In an episode of the hit game show Jeopardy, Alex Trebek asks a question under Publishing category:

Question:Xlibris is a P.O.D. service. POD, a do-it-yourself method, stands for?

Answer: POD stands for Print-on-Demand.

Unfortunately, none of the players got the answer right. Wow, I surmise I could have been $1200 richer with that question. Who would have thought?

Interested to know more about POD? Read about it here.

I always look forward to Christmas. Parties here, parties there, presents everywhere. There’s just no better time to celebrate the season of cheer than this season. 

As for me, I cant wait until December, as I’m starting out early. In fact, as early as now I am already making my Christmas list of people I’m going to give presents to.I only want one thing though – to publish a book.

This November, I am publishing a book with Xlibris. The good news is I get to enjoy all publishing features at half the price. Nothing can get any better a gift than this.

If you are planning to publish a book, or want to give a splendid early Christmas present for anyone who wants to become a published author, this is one awesome deal you should not miss.
 
Now you have all the more reasons to celebrate Christmas early. Publishing a book might just be the best gift you can give to yourself this season. Get your FREE book publishing guide now.

Relationships are tested to get strengthened: real love is best demonstrated during times of heart-breaking ordeals.

Such is the story of self-published book author Terrell Clima and her husband, Ron, who had a comma after a motorcycle accident.

Terrell’s courage, undying love and strong faith in God, allowed her husband to heal as they both began a new journey of live and love together. Her patience during the ordeal is amazing.

This beautiful and inspiring story is the heart of Terrell’s published book, Don’t Pull That Plug: The Intimacy of a Coma, published by Xlibris.

Getting her book published and sharing it to her readers is the book author’s expression of her deep gratitude to God who carried her and Ron through the trying times that strengthened their love for each other.

Every year in corporate America, thousands of employees continue to be promoted into management positions with little preparation for what they will confront.

The assumption remains that if employees are good enough to be promoted they instinctively know what to do in their new role. Instead, the new boss is challenged by situations he is poorly equipped to handle, causing frustration for him and dissatisfaction among the employees.

Peter Woan’s self-published book, They made you boss, Now what?, is written from his first-hand experience and describes different aspects of the boss’s job. Unsure what to do now that you are moved up to a higher position?

They made you boss, Now what? provides practical insights for the new boss, the experienced boss and even the aspiring boss.

Peter Woan was born and educated in England and then moved to the USA after getting a job as department manager in one of the biggest insurance brokers in the world. He was then promoted to branch manager, then national COO of the specialty insurance division. After working for the said company for a long period of time, he then moved to join another insurance firm.

Obesity in children has become increasingly common not just in the United States but all over the world. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has considered child obesity a global epidemic.

Studies show that obese children are most likely to carry this condition until adulthood. In fact, they are more prone to a plethora of health problems. Chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, metabolic disease and certain types of cancer also develop in childhood as well.

Aside from health problems, obese children tend to have low self-esteem, as they are often teased. They also become left out of social activities because they move about slow. This makes them susceptible to depression.

Left untreated, obesity can be fatal to one’s health. With the right diet and exercise, this condition can be treated. This is where the role of parents comes in. They should serve as positive role models for their child and give all the support and encouragement possible.

T. Allan Brenner’s self-published book, The Childhood Obesity Dilemma critically looks at child obesity and presents realistic solutions to curb this growing trend. This book is a must-read not only for parents, but also for community leaders and policy makers as well.

The book author is a health and fitness buff. He is currently a high school athletic official and teaches k-8 physical education in Chicago, Illinois.

There’s more to reporting for work than simply hitting targets, meeting deadlines and attending meetings.

Cynthia A. Jerkins, a self-published book author gives a fresh perspective on life in the workplace through A Reason to Show Up for Work Tomorrow Morning.

This self-published book is a must-read for many of us who have to drag our feet to leave the house and be in the office every day when the corporate life we live is nothing but an ocean full of toxins: Your boss does nothing but put you down, your customers could never be satisfied, your colleagues couldn’t care less and the results you deliver are hardly noticed. It’s a very distressful life – if you call that life at all!

A Reason to Show Up for Work Tomorrow Morning presents a different way of looking at the workplace. The book author highlights value and integrity and stresses the importance of making excellence as a lifestyle. We cannot control or change what happens to us, but we always have the option to change the way we respond to our circumstances.

Cynthia A. Jerkins has a profound experience with different kinds of superiors and colleagues in various workplaces. The depth of her understanding of the professional world and her experiences in a government office propelled her to publish a book.

Job interviews are everyone’s worst enemy. How you handle a job interview can make or break your chances of landing that dream job.

One of the major roadblocks of successfully going through a job interview is doubt. It is a contagious problem that an interviewee can pass on to the interviewer, which can ultimately change his/her mind about hiring you. Author Eric Hoss hopes to help job applicants banish doubt in interviews his self-published book, Removing Doubt in an Interview.

