Do people read anymore? The following statistics about book publishing and reading were found on www.parapub.com, the Web site of self-publishing guru Dan Poynter. They'll give you an idea of what you're up against if you want to write books for a living.
1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57 percent of new books are not read to completion.
70 percent of books published do not earn back their advance.
70 percent of the books published do not make a profit.
(Source: Jerold Jenkins, www.JenkinsGroupInc.com)
We get it that moms and dads are busy, which is why we summarize essential parenting books for them. Now, we are making it even easier to discover ParentsDigest.com by placing our new video, on our site. You don't have to read the books, and now you don't have to read our home page, either. Gotta love the technology! To meet Pam, simply go here.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Killing Our TV: RIP Dish Network
Nothing personal, Dish Network. We liked a lot of your shows, and we’ll miss Big Love, and Denis Leary and crew, also Rachel Maddow. The Super Bowl was awesome, too. Of course, your UI sucks, but that’s not why we pulled the plug.
At first, the notion of killing our TV came from our new austerity campaign. We have declared a family emergency. We don’t know how long our puny funds will have to last us, so we are tweaking down our family expenses. We will bike instead of drive, pack a lunch instead of eating out, iron our shirts instead of sending them out. As repulsive and hypocritical as they may be, the Chevron ads make sense.
No, in the end, Dish Network, it’s not the 128 bucks a month that causes us to say adios. It’s the distraction. It’s the time, and more important, the attention that we give to you instead of to our kids. The years that we have with them are fleeting. Katie will be preparing for college in 2 years, and the boys will both be in high school. They most likely will be spending their free time with friends more than with us. Now’s the time, and we have been squandering too much of it staring into your flashing face.
And, yes, we are going to keep our Internet connection but we’re pulling the wi-fi. Also, we decided to keep Netflix on our list, largely due to Pam’s possibly unhealthy fixation on The Unit.
Sure, it’s possible we won’t have much to say to each other, or, worse, we could be at each other’s throats. But just maybe we’ll grow closer, get to feel more of the texture of these terrific kids who live with us for such a short time. So goodbye, see you again is six years.
At first, the notion of killing our TV came from our new austerity campaign. We have declared a family emergency. We don’t know how long our puny funds will have to last us, so we are tweaking down our family expenses. We will bike instead of drive, pack a lunch instead of eating out, iron our shirts instead of sending them out. As repulsive and hypocritical as they may be, the Chevron ads make sense.
No, in the end, Dish Network, it’s not the 128 bucks a month that causes us to say adios. It’s the distraction. It’s the time, and more important, the attention that we give to you instead of to our kids. The years that we have with them are fleeting. Katie will be preparing for college in 2 years, and the boys will both be in high school. They most likely will be spending their free time with friends more than with us. Now’s the time, and we have been squandering too much of it staring into your flashing face.
And, yes, we are going to keep our Internet connection but we’re pulling the wi-fi. Also, we decided to keep Netflix on our list, largely due to Pam’s possibly unhealthy fixation on The Unit.
Sure, it’s possible we won’t have much to say to each other, or, worse, we could be at each other’s throats. But just maybe we’ll grow closer, get to feel more of the texture of these terrific kids who live with us for such a short time. So goodbye, see you again is six years.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Safety alert - from the Interent
Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public
parking area. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the
rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home,
it was a receipt for gas. Luckily my friend told me not to
stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the
car Then we received this email yesterday:
'WARNING FROM POLICE
THIS APPLIES TO BOTH WOMEN AND MEN
BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE--
NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS
Heads up everyone! Please, keep this circulating... You walk
across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You
start the engine and shift into Reverse.
When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your
parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle
of the rear window. So, you shift into Park, unlock your
doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or
whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach
the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out
of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically
mow you down as they speed off in your car.
And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car.
So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your
money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are
now compromised!
BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.
If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just
drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you
read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and
family, especially to women. A purse contains all kinds of
personal information and identification documents, and you
certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands.
Please keep this going
and tell all your friends�
Jeanne Rue
Senior Legal Secretary
Office of the Attorney General
404.656.7273
404.651.6341 (fax)
jrue@law.ga.gov
parking area. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the
rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home,
it was a receipt for gas. Luckily my friend told me not to
stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the
car Then we received this email yesterday:
'WARNING FROM POLICE
THIS APPLIES TO BOTH WOMEN AND MEN
BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE--
NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS
Heads up everyone! Please, keep this circulating... You walk
across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You
start the engine and shift into Reverse.
When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your
parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle
of the rear window. So, you shift into Park, unlock your
doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or
whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach
the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out
of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically
mow you down as they speed off in your car.
And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car.
So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your
money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are
now compromised!
BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.
If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just
drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you
read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and
family, especially to women. A purse contains all kinds of
personal information and identification documents, and you
certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands.
Please keep this going
and tell all your friends�
Jeanne Rue
Senior Legal Secretary
Office of the Attorney General
404.656.7273
404.651.6341 (fax)
jrue@law.ga.gov
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