MSI Press Blog

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly. #32 Develop a Plan   If you are planning for a year, sow rice  if you are planning for a decade, plant a tree; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people. Richard Fenyman               Becoming a lifelong learner certainly requires persistence, but it also requires a plan. In Part 1 (Idea #4) you learned about setting goals by helping your child write down what he aspired to accomplish. Now that school has begun, perhaps it is a good time to take a good look at those goals. Now that he has embarked on a journey into a new grade, your child’s goals and expectations may be changing. He may realize that the goal he had originally set for himself is a bit too ambitious or not quite challenging enough. Take time today to review his original goa...

    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 share some of the reasons we've seen why would-be authors never get their first book out the door. We also look at what could be done about each of these reasons. Lack of Focus The problem: Many new authors try to cover too much ground, making their subject too broad. They end up feeling overwhelmed and directionless. A possible solution: List a narrow group of people you want to address and then, in one sentence, write an overarching summary of what you want them to come away from your book knowing, thinking about, or feeling. Then use only related details, no matter how tempting to throw in your entire expanse of ...