Today’s readers of mysteries, thrillers, Westerns, true crime, police procedurals, and romantic suspense are better informed about weapons than ever before. If you think you can slip one past these readers, you’re wrong. Dead wrong. You don’t have to be a gun buff to need this book. If you care enough about your readers and your craft to strive for accuracy, then this book is your comprehensive source for information on: • The characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of hundreds of weapons • Which weapons were available during each period of history, including their wars • Weapons favored by various types of criminals and terrorists • Weapons used by law enforcement • Weapons used for hunting You’ll also find a glossary of weapon-related terms and a series of appendices including: • A selective chronology of firearms development • Comparative handgun identification information • Comparative trajectories of rifle cartridges In the past, this kind of information was attainable only through hours of digging. Now it’s available at your fingertips in one handy guide. Make sure your story is accurate—refer to Armed & Dangerous.

    McCann asks his readers to constantly push the boundaries of experience, to see empathy and wonder in the stories we craft and hear.A paean to the power of language, both by argument and by example, Letters to a Young Writer is fierce and honest in its testament to the bruises delivered by writing as both a profession and a calling. It charges aspiring writers to learn the rules and even break them.These fifty-two essays are ultimately a profound challenge to a new generation to bring truth and light to a dark world through their art.

    People are interacting more frequently and more fervently than ever before, turning the English language into an indecipherable mess. Now, this unique and concise compendium presents the most confused and misused words in the language today -- words misused by careless speakers and writers everywhere. It defines, discerns and distinguishes the finer points of sense and meaning. Was it fortuitous or only fortunate? Are you trying to remember, or more fully recollect? Is he uninterested or disinterested? Is it healthful or healthy, regretful or regrettable, notorious or infamous? The answers to these and many more fascinating etymological questions can be found within the pages of this invaluable (or is it valuable?) reference.

    Just as you cherish receiving personal mail, you can take pleasure in crafting correspondence. Love, gratitude, condolences, congratulations--for every emotion and occasion, a snippet of heartfelt prose is included, sure to loosen the most stymied letter writer.

    Published in hardcover as The Penguin Roget's College Thesaurus in Dictionary Form, this new paperback edition of the 20-million-copy bestselling thesaurus has been fully revised, expanded, and updated for the modern home, school, or office.

    What makes a good English sentence? How should you rewrite a bad one? What clichés and other word-traps are to be avoided? Using a wealth of examples drawn from British and American newspapers, Essential English is an indispensable guide for all who have to convey information by the written or printed word.

    It's great for decoding your favorite pulp fiction or noir classic.

    Packed with 30 exercises, abundant examples, and practical strategies, this guidebook will help you write unforgettable characters who "come alive" on the page, create compelling dialogue, and chart more breathtaking emotional journeys for your characters. Stant Litore is the author of The Ansible Stories, The Zombie Bible, The Running of the Tyrannosaurs, and Dante's Heart. Best known for his weird fiction, alternate history, and scifi, he has taught frequent courses for writers across the genres and has served as a developmental editor for Westmarch Publishing. His own fiction has been acclaimed by NPR, has served as the subject of scholarly work in Relegere and Weird Fiction Review, and he has been hailed as "SF's premier poet of loneliness." He lives in Colorado with his wife and two daughters, and is working on his next book.

    This classic reference work for writers, editors, and publishers was in print through 39 editions for nearly one hundred years. New Hart's Rules is a brand-new text that brings the principles of the old text into the 21st century, providing answers to questions of editorial style for a new generation of editorial professionals. Writers and editors of all kinds will find this handy guide an indispensable companion in their work. Twenty chapters give information on all aspects of writing and of preparing copy for publication, whether in print or electronically. New Hart's Rules covers a broad range of topics including publishing terms, layout and headings, how to present numbers and dates, how to treat illustrations, hyphenation, punctuation, UK and US usage, bibliographies and notes, and indexing. The chapters have been compiled by a team of experts and consultants, and the book draws on the unrivalled expertise of Oxford's Reference Department. It is also endorsed by the Society for Editors and Proofreaders. The text is designed and organized for maximum accessibility with clearly displayed examples throughout. Authoritative and comprehensive, New Hart's Rules is the essential desk guide for all writers and editors, and together with the New Oxford Spelling Dictionary and the New Oxford Dictionary forWriters and Editors forms the complete editorial reference set.

