatee, or sip coffee all day at French Cafés.
Thinking like as artist requires delving into the inspirational and creative natures of our personalities. In short, we have to be struck by inspirational lightning!
Author Julie Cameron, in her book “The Artist’s Way” describes a two-pronged technique designed to plug you into your inner source of creativity.
The two steps are:
1.) Writing morning pages; and,
2.) The artist’s date.
The morning pages allow you to bypass your “logic” brain, which is normally in gear, and shift into the “artist” brain. The artist’s dates are fun things that you do to refill your creative reservoir.
Morning Pages
Up a little too early?
The “morning pages” technique involves getting up an hour earlier than you normally do, and in longhand writing, write three pages using strictly stream of consciousness. Every day, just write three pages of whatever crosses your mind, and don’t stop until the three pages are full.
The purpose of writing morning pages is to get past the things that inhibit us from writing; our fears, our negativity, or our moods. It gets us past them to a place where we can hear that still, small voice. And, when we are in that place past the negativity, we can align with our creative energies.
As Cameron says “It is impossible to write morning pages for any extended period of time without coming into contact with an unexpected inner power.”
The Artist Date
An artist date is a block of time, maybe two hours a week, committed to nurturing your inner artist. It can be things like a walk in the county, a visit to an art gallery, attending a film contest, or visit a great junk store. It’s just you and your inner artist.
Seek out the mysterious.
The artist brain is drawn to sensory stimulation, like sights, sounds, smell, taste, and touch. Do what intrigues you, explore what interests you; follow your sense of the mysterious.
Your inner artist needs to be taken out, indulged, and listened to. Our creativity uses this time to confide in us and to bond with us.
Get Going!
Morning pages and the artist date are a two step process for the aspiring au thor. The Morning Pages draw from your well of inspiration, and the Artist’s Date fill the well again.
“Someday” never comes.
I know, every time you imagine writing that book of yours; you get that glazed, wistful look in your eyes, thinking “yeah, someday I’m going to do that.”
Snap out of it!
You should allow these two techniques to jump start your creative juices, like inspirational lightning, and to begin writing your book!
Julia Cameron on Morning Pages & Artist Date
_____________________
Coming Soon!
How to Turn Your Home into a Rental House, Instead of Selling It
How Abraham Lincoln Used Stories to Touch Hearts, Minds & Funny Bones
“Timeless wisdom! The author shows how we can develop these skills and put them to use in our daily lives and businesses..” — Don Blankenship – Top 50 Amazon Reviewer.
“The book is much more than a collection of stories. It teaches us the importance of storytelling as a means to succeed in life and build relationships with your family, friends and employers.” — Awdhesh Singh
“Highly recommended! Improve “people skills” by becoming a more “people friendly” “approachable person.” — Alma Jones
*2013 NATIONAL AWARD WINNER *
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The Midwest Book Review
FIX EM UP RENT EM OUT
Purchase FIX EM UP RENT EM OUT (paperback)Award-Winning Finalist in the Real Estate category of the National Best Books Awards, sponsored by USA Book NewsGreat information for anyone starting out in the fixer-upper business. The author has served his apprenticeship in the trenches.
-- Fixer Jay P. DeCima, Investor and AuthorTerry Sprouse has created a profitable rental business in his spare time. What sets him apart is he took action.-- Bob Zachmeier, Investor, Educator, Author With the wit of Will Rogers, this book provides simple guidelines for restoring homes, and sanity to our crazy lives. --M.D. Matlock, Ph.D., P.E., C.S.E.