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.

Can We Really See the World in a Fair and Unbiased Way? "The Map Maker" is the story of a young adventurer who travels to Paradise Island with the aid of a magical map. Here, he begins his own "knowledge quest" to better understand why people see the world just the way they do. Arguably, one of the most important traits any person can possess is the ability to see things from another person's point of view. This story shows how different people, with differing viewpoints, can each believe that his or her own viewpoint is reasonable and accurate. It offers an explanation as to why it is difficult, if not impossible, to judge events objectively. Using simple prose, this work introduces and explores the meaning behind the phrase "the subjectivity of truth and the relativity of reality." A product of inspirational and literary fiction, "The Map Maker" will hold special appeal for readers interested in philosophy in fiction. This short story will also introduce readers to the story line of the movie "Rashomon." This Oscar-winning, Japanese foreign-language film was one of the first movies to present viewers with an account of multiple perspectives, in which each person who is called to testify at a trial gives conflicting testimony. Author's bio: Brandon Royal is an award-winning writer whose educational authorship includes "The Little Blue Reasoning Book, The Little Red Writing Book, The Little Gold Grammar Book, " and "The Little Green Math Book." During his tenure working in Hong Kong for US-based Kaplan Educational Centers -- a Washington Post subsidiary and the largest test-preparation organization in the world -- Brandon honed his theories of teaching and education and developed a set of key learning "principles" to help define the basics of writing, grammar, math, and reasoning. A Canadian by birth and graduate of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, his interest in writing began after completing fiction and scriptwriting courses at Harvard University. Since then he has authored a dozen books and reviews of his books have appeared in "Time Asia" magazine, "Publishers Weekly, Library Journal of America, Midwest Book Review, The Asian Review of Books, Choice Reviews Online, Asia Times Online, " and About.com. Brandon is a five-time winner of the International Book Awards, a five-time gold medalist at the President's Book Awards, as well as winner of the Global eBook Awards, USA Book News "Best Book Awards," and recipient of the 2011 "Educational Book of the Year" award as presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. ""The Map Maker" is a short story as playful as it is poignant. The marriage of whimsical images and thought-provoking text creates a unique tapestry: one that weaves storytelling and philosophy with literary verve. Royal challenges us to think about the key role that perspective plays in our lives. He also shows how literature, acting as both an art form and a pragmatic tool, can help us gain critical insights."--Rachel Metalin, B.A. M.A., English Instructor, Upper Canada College (UCC), Toronto, Canada

For Math and Numeracy Aficionados from All Walks of Life Fine-tune your numerical mindset with a quantitative review that serves as a tool for perceiving probability in a new way. Whether you're a high school student, college student, or a test-prep candidate, this book's wealth of explanations and insights makes it a perfect learning companion. Enjoy the benefits of your own short course in probability: *Be able to think conceptually by understanding how key problems "fit" within the main topics of probability, permutations, combinations, and enumerations. *Master basic probability using a simple "flowchart" to identify the correct formulas. *Understand when to "add" probabilities and when to "multiply" probabilities. *Be able to distinguish between events that are independent versus not independent and events that are mutually exclusive versus not mutually exclusive. *Grasp key differences between permutations and combinations and look for key words such as "arrangements" or "selections" to indicate the correct problem type. *Solve tricky permutation problems that involve repeated letters or numbers. *Approach probability problems with a newfound confidence and competency. This book is focused on those thinking skills that are essential for mastering basic probability. Such thinking skills make it much more likely that a person will be able to understand the "how" and "why" of problem solving, approach the subject in a conceptual way, and grasp those key principles that act as themes to bind related problems. These skills combine the science of math with the art of numbers. Author's bio: Brandon Royal (CPA, MBA) is an award-winning writer whose educational authorship includes "The Little Green Math Book, The Little Blue Reasoning Book, The Little Red Writing Book, " and "The Little Gold Grammar Book, " During his tenure working in Hong Kong for US-based Kaplan Educational Centers -- a Washington Post subsidiary and the largest test-preparation organization in the world -- Brandon honed his theories of teaching and education and developed a set of key learning "principles" to help define the basics of writing, grammar, math, and reasoning. A Canadian by birth and graduate of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, his interest in writing began after completing writing courses at Harvard University. Since then he has authored a dozen books and reviews of his books have appeared in "Time Asia" magazine, "Publishers Weekly, Library Journal of America, Midwest Book Review, The Asian Review of Books, Choice Reviews Online, Asia Times Online, " and About.com. Brandon is a five-time winner of the International Book Awards, a five-time gold medalist at the President's Book Awards, as well as a winner of the Global eBook Awards, the USA Book News "Best Book Awards," and recipient of the 2011 "Educational Book of the Year" award as presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. "To get started in probability theory, all you need are a few basic principles. Here they are, clear and uncluttered, in a short, simple book that comes as a welcome breath of fresh air."--Dr. Ian Steward, author of "17 Equations That Changed the World" and the "Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities"

