The Road to Success is Paved with Failure : How Hundreds of Famous People Triumphed Over Inauspicious Beginnings, Crushing Rejection, Humiliating Defeats and Other Speed Bumps Along Life's Highway

Book Description

Down on your luck? Don't despair. You might still be headed for a life of riches and renown. After all, consider the experiences of:

* Marilyn Monroe, who in 1947, after one year under contract, was dropped by 20th Century-Fox because Darryl Zanuck thought she was unattractive
* John Grisham, whose first novel, A Time to Kill, was rejected by sixteen agents and a dozen publishing houses
* Walt Disney, whose first cartoon production company went bankrupt
* Barbra Streisand, who made her stage debut at age 19 in a show that opened and closed in a single night
* Edgar Allan Poe, who was expelled from West Point
* Adlai Stevenson, who at age 12 accidentally killed a visitor to his parents' home on Christmas day

This inspired compendium of pop culture and historical trivia will amuse and delight readers of all ages. It's a perfect gift for graduates, for moms and dads, and for anyone whose cheese has recently been moved.

Customer Reviews:

A great pick-me-up!.......2006-03-07

This book is a great pick-me-up when one feels as if the goals set are just out of reach. The icons we all know and recognize are included - failures and success on each page. Who knew Frank Sinatra was expelled from high school for rowdy behavior?!

This is a great gift book, and I would recommend it for people starting any new adventure: college, a new job, or for the fun of the read.

Something to read on the "can," otherwise skip it........2005-11-23

I have several dozen books on various aspects of success and failure and this book is the most mediocre of them all. Each page has about 100 words at best and there is no detail to any of the stories of the effort and perseverance required to actually succeed. So some slightly famous someone you have heard about had a bad day once. Big deal, there is no lesson to that. The real lesson is in reading about the depth and breadth it really takes to succeed - real commitment, not just a simple piece of good or bad luck.

If you have a friend who just doesn't like to read at all, this would be a suitable gift. I'm not saying that to be a book snob...we have all been in "their" houses, where the heck are the books? If you have a friend or relative who is trying to achieve something great in his or her life, but they are just not the type to read, then this book would be an acceptable choice. My younger brother - whom - I admire a great deal, is trying to succeed at a very difficult career path and I will be getting this book for him for his Christmas present. However, if you want anything more than the most superficial read, choose a different book.

Work is a good thing.......2004-09-09

How interesting and disappointing that the majority of "failures" described in this entertaining little book, are simply detailing an honest day's work. I personally don't think that gainful employment is a "failure" no matter what one's hopes and aspirations in life may be. We should all be so lucky.

Great Book, Great Gift--even for yourself!.......2004-03-19

This is a GREAT book. When I read about the humble beginnings of high achievers, I get motivated to be great too! For example Walt Disney's first cartoon film failed miserably and he even went bankrupt! The point of this book is keep trying, don't stop. `Cause the road to success IS paved with failure!

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated

Do not buy this rip-off.......2003-07-07

How can the average rating of 21 people be near 5?

This book is a silly collection of trashy one-liners; each one-liner takes up an entire page. Dumb rumors nobody cares about like "Marilyn Monroe worked in a take-out restaurant before becoming famous".

I was expecting a series of STORIES or REPORTS that would actually teach me something.

Save your money and do not buy this disappointing collection of tabloid cut-and-paste.

Book Description

As his legendary coach once said, Bart Starr stands for what the game of football stands for: Courage, stamina and coordinated efficiency. This book reveals all the details of Starr's improbable rise to stardom. It explores his relationship with Lombardi and his guidance of the Packers from a downtrodden franchise to five-time World Champions to two-time Super Bowl winners.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Biography, But Nothing New.......2005-02-19

Those interested in reading about former Green Bay Packers' quarterback Bart Starr for the first time will find this to be an interesting biography. However, if you have read previous books on the Packers such as Jerry Kramer's "Instant Replay" and David Maraniss's definitive biography on Vince Lombardi entitled "When Pride Still Mattered", you will not find anything new here. Author David Claerbaut relies heavily on Maraniss's book on Lombardi in addition to having a similar title "When Leadership Mattered." Claerbaut does delve into Starr's nine years as the coach of the Packers in addition to Starr's son, Brett, who suffered from drug addiction. As far as Starr's years as a player for the Packers is concerned what this book has to offer can be found in several other books on the team. However, if you have not read a previous book on Bart Starr or the Packers of the 1960's then you will enjoy this book.

