The first practical handbook of skin ultrasound! Thought for beginners and advanced ultrasound users wishing to strengthen their knowledge in skin ultrasound ideal for dermatologists, sonographers, radiologists, aesthetic physicians and plastic surgeons.

Manual de Ecografia Cutánea / Handbook of Skin Ultrasound authors Dr. Fernando Alfageme and Dr. E. Cerezo are experts in their fields.

Available in Spanish and English version, paperback and Kindle version. Check this book at Amazon.com! 

To get more information about Manual de Ecografia Cutánea / Handbook of Skin Ultrasound visit ecocutanea.com.

Contact: Dr. Fernando Alfageme
Website: http://www.ecocutanea.com/
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Nautilus Book Awards is a book award event held annually and features books in the environmental justice and social genres. Having been awarded to prominent authors such as Deepak Chopra, Amy Goodman, The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Thich Nhat Hanh and Barbara Kingsolver, this event is considered as a major book award in the US which was established in the year 1998.

The award process.

The award comprises of monetary prizes and mainly aims at distinguishing books that inspire and transform readers in multiple categories. The categories include one silver and one gold awards made every year; 4 young adults/children categories and 24 adult categories.

The award winners in Nautilus Awards are selected in three stages and the process is presided over by a congress of professors, bookstore owners, librarians, writers, schoolteachers and editors. The winners are found through the consensus of the assembly of which is a hard thing to achieve. As a result, there are no books awarded in some years as the assembly doesn’t reach a consensus.

Major academic presses have previously been privileged to obtain the awards such as the; Princeton University Press, Stanford University Press and Columbia University Press among others and bulky commercial publishers including W.W.Norton, Penguin, Little Brown, Simon & Schuster and Random House. However, Bloomsbury and Island are some of the private independent presses that have previously worn the awards too.

Eligibility to take part in the 2013 Awards.

Unlike in the previous years where adult entries were limited to 24 categories and children/young adult to 4; there have been authorized 28 and 5 categories both in adult and children/young adult entry categories concurrently this year. In this year’s contest, self publishers, traditional publisher and small presses are all welcome to participate.

The focus this year is on books that endorse positive social transition, cognizant living and enhance spiritual growth. Value will be placed on books that guide the reader in discovering new avenues to better their lives and those of others around them by inspiring the reader.

Entries for the awards should be done for individual books and all the books registered for the contest must have an ISBN number. The entry forms should not be taped on the book but rather inserted between the front cover and the first page of your book, each book with its entry form.
Gold and silver awards shall e awarded to outstanding books that exceptionally make positive impact in contributing to positive values, nurture distinct level of wellness and exemplary leadership.

Securing entry.

You can either choose to pay your registration by cheque or pay online. Payment made by cheque can be delivered together with book and the entry form whereas you will be required to ship your book and entry form separately on making online payment, either by credit card or pay pal. Your registration will be complete once you make the payment.

Among the many authors who write great books find it challenging as they must relate the past and the ever changing current times. Flexibility is a virtue a great book writer can't survive without. writing a book is not an easy thing to go about; as you need to piece together a wide range of ideas to come up with content that cover a given theme in elaborate yet sequential stages that rhyme and flow freely.

Start off - Every journey starts with a single step, so are great accomplishments; you must get started on what you have for your book. If you have an inspiration, then you can start by sharing it and evaluating the many ways in which it is applicable to your own life and those of others. Looking up for more inspiration from the internet, reading materials or attending seminars are all great avenues of accruing knowledge and substance on which to build your narration.

Plan ahead - Handling your task by the day in bits helps move towards your goal in a gradual yet sure steps and eventually you start seeing notable results. An outline of your book will help you keep put; such as the table of contents. You also need to appoint and set aside the time you will use each day and an exclusive place so that you can give your project appropriate attention.

Uphold accountability - Setting deadlines is one sure way to motivate yourself to accountability. Setting daily or weekly deadlines will help you work consistently and this will definitely sustain your passion. Getting a professional confidant would be beneficial to you as early feedback will help you keep on the right track rather than having to do an entire book rewrite thereafter.

Sustain your motivation - Never give up regardless whatever challenges you may encounter. Get yourself time-off to relax your mind such as walking in a pack, doing some physical exercise and get your mind refreshed. Keep moving and eventually you will accomplish your project. Even if your first book doesn’t turn-out successfully as you may have anticipated, go on and write another. Learn where you missed it and do it better this time. It is good to embrace failure and learn from your past mistakes and make a fresh start.

