Amid Rio+20 UN Conference and Impending Climate Crisis, The Tierra Solution Delivers Answers

With the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development happening this week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the upcoming presidential election--where there is sure to be at least some focus on climate issues and a lot of focus on financial issues--this month's Book of the Month is both timely and relevant. The Tierra Solution, by sustainability sociologist Dr. Frans Verhagen, offers a solution to climate change through monetary transformation, essentially killing two birds with one stone.

Dr. Verhagen proposes to resolve to the current financial, economic, and monetary problems around the world with a credit-based financial system, governed by a Global Central Bank, that uses a carbon standard for a newly developed international monetary system with the Tierra as the unit of account--hence, the Tierra Solution.

Basically, Verhagen suggests that by simply holding businesses and governments accountable for the carbon-based energy they use, and basing money exchange on that energy, we can create a cleaner environment and solve the global financial crisis. Separated into two distinct parts, The Tierra Solution first describes the current climate crisis and methods of carbon reduction that already exist (and why they are not ideal). He also lays out the history and present structure of the international monetary system. Then, Verhagen describes the Tierra Fee & Dividend System, why it is the best solution for our ravaged economies, how it will improve the climate and monetary systems, and how it should be implemented.

Hazel Henderson, evolutionary economist and president of Ethical Markets Media, commented that The Tierra Solution is, "a visionary and immensely practical approach to reforming today's bubble finance and taming its global casino. Verhagen... illuminates the win-win solutions possible when we combine monetary transformation with low-carbon, renewable resource strategies and equitable approaches to sustainable development."

In his Foreword, Felix Dodds, executive director of the Stakeholder Forum, said, "This book is an important contribution because it provides some serious ideas for how we can ensure that there is international monetary justice that takes account of social, environmental, and procedural justice and intergenerational principles in the international monetary system."

This is not a light-hearted read.

But it is essential for those in finance and governements (or who want to influence those areas) to understand how our current systems are failing and why we need something new. Verhagen describes it as needing to "repair the present global monetary, financial, and economic systems that enrich the few, impoverish the many, and imperil the planet."

If you're interested in the official press release, you can read it here. Dr. Frans Verhagen is a sustainability sociologist with a Ph.D. in the sociology of international development from Columbia University. he founded the Queens Green party, the Riverside Church Ecology Task Force, and the Ecolinguistics Commission. He has worked around the world and online teaching environmental policies and sustainability.He is online at www.timun.net.

Noble Enterprise by Darwin Gillett selected as one of Top 40 Business Books

We thought our readers might enjoy this blog entry from John Spence, a well-known business blogger, author, and recipient of an Honorable Mention from Small Business Influencer in 2011. John chose 40 books out of the more than 2000 business titles he has read to make his "Top 40 Business Books" list--quite an honor for all involved. John says.

“I sit here in my office surrounded by more than 2,000 business books I must admit that it is pretty tough to narrow it down to just a handful of the very best.  However, if I were going to pick the top books that I feel give the best information for how to run a business successfully this would be my list.”

We are proud to announce that Darwin Gillett, author of Noble Enterprise, is on that list, putting him in league with authors Tom Peters, Jim Collins, Warren Bennis, and other luminairies! Noble Enterprise, published in 2008, offers the insights, leadership tools, and inspiration for entrepreneurs to create a business--a noble enterprise-- that will lead employees to new heights of performance. It teaches business owners to:

• Strengthen the organization by awakening and activating the rich array of human energy, wisdom, passion, and purpose in employees;
• Revitalize your company by creating and implementing a plan for turning around (and turning on) even the most "stuck" operation;
• Build sustainable growth and profitability by learning the secrets of corporate revitalization and applying them to achieve sustainable success;
• Expand your leadership impact by building employee morale and commitment and helping employees achieve big performance goals; and
• Inspire your people by increasing employees' enthusiasm and confidence and turning your company into a high-performing noble enterprise

Dare to Care Author Calls for Cooperation on Financial Crises in Online Video

Dare to Care author Louis Bohtlingk calls us to action and presents his ideas about how to transform the financial world in his new online video. You can watch the video below, as well as check out Louis's online platform for Dare to Care. Louis invites us:

LET’S RAISE OUR VOICES, SHARE OUR KNOWLEDGE AND BUILD TOGETHER!“Join the discussion about the state of our financial world and our economies and what we can do to create a better situation for us all. We need to hear everyone and work together. We all can make a contribution.”

You can view more videos from Louis on his website, www.carefirstworld.com.

Cygnus Review in the UK had this to say about Dare to Care:

“Louis Bohtlingk offers an inspiringly simple yet far-reaching idea 
for transforming our economy and the world of finance, so that it support rather than undermines, 
our human needs and those of our planet.”

BEA: Now With Streaming Video, But No Wi-Fi

This week we're splitting our time between working in the office and taking away as much as we can from the information bubble that is Book Expo America (BEA).

Held each year for four knowledge-packed days at the Javits Center in New York, BEA is a time when publishers can sit in on sessions and listen to experts tell them what they've been doing wrong (or right), where authors can learn tricks of the trade and how to navigate the mystical world of publishing, and where authors and publishers alike can meet with each other and forge lasting business contacts. It's both a frustrating, draining, and exciting time each year, filled with swag and free books, and this year, BEA brings us live video for those of you stuck at home to watch the action. The bonus is, you still get wi-fi in your living room, while those of us down in the Javits Center conference rooms have to stick it out with plain old 3G--or no service at all.

Ain't technology grand?

Blogger Rory O'Connor Praises New Book by Danny Schechter

Hey, you all remember Rory O'Connor? He's a journalist and a blogger and recently held a virtual book tour for his new book, Friends, Followers and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands and Killing Traditional Media.

Well, Mr. O'Connor has written a rather raving review of Danny's new book, Blogothon. Blogothon analyzes the media and its treatment of major events and persons over the last several years, much in the way O'Connor dissects the effects of social media on the traditional media landscape. If you're a fan of Rory or Danny or both, you should check out the review and then their books.

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/