Facebook Speaks! Your Favourite Self-Help Books

I asked a 1002 people on Facebook what their favourite self-help book was. The list below is the result of months of searching. Many of these books are now available in hard copy and ebook format, so it's easy to download any of them on your kindle or any other e reader. They aren't exactly free ebooks, but most of them are very affordable indeed. 

Facebook votes for self-help books

The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr Norman Vincent Peale

A self-help book teaching readers how to gain strength to achieve their goals through the power of positive thinking. This is manifested in - personal relationships, gaining control over your life and breaking the cycle of worry.

The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B White

A description of healing herbs, beneficial for all kinds of conditions and diseases.

The Green Pharmacy by James A Duke PhD

New discoveries in Herbal Remedies for Common Diseases and conditions from the world's foremost authority on healing herbs.





Emptiness Dancing by Adyashanti

A Buddhist-based system of mindfulness practise. It teaches readers personal development through strengthening their inner psyche and becoming confident in who they are. 

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruitz

A practical guide to personal freedom. A Toltec wisdom book.

The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing by Ted Biringer

Based on the teachings of Zen, this is a self-help book which attempts to give the reader the confidence to heal themselves and find direction through meditation and enlightenment. 

The Bible

The teachings of God, through His Son, Jesus Christ. A book that leads to the salvation of people everywhere. No home should be without one.

How To Change Your Life in Seven Steps by John Bird

Change your life in seven easy steps. A self-help book to turn your life into something of which you can be proud. Direct and firm; based on the writer's own life. 

The Success Principals by Jack Canfield

How to get from where you are to where you want to be with confidence. 

Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers

Positive thinking and a clear-cut plan to help readers replace their fear with confidence and high self-esteem.

You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L Hay

This is a self-help book about personal development and self-healing based on knowledge of how to increase your full potential.





I'm confident you too can benefit from the self-help books listed here, chosen by a group of Facebook users. It's not too late to add your favourite to the list by leaving the name of the book, the author and a one-sentence description in the comment panel below. 

If you're a writer and have a free ebook to give away please leave a comment on this article because this is my next project.  I will give your book away and you can come back and get someone else's ebook for free.  Please also leave a one-sentence description about your book. I'll also be adding my self-help books to this event. I'll be offering a free e-book too!

Amazon Launches Kindle Indie Bookstore

Amazon has this month launched its first Kindle Indie book store. This has come as great news to indie, e publishers - like myself - around the world. If you're looking to publish your digital book, this is certainly the way to go. 





(What are Indie books? They are books published by Independent authors/publishers who're not affiliated to established publishing companies like Harper Collins for example. It's the same idea of indie musical bands. Kindle indie books are merely those independent books published on kindle).

Readers can log into the Kindle store and browse for an e book at their heart's content. There are currently only 7 genres available in the store front. These are obviously the popular ones like memoirs and thrillers etc. We hope in time, that Amazon will see how popular this is with readers and general users of the site, and would extend their lists to cover most of the genres of e books available.

What you should know about Amazon's e books

(Quick facts about publishing on KDP)

Top selling  e books in each genre are updated hourly.

Top 7 popular categories (the ones people are mostly buying) are listed in the digital book store.

Amazon editors, and they only, pick featured authors of said digital books.

Only highly rated and top selling  e books get listed in the Kindle Indie store.

If you're an author looking to publish your e book on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), there are dozens of links from this information page to get you started. If you're a reader looking to browse or buy cheap, Kindle, digital books, here's your link to the Kindle Indie Book store, now open for 24-hour browsing. 

Remember you don't have to have a kindle to read these amazing e books. If you have a mac, most of them come with a free kindle installed. If you have a PC, download your very own kindle here and read fantastic digital books to your heart's content.  Of course, you can buy a kindle now they're on offer. 

Finally, don't forget that if you get my e books listed below please leave at least a rating for me (they're also available in hard copy). Who knows, I may be the next featured author on Amazon's new Kindle Indie Book store!

How To Raise Kids To Be Responsible Adults

How To Really Lose Weight Without Dieting

How To Spend Less

Straight Talk

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I received a call a couple of days ago. It was one of those with the slight pause before the person at the other end answers your, ‘Hello’. You know, as soon as you get one of these, that someone is going to try and sell you something they describe as everything you need.

The caller wanted to know what type of phone I had and how much I paid a month. I know if I called you up and asked you what type of house you had and how much you paid each month on your mortgage, you’d tell me to get lost – what audacity!

I told him I wasn’t interested in a new phone, and that I was perfectly happy with the phone I’m using, without wondering how much each phone call was going to cost me. After all, if I wanted to call a friend I'd just do so without considering how much each second of the conversation cost. If he’d been from Straight Talk, perhaps I’d have listened with more interest. After all, they’ve cut many a cell (mobile) phones bills by half, leaving you the freedom to spend a bit more on the finer things of life.

