The most important thing to remember about using book notes is they are not intended to be substitutes for reading real book. You will miss out on opportunity to read some of greatest works of literature if you only read their book notes. Try reading book note chapter by chapter after you read that chapter in book. This helps confirm ideas you come up with on your own, and will point out new ideas while reading is still fresh in your mind.

Alternatively, you could also try reading summary of each chapter before reading chapter in book. This will help direct your reading to find things that are most important in each chapter, and will help you find new ideas that either agree or disagree with ideas discussed in book note.

When you sit down to write your paper, having already gone over reading and summary, you will have an arsenal of ideas on which you can rely to start writing paper. Very rarely will you receive an essay assignment that is answered perfectly by information in book note, so you’ll have to pour some of your own thoughts into your paper.

Where to find Book Notes

The best things in life are not always free, but there are a lot of free resources available now online. The three best places I have found for book notes are SparkNotes.com, CliffNotes.com, and PinkMonkey.com. They each have their own advantages and disadvantages, so try each one out until you find one that works best with your style.

18. The book has subsidiary rights potential including book clubs, audio cassettes or foreign, electronic or movie rights.

19. The book has adoption potential in schools or universities.

20. The house has published similar books with success.

21. The book is on a subject that house has or wants to build a list on.

22. Overcome by auction fever, publishers convince themselves that, despite profit-and-loss statement rated to determine book's value, they pay whatever it takes to outbid their rivals.

23. The author wants to switch houses.

24. The editor discovers book on a trip to a book fair and thinks it will sell, or is caught up in excitement surrounding book, or wants to justify trip.

25. The publisher is sending industry message that because of new management or despite changes in house, house is a player.

26. The book being sold may not be a big one, but future books will have bestseller potential.

27. The author has a personal connection with someone in house with power to buy book.

28. Publishing book will enhance house's prestige.

This is not a definitive list. John Saul, a novelist, observed if publishers don't want to buy a book, they say "It's been done to death." If they do want to buy that book, they'll say, "Always works."

(c) Copyright, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.