Book Description

In 1954, Mike Connolly, the gay gossip columnist for the Hollywood Reporter from 1951 to 1966, was described by Newsweek as "probably the most influential columnist inside the movie colony," the one writer "who gets the pick of trade items, the industry rumors, the policy and casting switches." He was indeed one of the most talented and influential members of the Hollywood press of his time, and his column, for those who could read between the lines, was a daily chronicle of gay goings-on. Fifty years later, his cumulative output is a virtually untapped lode of gay Hollywood history.

Mike Connolly's life and work are the focus of this book. It considers his formative years, his pre-World War II life at the University of Illinois and in Chicago, and the ways in which the homosexual community in Hollywood lived lives both secretive and open in the forties, fifties and sixties. It also examines the literary merit, power and newsworthiness of Connolly's "Rambling Reporter" column in the Hollywood Reporter and its significance as a chronicle of gay Hollywood life; the previously unexplored role of Connolly's column in the Hollywood blacklist and how his anti-Communist crusade was rooted in his earlier campaign to close down the brothels in his college town; and how his life informed his column and his column shaped his life.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating Reading for Everyone.......2003-09-24

This book tells the story of a flamboyant Hollywood character, who had the personal power to make or break careers of movie stars and other well-known people, long before the likes of the National Enquirer were ever thought of. The in-depth research for this book is so all-inclusive that even reading the bibliography can be a literary experience in its own right. Its thorough coverage of the Communist-chasing Senator Joseph McCarthy's dark period when so-called black-listed people could either not find work, or who had to work under assumed names, also gives historical credence to the book. Connolly's dogged anti-communist and anti-smut campaigns are described with full-blown candor.

The truth that the gifted journalist Mike Connolly was gay would come as a surprise to many readers such as myself, and it did not negate or overshadow his staunch Catholic upbringing, his campaigns against vice, or his writing. His being gay does not overwhelm either the book, or the reader.

You will not be able to put this book down, once you begin to read it. ...

A Gay Wink at Hollywood.......2003-07-14

I highly recommend Val Holley's latest study, of the late gossip columnist Mike Connolly, for anyone interested in reading between the lines of Hollywood history. Connolly, not all that likeable a character, managed to kow-tow to 1950's norms yet retain his individuality as a gay blade while becoming an important Tinsel-town presence in a time of conformity. Holley's bio of this unforgettable presence is a snappy read and gives the same insights into the man's character and motivations as his bios of James Dean do for that star.

Marvelously fun and fascinating.......2003-07-14

Marvelously fun and fascinating; this is the most delightful and interesting work I've read in some time. The scads of delectable skinny alone make this book almost impossible to put down. But there's more here than dish: the Mike Connolly who emerges from Holley's carefully researched biography is an intriguing, complex, powerful, hilarious, and superbly talented figure. The author could easily have sketched a simplistic image of Connolly as a repressed gay intellectual, swerving his rage into anti-Communist vitriol. Instead, Holley builds up a nuanced portait of his subject by painstakingly mining the written record and loads of interviews with the subject's friends, family, and colleagues. In Holley's view, Connolly's campaign against leftist influence in the movie industry sprang from numerous sources, including his Irish Catholicism, his identification with the culture of Hollywood, his patriotism, his status in the movie industry, and the childhood poverty that fueled Connolly's drive to assimilate into elite society. The author sees Connolly, not as a victim of sexual politics, but as a forerunner of today's influential Log Cabin Republicans. Likewise, Holley eschews commonplace notions of the "closet" in presenting an intricate image of Connolly's gayness and Connolly's success in holding the mirror up to gay Hollywood culture. The author vividly depicts Connolly's strikingly "open" way of life, and details the various "rules" by which Connolly and other gay film industry figures thrived within industry boundaries. All the while, the author spices the account with excerpts from Connolly's writing, by turns witty, playful, bitchy, scolding, vicious, and luxuriating in scandal. Moreover, Holley's story casts light - often new and always engaging - on numerous landmarks in Hollywood history, among them the "Confidential" magazine crisis and the threatened outing of Rock Hudson, the rivalry among the leading gossip writers, the Blacklist, and the movie industry's pivotal role in the 1960 Presidential campaign. Doubtless, Holley's book will appeal to an array of readers. Movie buffs will fasten on discoveries about their favorite stars and scandals (don't miss the inside scoops on Sinatra, JFK, and Peter Lawford); devotees of Hollywood camp will enjoy scores of delicious anecdotes and zingers (Tallulah Bankhead's 52nd birthday extravaganza surely takes the prize); film historians will find a well researched contribution to the social history of the later studio system; and gay studies scholars will uncover much of value: new tools for analyzing gay writing (such as Holley's "Rules of Gay Gossip" and Connolly's techniques for "openly" publishing gay scuttlebutt), a detailed picture of a pioneer of gay political conservatism, and a multifaceted and innovative depiction of queer Hollywood.

