Getting Into the Bidding


Book Description

In the modern game, the majority of auctions are competitive, and every improving player needs to acquire the tools to handle this kind of bidding. This text covers the basic building blocks of competitive bidding (takeout and negative doubles, preempts, overcalls, competing over their notrump openings and dealing with competition over your own, forcing pass auctions, the Law of Total Tricks, and others). It describes a number of useful conventions and gadgets with which the reader needs to be familiar, and suggests other optional treatments for partnership discussion. Each chapter ends with reviews and quizzes, and the final chapter is a summary quiz covering all the material. This book will fill a major gap in bridge literature - most books on this topic are intended for expert-level players.




Winning the Contractor Fight


Book Description

"The Contractor Fight" is what HGTV host and best-selling author Tom Reber calls the battle between your ears. We all have stories and experiences that have formed us into who we are. We are what we think, and the battleground is our mind. The Fight is not with the people you think are "cheap customers." It's not with the unlicensed competitors or the "illegals," as many contractors think. The Fight is with yourself. Sadly, most of the struggles contractors have are self-imposed. It's friendly fire. The negative ways we think about ourselves and our worth... friendly fire. The growing debt, working too much, small bank account... friendly fire. Winning the Fight is a choice. You're noble and full of integrity. You bend over backward to serve your family and clients. You have taken it on the chin more times than you can count. Now, it's time to get yours. Earn what you're worth. Create a business that serves you and energizes you, instead of one that beats you down. Choose to own your crap and get better today.




Writing Irresistible Kidlit


Book Description

Captivate the hearts and minds of young adult readers! Writing for young adult (YA) and middle grade (MG) audiences isn't just "kid's stuff" anymore--it's kidlit! The YA and MG book markets are healthier and more robust than ever, and that means the competition is fiercer, too. In Writing Irresistible Kidlit, literary agent Mary Kole shares her expertise on writing novels for young adult and middle grade readers and teaches you how to: • Recognize the differences between middle grade and young adult audiences and how it impacts your writing. • Tailor your manuscript's tone, length, and content to your readership. • Avoid common mistakes and cliches that are prevalent in YA and MG fiction, in respect to characters, story ideas, plot structure and more. • Develop themes and ideas in your novel that will strike emotional chords. Mary Kole's candid commentary and insightful observations, as well as a collection of book excerpts and personal insights from bestselling authors and editors who specialize in the children's book market, are invaluable tools for your kidlit career. If you want the skills, techniques, and know-how you need to craft memorable stories for teens and tweens, Writing Irresistible Kidlit can give them to you.




Commonsense Bidding


Book Description

The most complete guide to the modern methods of standard bidding for bridge, from one of America's leading players, teachers, and authorities. With a logical, easy-to-follow style, William Root covers all the bidding essentials.




Bidding for the Bachelor


Book Description

Meet Cedric Fong... I don’t need a date. I need to focus on finding a new apartment and finally writing another novel. But as the last single Fong brother, I’m expected to participate in a bachelor auction to benefit my family’s charity. When there’s a frenzied bidding war, Brian Poon, my younger brother’s ex-best friend, puts an end to the chaos by bidding an eye-watering amount for a Valentine’s date with me. Brian used to be a notorious partier, but his life isn’t as wild now that his father has cut him off. We have a good time eating and drinking together, and when he finds out about my apartment situation, he offers me his spare room. Once I move in, Brian surprises me by baking me cookies and making it his mission to get me writing again. Soon, I’m working on a new book and getting closer to my roommate, a man who has never had a relationship and is all about casual sex—the opposite of me. He also used to be in love with my brother. I wonder if he still is… Jackie Lau writes soft and steamy romances with Asian characters, all set in Canada. KEYWORDS: rom-com, m/m romance, bisexual romance, bachelor auction, brother’s former best friend, roommates, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, playboy, Asian heroes, bisexual heroes, demisexual hero, baking, foodie romance, Canadian romance, funny grandma, happy ending, guaranteed HEA, no cliffhangers




Slam Bidding Made Easier


Book Description




Building a Bidding System


Book Description

This book discussed the theory of bridge bidding for advanced players, with emphasis on the principles that need to underpin an effective bidding system. These include the concepts of Useful Space, Relays, Transfers, Dialogue Bidding, as well as the conflicting needs for a system that is robust, antagonistic, and also accurate. The ideas are illustrated with dozens of example hands from championship play, showing how these principles work in practice. The book will appeal to serious tournament players.




Sotheby's


Book Description

This volume explores the history of Sotheby's auction house, tracing its beginnings back to 1744. It was in the latter half of the 19th century, when economic instability forced the aristocrats to sell off many of their treasures, that Sotheby's began to lay the foundations of the modern art market. The Sotheby's-Christie's rivalry intensified in the early-1900s and they have been battling it out ever since over the likes of Cezanne, Picasso, Van Gogh and Monet. Lacey takes the reader through the unprecedented boom of the 1980s, when Van Gogh's Irises went for $53.9 million, and examines the catastrophic effects of an inflation still being felt today.




Bidding to Buy


Book Description

Welcome to the world of buying foreclosed homes at auction--a real estate strategy that lets you remove the middleman, decrease your competition, and buy at a discount. Bidding for properties on the courthouse steps while competing in real time with other investors is a thrilling experience. There's nothing like it in the world of real estate, but there's also a lot to learn. With dozens of insider auction secrets that are proven to help maximize returns, Bidding to Buy will show you the skills you need to successfully bid at auction, then turn a healthy profit on your investment. Successfully buying foreclosures isn't a matter of luck, and it isn't for insiders only. However, it does require a process--one that can be repeated for optimal returns. In this book, you'll find a full blueprint of the foreclosure process, including the repeatable five-step method that the authors have used to buy thousands of properties. Discover a new kind of real estate investment and uncover profits on your local courthouse steps! Inside, you'll learn how to: Find properties before they are broadly exposed to the market Understand the entire foreclosure process and how it differs from state to state Conduct complete title research and develop an eye for red flags Navigate the potential risks and pitfalls behind a live auction Access property listings and early posting data Build an accurate financial analysis on any available property Acquire creative and alternative financing methods, including no-cash solutions Complete critical post-auction steps, such as evicting tenants




Bridge


Book Description

A follow-up book from the author team that produced the award-winning and best-selling 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know. Aimed at the same novice/social player audience as their first book, this new title deals with competitive auctions in which the opponents have opened the bidding. This is the most complex area of bridge bidding, and has never up to now been dealt with comprehensively in a book that is understandable for non-experts.