If you are planning to write a book and you need a professional to partner with, you will not get a better one than, The Fast Fingers. They will take you through all the stages especially on editing your content to keep you on the right track and before you publish your book too. They are not only professionals who know their work but are also dedicated to the success of their clients; very attentive and swift too.

During the early childhood days, kids may prefer to play and run around all day rather than sit and have a good read. Parents and teachers often find it quite a challenge to bring a child to sit still and read a book from the first page down to the last. It may seem hard but it is doable with the right approach.

Learning to read can be a complex process for young children. While some may learn to read fast, others would also take longer to really develop the skill and confidence of reading. Parents have a very significant role to play in this learning process. And as a child’s first teacher, parents need to know the right approach on how to develop a child’s interest in books and reading.

Children who have regular conversations with caring parents and adults often learn to read faster compared to those who spend less time with their parents. Talking, listening and writing are the first steps towards learning how to read. Kids who constantly hear familiar and new words will have a more improved vocabulary and this will make reading a whole lot easier to learn.

You may have an active child and that is a natural thing. Reading does not have to be too sitty because this will just bore a child who loves to play and be active all day. But if you will find ways to make reading a more enjoyable activity, you will have a better chance at developing your child’s interest in reading.

It is your responsibility as parents to introduce your child to a wide variety of books to choose from. So make it a point to bring home books that are appropriate for your child’s age. Your child may not take reading seriously at this age but having a highly varied collection of books at home could get him hooked to reading someday.

Children have a tendency to imitate the actions of the adults around them. If they will see you reading constantly, they will more likely try to find a book that they can read for themselves. So get them to start reading at a young age and have children’s books readily available for them to grab anytime they feel like reading.

Yes, the inevitable truth speaks that electronic books are here to stay. Before, people take for granted this contemporary way to read novels and literary materials because they see it as a “lazy, inexperienced and unreliable” method of putting a good novel into print. It’s like laying a great dish into a terrible kind of plating, cynics would often put it. There will always be, of course, a fair share of its advantages and disadvantages. However, in our age today where anything is done under the power of our fingertips, online bookstores and electronic books are the most practical schemes to read your most anticipated novels. Rooting for an e-book over a hard copy of it can be a life-changing decision. It really depends greatly upon how much you are able to utilize it. While many still think twice about the idea of purchasing one, hundreds of thousands of e-readers have already gushed on why they prefer electronic books rather than the conventional ones. Here are some of their collated answers.

1. E-books are travel-convenient.

So you are going out of the country for the holidays. In fact, as much as how hectic your schedule gets, you really like to travel a lot. If the time you are travelling is only the lone moment when you can squeeze in to read a book, then e-books are for you. Also, you won’t have to put up again with costly charges on excessive baggage because e-books only require a very light device called e-Reader. It is a much more practical move instead of bringing paperback novels that eat up extra space in your bag.

2. You have a lot to choose from.

Ever experienced getting extremely disappointed just because you went all the way to your favorite bookstore only to find out that the last copy of a certain book has already been bought? This rarely happens when you are purchasing an e-book instead.

3. You can read anytime of the day.

Don’t you just hate it when you are eager to finish a novel and suddenly, your roommate demands you to shut off the lampshade or any source of light for that matter? If you insist on finishing that book without having to wage a war against her, an e-book might be the best option. You can read without causing further hassle for the both of you.

4. E-books have lower price to boot.

Unlike the traditional books printed on paper, the lower prices of e-books make sense. No printing costs mean lower value shown on the tag price. Even if e-Readers cost more than four books, it will all be worth it in the long run.

While readers who prefer traditional printed books over electronics one because of sentimental reasons like, “I love the smell of every page,” or something even more odd like, “I like getting paper cuts all the time,” there is definitely no denying that electronic books are gradually captivating the hearts, minds, souls and eyes of readers out there. To know more about e-books, feel free to contact The Fast Fingers for updates on the hottest reads of today.

John Grisham is an American lawyer/novelist who is renowned for his legal thriller novels. Earlier this year, he released a novel ‘Calicoe Joe’ which is unlike his regular novels. The storyline of this novel revolves around WarenTracey, a New York Mets Pitcher who abuses his son and his wife and his big ego that makes him believe he is the best there is. His character contrast sharply with that of Joe Castle (also known as Calicoe Joe), who was a young rookie with an impressive record on the field and very virtuous as well as philanthropic. He offered a lot to charities. The book is mainly about family and family values and character and its formation in the public eye. (As you can see, it’s more about baseball than legal stuff as compared to other John Grisham’s novels such as the Firm, A time to Kill, The Client etc.) The interesting part is, despite the novel being a deviation from his regular work, it’s still an interesting and catchy story.