In this Xlibris release , Eric Hoss talks about the entire process that takes place during an interview. It provides handy tips, exercises and advice on what to do on when on the ‘hot seat’, thus letting you nail that interview.

Removing Doubt in an Interview is every applicant’s bible to getting the job you want.

Eric Hoss has been studying the employer-applicant interview process and has had a substantial experience in management, making his text every bit of the law.

It’s been a while since I watched a good movie.  I find The Informant! (starring Matt Damon) interesting and I can’t wait to watch it. I heard this movie was inspired from the self-published book, Mark Whitacre Against All Odds.

The story is  about Mark Whitacre, a top-level corporate executive who becomes an informant for the FBI who reveals his company’s multinational conspiracy of price fixing. This in mind, he is known to be the highest-ranking executive-turned-whistleblower in the entire US history. During the investigation, Whitacre admitted to having been involved with embezzling funds and receiving corporate kickbacks, which sent him to almost a decade in prison.

After having been freed from prison, Mark Whitacre reveals his reflections and realizations in this self-published book – that spiritual wealth matters far more than material wealth and to be truthful at all times. His story provides spiritual boost that can be applied in everyday life.

The Informant! is the latest movie under the direction of Steven Soderbergh, who is also known for the films Che, Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s Eleven, Traffic and Sex, Lies and Videotape.

I’m so excited to know if the movie is just a good as the published book.

Experience heart-pounding action in author Wade J. Halverson’s new self-published novel from his 187 book series, Life After 187.

Sentenced to life in prison when he executes the men who murdered his wife, Kane Silver is singled out by the warden for his fighting ability. Along with inmates Valentino Lopez and Si’Ling Lee, Kane is drafted into service and forced to fight for money in high-stakes tournaments. But when the three friends escape during a New Year’s Eve match in Lake Tahoe-saving the warden’s life in the process-their situation becomes more complicated.

Their status undetermined, they vanish underground and sign on to help a young woman whose parents are being held by an Argentinean drug kingpin. Follow Kane and his friends as they compete and grow closer while rediscovering what it means to be free.

From Lake Tahoe and the western United States to Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, and Thailand, Life After 187 takes readers on an exhilarating ride filled with big money, intense action, justice, and the pursuit of honor.

Wade J. Halverson is the book author of Kane Silver novels and the 187 series. He has worked as a bodyguard and owned kickboxing gyms for the past twenty years. He currently resides in Southern California.

Children’s rights professionals working in Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) spend a great deal of their lives working to help victims of child abuse. CACs implement a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate, treat and prevent sexual and physical abuse in children.

However, allegations of child abuse are settled in the court and CAC centers often lack qualified legal counsel to make the legal process flow. Thus, CAC professionals may find the rigors of the courtroom rather confusing and complicated.

This prompted lawyer Andrew Agatston to publish a book, The Legal Eagles of Children’s Advocacy Centers. This self-published book is a collection of Agatston’s legal letters to CACs, child advocates and detectives that helps pave a path toward becoming Legal Eagles.

People working in Children’s Advocacy Centers will find this book useful as it provides an overview of, and addresses many legal concerns CACs may face. The Legal Eagles of Children’s Advocacy Centers can help to better improve the legal system’s response to child abuse as well as programs that serve these children.

Research has shown that there is a strong link between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease, as well as other chronic degenerative illnesses. It has been found that those affected with dental disease are more likely to suffer from heart ailments than those who do not.

One theory explains that inflammation caused by dental infection contributes to coronary artery disease. This is because oral bacteria can enter the bloodstream, attach to plaques in the blood vessels and form clots. When this happens, normal blood flow is obstructed and could lead to a heart attack.

Dentist Robert Kulacz and cardiologist Thomas Levy have discovered the huge impact dental diseases have on one’s health. They have found that oral disease cure and prevention can have a significant effect in improving chronic degenerative diseases, much less, keeping them at bay.

This led them to publish a book, The Roots of Disease: Connecting Dentistry and Medicine. This self-published book demonstrates that infective dental toxicity can be the root of all chronic illnesses. By identifying and correcting oral diseases, people may be able to prevent or eliminate chronic degenerative ailments.

Loaded with scientific data from both dental and medical perspectives, The Roots of Disease will enlighten and educate readers that although dentistry and medicine rarely go together, both should not be separated from each other.

The Roots of Disease stresses the assertion that oral health truly has teeth to one’s overall health.

September 11, 2001. A day America would never forget. The world witnessed a series of vicious terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people. Many cried and mourned. Nine years have passed and many are still grieving and missing them.

The self-published book, We Remember is Maureen Crethan Santora’s tribute to the innocent victims and heroes who sacrificed their lives on that tragic day. We Remember is a compilation of gripping stories and profound memories of 9/11 victims from the people who love them.

