Cosimo Author, Markku Siivola to Speak at the International Association for the Study of Dreams Conference

The 29^th Annual International Association for the Study of Dreams Conference is in Berkeley, California, this year at the Doubletree hotel. The location is beautiful, but that’s not all this interesting conference has to offer. This year there are over a dozen presentations to choose from. Topics range from shamanism to neuroscience to dreams of soldiers and dreaming in prisons. Among these informative and scintillating presentations will be one from Cosimo’s own author, Markku Sivvola.  

In November 2011, Cosimo published Markku Siivola’s book Understanding Dreams: The Gateway to Dreams without Dream Interpretation. This informative and interesting book about the dream group process was originally written and published in Finnish and is now available in English from Cosimo. 

While Markku’s presentation will surely be exciting, the conference has much more to offer as well. There will be art and other workshops, academic papers, a juried art gallery, and morning dream-sharing groups and the annual conference ball night of fun: the Dream Ball and its dream-character costume contest.

Goal Setting, Query Writing, and Picking Your Publisher

Last week, we discussed the three things you need in order to write an effective book. To recap, they are:

1. Your book and/or topic must be UNIQUE to your platform and genre
2. Your book--and definitely your topic--must be INTERESTING
3. Your book must be WELL WRITTEN

In this installment of our "Get Published" series, we'll discuss how to approach the next step of the publishing process: finding an agent or publisher, or both.

The Dissector in the News

Danny Schechter has been busy lately, promoting his new books, talking about the upcoming election, the economy, and in general forcing us all to pay attention to what's really going on in the world.

In case you haven't gotten your media fix, here are two more offerings from Mr. Schechter. The first is an article he posted last week to the Huffington Post about money's influence in politics, particularly on election campaigns.Check it out for the scoop on how Republican and Democratic candidates are using--and making--those bucks.

Second is a radio interview about Danny's new book, Blogothon: Reflections and Revelations from the News Dissector, on AM 1510's Revolution Boston. You can download and listen to the entire interview here.

Be sure to stay tuned next week for more info about Danny's new book!

So, you think you're ready to write a book? (and other writing tips)

Being in the business of publishing, we get a lot of questions from authors and would-be authors about the publishing process, the time it takes from acquisition to publication, ebooks, distribution channels, marketing, and everything in between. These questions are valid and important, but sometimes in the midst of all the excitement of getting a book published and learning about the ins and outs of the publishing business, authors forget about the importance of focusing on their book.

This will be the first in a series of posts offering tips to authors who are curious about the publishing business. I'll not only address all of the usual concerns mentioned above, but also things like query letters, agents, submitting unsolicited manuscripts, finding the right publisher for you, what to expect (and not to expect) from your publisher, and how to focus on the goal for your book. To begin, we'll talk about whether you're even ready to write a book, let alone publish it.

Cosimo’s Classic of the Month: A book from the 19th Century Martha Stewart.

In the interest of spring cleaning Cosimo has chosen a classic that would make Martha Stewart proud: Mrs. Beeton's Cookery Book and Household Guide by Isabella Mary Beeton.  Mrs. Beeton was the 19th century's Martha Stewart, and she is responsible for organizing the rules of domestic life into the first easy-to-follow guide. She was a British writer who caused a sensation in 1861 when she published her guide to proper Victorian housekeeping, known under various unofficial titles, including Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management.

Though you may have your doubts this book is still highly useful today. Beeton's tome is a masterly compendium of practical information, and covers such essential topics as:

• recipes of cooking all manner of meat, fish, vegetable, pudding, and pastry
• hints on the proper arrangement of a functional kitchen
•  ideas for table decorations (including the correct way to fold napkins)
• tips for carving poultry
• charts on the seasons and prices (in the 1800s, of course) of all manner of edibles

This charming replica of the "new and greatly enlarged" 1890 edition features all of the original diagrams, illustrations, menus, lists, and other particulars and minutiae that made this work so beloved in its day, and continues to ensure its popularity today. Organizers, neat freaks, home makers, and Martha Stewart enthusiasts will love this easy to follow guide into Victorian home making.

