Have you ever bought a cold drink at a lemonade stand? Or have you baked cookies for a school bake sale? If so, you’re a consumer and a producer! Consumers, producers, buyers, and sellers all provide things other people want and need. How do they work together in the marketplace? Read this book to find out.

One of Charlotte's early streetcar suburbs, the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood epitomizes the New South vision of Charlotte. Its history reflects the growing of the New South and the nation as a whole. Plaza-Midwood, known for its architectural and social diversity, has been through the years a proposed enclave for Charlotte's New South elite, an "at risk" inner city area, and ultimately an urban success story. Plaza-Midwood's current prosperity can be attributed to the strength and vision of its "citizens," who continue to preserve the character and history of their community. Plaza-Midwood owes its survival to a dedicated neighborhood organization. Through their efforts, much of the area has been declared an historic district.

Everyone loves a children's book. And many dream about writing one. But is it actually possible for an unpublished writer—armed with a good story idea and a love of kids—to write, sell, publish, and promote a book? Yes, it is! Veteran children's book publishing executive and author Lisa Rojany Buccieri and author Peter Economy show you how, in their incredibly useful 2005 first edition of Writing Children's Books For Dummies®. Buccieri and Economy begin by explaining the basics of the children's book business, from the nuts and bolts of the various formats and genres—with helpful illustrations to aid you—to the intricacies of the book publishing market, a list of recent award-winning books, and a first peek into the particular mind set that writing children's books requires. (Hint: Throw out the adult rules, and think like a kid!) Then the authors dive into the actual writing process itself, with tips on setting up a workspace, brainstorming great book ideas, researching the subject you decide on, even speaking with the sorts of kids you hope will eventually read the book. They show you how to create compelling characters and develop them in the manuscript; how to outline and write a plot "arc" of conflict, change, and resolution; how to master the difficult art of writing dialogue; and how to use active (rather than passive) language to keep your story moving along and interesting to young minds. Or, if you're planning to write a creative nonfiction children's book—on a topic such as science, nature, or a historical figure, for example—the authors include a chapter on this, too. Ready, set, go... it's time to sit down and write! Once you've finished your book, however, the process has only begun. Now you will refine, submit, and hopefully sell your manuscript. Here again, the authors of Writing Children's Books For Dummies come through for you. They deliver solid advice on hiring an illustrator—or not; participating in workshops and conferences to learn the business and hone a story; finding an agent; and, finally, submitting the manuscript to publishers and—if you are successful—signing a contract. Along the way, the authors also include tips on handling rejection; a quick primer on the various editors in publishing houses (and how they work to make your book its best); and making a plan to publicize the book, including hiring a publicist if necessary. Like all For Dummies® books, Writing Children's Books For Dummies highlights "The Part of Tens," which includes the Ten Best Ways to Promote Your Story and More Than Ten Great Sources for Storylines. And the ever-helpful Cheat Sheet includes Tips for Editing your Children's Book Manuscript, Children's Book No-No's, Twelve Commandments for Writing Younger Children's Books, and Tips on Promotion. From setting down that first word on paper to doing a successful publicity tour, Writing Children's Books For Dummies gives you the confidence and the insiders' know-how to write and sell the story you've always wanted to write.

Collecting first edition children's picturebooks is one of the hottest areas of book collecting. Many books published in the past decade sell for hundreds of dollars, and a first edition Jumanji or Polar Express can reach over $1000 in today's market. The Children's Picturebook Price Guide provides values for nearly 23,000 books, covering over 700 children's book illustrators dating from 1929 to 2006. The Children's Picturebook Price Guide provides a brief history of the development of the children's picturebook, covering Little Golden Books, Beginner Books, early readers, and today's involved parent. It explains why today is the golden era of picturebooks, with more quality illustrators, writers, and picturebooks than anytime in the past. The Children's Picturebook Price Guide explains how to easily identify first edition picturebooks, and how to assess the six key factors that affect a book's collectibility and value.

The Instant National Bestseller and #1 Indie Next Pick In the vein of the classic 84, Charing Cross Road, this witty and tender novel follows two women in 1960s America as they discover that food really does connect us all, and that friendship and laughter are the best medicine. When twenty-seven-year-old Joan Bergstrom sends a fan letter--as well as a gift of saffron--to fifty-nine-year-old Imogen Fortier, a life-changing friendship begins. Joan lives in Los Angeles and is just starting out as a writer for the newspaper food pages. Imogen lives on Camano Island outside Seattle, writing a monthly column for a Pacific Northwest magazine, and while she can hunt elk and dig for clams, she’s never tasted fresh garlic--exotic fare in the Northwest of the sixties. As the two women commune through their letters, they build a closeness that sustains them through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President Kennedy, and the unexpected in their own lives. Food and a good life—they can’t be separated. It is a discovery the women share, not only with each other, but with the men in their lives. Because of her correspondence with Joan, Imogen’s decades-long marriage blossoms into something new and exciting, and in turn, Joan learns that true love does not always come in the form we expect it to. Into this beautiful, intimate world comes the ultimate test of Joan and Imogen’s friendship—a test that summons their unconditional trust in each other. A brief respite from our chaotic world, Love & Saffron is a gem of a novel, a reminder that food and friendship are the antidote to most any heartache, and that human connection will always be worth creating.

This reference features more than 5,000 new issues and more than 50,000 new facts about comic books published in North America in the last 70 vears.