    This new, expanded ninth edition of the best-selling guide to style is based on The Economist's own house style manual, and is an invaluable companion for everyone who wants to communicate with the clarity, style and precision for which The Economist is renowned. As the introduction says, 'clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought.' THE STYLE GUIDE gives general advice on writing, points out common errors and cliches, offers guidance on consistent use of punctuation, abbreviations and capital letters, and contains an exhaustive range of reference material - covering everything from accountancy ratios and stock market indices to laws of nature and science. Some of the numerous useful rules and common mistakes pointed out in the guide include: * Which informs, that defines. This is the house that Jack built. But This house, which Jack built, is now falling down. * Discreet means circumspect or prudent; discrete means separate or distinct.Remember that "Questions are never indiscreet. Answers sometimes are" (Oscar Wilde). * Fortuitous means accidental, not fortunate or well-timed.

    The Marshall Plan technique is the industry’s #1 go-to novel-writing method for anyone who wants to write a commercial novel—fast.In this unique guide, agent, editor and novelist Evan Marshall provides an easy-to-follow plan which simplifies the complex process of designing and writing successful commercial fiction. Now revised, this book includes these topics: Choosing the perfect genre for you. Shaping your story idea . . . with Hollywood in mind. Developing strong main characters for your story. Word-length ranges for the most popular fiction genres and subgenres. NovelMaster, which takes the guesswork out of structuring your novel. How to interweave plots and subplots. How to lay out all of your novel’s scenes. Mastering the five fiction-writing modes. How to handle story research so it doesn’t slow you down. 50 easy-to-implement fiction-writing techniques from the pros. A complete manuscript self-editing guide. How to format your manuscript for submission. How to approach agents and editors. Developing a fiction proposal, including the long and short synopsis. Self-publishing your novel. REVIEWS OF THE MARSHALL PLAN FOR NOVEL WRITING3.7 average rating, 440 ratings, 55 reviews, added by 954 people, 336 to-reads, 87% of people like it—Goodreads4.1 out of 5 stars (88 customer reviews)—Amazon“A down-to-earth approach to completing a novel.” —Boulder Planet“The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing is a master plan for aspiring novelists. Evan Marshall is brilliant.” —Bobbi Smith, New York Times bestselling author“A comprehensive manual to writing a novel for all writers—from the beginner to the more advanced looking for polishing tips. Savvy and concise.” —Bill Contardi, literary agent“Finally, a practical how-to manual for all aspiring authors, written with wit and wisdom. A delightful read!” —Maureen Walters, Vice President, Curtis Brown Literary Agency“An invaluable tool for the aspiring novelist. An upbeat, easy-to-follow guide that takes the mystery out of writing.” —Alicia Condon, Editorial Director: Fiction, Kensington Publishing“Evan Marshall has the scoop on making book—from beginning to end and everywhere in between.” —barnesandnoble.com ABOUT EVAN MARSHALL Evan Marshall is president of The Evan Marshall Agency, an independent literary agency which specializes in adult and young-adult fiction. He has held senior positions at Houghton Mifflin, Ariel Books, New American Library, Everest House and Dodd, Mead, where he acquired national and international bestsellers. The Marshall Plan For Novel Writing is now in its 4th edition. Evan is the author of 10 commercially published mysteries including Manhattan Mysteries and Jane and Winky Suburban Sleuths series, named “Miss Marple Lite” by Kirkus Reviews. His novels appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich, Lilian Jackson Braun, Agatha Christie and Alexander McCall Smith. To learn more about The Evan Marshall Agency, please visit www.evanmarshallagency.com. Visit his author page at www.evanmarshallbooks.com.