Book Description

This instrumental series provides beginners of all ages with fun, alternative material that will increase their repertoire and enhance the overall enjoyment of thier instrument. The books contain simplified arrangements of well known tunes designed to help players develop reading and playing skills, while increasing confidence in solo playing. The professionally recorded CDS feature full backing and demonstration tracks. Discover the lead: Christmas Carols contains Away in a Manager, The First Nowell, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O come all ye faithful etc.

Customer Reviews:

It's for kids.......2001-01-08

I bought it with a bunch of other books about cryptography (serious ones), but it is written for kids. One of the codes is a sentence with the words written backwards. Another is letters split up into blocks, but you can still just read the words straight across. It's really not helpful.

Excellent introduction to cryptology & cryptoanalysis.......2000-12-26

This is a great book for beginners in the subject of cryptology. (Cryptography = creating cyphers; cryptoanalysis = decyphering them).

The author was a real-life cryptologist in the military, and this book shares his experience with you.

Many books on the subject try to hit you over the head with math, but Johnson's elementary approach is a welcome relief. I definitely recommend this one!

A fun book.......2000-02-08

I have a theory that most well-done things for kids appeal to adults as well. I don't have a vast bank of data to support this hypothesis, but I do have examples, such as this book. I'm not a kid, and I still learned plenty of things about cryptography that I did not know beforehand. Larry Daste's clever illustrations add a lot to the book's design. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that Mr. Johnson is a family friend, and I suggested one of the sayings that was used in the book.)

Average customer rating:

best grant writing book ever

excellent as a textbook or for the professional writing grants

Excellent Book....

It Is a Complete Guide

The best "how to" for grantwriters

Getting Funded: The Complete Guide to Writing Grant Proposals
Mary S. Hall , and Susan Howlett
Manufacturer: Continuing Education Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Demystifying Grant Seeking: What You REALLY Need to Do to Get Grants

The Only Grant-Writing Book You'll Ever Need: Top Grant Writers and Grant Givers Share Their Secrets

Writing for a Good Cause: The Complete Guide to Crafting Proposals and Other Persuasive Pieces for Nonprofits

Winning Grants: Step by Step, 2nd Edition

The Everything Grant Writing Book: Create the Perfect Proposal to Raise the Funds You Need (Everything Series)

ASIN: 0876780710

Book Description

Compete Successfully for Shrinking Funding Dollars

In the existing climate of increased competition for reduced funding dollars, writing a winning grant proposal is essential.

Get the answers to your most troublesome questions. Drawing on over 60 years of experience in the field, authors Dr. Mary Hall, and Susan Howlett take you step by step, through this complex and sometimes frustrating process. Everything is covered, from current trends in funding to all the nuts and bolts necessary for writing a successful proposal.

By illustrating points with clear examples, incorporating checklists, a teaching guide for instructors, and other useful tools to keep you on track, the 4th Edition of Getting Funded continues to be the definitive reference on writing grant proposals available today.

You will learn how to:

Test the appeal of your idea
Measure your organization's capability to carry out what it proposes
Research and develop your idea
Select the most promising funding sources
Construct your proposal from abstract to budget, using proven management planning procedures.
Present and negotiate your proposal
Prepare for a subsequent round of funding

Who Should Use Getting Funded?

Everyone responsible for raising funds:
Researchers
Scientists
Social service program personnel
Educators
Health Professionals
Nonprofit organization development personnel
Graduate students involved in dissertation planning
Everyone who oversees organizations involved in fundraising:
Elected and appointed officials
Nonprofit organization board members and executives
University administrators
Research and project directors

Everyone who plans and seeks support for new programs or ventures:

Public sector administrators proposing new programs
Private sector managers proposing new ideas or initiatives

What's new in this edition?