Straight talk offers no contract and no uncomfortable credit checks. Their coverage is nationwide and the reception is twice as good as many other mobile phone companies, so there will be no more uncomfortable silences and repeated, ‘Hellos’ while you’re on important phone calls.

Their choice of phones is also excellent. They use LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Samsung and Nokia (which is the phone I have). Nokia takes remarkable pictures for a phone. I take all my blog posts pictures with my phone nowadays. It’s very handy and does the job.

Unlimited monthly service includes calls, texts, picture messaging and the web. 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data would suit even the cell phone addict! All for just $45.00 per month. Even the teenager who's permanently stuck to his/her phone would be proud of such a deal. However, go outside and enjoy the summer. Listen to your mom when she says you need a social life outside of phone conversations and texts! After all, mom knows best, right?

Here's a customer's view on Straight Talk (video).

<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qjoWtd6-vWg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

7 Ways Blogger Is Better Than Wordpress

The debate between Blogger and Wordpress has divided bloggers for generations (in internet years). Both services have their own niches in the blogosphere, and they certainly have their own advantages. I’ll admit now that this article is shamelessly pro-Blogger. If you’re a fan of Wordpress, you may want to stop reading this article now. What follows are seven pros that gives the Blogger an edge over its longtime rival.

Wordpress addict, why are you still reading? 

Blogger is more user-friendly than Wordpress

A newcomer to Blogger will notice its basic advantage: user-friendliness. Blogger has an easy-to-understand setup with a dashboard of intuitive action icons for the new blogger. Setup, design, posting: all processes within Blogger are streamlined to maximize its efficiency. Within a matter of minutes someone can create and customize their blog with Blogger and start posting. I would recommend Blogger to anyone with limited Internet experience who's starting a new blog.

Blogger enables customizable domain names

Unlike Wordpress, Blogger users can create a customizable domain name for their blog at no extra cost. You can create a sensible domain name catered to your blog’s theme without having to add “.blogger” at the end of the URL. Original domain names are particularly useful for bloggers cultivating a unique online persona.

Blogger is good for ad-free layout

Distracting ads often serve as a deal breaker for new bloggers looking to post clutter-free content. While Wordpress can place advertisements on their users’ blogs, Blogger chooses to refrain from doing so. This pro emphasizes how Blogger allows the user to be the ultimate controller of their content. If you don’t want ads on your blog, Blogger is for you.

Blogger gives you the option of choosing your own ads

Conversely, if you notice that your blog has generated a large following and you’d like to capitalize the traffic, you can include advertisements on your blog at no extra cost. Blogger allows you to customize your ads to fit the aesthetic of your blog, so you can choose from small, discreet ads to huge banners.

Blogger lets you add your own code

For the more ambitious user, Blogger allows for the addition HTML or Javascript. By adding code on Blogger, users can endlessly customize their blogs to accommodate any desired change in layout, format, color, font, etc. Sites like SimpleCode demystify the programming basics for those intimidated by HTML but want to utilize the coding features in Blogger.

Blogger lends itself to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Blogger’s custom coding advantage also allows for increased SEO. Users can alter their Blogger-hosted blogs so they feature meta tags that attract search engine hits. You can also change the code so that the titles of your posts appear first in a search engine rather than the title of your blog. If your post title appears first, there’s a greater chance that you’ll be found by someone interests in your posts.

Blogger is always free

Of course, there are paid options, but Blogger has always been the least costly blogging service.  While Wordpress can be free, many of its additional services (like the removal of ads) require an additional fee. Blogspot offers its users complete control over a blog from creation to deletion without ever asking for a single penny of their money.

License for photo: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

Author Bio:

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at online college about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.

Italicised phrases have been added by Anne Lyken-Garner

The Power Of Lists

List features are ludicrously popular with readers and writers alike, both online and in print. Why? Writers can easily order their ideas and are not forced to write essays. They can keep their copy breezy and succinct which always has massive appeal if you blog regularly and are pushed for time. Readers like lists because they are a quick and simple source of information. Scanning such articles for key information you need is easy, much easier than picking out information from a big block of text.

This said, every blog out there is using lists so it’s difficult to stand out from other sites that use them unless you have an angle to attract a specific readership.

start making your own lists

Six ways to make lists work for your blog

Tip One: Play with the numbers

The most common types of lists across the internet are top 5s, top 10s, top 50s and top 100s. Rather than following this numeric trend try listing in 7s, 11s, 13s, 99s and 101s. It may sound a little strange but the sites that use this technique are very popular and it’s because, in part, the number they’ve chosen stands out as a strange and intriguing choice. People click to find out why you have chosen that specific number.

