For Writers from All Walks of Life

There's no need to fear the big, bad world of writing with "The Little Red Writing Book" in hand. Brimming with clever advice, this book offers writers, students, and business professionals a concise guide to penning strong and effective work for all occasions.

"The Little Red Writing Book" is designed for visual appeal and ease of use. Elegant yet practical, it will be an intriguing, inviting reference you'll turn to again and again. Author Brandon Royal offers concise explanations and nonintimidating instruction based on the four pillars of sound writing: structure, style, readability, and grammar. His discussion centers on 20 immutable writing principles as well as 30 commonly encountered rules of grammar. A wealth of examples, charts, and engaging exercises make "The Little Red Writing Book" an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to master those skills that will make a good writer even better.

Technical Writing in Action: Practical Applications for STEM Students is comprised of a collection of activities and projects that can be used to supplement a course or serve as a standalone resource for writing technical documents. Through engagement in a variety of assignments, the text equips readers with the knowledge and practice they need to produce clear, research-based documents. Each of the 18 chapters provides readers with all the appropriate information they need to complete the specified assignments. These key pieces of information include assignment introductions to provide context and set expectations, project overviews to assist with initial research, design templates to help students write in a logical voice, instructions for organizing and formatting the final content, and peer review evaluation sections to allow students to discuss their findings with classmates and learn from each other. Particular lessons build upon the knowledge learned in previous chapters, allowing students to continually develop their personal knowledge bases and skill sets. Topical areas include writing a professional email, constructing an instruction manual, formulating convincing lab reports, writing a proposal to solve a problem, translating international communications, and more. Helping students understand the importance of relating their research to others in a clear manner, Technical Writing in Action is a valuable supplementary text for STEM courses.

You are an unpublished writer with a long and impressive background in your field of expertise, and you've got an idea for a great book. You write a proposal, and send it off to a publisher who has stated a need for this type of book. It seems like a perfect match. Three weeks later you receive a rejection letter: "Thanks for your interest in us. Unfortunately, your idea doesn't meet our current needs." You are puzzled. Or, you look through the advertisements in Writer's Digest magazine, and find several publishing houses "now seeking new and established authors." Having waited for an opportunity for years, you print the manuscript that has been gathering "dust" in your computer folder and rush it to the post office. Don't If it sounds too easy, it is. Or, you just landed your first book contract with a legitimate publisher. Instant fame, right? Wrong Confessions of a Published Author: 47 Truths About What Can Go Right and Wrong When Selling Your Book to a Traditional Publisher, talks straight about the publishing experience, with focus on asking, "What if?" What if you don't want to write your manuscript in the recommended format? What if you have no credentials or can't state your qualifications for writing this book? What if you don't like the critique you're getting? What if you can wallpaper your office with rejection slips? What if you want more than the standard 10 percent royalties? A number of common issues are explored, such as what to include and what to leave out of your query letter; what matters and what doesn't, and what you must be careful with when signing the publishing agreement.

Literacy Skills for the Mass Media provides students with tools and information to better understand words, grammar, spelling, and communication. The text helps students connect the dots between strategies and concepts that foster effective communication practices in both writing and speaking. The text is divided into three sections. Section I introduces students to the basics of grammar, including types of words and their proper usage, the parts of a sentence and effective sentence structure, and how to effectively use punctuation. Section II focuses on sentence construction, providing readers with rules, tips, and strategies for creating dynamic sentences. The final section examines words, speaking to why word choice matters, how to use plurals, possessives, and contractions, common mistakes and issues, the importance of correct spelling, and more. An easy-to-use guide to good grammar and successful communication, Literacy Skills for the Mass Media is an ideal textbook for foundational courses in writing, composition, mass media, and journalism. It is also a useful tool for remedial learning and for reference purposes. The book is an excellent resource for college orientation and student success programs as well.

Beginning with an extensive overview essay of the period, this book focuses on the issues of the Progressive Era through contemporary accounts of the people involved. Each issue is presented with an introductory essay and multiple primary documents from the newspapers of the day, which illustrate both sides of the debate. This is a perfect resource for students interested in the controversial and tumultuous changes America underwent during the Industrial Age and up to the start of World War I. With the death of southern reconstruction, Americans looked first westward and then abroad to fulfill their manifest destiny. Along the way, robber barons built railroads and oil trusts, populism burned across the prairies, currency went off the gold standard, immigrants poured into urban areas, and the United States won imperial outposts in Cuba and the Philippines. Beginning with an extensive overview essay of the period, this book focuses on the issues of the Progressive Era through contemporary accounts of the people involved. Each issue is presented with an introductory essay and multiple primary documents from the newspapers of the day, which illustrate both sides of the debate. This is a perfect resource for students interested in the controversial and tumultuous changes America underwent during the Industrial Age and up to the start of World War I.

Why Write? An Anthology for English Composition equips students with the knowledge, skillsets, and applied practice needed to improve their academic writing, critical thinking skills, and research capability. The anthology provides students with engaging and thought-provoking readings, which are complemented by as-you-read suggestions, writing prompts, reflection exercises, and opportunities for discussion. Unit I helps students understand who they are as writers and how to imbue their writing with their unique experiences, viewpoints, and strengths. They are introduced to exploratory writing, personal narratives, essay writing, the writing process, and strategies for improving written works with revision. In Unit II, students learn who they are as critical thinkers while also learning how to effectively and confidently construct and defend an argument. Unit III helps students understand who they are as researchers. They learn how research and knowledge can strengthen arguments, deepen personal analysis of works, and further develop writing effectiveness. The second edition features a new fourth unit, which focuses on the practice of argumentation. The unit covers types of arguments, fallacies, oral arguments, and how to construct an effective argument. An enlightening and practical anthology, Why Write? is ideal for foundational courses in English, composition, and rhetoric. It can also be used to support freshman orientation or student success courses and programs.