The novel, Calicoe Joe, was at the top of the New York Times Best selling Books within the week of 14^th April, 2012.  It also debut atop the Publisher’s Weekly list of best selling books. The book was a big success for John Grisham and obviously a great read.John Grisham has written another book titles “The Racketeer”. The book is set to be released on the 23^rd of October 2012. The book which is published by a publishing company called “Doubleday” which has also published other renowned writers is releasing the book with an initial 1.5 million copies of the book “The Racketeer”. The story is about a federal Judge who gets murdered and a lawyer in jail who had inside knowledge of the judge and his murder. The book is available will be available in pdf format as well as in print.  A short preview of the first 28 chapters of the book is already available on John Grisham’s official site. The book is expected to be another great read. For more information on Grisham visit his website and also get quality book formatting services at affordable fees at The Fast Fingers.

For several people, writing is sort of an escape. It is a catharsis for their overwhelming emotions and profound thoughts. For others, it can be a real calling. And there is no other way to answer that particular calling but to gather those pieces of paper, lift that pen and start writing. In our case today however, where high-end technologies have means to provide an edge for writers, one might only need just a few things to accomplish his/her dream of publishing a bestseller.

1. Drive to Begin

The hardest thing in getting something done is always at the beginning. In writing your novel, you really have plenty of things which you will have to consider- the genre, the target market (or your readers), researches which are critically necessary for your plot, the plot itself and potential attributes of your main character/s. Do not be intimidated by how crucial these things are because every aspiring author of any novel or book has similar concerns. Say you already have these necessary stuff to push through, the subsequent thing you should have a total grasp of is the total understanding on why you are making this specific novel. You have to have an undying inspiration before, during and even after writing everything down. Why have you written something about death? Maybe the answer is because you have met a cancer patient three years ago. You would have wanted for her to win the battle against her illness but nevertheless, she still lost. By writing down a portion of her life, you are reliving a memory of her which is invincible even by death itself. Such is the power of having the inspiration or drive to go on and do whatever it is that you want to accomplish.

2. A Steady Momentum

Once you have already started writing the first three chapters of your novel, it might really be tempting to stop and smell the flowers for a moment. It’s fine. The most successful authors and their well-acclaimed bestsellers were not made in just a single night. J.K. Rowling for example took her almost a decade to complete the seven books of Harry Potter and yet when they all came out, almost 50 million copies of them have been sold worldwide. As a writer, there will be times when you will run out of things to write. More often than night, you will suffer from ‘writer’s block’ where you cannot contemplate over a single word to jot down. It is totally normal. Just remember to slow down according to your own pace, have a very steady momentum. It may take you weeks, months or even years to complete your story. However, the most essential thing here is that you never lost your thrust. Keep going!

3. Audacity to Try Something New

The common pitfall of writers/authors is that they stay at somewhere which they are most comfortable with. Those who have always written on sci-fi are most likely to write about the same genre all throughout the course their writing career. This is but normal, most especially when one is already getting a decent amount of fame from his/her previous works. But as an author, the least thing you might want to be is to get too predictable for your readers. Many authors have been bold enough to go out of their comfort zones, switching occasionally from horror to humor. Do not be afraid of criticisms. “Her works in comedy are a lot better than her novels on self-help.” You might dread getting these kinds of comments but the best way to expand your horizons is by turning your world 180 degrees. Be receptive to criticisms because they will always be there whether or not you choose to.

Book formatting is the presentation aspect of your writing and thus merits careful planning. Authors know that no matter how sweet their story sounds, readers will base their first judgment on how it looks. The following general guidelines can help writers avoid common book formatting pitfalls.

Size of source document

Always upload an appropriate size of source document. This means that the size of your source document should be based on the media it will be published on. For Instance, if you intend to publish on Lulu and upload an 8.5 X 11 document, the size of both text and images will scale down significantly when you select 6 X 9 as the book size. You will also have to consider the available book sizes and specifications for bleed if you need images, lines, colors or other graphical elements to stretch to the edge of the page.

Page orientation

Use portrait page orientation as opposed to landscape, especially if you’ll be using Print on Demand distribution option. POD printers may not yield good results with landscape pages and as such, you should use the portrait page orientation even for wide format books.

Use standard fonts

The temptation to use fancy fonts may be difficult to resist. However, professional writers use standard fonts as these guarantee that the printed output turns out as expected. Fonts such as Times New Romans and any other Microsoft Windows default fonts may suffice. If you have to use hard-to-find and non-standard fonts, which may lose their characteristics upon conversion, you should consider having a print-ready PDF for submission to your publisher. You can achieve this by embedding all fonts before converting to PDF.

