As more and more old-growth trees are cut down, and we face the reality of having to wait close to 100 years or more to replace them, the need for recycling paper gets greater and greater.
Paper, of course, includes books and magazines. And while they are nearly 100% biodegradable, there is no point in sending these resources to the dump to rot in the landfill when they are so reusable and recyclable.
More than any other material we hope to recycle, books and magazines represent knowledge. There is wisdom to be found in the pages of old books, and culture to learn about in the pages of old magazines. Because of this factor, the best thing to do with old books and magazines is pass them on.
Libraries are usually very happy to receive donations of old books, and sometimes even magazines, that are in good shape. This allows other people to benefit from the publication as well. Once you have enjoyed and learned from a book, rather than letting it sit on a shelf to collect dust, donating it to a library is a great way to share and reuse it.
The second choice, for both books and magazines, is to sell them to a used bookstore, at a garage sale, flea market, or on eBay. Other people may be looking for the exact book or magazine you have, so passing it on by offering it for sale is a win-win scenario for you and the new owner.
If you wish to reuse publications in a creative way, magazines make good colorful craft supplies for children and adults alike. You can cut out parts of pictures to make collages by pasting the picture pieces to a cardboard backing, or make hanging mobiles by cutting out shapes, stringing pieces of thread through holes at the top, and attaching the strings to a clothes hanger.
You can also cut out whole pictures to construct a dream board or a vision board, which helps you to think about and visualize the goals and dreams you want to achieve; for instance, a Hawaiian vacation, a certain type of job, or a new sports car.
As for traditional recycling, some areas will let you place books or magazines in your blue bin for pickup as well. Magazines are traditionally printed on glossy paper, which is more expensive to recycle because there is not a high demand for products made from recycled glossy paper; however, this will change in the future as the need for recycling paper is seen and understood more and more.
The biggest challenge with recycling books and magazines is separating the paper from the adhesives or staples used to bind the pages. Forward-thinking recycling companies have a way to remove the waste from the bindings magnetically, however, so we should soon be seeing more and more opportunities to recycle all kinds of paper products.
So next time you're thinking about throwing away some books or magazines, think first about how you can pass them along for others to enjoy. If that doesn't work for you, try to reuse them creatively. And if you still can't find a use for them, look for places to take them where they can be recycled into new paper products, so we can save more trees.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Audio Book Revolution
Audio books are going to be the next revolutionary hottest areas in publishing thanks to their convenience and ease of use on the internet. The popularity of audio books is increasing due to the new downloadable formats. They are redefining the old ways of reading and learning which for centuries has been centered on the written word.
The beauty of using audio books is that a listener can always rewind, forward or just listen to the entire audio book at his convenience. One of the great facets about online audio books is that there are no late fees or chance of loosing CD's. You don't even have to be a computer expert to get this working on your own computer.
A few other benefits of audio books is when you are reading a traditional paperback book, you absolutely have no chance to do any other activities at the same time, however with an audio book is problem is solved.
Internet users can download their favorite audio book anywhere any time. They are not limited to the book store nor the library. With the internet quickly moving into audio and video this is the perfect product that meet subscribers demand. Audio books can be supplied or played on a cassette tape, a CD, MP3 player as well as IPOD, as well as your computer desk to or from the server hosting the audio book.
The internet has transformed the way many industries and companies do business and the audio book industry fits right into main streams demands. With the internet, you can find anything you need to enjoy your favorite audio book twenty four hours a day running on auto pilot.
Downloading your audio book onto your computer is truly the best choice, because you will always have it ready with one click of the mouse and never have to return it. The best way for potential customers to appreciate audio books is to actually give them a free sample of the quality that they will receive after they purchase the product.
Listening to audio books is an excellent way for commuters to learn new skills during periods of down time while riding to work, washing the car, walking the dog, and jogging. Listening to audio books is convenient and it fits the busy lifestyle of society.
The demand for audio books is about to explode. The market is already very large, and many surveys indicate that it is likely to grow even further in the years to come. It has shaken up the publishing world with its very fast growth rate. The audio books are about thirty five percent cheaper than their physical product due to the world wide web. The audio book revolution has began. Steak your claim.
The beauty of using audio books is that a listener can always rewind, forward or just listen to the entire audio book at his convenience. One of the great facets about online audio books is that there are no late fees or chance of loosing CD's. You don't even have to be a computer expert to get this working on your own computer.
A few other benefits of audio books is when you are reading a traditional paperback book, you absolutely have no chance to do any other activities at the same time, however with an audio book is problem is solved.