Barbara Bizou’s Joy of Family Ritual is May’s Book of the Month

With mother’s day around the corner, it made sense for us to choose a book about families and celebrating families for our book of the month.  Every day families are performing rituals: eating dinner together, celebrating birthdays, taking walks, and more. Most activities families do together become rituals for how they grow and live as a family. 

The Joy of Family Rituals: Recipes for Everyday Living is a recipe book for families who want to further enrich their lives with rituals. By reflecting on the significance of the everyday rituals and making them a part of daily life, families can strengthen their bond. Rituals help a family communicate, foster spiritual connections, and provide a secure foundation for growth. Though rituals are probably already a part of your family life, The Joy of Family Ritual can help incorporate even more rituals into your daily life.

BARBARA BIZIOU is an internationally acclaimed teacher of practical spirituality and global rituals. She is a life coach, voice dialogue facilitator, interfaith minister, and motivational speaker. She has lectured and taught around the world. She currently resides in New York managing her company, Blue Lotus Productions. You can visit her online at www.joyofritual.com. 

Joining the 1% for the Planet Family

Cosimo is always looking for new ways to help the planet and reinforce our mission to create a smart and sustainable society by connecting people with valuable ideas. So our decision to join 1% for the Planet and it's beneficial work was a simple one.  Read our formal announcement about joining the 1% for the Planet family.

Book review Dare to Care: Why Our Current Financial Crisis is a Crisis of Consciousness

Dare to Care: A Love Based Foundation for Money and Finance has received yet another review. Maddy Harland co-founder and editor of Permaculture Magazine (www.permaculture.co.uk) has written the review which can be found here.  The review discusses confronting the world's financial issues and what a care based economy would look like, based on what Louis Bohtlingk describes in his book and comes to a positive conclusion that not only is Bohtlingk's system a possibility, it would serve the greater good. Read it!

Message from Author Louis Bohtlingk

We recently published the book Dare to Care: A Love Based Foundation for Money and Finance by Louis Bohtlingk. While the book discusses a financial system in which caring is more valuable than monetary gain, Louis and his organization Care First World, continue to uphold and teach this method. If you'd like to know more check out his newsletter or watch the video above. 

Website Redesign: It's all very exciting!

Recently, Cosimo made the decision to do a major website overhaul. This extensive and labor intensive overhaul involved new content, new color, new graphics, and most importantly an user friendly atmosphere that is easy to navigate. All of the aforementioned were implemented with the new design and we're pretty pleased with the results. Check out our new website and let us know what you think. http://www.cosimobooks.com/

Rory O'Connor's Virtual Book Tour

If you're interested in social media, or media in general, and like Danny Schechter's work, then you should check out a virtual book tour by Rory O'Connor TONIGHT, at 7pm EST/4pm PST. You can see all the details and sign up here.

O'Connor will be discussing his new book, Friends, Followers and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands and Killing Traditional Media. He'll explain the trends in social media and explore what tech visionaries, media makers, political advisers, and businesspeople are saying about the meteoric rise of the various social networks.

Check it out!

Co-founder of Women's World Banking, Michaela Walsh on "Is Risk-taking Only Bad Banking When Done by Women?"

"Michaela Walsh (co-founder of Women's World Banking and author of the upcoming Cosimo book "Founding a Movement, Women's World Banking,1975–1990" -  which tells the story about the founding of this micro-finance institution for women), wrote together with Nancy Carson in a letter to the Financial Times their response to an article published earlier in the FT, "Women bankers linked to rise in risk-taking". That latter article presents a report by the German Bundesbank that claims a link between the more women are represented on a bank board, the riskier the decisions of the bank. Based on Ms. Walsh's extensive experience working with women and finance around the world, she counters this narrow finding by stating her point of view:

"This characterisation appears to be yet another argument against women as full participants in today’s economy." Then she and ms. Carson point out a McKinsey study that found that boards with mixed boards had 56% higher operating profits, and continue to say that during their 15 years leading the Women’s World Banking movement around the globe, they learnt that "...Women are business people. Some take risks, others do not. Some succeed, others do not." Finally, they state that the low participation rate of women on bank and other boards is not strengthening the economy, but a denial of talent and resources. It will be interesting to see how this discussion will develop further as more women will be gaining professional and executive roles in banking and business.

