Commas Are Our Friends

As a home schooling mom of three, I'm always on the lookout for fresh ways to teach boring subjects, and what could be more boring than the rules governing grammar and punctuation? This book was a delight to my 8th and 6th graders, and firmly cemented the grammar and punctuation concepts that had been previously taught. I've recommended it to all my home schooling friends, and I recommend it to you too!

Joe Devine teaches grammar and punctuation through stories. As a skydiver with 1,206 jumps, I love the story of the parachute where the canopy was replaced in the container with popcorn (she landed safely in a haystack). Anyway, writers will enjoy Joe's financial experience in publishing and this will give you an idea as to his writing.Human Costs of Literary Creation Finally RevealedEverybody knows the price of a book, but how many know the cost? For the first time ever the human costs of writing have been measured in dollars and cents. The heartaches, the sacrifices, the psychic bruises-they're all there. Herewith the human costs of the 2,042 first printing of Commas Are Our Friends by Joe Devine:1. The agony of creation, the anguish of being a sensitive artist in a harsh and cruel world $4,415.99 2. The sting of anonymity, the pain of not being lionized by total strangers $1,831.35 3. The aching injustice of not receiving a large advance from greedy, money & #64979;mad publishers $3,965.08 4. The annoyance of having people insist that the book be published before they pay for it $2,942.74 5. The hurt and humiliation of not making even one pre & #64979;publication bestseller list $2,627.50 6. The shock of being snubbed by the Pulitzer Prize Committee $3,500.00 7. The misery of receiving a balanced, perceptive and completely honest review $4,726.13 8. Fresh, creative, original ideas $3.41Total: $24,012.20There you have it. Figures don't lie. The human costs come to $11.76 per book, but Commas Are Our Friends retails for $11.95. That leaves a profit of $.19 a copy, thus honoring Dr. Johnson's dictum: "No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money".As the author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I highly recommend this fun book. [email protected].