Tip Two: The quirkier your list, the better

Anyone can compile a list of the top 10 greatest sci-fi films of all time but few would think to compile a list entitled ‘13 Bad Turns for Brad Pitt.’ Such titles are a great way of getting your blog, and your writing noticed. Put yourselves in the shoes of the reader: would you want to read another top 5 reads list or would you prefer to read '11 moving companies to get your stuff to the other side of the Earth’?

Tip Three: If you can’t be quirky, be niche

Search engines are looking not just for particular words but for particular phrases. If you’re writing a list about a certain topic make sure you make it as niche as you possibly can. For example ’10 shoes to wear this summer’ is quite niche but ’11 strappy sandal styles to wear this summer’ is much better. Often, in summer, people are not wearing ‘shoes’ but ‘sandals’ and are thus more likely to be searching for them. On the other hand, people looking for lists about losing weight at the start of the year (when their new year's resolutions are fresh in their minds) may type in a specific term like, protein pancakes instead of a broad heading like healthy foods. Whatever field your list is in see how far you can narrow it down. That’s the way to get people to find you.

Tip Four: Information versus comedy

You might write the most hilarious lists in the cyberverse but if they don’t really tell the reader anything the novelty is very likely to quickly wear off. Just because a list is funny doesn’t mean that it has to be void of information. The best foundation for any list is research. Once you know what information you want to convey you should, only then, be thinking about how you will do so in a fun, light-hearted way. There are dozens of blogs offering funny lists but if your lists actually inform as well as entertain then your readership will undoubtedly become stronger.

Tip Five: Keep the language fresh

One way to spice up a list is to use subject specific vocab. Although this list uses the word “tips” similar words such as “ways” and “steps” are very common and if the idea is to go against the grain these words should definitely be avoided. Instead use language associated with the topic you’re talking about or use more sensational or dramatic words to stand out. For example: mistakes, blunders, crimes against humanity, wonder cures are all much more exciting words and can be used for a range of purposes. As a writer you will, of course, be easily able to think of many other examples. These are just a few to get you started.

Tip Six: Alternate your posts

If every post you write is a list things are going to become quite predictable quite quickly, which is a great way to lose readership. Just because you can use lists well doesn’t mean you have to use them every time. Variety is definitely the best way forward when it comes to pleasing your readership and lists should be part of a range of article structures you use. Other writing forms you may consider include: diary entries, transcripts, newspaper-style reports and fake dictionary or glossary pages. Using lists alongside these other tools will offer your blog readership a varied, informative and fun experience that will, undoubtedly, set you apart from the crowd.

 This is a guest post by Christine Connor.

How To Store Pictures Online

Following the success of my post about creating any document online (for free), A Blogger's Books had to show you how to store all your fantastic, digital pictures easily online. 

We're all running out of space to store our digital pictures. Memory sticks are great, but I've personally lost material when one of mine suddenly refused to work. I then started to store pictures of the family on two different memory sticks, but I was still not satisfied. That was when I searched for and found a better way to store our images - online. 

You can too! Best of all, you don't have to pay your cable company for storage space online. It's all free and readily accessible. 

As long as you have a Google account, this will be a piece of cake. If you've ever used Google, have a Blogger blog, used Adsense ads, have an iGoogle page, etc, you already have a Google account. If you don't it takes seconds (literally) to set one up here. You'll get 1024 MB of free storage space and make it as public or as private as you like.

Advantages of storing pictures online

It's free.

It's safe.

it's accessible.

You can easily share or upload your personal pictures on Facebook or other sites.

You have a url for all your stored online pictures. This is handy for image uploads on websites and blogs.

You can label, describe and group all your pictures easily.

It's difficult to run out of space no matter how many images you have.

If you run a blog, all the pictures you take and store online will already have their 'own image url'. This makes them perform better in search engine queries and can improve your traffic significantly.

You can email entire folders (links) of images to your friends and family without having to do them individually.

How to store your images online

1. Type in your password and sign into your Google account.

2. Google gives you lots of 'products' which appear at the bottom of the page you've just opened. They're Google places, Reader, Calendar, Notebooks, Bookmarks, and dozens more. Click on Docs.

3. At the top of the page there are 3 main options; Documents, Images and Videos, and More Options.

4. Click on Images and Videos.

5. Click on Upload





That wasn't difficult, was it? My CPA Review Materials all point to one source of online storage and this is it!





If you have benefited from this article or know someone who would, please share it. As always, thanks for your visit and for sharing this article.





  

How To Create 'Contact Me' Form on Blogger

As long as you have a Google account you can create almost any document on earth for your blog.  It's so easy, you'll wonder why you've never done it before! You'll get 1024 MB of free storage space.

Type in your password and sign into your Google accounts. (If you have a Blogger blog or Adsense ads, you already have a Google account).

If you've ever created a Google profile, this sits at the top left of the page, along with the picture you updated. If you've never created a Google profile, perhaps this is the time to do so.

