There is more to becoming a successful writer than mastering the rules of grammar and syntax and being gifted with the ability to put to paper an interesting string of words.

Ability and skill are important, but they are not everything. Equally important is how you communicate yourself--your competencies and achievements--to others. Teacher and consultant Richard Picardi takes a long, thoughtful look at the things we all need to understand in order to allow our ideas to be heard and understood in today's noisy, hotly competitive organizations. He covers not just the skills of putting your ideas, recommendations, and analyses in writing, but also the other way in which effective communication is accomplished: nonverbally. He shows you the internal and external roadblocks to effective communication and how to break through them.

In Part I, Picardi analyzes the nature of verbal and nonverbal communication. He shows how to recognize and remove internal and external barriers to effective communication and create messages that get the results you want. He then focuses on the specific goals of business communication, showing how the concept of change interacts with all forms of communication--in fact, how change is implicit in them. Picardi lays out the elements of organization that are essential in creating reader-based messages, then explains how to compose the clear, forceful sentences and paragraphs to express them. Later, in Part III, he presents his system of text boxes, showing how to write typical business memos and letters, using direct and indirect patterns of writing to demonstrate different types of messages you want to communicate, and ends with a systematic method to revise and improve upon first drafts. He goes on to apply the principles of reader-based communication, effective organization, and clear expression to proposal and report writing. He shows how proposals differ from reports and how to write both effectively. For training and development specialists, the book provides the material you need to teach these skills to others.

The Art of Dramatic Writing is a concise guide to all forms of creative writing, from premise to characters to plot.

Whether you are a graduate student seeking to publish your first article, a new Ph.D. revising your dissertation for publication, or an experienced author working on a new monograph, textbook, or digital publication, Handbook for Academic Authors provides reliable, concise advice about selecting the best publisher for your work, maintaining an optimal relationship with your publisher, submitting manuscripts to book and journal publishers, working with editors, navigating the production process, and helping to market your book. It also offers information about illustrations, indexes, permissions, and contracts and includes a chapter on revising dissertations and one on the financial aspects of publishing. The book covers not only scholarly monographs but also textbooks, anthologies, multiauthor books, and trade books. The fifth edition has been revised and updated to align with new technological and financial realities, taking into account the impact of digital technology and the changes it has made in authorship and publishing.

If John Lennon, Gertrude Stein, Stephen Hawking, and Mother Goose had conspired to write a grammar book, "GRAM-O-RAMA" would be it.

Suited both for an audience of word-lovers and for students in the classroom, this textbook contains dozens of unconventional exercises geared toward learning grammar. Its interactive method offers students and teachers a smart approach by focusing on the musical side of language. Exercises encourage the writer to experiment with style, pitch, rhythm, and sound to realize the levels behind words and structures.

Although this work includes rules as backup reference, it points students toward hearing language rather than memorizing rules. Inevitably, they'll have fun By reading and performing the exercises out loud, students will come to understand and appreciate grammar in a new and irresistible way.

Classroom tested with hilarious results for participants and audiences.

"Not your grandma's grammar, these irresistible exercises prod and provoke, delight and inspire. They rattle students (and teachers) out of boredom, apathy, and fear and awaken them to the power and possibilities of language."
-Elizabeth Moose, instructor of English,
North Carolina School of Science and Math

This volume is a collection of original essays focusing on the key pedagogical issues behind the teaching of stylistics. Featuring contributions from authors based in the UK, Europe and overseas, it offers an international overview of how stylistics is currently taught and how the teaching of the discipline might be developed in the future. The volume is divided into two main sections, dealing respectively with larger theoretical issues in the teaching of stylistics and examples of classroom practice and detailed text analysis. In addition, the appendices provide an overview of the history of stylistics in the form of a timeline, short biographies of significant figures in the field and substantial lists of further reading. Teaching Stylistics will be of value to postgraduates new to teaching as well as established teachers, particularly those working at the interface between language and literary studies.

The Practice of Technical and Scientific Communication is a detailed description of the work done by technical and scientific communicators in a variety of professional settings. It is designed mainly as an educational and career planning tool for students preparing for careers in technical communication. However, it may also be used by educators who teach and advise students, by researchers who need a comprehensive picture of technical communication practice, and by employers who need a more thorough understanding of how technical communicators can contribute to their businesses.

Successful Dissertation Writing guides students through the involved process of writing an academic dissertation, developing their ability to communicate ideas and research fluently and successfully. From conducting research, working with a supervisor, understanding and avoiding plagiarism, right through to using feedback and editing to improve the written piece, it will help students master the more technical elements of producing well-written academic work.