For Writing and Grammar Aficionados from All Walks of Life This deluxe edition contains the complete contents of "The Little Red Writing Book" and "The Little Gold Grammar Book." Whereas writing is based on principles - in which writing is deemed better or worse, more effective or less effective - grammar is based on rules, in which writing is deemed right or wrong, correct or incorrect. With coverage of the most useful writing principles and the most commonly encountered rules of grammar, "The Little Red Writing Book Deluxe Edition" is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to master those skills that will make a good writer even better. Enjoy the benefits of your own self-paced writing course: Writing has four pillars - structure, style, readability, and grammar - and each pillar is like the single leg of a sturdy chair. *Structure relates to organization and deciding in which order to present your ideas. Learn how to choose the best writing structure to develop your ideas, how to break your writing topic into two to four parts, and how to write with a top-down approach. *Style describes how one writes, including how to use specific examples to support what is written. Learn how to make writing more simple, powerful, and vivid. Understand how to vary sentence beginnings, how to create a formal and informal tone, and how to keep writing gender neutral. *Readability focuses on presentation and how to make your document visually pleasing and easy to read. Learn how to make key words stand out, how to use headings and headlines to "frame" writing, and how to increase the use of white space to allow your document to "breathe." *Grammar is about expressing language in a correct and acceptable form. Review the rules of grammar in terms of six common categories (subject-verb agreement, pronoun usage, modification, parallelism, comparisons, and verb tenses), and use short exercises and problems to help integrate key concepts of grammar, diction, idioms, and style. *Also included are special sections on editing tips and punctuation, America English vs. British English, and traditional writing vs. digital writing. Author's bio: Brandon Royal is an award-winning writer whose educational authorship includes "The Little Red Writing Book, The Little Gold Grammar Book, The Little Green Math Book, The Little Blue Reasoning Book, " and "Reasoning with Numbers." During his tenure working in Hong Kong for US-based Kaplan Educational Centers - a Washington Post subsidiary and the largest test-preparation organization in the world - Brandon honed his theories of teaching and education and developed a set of key learning "principles" to help define the basics of writing, grammar, math, and reasoning. A Canadian by birth and graduate of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, his interest in writing began after completing writing courses at Harvard University. Since then he has authored a dozen books and reviews of his books have appeared in "Time Asia" magazine, "Publishers Weekly, Library Journal of America, Midwest Book Review, The Asian Review of Books, Choice Reviews Online, Asia Times Online, " and About.com. Brandon is a five-time winner of the International Book Awards, a five-time gold medalist at the President's Book Awards, as well as a winner of the Global eBook Awards, the USA Book News "Best Book Awards," and recipient of the 2011 "Educational Book of the Year" award as presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. "Appropriate for its audience of ambitious students and professionals - those who have plenty of brains, but need a little brush-up with the pen." --Publishers Weekly Online Reviews

"For Writing Aficionados from All Walks of Life " Whether you're a student, test-prep candidate, or business professional, this book offers a concise guide to penning strong and effective work for all occasions. A wealth of examples, charts, and engaging exercises makes "The Little Red Writing Book" an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to master those skills that will make a good writer even better. Author's bio: Brandon Royal is an award-winning writer whose educational authorship includes "The Little Gold Grammar Book, The Little Red Writing Book Deluxe Edition, The Little Green Math Book, " and "The Little Blue Reasoning Book." During his tenure working in Hong Kong for US-based Kaplan Educational Centers -- a Washington Post subsidiary and the largest test-preparation organization in the world -- Brandon honed his theories of teaching and education and developed a set of key learning "principles" to help define the basics of writing, grammar, math, and reasoning. A Canadian by birth and graduate of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, his interest in writing began after completing writing courses at Harvard University. Since then he has authored a dozen books and reviews of his books have appeared in "Time Asia" magazine, "Publishers Weekly, Library Journal of America, Midwest Book Review, The Asian Review of Books, Choice Reviews Online, Asia Times Online, " and About.com. Brandon is a five-time winner of the International Book Awards, a five-time gold medalist at the President's Book Awards, as well as a winner of the Global eBook Awards, the USA Book News "Best Book Awards," and recipient of the 2011 "Educational Book of the Year" award as presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. "The articulate exposition of Royal's twenty principles of writing fit neatly into 128 short, accessible (paperback) pages. I recommend this wonder to all my writing students. Perhaps one day writing committees will wisely follow suit and make this a primary text for all writing courses at their schools." --Ray Turner, B.A., MA (Communications), Writing Instructor and Former Educational Administrator, Corpus Christi TX, USA