All your Google accounts are at the bottom of the page you've opened. These include your Adsense, Analytics, Blogger, Picassa Web Albums and dozens more. If you haven't got all of these, don't worry. The only thing you need for this exercise is 'Google documents'.

Create free documents, surveys and contact form for your blog

1. Click on 'Docs'

2. On the top left you'll see two options, Create New and Upload. 

3. Click Create New

4. You'll see a drop down menu with these options: Document, spreadsheet, presentation, form, drawing, etc. Don't get distracted by all these (they're all wonderful). 

5. The last one is 'From Template'. Choose this one.

6. The page opens up with thousands of options. Look to your left for groups of search options. Choose 'narrow by type' in the second group of options..

7. Click on 'forms'.

8. Here you'll see the following forms for your website/blog (and thousands more): pick any of the winners - readers' feedback, polls, email sign ups, contact us, surveys, event surveys, etc. 

9. Personalise any of them to suit your site. You can hover your mouse to the right of each question in each survey to edit, change or delete it altogether.

10. There are thousands (literally) of forms you can use for personal use as well, (like wedding RSVPS, budgets etc, so go crazy. 

11. Once you've finished editing to suit what you want, look on the top right of the page you've worked on and choose, 'More Actions'.

12. The drop-down menu gives you the option to embed the finished page on your website. Choose embed and copy the code you're provided.

13. Go to your blog, embed the code on your page and you're done.

14. Always save your documents by a name you can remember. If you have lots of them this can be very useful in case you want to edit them in the future. 

If you've found this page useful please share it on your favourite networking site, or email the link  to someone who can benefit from it. As always, thank you for the visit and for sharing. 

Blog Jog Day, 2011

Welcome to Blog Jog Day! Please enjoy my site then click over to Plain and Simple Books Publishing  to see what they have to offer! Lost in the links? You can always go back to the main Blog Jog Day Blog at http://blogjogday.blogspot.com and find a new link to jog from. Thank you for stopping by my site.

I take part in Blog Jog Day each year. 2011 is bigger still, with thousands of views and clicks to each of its participants.

I hope you can stay and browse around A Blogger's Books. We have Online Writing Tutorials, real Writing Opportunities, tutorials for new bloggers, and even help for you if you're looking to boost your income by writing for online sites. This page links you up with sites that really pay. 

Coming soon

If you've written an e-Book, please submit it here. We're in the process of building a powerful page to showcase e-Books (especially) of the self-help genre. Here are mine which are available to buy in both hard copy and Kindle versions.

  Don't forget to subscribe to this blog so you can get regular updates of helpful blogging and writing articles. You can always unsubscribe if A Blogger's Books no longer meets your needs. 

Thanks for your visit and have a happy Blog Jog day!

Cross On Me: Book By Arie Uittenbogaard

A Bloggers' Books  is pleased to bring you our regular book review. This new book, Cross On Me is by Dutch author Arie Uittenbogaard.

"IN THE FINAL DECADE of the twentieth century the humanities spiralled into an unprecedented crisis. Those fields of inquiry that have always been our most believed mirrors felt their fundaments dissolve and their authorities wane. Although the common masses have no idea, and academics are in no hurry to tell them, mankind is either irreparably mad and ultimately doomed, or going through an awakening on an apocalyptic scale. Right now we are either dying or giving birth."

- Ethel Meyer

Ethel Meyer, a retired literature professor decides to invest her final moments of vision in the raving manuscripts of Qoheleth "Qoe" Bogenheart, a Bostonian theologian who lost his mind while writing it. With the help of mathematical science and industrial capital, Ethel forms the handwritten loose ends into the unity that they intended to convey.

As we follow Qoe on his Bunyanesque voyage to the arctic shore of Alaska we begin to wonder why any man would seek to forgo his sanity. Could it be to emulate Abraham who left his home, or even Christ who gave His life?

Qoe meets fellow travelers, suffers hallucinations, and even charges God with a baseball bat. Why  is he obsessed with flight? Is he searching for gold or knowledge? Who is Anna? Where is he going?

Qoe's car is found abandoned in Skagway, Alaska, and the manuscript ends in determinative silence. Ethel is nevertheless convinced that the story should continue, and the only one who may be able to raise Qoe is his wealthy father Karel. Only when his monetary fortune appears to have no bearing on his mission, Karel begins to realize that to raise a person, one has to live his death. Coming to terms with the nature of reality, Karel embraces his son's plight and the howling infinite of fiction.





Cross On Me is available to buy.

Arie Uittenbogaard worked on cargo and cruise ships for twenty years but has recently made the transition to being a full-time writer. He produces mostly Biblical studies, which are published via the website of Abarim Publications. Previously he published a book in Dutch, called Van Planckensteijn Doseert. In 2004 he was the recipient of the Carolyn A. Clark Flash Fiction Prize.



He and his wife live in Belgrade.