MSI Press Blog

  Excerpt from  Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star How to Prepare for an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) All of the organizations that administer written proficiency tests also administer oral proficiency tests. You can find information at the same sites as given for the written tests. Please note that Language Testing International (LTI) administers the OPI of the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL) so LTI’s site is the best place to go for information. Some private institutes, organizations, and companies have developed various forms of an OPI, but they are not as commonly known or used as those of ACTFL and the US government. Preparing for the test Here are some thoughts to keep in mind as soon as you know you will be taking an OPI: ·        Given that we become good at what we practice (and not good at what we do not), then it goes without saying that we should practice speaking as much as possible,...

  Today's publisher's pride is  Travels with Elly  by Larry MacDonald, which reached #215   in travel with pets books. Book description: This nonfiction book views Canada from a personal perspective, similar to John Steinbeck's view of America in his 1960 book  Travels with Charley . The author travels from coast to coast in a trailer with his wife and pets, including their Standard Poodle, Elly, in order to gain a better understanding of his adopted country. Interspersed between descriptions of history, cultures, places, and icons are the author's reflections on various things such as Elly's antics, signage, ferries, political injustice, environmental issues, and animal instincts. To provide a canine's perspective, Elly reflects on things of interest to her, including cats, cows, and other critters...but especially cats! Where was Canada's first settlement? What is its prettiest town? When and where was its most devastating shipwreck? And who was its greatest h...

    It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  This week, we talk about an inevitable fact of life: aging. In the publishing industry, two things age every day: books and authors. So, what can you do? There are things you can do, things you should do, and things you must do. We deal with a big range of life circumstances, including surprises in the aging domain. Based on that experience, here is some advice for authors: Aging Books There are a few things you can do about aging books. Chief among them is relaunching them (a second edition) if new information is available and has dated your book. A book does not always have to be re-launched if there is no truly new information...