    Each week, readers learn a particular feature of strong articles and work on revising theirs accordingly. At the end of twelve weeks, they send their article to a journal. This invaluable resource is the only guide that focuses specifically on publishing humanities and social science journal articles . Key Features Has a proven record of helping graduate students and professors get published: This workbook, developed over a decade of teaching scholarly writers in a range of disciplines at UCLA and around the world, has already helped hundreds to publish their articles in peer-reviewed journals. Demystifies the academic publishing process: This workbook is based on actual research about faculty productivity and peer review, students′ writing triumphs and failures, as well as the author′s experiences as a journal editor and award-winning author. Proceeds step by manageable step: Within the context of clear deadlines, the workbook provides the instruction, exercises, and structure needed to revise a classroom essay, conference paper, dissertation chapter, master′s thesis, or unfinished draft into a journal article and send it to a suitable journal. Targets the biggest writing challenges: This workbook focuses squarely on the most difficult tasks facing scholarly writers, such as getting motivated, making an argument, and creating a logical whole.Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks can be used individually or in groups, and is particularly appropriate for graduate student professional development courses, junior faculty orientation workshops, post-doc groups, and journal article writing courses.Wendy Laura Belcher is assistant professor of African literature at Princeton University in the Department of Comparative Literature and Center for African American Studies. She has taught journal article writing workshops in North America, Europe, and Africa. Praise for Wendy Belcher and Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve WeeksA comprehensive, well-written and beautifully organized book on publishing articles in the humanities and social sciences that will help its readers write forward with a first-rate guide as good company.--Joan Bolker, author of Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a DayHumorous, direct, authentic ... a seamless weave of experience, anecdote, and research. --Kathleen McHugh, professor and director of the UCLA Center for the Study of WomenA useful text that will be an excellent resource for any writer attempting to publish their work.--Larry Chandler, Graduate StudentWendy Belcher′s book is revolutionizing the way younger scholars perceive academic publishing and radically transforming their level of access to it (and consequently to the profession). It is by far the most readable or practical guide to academic writing on the market. --Beth Goodhue, UCLAWendy′s guidance has been a tremendous help to me, and the book is great for grad students, junior faculty, or anyone who wants to learn how to write and publish more effectively.-Jake Dorman, The University of KansasYour book struck such a nerve because there is a long chain of assumptions in academia that scholars should just know how to do certain things. The relief among faculty is palpable when I explain in groups that few of us -- even those who have been published in journals -- were ever taught properly. And although it helps everyone who cracks it, your book is especially a godsend for faculty from other cultures. -Carole Sargent, Georgetown University Thanks for your wonderful book! -Georgina Green, Graduate StudentAbsolutely LOVE the book! -Karra Bikson, Graduate Student

    If your query is weak, unfocused, or uninspired, an editor or agent won't even bother to request your article, novel manuscript, or nonfiction book proposal. But a well-crafted, compelling query sent to the right editor or agent is an essential sales tool for fiction writers and the most effective way for nonfiction writers to pre-sell your idea.In this book, professional freelance writer and magazine editor Wendy Burt-Thomas shares practical advice on how to craft persuasive letters that connect with editors and agents and ultimately generate sales for you. You'll learn how to:Conduct targeted research to find suitable editors and agentsHook an editor with a tantalizing lead and shape a summary that compels editors to buySelect the strongest slant for your book or articleUse research and interview shortcuts that keep your query prep profitableMake your query rejection-proof by weeding out subtle mistakes that can sabotage your projectCommunicate your author platform and sell yourself as the best writer for the subjectComplete with dozens of sample queries–some that landed article assignments, agents, or book deals, and others that never stood a chance–this book offers you a comprehensive strategy for presenting your writing ideas in a way that will increase your chances of publication. Though the title may lead some to believe it's strictly to be shelved as a reference manual, The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters is a smooth read from cover to cover.

    That’s the message from Austin Kleon, a young writer and artist who knows that creativity is everywhere, creativity is for everyone. A manifesto for the digital age, Steal Like an Artist is a guide whose positive message, graphic look and illustrations, exercises, and examples will put readers directly in touch with their artistic side.