In this inspiring book, one gets to know those who genuinely sacrificed their lives to save others – modern day heroes who have truly made a mark on the lives of people. Heartwarming recollections take you into the hopeful and remarkable lives they lived, giving you a deeper understanding and appreciation of life, in all its essence.

Maureen Crethan Santora is a retired educator, having taught in the New York City Public School System for more than 25 years. On September 11, 2001, she lost her son Christopher who was one of the firefighters during the attack. She has published two other books also remembering the 9/11 tragedy, The Day the Towers Fell and My Son Christopher.

Proceeds of this book will go to the Christopher A. Santora Educational Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarship grants to students and educatinal materials to schools.

You never fail to delight kids with your stories. You know you want to share them with other children from here and there. So you write your stories on paper. What do you do next? Do you send your work to a traditional publisher or publish a book yourself?

Before you take the plunge, it is better to understand first how the world of publishing works. Traditional publishing, in a nutshell, is where a publisher publishes your book. They cover all publishing costs and pay you a royalty on every book sold. From the time you sign an agreement with them, they will assume full creative control of your book. They will also own the rights to your book.

Self-publishing, on the other hand, is where you publish a book yourself. You turn in your manuscript to a self-publishing company and cover all costs for printing the book. They then churn your work into a professional, high-quality children’s book. You also have full control of your book – from its editorial and artistic aspects, to ownership rights and book sales.

The publishing industry is highly competitive; publishers are constantly searching for the next bestselling book. More and more children’s book writers want to become published authors these days. However, not many of them get published. This is where self-publishing comes in.

The flak against self-publishing may still be there, but authors are now getting more discerning, with a deeper understanding of what separates self-publishing myths from facts.

Aside from getting full creative control of your book, you retain ownership rights to it as well. After all, it is you who wrote that book.

Self-publishing is a smarter option especially if you are writing a children’s book that has a highly targeted, out-of-the box subject. This is because traditional publishers usually look for children’s boos that have greater market potential, nevermind if the story is predictable.

The list of successful self-published children’s book titles are growing as well.Richard Paul Evans’ The Christmas Box, which landed #1 on the New York Times list bestselling books, sold 8 million copies worldwide and was later produced into an award winning TV show. Xlibris author BJ Moesner was awarded in the 2008 New York Book Awards for his self-published children’s picture book, Monty, the Traveling Cat. Michael Hoeve also self-published Time Stops for No Mouse and was later picked up by Putnam.

You may not know it, but self-publishing your children’s book may give you a higher return on your book than when it is traditionally published. In terms of royalties, traditional publishing houses now pay only 10% at most of wholesale. (they used to pay royalties at 10% of retail). You may even have to split your royalty with an illustrator if your book contains visuals. On the other hand, self-publishing may give you a highly favorable return on your investment, depending on the distribution mix.

Publishing, like any endeavor, always has its risks and it comes with rewards too. And like any endeavor to succeed, you need to work hard and not be afraid to take chances – the tradeoffs may just be far below the gains.

If you want to publish your own children’s book, click to receive your FREE publishing guide.

The art of applying makeup is a tricky process. When done right, makeup magically conceals flaws and imperfections and enhances your best facial features all the same. Makeup enables you to transform into any look you want, with infinitely many possibilities.

Lora Bertuccio’s self-published book, Face It is your complete makeup guide. It is the perfect manual for anyone who wants to learn makeup whether for personal enhancement or to earn income from it.

In this book, Lora Bertuccio incorporates her personal approach and her 20 years of professional experience in the makeup industry. Now you can discover her best kept secrets and learn the tricks other makeup pros use. Face It provides a complete, step-by-step guide on how to apply makeup, what tools to use, how to care for your makeup items and more.

Published in full color, get to see before and after transformations, matching makeup looks for different fashion styles and avant-garde creations.

Face It can help you appreciate beauty at another perspective and face the world with confidence.

No, it’s not what you think ‘it’ is and it’s not what this book is all about. Ralph Frank Magnotta’s The Joy of Making Out is your ultimate financial guide to making more out of what you have.

This self-published book outlines helpful tips for those who find themselves in financial clutter and suggests smart ideas to grow your money and using it well.

By focusing into the basics of financial management, you can be able to properly establish and handle your money, allowing you financial security and stability in the long run.

From setting up an automatic savings plan and cutting federal, state and local taxes, The Joy of Making Out also provides helpful online resources that help you get more value for your money.

Ralph Frank Magnotta graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Finance and Accounting. He also took the Army Air Corp Cadet accelerated course in Syracuse University.

The book author is former Vice-president of the National Association of Internal Revenue (NAIRE) and is a member of various professional organizations such as American Association of Certified Public Accountants and National Association of Tax Professionals.

With the help of this book, making out will never be this good.