"A Treasure Trove of Tools and Tips to Help You Build Your Best Business School Application" GAME PLAN FOR GETTING INTO BUSINESS SCHOOL is based on a simple but powerful observation: Applicants who apply successfully to business school master a finite number of the most important application skills and strategies. What are these skills and strategies? The answer to this question is the basis of this book. Readers will find 100 easy-to-follow tips and a complete range of sample documents, including 50-plus sample application essays covering all ten major MBA essays types, as well as exhibits highlighting relevant application documents: sample letters of recommendation with critiques; an interview evaluation form complete with interviewer's comments; an interview thank-you note; sample employment records and professionally formatted resumes; and extracurricular presentations showing how candidates present their awards and recognition, community service, collegiate activities, and hobbies and interests. Read this book and gain an insider s understanding of all MBA application strategies in order to: *Anticipate the likely reasons for acceptance and rejection at the most competitive business schools *Understand the interplay of both quantitative and qualitative admissions components *Write compelling admissions essays *Present a powerful employment record *Obtain detailed letters of recommendation *Maximize your ability to answer interview questions with insightfulness and confidence *Personalize your record of extracurricular involvement Author s bio: Brandon Royal (CPA, MBA) is an award-winning educational author and a graduate of the University of Chicago s Booth School of Business. This book represents, in part, his distilled experience gained from having developed and taught MBA admissions courses for Kaplan Educational Centers in Hong Kong and from having conducted hundreds of hours of individual tutoring sessions that helped scores of applicants build superior applications and achieve acceptance at the world s leading business schools. In my 15 years running MBA admissions operations at four top schools, I have never reviewed a more helpful admissions manual. It is a must for all serious MBA candidates. Dr. Steven DeKrey, President, Asian Institute of Management; former GMAT Committee Chair, Graduate Management Admission Council

For Math Aficionados From All Walks of Life The Little Green Math Book reads like a collection of math recipes to help us blend problems, principles, and approaches in creating our own lineup of splendid math cuisine. The book's four chapters include: (1) Basic Numeracy Ingredients, (2) Wonderful Math Recipes, (3) Favorite Numeracy Dishes, and (4) Special Math Garnishments. Along with 30 of the most fundamental, recurring math principles and rules, you ll find a three-tier system to rate the difficulty level of all problems -- one chili ( mild ), two chilies ( hot ), and three chilies ( very hot ). Fine-tune your numerical mindset with a quantitative review that serves as a refresher course and as a tool for perceiving math in a new way. Whether you re a high school or college student, test-prep candidate, or working professional, this book s wealth of explanations and insights makes it a perfect learning companion. Enjoy the benefits of your own self-paced math course: *Contains 120 all-star problems to help readers discover the secrets of basic math. *Develop a feel for how numbers behave and what makes math problems tick. *Learn to solve equations by translating math into words and thinking conceptually. *Watch for pitfalls when working with percentage increase and decrease. *Use simple math to solve business scenarios involving price, cost, volume, profit, and break-even, as well as how to calculate markup versus margin and efficiency. *Be able to glance at graphs and grasp their underlying meaning. *Understand correlation: weak or strong, positive or negative, linear or nonlinear. *Gain a newfound confidence with an increased competency with numbers.