Check the article out on the Financial Times Website.

Cosimo’s Classic of the Month, written by one of the finest writers in the history of Spanish Language.

Saint John of the Cross was a major figure in the Catholic reformation of the 16^th century. He was a passionate writer and wrote many pieces including Spiritual Canticle, The Dark Night of the Soul, and Sayings of Love and Peace.

Cosimo’s classic of the month The Living Flame of Love contains not only the poem of the same name but selected letters, poems, and writings of the 16th-century mystic. Written soon after his escape from a nine-month stint in solitary confinement, The Living Flame of Love is Saint John’s ode to the soul’s ultimate union with God. It is presented here in its entirety along with a detailed explanation of each stanza.

With 365 spiritual maxims, instructions on achieving perfection, and precautions against Satan, The Living Flame of Love is a wonderful introduction to the works of a deeply pious man, but one of the finest writers in the history of the Spanish language.

As a tribute to upcoming Earth Day, Cosimo picks Earth Fever as April's book of the month

With spring officially here, the trees growing greener, the flowers starting to bloom, and the weather starting to warm up it’s time to announce a new book of the month. April is filled with many important days, holidays, and themes. But here at Cosimo we decided to focus on Earth Day, which falls on Sunday April 22 this year. 

The purpose of Earth Day is to bring awareness to the environmental issues that continue to have an impact on the health of our Earth.  Climate change is warming the Earth up and we need to find a way to cool down the effects our actions are having. Earth Fever: Living Consciously with Climate Change discusses not only the small ways everyone could change their habits to reduce their carbon footprint but also how they could better their own lives by helping the Earth. A truly original take on climate change this book focuses on the individual's growth as well as their ability to effect change in the current environmental woes. To learn more about the book visit EarthFeverBook.com.

• "Links a crisp and clear explanation of the climate problem to a spiritual quest for solutions... Earth Fever is something special... Read it and subsequently do something." -Pierre de Winter, in Platform for Managers and Professionals  
• "Ends with a positive, hopeful scenario. Living more consciously is not only good for our planet, but also for ourselves... The fever can be decreased, we can become healthy again." -Lisette Thooft, in Happinez
• "Inspiring... The authors show that there is a third way, a path that weaves between doomsday thinking and unfounded optimism..." -Derk Hueting and Klaas van Egmond, in Milieu

Authors Judy McAllister, Erik van Praag, and Jan Paul van Soest bring to bear their diverse experience in the fields of sustainability, leadership, and entrepreneurialism on the challenge of building a radically different belief system about life such an endeavor will require.

April Fool's Day, what is it really all about?

 I'm sure you know what April Fools Day is. It's a day when you have an excuse to play all kinds of pranks on anyone and call it a holiday tradition. For instance, you could put a very large spider in your boss's drawer (its safer if its fake) and laugh out loud when they jump out of their chair and fly from their office. Make sure you take credit though, otherwise it's not as fun. But where did it all come from? And why April 1st?

The Romans celebrated Hilaria, which was one day in a week long festival, and was a day of joy and happiness. In The Canterbury tales, Geoffrey Chaucer mentions the 32nd of March, which would technically be the 1st of April, and on that day the rooster is tricked by the fox. During the Middle Ages, when New Years Day was March 25 many areas had a week long celebration that ended on April 1. The thought process being that those who celebrated New Years on January 1, thought those who celebrated a week long New Years festival that ended on April 1 were fools. Therefore the origins are sketchy. And so is the significance of April 1st.

So we don't exactly know why or where, but we certainly know how people celebrate! And it really does vary. In France and Italy they tape cut-out paper fish to each others backs. In England they give you until noon to pull off a prank. If you play a joke after noon you become the April Fool. The US celebrates without any rules, simply trick, lie, joke, and steal (just kidding about that last one stealing is wrong) and call the person afflicted by your actions an April Fool! Start thinking of your pranks now and happy fooling!