How would you like to become the next John Gray or Mark Victor Hansen? The enormously successful authors of the bestselling "Mars and Venus and "Chicken Soup for the Soul books weren't always so famous or prosperous. Just like you, they once only "dreamed of making it to the top. How they--and 58 other bestselling writers--made it big is revealed inside, along with the tips you'll need to make it onto the bestseller lists. You'll learn the secrets to: - Turning a good idea into a bestselling book - Writing book proposals that will reel in the big advances - Finding--and keeping--the right agent - Discovering the best promotional possibilities for you and your book - And much, much more! "People always ask me for advice on how to get their books published successfully. Now I can refer them to "You Can Make It Big Writing Books--one of the best reference books on this subject."--Nelson Demille, author of "The General's Daughter "Don't even think about writing a book until you read this. Jeff Herman tells it like it is in today's publishing world."--Arielle Ford, publicist and author "Conveys what it takes to become a bestselling author: the discipline, the perseverance, the knowledge, and the passion."--John Gray, author of "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus About the Author Jeff Herman is the owner of the Jeff Herman Literary Agency, one of New York's leading agencies for writers. He frequently speaks to writer's groups and conferences on the topic of getting published and can be reached at /www.jeffherman.com

An indispensable and distinctive book that will help anyone who wants to write, write better, or have a clearer understanding of what it means for them to be writing, from widely admired writer and teacher Verlyn Klinkenborg. Klinkenborg believes that most of our received wisdom about how writing works is not only wrong but an obstacle to our ability to write. In Several Short Sentences About Writing, he sets out to help us unlearn that “wisdom”—about genius, about creativity, about writer’s block, topic sentences, and outline—and understand that writing is just as much about thinking, noticing, and learning what it means to be involved in the act of writing. There is no gospel, no orthodoxy, no dogma in this book. Instead it is a gathering of starting points in a journey toward lively, lucid, satisfying self-expression.

Recommends a plan for single women to turn themselves into "dream girls" who do not have relationships with losers, and suggests ways to attract and marry desirable men.

What's better than getting new customers? Turning existing ones into FANS. Everything marketers need to know to find, engage, and leverage the power of brand evangelists Think Like a Rock Star provides step-by-step instructions that show marketing professionals how to connect with customers both online and offline to create a truly fan-centric brand. Using case studies of how rock stars like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Blink-182 cultivate fans, it teaches readers how to apply those lessons to create brand advocates who will grow profits, improve business frameworks, and contribute more than ever to the success of the brand. It also identifies successful and easily replicable marketing strategies of top brands such as Dell, Ford, Patagonia, and YouTube. Think Like a Rock Star is an indispensable tool for any marketing professional. Foreword by Kathy Sierra, cocreator of the Head First book series Mack Collier is a social media strategist, trainer, and speaker who specializes in helping companies better connect with their customers via social media. His clients include businesses of all sizes, from sole proprietorships to Fortune 500 companies.

Confused by the overload of blogs, articles, and guides that promise you everything you need to know on how to write for the web? Not sure where to start with your blog and website, from optimizing for search to creating the best headline? Or how to take your writing skills to the next level and actually market yourself and make money as a professional online freelance writer? In So You Think You Can Write?, you'll learn every skill it takes to write great copy for the web, from the absolute fundamentals of using storytelling in great online content all the way to knowing how to write for both search engines and people, what it takes to craft different forms of content on the web, and much more; plus, there's a bonus chapter revealing how to market yourself and make income as an online copywriter in an modern world. Written by Julia McCoy, who spent years of her life teaching herself the elements of successful online writing and launched a writing business that hit seven figures within five years, this book is your essential blueprint to learning what it takes to write great online copy, both as a freelancer and brand/business owner. In this book, Julia walks you step-by-step through the process of how to craft the seven forms of online content: 1. Web Content 2. Blogging 3. Social Media 4. Advertising/Sales Copy 5. Industry Writing 6. Journalism 7. Creative Writing Julia also takes you through the basics of SEO (search engine optimization) for the online writer and creator, without overloading you: you'll get a key list of the top tools on the web to research keywords, learn how to hone your best key phrases, and the tactics of how and where to place them in your content. Illustrated, easy-to-understand, and fun to read, this is a comprehensive yet digestible resource for writers and businesses alike on how to create successful online content. After you read this book, you'll be able to: Define your audience and the terms they use to search in Google Write great content that will get picked up by Google Know the basics of what it takes to write all seven forms of online copy Create blogs that are evergreen and engaging Know how to write the "secret" bits of copy that search engines love: meta descriptions, tags and more Know how to use Twitter chats, live streaming, and Facebook groups, and other platforms to find your people and confidently market yourself as a writer Access a comprehensive list of online writing tools and resources in the final Appendix Julia McCoy has built a successful freelance writing career and a multi-million dollar copywriting agency out of nothing but the amount of hard work, time, and self-teaching she put into it: and she believes any writer has what it takes to create great online content, provided they learn the essential tactics of adapting to all online copy forms. But she knows it's hard to find these fundamental teachings in one place: which is why she decided to write a book to offer everyone just that opportunity. A writer and internet marketer from an early age, Julia started three companies, enrolled in college, and wrote a book by 16. At 20, she dropped out of nursing school and left McDonald's to make a career out of her passion in online writing. Her writing agency, Express Writers, has over 70 team writers and strategists; and Julia's clients have included Shopify, PayPal, Staples, and a thousand other worldwide businesses of all sizes. Julia is also the creator of #ContentWritingChat, a Twitter chat that's hit #42 on Twitter; hosts The Write Podcast on iTunes; and writes at The Write Blog, Content Marketing Institute, Search Engine Journal, and a large amount of online publications.