"For Reasoning Aficionados From All Walks of Life " This guidebook addresses one of the most critical yet seldom taught skills. Reasoning skills help us make sense of the world, including how to better make decisions, tackle opportunities, evaluate claims, and solve problems. Interwoven within the book's five sections -- Perception & Mindset, Decision Making, Creative Thinking, Analyzing Arguments, and Mastering Logic -- reader's will discover 50 reasoning tips that summarize the common themes behind classic reasoning problems and situations. Appendixes contain summaries of fallacious reasoning, analogies, trade-offs, and a review of critical reading skills. A wealth of examples, charts, and insightful problems makes "The Little Blue Reasoning Book" an invaluable guide for any individual wanting to further sharpen his or her thinking skills. Enjoy the benefits of your own self-paced reasoning course: *Gain insights into the four classic mindsets and how each influences one's outlook. *Make better decisions by framing problems with quantitative tools. *Employ creative thinking to bypass "roadblocks" and unlock novel solutions. *Evaluate claims by challenging the strength of key assumptions. *Use logic to break down arguments in a clear, easy-to-understand manner. *Review the 10 classic trade-offs to speed recognition of core issues. *Read with added clarity, whether your goal involves pleasure or profit. Author's bio: Brandon Royal is an award-winning writer whose educational authorship includes "The Little Red Writing Book, The Little Gold Grammar Book, " and "The Little Green Math Book." During his tenure working in Hong Kong for US-based Kaplan Educational Centers -- a Washington Post subsidiary and the largest test-preparation organization in the world -- Brandon honed his theories of teaching and education and developed a set of key learning "principles" to help define the basics of writing, grammar, math, and reasoning. A Canadian by birth and graduate of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, his interest in writing began after completing writing courses at Harvard University. Since then he has authored a dozen books and reviews of his books have appeared in "Time Asia" magazine, "Publishers Weekly, Library Journal of America, Midwest Book Review, The Asian Review of Books, Choice Reviews Online, Asia Times Online, " and About.com. Brandon is a five-time winner of the International Book Awards, a five-time gold medalist at the President's Book Awards, as well as a winner of the Global eBook Awards, the USA Book News "Best Book Awards," and recipient of the 2011 "Educational Book of the Year" award as presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. "A wonderful work that shows how reasoning is challenging, yet engaging, rewarding and fun. Because reasoning involves people, it is an art as well as a science. And to remind ourselves just why it's not always easy to mix the two, we owe a cheerful salute to Nobel prize-winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann who observed: 'Think how hard physics would be if particles could think.'" --Dr. William A. McEachern, author, award-winning teacher, and founding editor of "The Teaching Economist"

"For Grammar Aficionados from All Walks of Life " There's no need to fear the grammar goblin. Whether you're a high school or college student, test-prep candidate, or working professional, this guidebook offers a review of grammar that is both relevant and distilled. A wealth of examples, charts, and engaging exercises makes "The Little Gold Grammar Book" an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to master those skills that will make a good writer even better. Enjoy the benefits of your own self-paced grammar course: *Grammar: A 100-question quiz focuses on the most useful areas of the "big six" grammar categories -- subject-verb agreement, pronoun usage, modification, parallelism, comparisons, and verb tenses. *Diction: A collection of 50-plus word pairings highlight differences among easily confused word choices. Should we write "anyone" or "any one" ... "who" or "whom" ... "may be" or "maybe" ... "toward" or "towards" ... "different from" or "different than?" *Idioms: A compilation of 200 idioms provides a convenient review of tricky "grammatical phrases." Do we write "prefer x to y" or "prefer x over y" ... "in comparison to" or "in comparison with" ... "regarded as" or "regarded to be?" *Review: A selection of 30 multiple-choice problems, complete with explanations and author's notes, integrate key concepts of grammar, diction, idioms, and style. *Also included are special sections on editing tips and punctuation, American English vs. British English, and traditional writing vs. digital writing. This book -- a winner at the USA Book News Best Book Awards and voted Educational Book of the Year by the BPAA -- is suitable for high school, community college, or university students, as well as any individual wanting to improve his or her core essential grammar skills. Author's bio: Brandon Royal is an award-winning writer whose educational authorship includes "The Little Red Writing Book, The Little Red Writing Book Deluxe Edition, The Little Green Math Book, " and " The Little Blue Reasoning Book." During his tenure working in Hong Kong for US-based Kaplan Educational Centers -- a Washington Post subsidiary and the largest test-preparation organization in the world -- Brandon honed his theories of teaching and education and developed a set of key learning "principles" to help define the basics of writing, grammar, math, and reasoning. A Canadian by birth and graduate of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, his interest in writing began after completing writing courses at Harvard University. Since then he has authored a dozen books and reviews of his books have appeared in "Time Asia" magazine, "Publishers Weekly, Library Journal of America, Midwest Book Review, The Asian Review of Books, Choice Reviews Online, Asia Times Online, " and About.com. Brandon is a five-time winner of the International Book Awards, a five-time gold medalist at the President's Book Awards, as well as a winner of the Global eBook Awards, the USA Book News "Best Book Awards," and recipient of the 2011 "Educational Book of the Year" award as presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. "A must-have for anyone wishing to improve her or his writing capabilities. Whether you're interested in personal achievement, professional advancement, or educational attainment, I highly recommend this book as a permanent addition to your library." --Dr. Donald C. Martin, PhD, college admissions expert and former Dean of Enrollment for the Teacher's College at Columbia University