Internet users can download their favorite audio book anywhere any time. They are not limited to the book store nor the library. With the internet quickly moving into audio and video this is the perfect product that meet subscribers demand. Audio books can be supplied or played on a cassette tape, a CD, MP3 player as well as IPOD, as well as your computer desk to or from the server hosting the audio book.
The internet has transformed the way many industries and companies do business and the audio book industry fits right into main streams demands. With the internet, you can find anything you need to enjoy your favorite audio book twenty four hours a day running on auto pilot.
Downloading your audio book onto your computer is truly the best choice, because you will always have it ready with one click of the mouse and never have to return it. The best way for potential customers to appreciate audio books is to actually give them a free sample of the quality that they will receive after they purchase the product.
Listening to audio books is an excellent way for commuters to learn new skills during periods of down time while riding to work, washing the car, walking the dog, and jogging. Listening to audio books is convenient and it fits the busy lifestyle of society.
The demand for audio books is about to explode. The market is already very large, and many surveys indicate that it is likely to grow even further in the years to come. It has shaken up the publishing world with its very fast growth rate. The audio books are about thirty five percent cheaper than their physical product due to the world wide web. The audio book revolution has began. Steak your claim.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Publishing your first educational book.
Every aspiring author eventually will try to get his or her educational book published. Preferably with a well-known publisher with a good name in the market.
The first step to be able to publish is to have a manuscript ready that is above average in writing style and covers a topic you know a lot about. This could be because you already are an expert in the field or by doing much research to become an expert.
To get you past the first shifting your manuscript must tickle the publishers interest. This can be done by presenting a book that shines a whole new light on a subject. It could be by presenting the topic you write about in a controversial manner. The thoughts you express in your book do not have to be mainstream to get published.
It also helps if you style your manuscript to be fitting with the catalogue a publisher already has. For instance. If you wrote a book on the medical subject of depression and want to send it to publisher XYZ it can come in handy to do some research on the titles this publisher has on the shelf.
It does not make sense for a publisher to have a series of approximately similar books on for instance the topic of bipolar depression. If however you find out that publisher XYZ has a whole range of self help books on mental health issues. And you notice a self help book on bipolar depression is missing you might want to consider fine tuning your manuscript on bipolar depression to become more fitting as the book on bipolar depression self-help. You then great enhance your chances to become a member of the published writers guild.
Now lets say you have past the initial barriers the publishers build to keep their workload manageable. You will most certainly be awarded with an editor who will help you rewrite or improve on the manuscript. This can be an exhausting but nevertheless interesting experience. Exhausting because you probably have spent many hours working on the manuscript by yourself and you might have seen enough of it already. Interesting because often the manuscript will be a better one after having been taken care of by the editor in cooperation with you, the author.
Finally there are contracts to be drawn up. Be sure to study them thoroughly before signing them.
If all goes well your book will be published and you will receive a huge kick seeing your baby in print, like most other aspiring writers have received before you. Enjoy this moment to its fullest.
The first step to be able to publish is to have a manuscript ready that is above average in writing style and covers a topic you know a lot about. This could be because you already are an expert in the field or by doing much research to become an expert.
To get you past the first shifting your manuscript must tickle the publishers interest. This can be done by presenting a book that shines a whole new light on a subject. It could be by presenting the topic you write about in a controversial manner. The thoughts you express in your book do not have to be mainstream to get published.
It also helps if you style your manuscript to be fitting with the catalogue a publisher already has. For instance. If you wrote a book on the medical subject of depression and want to send it to publisher XYZ it can come in handy to do some research on the titles this publisher has on the shelf.
It does not make sense for a publisher to have a series of approximately similar books on for instance the topic of bipolar depression. If however you find out that publisher XYZ has a whole range of self help books on mental health issues. And you notice a self help book on bipolar depression is missing you might want to consider fine tuning your manuscript on bipolar depression to become more fitting as the book on bipolar depression self-help. You then great enhance your chances to become a member of the published writers guild.
Now lets say you have past the initial barriers the publishers build to keep their workload manageable. You will most certainly be awarded with an editor who will help you rewrite or improve on the manuscript. This can be an exhausting but nevertheless interesting experience. Exhausting because you probably have spent many hours working on the manuscript by yourself and you might have seen enough of it already. Interesting because often the manuscript will be a better one after having been taken care of by the editor in cooperation with you, the author.
Finally there are contracts to be drawn up. Be sure to study them thoroughly before signing them.
If all goes well your book will be published and you will receive a huge kick seeing your baby in print, like most other aspiring writers have received before you. Enjoy this moment to its fullest.
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