Cloud native infrastructure is more than servers, network, and storage in the cloud—it is as much about operational hygiene as it is about elasticity and scalability. In this book, you’ll learn practices, patterns, and requirements for creating infrastructure that meets your needs, capable of managing the full life cycle of cloud native applications. Justin Garrison and Kris Nova reveal hard-earned lessons on architecting infrastructure from companies such as Google, Amazon, and Netflix. They draw inspiration from projects adopted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), and provide examples of patterns seen in existing tools such as Kubernetes. With this book, you will: Understand why cloud native infrastructure is necessary to effectively run cloud native applications Use guidelines to decide when—and if—your business should adopt cloud native practices Learn patterns for deploying and managing infrastructure and applications Design tests to prove that your infrastructure works as intended, even in a variety of edge cases Learn how to secure infrastructure with policy as code

What makes a good story or a screenplay great? The vast majority of writers begin the storytelling process with only a partial understanding where to begin. Some labor their entire lives without ever learning that successful stories are as dependent upon good engineering as they are artistry. But the truth is, unless you are master of the form, function and criteria of successful storytelling, sitting down and pounding out a first draft without planning is an ineffective way to begin. Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling, the engineering and design of a story--and uses it as the basis for narrative. The greatest potential of any story is found in the way six specific aspects of storytelling combine and empower each other on the page. When rendered artfully, they become a sum in excess of their parts. You'll learn to wrap your head around the big pictures of storytelling at a professional level through a new approach that shows how to combine these six core competencies which include: • Four elemental competencies of concept, character, theme, and story structure (plot) • Two executional competencies of scene construction and writing voice The true magic of storytelling happens when these six core competencies work together in perfect harmony. And the best part? Anyone can do it!

Author and former literary agent Nathan Bransford shares his secrets for creating killer plots, fleshing out your first ideas, crafting compelling characters, and staying sane in the process. Read the guide that New York Times bestselling author Ransom Riggs called "The best how-to-write-a-novel book I've read."

You want people to recognize you, like you, and trust you, so they buy from you. You may have already branded yourself with this in mind but perhaps you're not getting the desired results. Many people think that branding is about cool logos, fancy websites and social media popularity. But this line of thought causes potential successes to fail. So what does work? In The New Brand You, Julie Broad, MBA, bestselling author, popular speaker, and award winning entrepreneur, shares the secrets of creating a trusted brand. You'll learn what is critical in reinventing your personal brand, and why you may never have to tweet, pin or post to do it. Did you know that ...' Your brand is first of all about the feelings, thoughts and experiences of your customers and clients. There are at least 42 common communication mistakes that dilute your message, and only two things you have to do to have a brand with big impact. Online, you are who Google says you are ... The New Brand You is your detailed guidebook to successfully recreating your brand and attracting your ideal clients."

Alex has planned and executed her life with laser focus since she first met her future husband at the play-doh table on the first day of kindergarten. They have a terrific life, a gorgeous house on the bay, and fantastic careers they love. There's only one problem: Alex's husband has a secret. A big one. Now, Alex’s perfectly planned life has completely fallen apart, her biological clock is starting to feel like the timer on a nuclear device, and she finds herself drooling over her completely-dreamy-but-definitely-off-limits client, a star chef opening a hot new restaurant. Armed with dating guidance from her oddball collection of advisers—including her gay ex-husband, a foul-mouthed political consultant, a perkily masochistic yogi, and a pot-smoking octogenarian—Alex navigates the booby-trapped world of modern dating, in her search for a second chance at love in Single-Minded by Lisa Daily.