Novelist provides many services, all of which are discussed in the Novelist Learning Center. You can access the Learning Center using the Training and Support link found on the sidebar on the left-hand side of the screen. The 1 Minute Novelist feature provides sample searches. Getting Around in Novelist gives a quick tour of the tabs at the top of the screen. Searching the Novelist Database provides step-by-step search instructions which can be printed out. The section on Using the Additional Content provides links to fiction awards lists, read-alikes and articles written by experts in reader's advisory. The five or ten minutes that you spend learning to navigate this database will be worth every second in successful searches.

Once you have the basics down, it is time to make Novelist your own. The last module in the Learning Center is Optimizing Your Use of Novelist. Spend a few minutes reading about what Novelist can do for you. On the sidebar, on the left-hand side of the screen,is a section called Tools. Under Tools, select Sign in to my Novelist. This will allow you to register as a new user. You can then create searches and save them in your own folder. You can also create alerts. If you are interested in a particular author or a particular genre, mysteries involving recipes and cooking perhaps, you can create a search for books of this type. Save the search and make it an alert. Novelist will run this search for you and alert you through email for a period of up to one year when any new titles are published which meet your search criteria. Happy Searching!

P.S. Don't forget to take a look at This Month's Tips and Tidbits which is featured monthly on the home page.