Are we masters of or servants to our own human nature? This illustrated, short novel presents a satire on human nature. "Human nature" are two words that are used often, but what exactly do they mean? This work explores, in narrative form, that mysterious collage of traits, emotions, and idiosyncrasies that describes the way we are and the way we behave -- our envy, vanity, greed, and white lies as well as our loyalty, generosity, love, and honor. "Paradise Island" is a fable about a young adventurer who travels to the sunny, fun-filled island of his dreams, but struggles to keep paradise found from becoming paradise lost. A product of inspirational and literary fiction, this work will appeal to readers interested in fantasy, satire, and philosophy in fiction. Author's bio: Brandon Royal is an award-winning writer whose educational authorship includes "The Little Blue Reasoning Book, The Little Red Writing Book, The Little Gold Grammar Book, " and "The Little Green Math Book." During his tenure working in Hong Kong for US-based Kaplan Educational Centers -- a Washington Post subsidiary and the largest test-preparation organization in the world -- Brandon honed his theories of teaching and education and developed a set of key learning "principles" to help define the basics of writing, grammar, math, and reasoning. A Canadian by birth and graduate of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, his interest in writing began after completing fiction and scriptwriting courses at Harvard University. Since then he has authored a dozen books and reviews of his books have appeared in "Time Asia" magazine, "Publishers Weekly, Library Journal of America, Midwest Book Review, The Asian Review of Books, Choice Reviews Online, Asia Times Online, " and About.com. Brandon is a five-time winner of the International Book Awards, a five-time gold medalist at the President's Book Awards, as well as winner of the Global eBook Awards, USA Book News "Best Book Awards," and recipient of the 2011 "Educational Book of the Year" award as presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. "A delectable dish of human foible, served with parsnips baked in irony oil, all topped with a sprinkling of satire-roasted fennel seeds." --Justin Hurwitz, Editor, "The Harvard Lampoon"

Dancing for Your Life chronicles the true story of a beautiful, young Filipina who, in order to help her family financially, leaves her home in the quiet Philippines countryside to work as a dancer in Hong Kong's red-light district of Wan Chai. This book will hold special appeal for readers interested in gaining a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of an Asian go-go bar and will serve as a companion guide for individuals interested in cultural studies, gender studies, or spirituality. It presents a rare first-person account that is thought provoking and controversial. Here is the untold story of faith, friendship, and sacrifice, but also of triumph and forgiveness. Authors bios: Brandon Royal is an award-winning writer whose educational authorship includes The Little Red Writing Book, The Little Gold Grammar Book, The Little Green Math Book, and The Little Blue Reasoning Book, as well as the fictional works The Map Maker and Paradise Island. A Canadian by birth and graduate of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, his interest in writing began after completing fiction and scriptwriting courses at Harvard University. Since then he has authored a dozen books and reviews of his books have appeared in Time Asia magazine, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal of America, Midwest Book Review, The Asian Review of Books, Choice Reviews Online, Asia Times Online, and About.com. Brandon is a five-time winner of the International Book Awards, a five-time gold medalist at the President s Book Awards, as well as a winner of the Global eBook Awards, the USA Book News Best Book Awards, and recipient of the 2011 Educational Book of the Year award as presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. Paul Strahan is the author of several children's books including The Farm Girl and the Butterflies (Bronze Medal Winner Moonbeam Book Awards), The Woodcutter Prince, and The Never-Ending Bag of Crisps, as well as the fiction novel Empty Playgrounds. After a globe-trotting career as a corporate executive for giants such as AIG, Philips, and Bank of America, Strahan now lives in Hong Kong where he spends his time revitalizing a long-held passion for creating works of fiction. An accomplished poet who describes himself as a storyteller rather than a writer, he continues to draw inspiration from everyday life, as well as from a wealth of experience gained from working in technology and traveling the world. Straightforward. Honest. Storytelling that works because it bleeds truth on every page. Karl Taro Greenfeld, former Editor, Time Asia magazine