Web resources and numerous helpful checklists
A brand new section for instructors teaching proposal writing including a sample syllabus for 11-week and 3-week courses and suggested assignments for each chapter
More guidance and examples for small organizations in addition to larger, more sophisticated applicants

Customer Reviews:

best grant writing book ever.......2007-09-17

This is a great and informative book. Easy to follow and understand. If you are trying to write grants and new help with fundrasing this is the book for you

excellent as a textbook or for the professional writing grants.......2007-07-13

I am using this book as a textbook in my business bachelor's degree program. The professor who is a professional grant writer for a Florida college picked this book as she said it covered all the basics with easy to understand steps. I agree, it has been so helpful that I am using it to write a grant for the non-profit that I work for. The website addresses, examples and sample letters are great!

Excellent Book...........2007-06-10

This book is packed with great information. I like the writer's approach and level of information. I'd also suggest the "Government funding and you series too." Enclosed is a link to this product series. Both titles are highly recommended. The other grant series also has a video too.

-C

Government Funding and You: The Workbook (Government Funding and You)

It Is a Complete Guide.......2004-08-30

Getting Funded
The complete Guide to Writing Grant Proposals
Mary Hall, PhD. & Susan Howlett
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon
174 pages including appendices

Reviewed by
Jan Tunnell
Tunnell & Associates
Orlando, Florida

I found this book intriguing. As an experienced (25+ years) professional, I approached this assignment with an "I will see if they did it right" attitude. Not only do they do it right, but I enjoyed the content, arrangement of information, and style of presentation. I found myself mentally noting things I have tried to share with clients or peers - and wishing I could underline passages and stick the book under a few noses. Validation is wonderful, but I also learned new techniques and viewpoints and got an update on several topics.
The book is divided into parts:
Part One: Essential Planning Steps
Chapter 1 Getting Started
Chapter 2 Assessing Your Capability
Chapter 3 Developing the Idea
Chapter 4 Selecting the Funding Source
Considerable space is given to guiding an agency through the process of planning to prepare an application - how I wish this step was the norm instead of the exception! The first four chapters are devoted to this crucial step - and they are the chapters I want more agencies to use. So often the attitude is "we need money, write a grant", not knowing or caring that you can only write applications. The planning step is mostly unknown or ignored. Hopefully, these four chapters will encourage new applicants to start off on the right foot and actually think before they leap. This information will also be appreciated by experienced grant writers - they know this but can't get their administration to listen. Here is support for their unheeded cries.
The nine chapters on preparing the application are thorough, well presented, clear, and concrete.
Part Two: Writing and Submitting the Proposal
Chapter 5 Writing the Proposal
Chapter 6 Title Page, Abstract, and Accompanying Documents
Chapter 7 Writing the Purpose Statement
Chapter 8 Writing the Statement of Need
Chapter 9 Procedures
Chapter 10 Evaluation
Chapter 11 Qualifications and Personnel
Chapter 12 The Budget
Chapter 13 Review, Submission, Notification, and Renewal
Every possible section and subsection of an application is covered in easy to understand language. Samples of standard pages and suggested formats are included in the body of the text, where they are most relevant. Charts provide summary and detail of specific topics in an easy to understand format. Differences among government, private foundation, corporate, and research applications are explained and the components of each are listed, including required attachments.
One of my favorite sections is a working timeline. All too often someone in an agency notices that there is funding available, gets all excited about applying, and then casually mentions that the deadline is next week. The planning timetable shows the uninitiated exactly how long each process takes, and what the working order should be.
The information is current; time lines, PERT charts, and logic models are included and explained. An entire chapter is devoted to evaluation methodology, a relatively recent requirement many are still uncomfortable dealing with and preparing. The authors even include an overview of the review process, and a list of the Seven Deadly Sins of Proposal Writing.
Appendix A Proposal Development Checklist
Appendix B Resources for Teachers
Appendix A is a summary of each chapter, with a check list of salient points and tasks. It will serve as a handy review and reminder when you get down to the wire and the group starts to lose focus. I probably won't use the syllabus for a nine-week course in Appendix B, but I am most interested in the outline for a one-day seminar. For the truly serious, there is a section of assignments for each chapter, these are handy for a curriculum, but could also be used by an agency as an on-going group project to focus and integrate the grant writing team.
This is a resource for both beginning and experienced applicants. Every page has something new and/or interesting. As I went through the chapters, I kept wanting to add to this review, calling attention to this topic or that technique. I can't go on forever, so go get the book. I'm not sharing my copy.

The best "how to" for grantwriters.......2004-05-29

Grant writing is one of those activities for which there are many "how to" books. The real dilemma for novices-or even those of us with a few grants under our belt-is which book to adopt as our handy desk reference, its well-thumbed pages peppered with hi-liter and sticky notes. Getting Funded:The Complete Guide to Writing Grant Proposals by Mary Hall and Susan Howlett fits this role perfectly.