Graphics/images

There are various publishing houses and media with varying procedural requirements for submission of images and graphics. Some publishers will require that you embed all graphics and images to the document with the rest of the content. Generally, optimize the images for screen viewing and printing. The optimal resolution for images on PDF is 300 dpi.

Page numbering for POD

Odd numbered pages should be on the right of your book. It follows that, printing does not take place on the inside of the front and back pages and as such, your first page begins on the right.

Vertical spacing, tabs, and styles

If using layout applications, apply styles as opposed to local formatting. Applying styles for the entire documents makes it easier to effect or track any changes. Additionally, do not use tabs for horizontal spacing or paragraph return for vertical spacing.

Page and section breaks

Use page breaks to separate chapters. Make appropriate use of section breaks to have the freedom to apply different formatting on sections of your book. For instance, numbering of pages before chapter one should be different from that of the body of your novel. Sections break will help you achieve that with ease.

Cover design

Take into consideration specifications given for cover design. The cover page is designed as an image and thus, should meet minimum size and resolution requirements.

For further technical details of book formatting, talk to The Fast Fingers now!

Every published book is assigned the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), a unique number that is usually 10- or 13-digit. The ISBN uniquely identifies a book’s edition, publisher and physical properties.

 CreateSpace offers a number of ISBN options for member authors and publishers. These are:

(1)   CreateSpace-assigned ISBN

 This ISBN option is free for all CreateSpace member authors. With this arrangement: 

(i)                 CreateSpace becomes your book’s imprint of record. If you add Amazon to your distribution channels, this appears on your books’ Amazon.com detail page. 

(ii)               You can use Amazon.com, an online store and all expanded distribution options to sell your book. 

(iii)             This ISBN is not usable with other publishers. 

(iv)              The assigned ISBN information is registered with BooksInPrint.com 

(2)   Custom ISBN 

This option is available for $10. With it: 

(i)                 You may choose the imprint of record of your book. This information appears on your book’s Amazon detail page if you add Amazon.com as a distribution channel. 

(ii)               Your book is available for sale at Amazon.com, an eStore and some expanded distribution channels. 

(iii)             The ISBN cannot be shared with another publisher. 

(iv)              The assigned ISBN information is registered with BooksInPrint.com 

(3)   Custom Universal ISBN*

 This option is available for $99. Its features include: 

(i)                 You may use the ISBN with other publishers. 

(ii)               You may choose the imprint of record of your book. This information appears on your book’s Amazon detail page if you add Amazon.com as a distribution channel. 

(iii)             Your book is available for sale at Amazon.com, an eStore and some expanded distribution channels. 

(iv)              The assigned ISBN information is registered with BooksInPrint.com 

(4)   Provide your own ISBN 

(i)                 With this option you can either avail your ISBN via Bowker or through a local ISBN agency. 

(ii)               For a reprint of your book, you must retain the title, author name and the binding. You will need a new ISBN for a new edition. 

(iii)             The imprint of your book must match details going with your ISBN. 

(iv)             Your book is available for sale at Amazon.com, an eStore and some expanded distribution channels.

Self-publishing is the trend for new writers. One does not have to wait for a literary agent to pick up your work and find a publisher who is willing to print out your work. You can skip all of those and publish your work on your own.

Although self-publishing is usually a one-man show, doing all the work may be a little tough for you. The good thing is that there are platforms and services that can help you in making your work easier. There are those that provide services in editing and proofreading your work.

Formatting, for one, is an important thing to do when you are self-publishing. Formatting your work is important in order to get the right output for your readers and customers. Of course, you wouldn’t want to sell a book that doesn’t print out right or an eBook that doesn’t come out properly in the reader.

There are a lot of book formatting services being offered online that will help in making your work easier. Professional help is also available to ensure the quality of the output. They will be the one to format your work from your original output. Make sure that you discuss with your formatting professional the look that you want for your book. Specify your needs and always tell them what your goal is. You will also need to identify the platform that you will use in printing or selling your book, be it on print-on-demand (POD) publishers. They will also consult you and send you a sample layout of the first few chapters for approval.

There are also different service packages depending on your book’s genre or your needs. Prices may vary depending on these packages. There are some companies that offer customized book formatting layout which can be pricey. They also offer template formatting depending on kind of layout and your book’s genre. Non-fiction books are more expensive since they are complex and require more footnotes, photos, graphs and others. There are also others that charge you by the POD publisher that you will be using.

In looking for book formatting services, make sure that they have good reputation. You may also want to check the feedback and comments left by the previous clients. Ask for some sample work done by the company to be sure of the quality. The price is also a consideration, so make sure that you go for one with affordable price and quality service.