The latest update of a classic on the subject, this 2003 edition provides an excellent overview of all aspects of grantwriting, beginning with the most important steps of assessing the grant-applying organization's readiness and capacity for taking on the project and securing the necessary funding. Each of the 13 chapters are well-written and organized by sub-headings that assist the grantwriter to quickly locate and digest guidance at the applicable step in the long process of developing and writing a fundable grant application. Most of the chapters include a checklist that serves as a summary of the chapter as well as a handy reference tool for assuring all issues have been addressed

What I especially appreciated about this book was its continual reminder that the process of developing a project and writing a grant proposal is in itself a valuable learning experience. If it weren't so difficult to write a winning proposal, if funders didn't require such a high showing of competence and commitment, money would surely be easier to come by, but there is no guarantee that we would be spending it wisely. The process of grant development and writing, from budgets to case statements for our organizations, drives us in the non-profit world to ensure that our projects are the best and highest use of grantor funds to serve the needs of our communities. I highly recommend Getting Funded as the best resource available to help achieve this goal.

Cynthia Haruyama, Executive Director of Hoyt Arboretum Friends, Portland, Oregon

Average customer rating:

Best book on the market for grantseekers

Do you need a grant? Write one yourself with this book

Very popular book on grant writing in our library

A Classic in Grantwriting for Non Profit Organizations

the fact that this is the third edition blows my mind!

Getting Funded: A Complete Guide to Proposal Writing
Mary Stewart Hall
Manufacturer: Continuing Education Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Policy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0876780702

Customer Reviews:

Best book on the market for grantseekers.......2001-03-29

I have been a K-12 education grantwriter for ten years, and have read a number of books on the subject of writing grants. In fact, I used to write reviews for a column in a national fundraising magazine. Mary Hall's book is by far and away THE BEST I have ever come across. I use it as my personal bible, and recommend it to anyone who wants to write a solid proposal.

Do you need a grant? Write one yourself with this book.......2000-09-15

Monthly it seems I run into someone telling me, "You know, if we could only find someone to write a grant for us..." Grant writing is hard work. It demands some expertise in communication, relationship building and technical writing. When you are not sure where to start, this is the book for you. We have used this to develop several grant proposals.

It is not a guide for starting small businesses, it is for the organization or non-profit that needs an infusion of cash to make their dreams happen. The truth is, funds are out there waiting for someone that can present their case lucidly, with creativity and intelligence.

This volume includes sections such as: proposal ideas, selecting a funding source, writing the proposal (with each section outlined). It additionally includes a large number of helpful forms, checklists and evaluation materials.

As mentioned by other reviewers, the greatest need is now for a new edition. The Internet does offer a whole new world of funding opportunities and methods. Still, with this book and some simple search engine tools, you would be able to utilize the latest technologies with the basics of this book to develop your funding proposals.

Very popular book on grant writing in our library.......2000-03-08

This book is a must for anyone involved in writing grant proposals. It is very popular at our library, and the copies we own are in almost constant use. I would like to see an updated edition released with web information included, but until then, this book is one of the best on the market.

A Classic in Grantwriting for Non Profit Organizations.......2000-02-29

This text is a classic in the world of non profit fundraising. A previous reviewer who indicated that it is not helpful for acquiring small business loans is missing the boat!

This book has helped me many times in my career as a development professional. It is essential for the novice grantwriter and can be incredibly helpful for the expert. Although I have written grants for years, I often pick up this book as a refresher whenever I am about to start a new project.

It provides not only basic guidelines for grantwriting, but also information on strategic planning, evaluations, and budgets. Mary Hall provides sample query letters, budgets, grant applications and even RFPs for federal agencies.

My only complaint is that it's still in the 3rd edition! A 4th edition needs to include on-line grantwriting resources, grantmakers who have websites and submitting grant applications on line.

the fact that this is the third edition blows my mind!.......1999-11-21

after reading this worthless piece of garbage, i decided to jump online and type up a brief review. so, here it is...if you're thinking of purchasing this book, don't! if you really want to get a small business loan just be totally honest. take it from me, i give those loans.

Getting Funded: The Complete Guide to Writing Grant Proposals

Average customer rating:

Getting Funded: The Complete Guide to Writing Grant Proposals
Susan Howlett Mary S. Hall
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MUBPCK

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