Category Archives: marketing

Book Purple Cow Marketers

books, marketing, Seth Godin
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Seth Godin is prolific. He’s written quite a few books in his 58 years.

He initially came onto my radar in 2002, after the book Purple Cow was released. I saw it as a modern day version of Reality in Advertising, the classic by Rosser Reeves. Reeves, who helped Dwight D. Eisenhower with his presidential campaign, astutely pointed out that products and services, in order to be embraced by the general public, needed to have a Unique Selling Proposition, or USP. If people understood what was different about it, and they agreed it was important to them, they would buy it. People that don’t really understand marketing might say a product has to have some kind of “secret sauce.” They’re only partially right.  

Reeves, a copywriter, was a regular guy who would try out the household products that he would write about. He felt it was his obligation to determine what set it apart from all the other “me, too” products out there.

Al Ries and Jack Trout called the concept Positioning. They wrote a book with that title. Their thought was the product had to stand out “in the mind of the consumer.” Godin, you might say, repackaged the concept, calling his rendition, or book Purple Cow.

The notion of the book Purple Cow is that if you were driving down the road and saw a herd of cows grazing in the grass – and one of them was purple – most likely you would pull over to the side of the road. Or stop and get out, depending on how safe the road was, or whether you would be trespassing or not. In fact, you might even jam on the brakes and insist on a closer look at this unusual animal.

The Milkman

The book Purple Cow sold over 150,000 copies in over 23 print runs in its first two years.

Other books by Godin include:

This is Marketing (his latest, which went to #1 on the WSJ list only months after it came out)

Linchpin (named by Business Week among its “20 of the best books by the most influential thinkers in business in 2015”)

Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers (published by Simon & Schuster)

All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low Trust World (updated to All Marketers Tell Stories: The Underground Classic That Explains How Marketing Really Works – And Why Authenticity is the Best Marketing of All)

The Dip (a New York Times and Business Week bestseller)

Free Prize Inside (a Forbes Business Book of the Year in 2004)

And many others (18 total, which have been translated into 35 languages)

In addition, his blog was named by Time among its 25 best blogs of 2009.

Recent Accolades

This past year he was inducted, along with Lee Clow and Esther Lee, into the American Marketing Association’s Marketing Hall of Fame. He’s also in the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame and may be the only person in both. Therefore, there’s no denying that the book Purple Cow, was his breakthrough.

Personal Life

He graduated from Stanford in 1984 and also went to Tufts. He was a former dot com executive and worked for Spinnaker. He and his wife, Helene, live in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY with their two sons.

Godin’s appearance is also unique. He obviously practices what he preaches by setting himself apart from the competition. I don’t think he would be successful in Japan, where the philosophy is “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.”

Godin is a phenomenal storyteller and a good writer. Most importantly, though, he is a savvy marketer. Therefore, his books sell briskly. He knows how to get his material to the top in record time.  

He founded Seth Godin Productions with $20,000 in 1986. It was primarily a book packaging business. He’s a big believer in “shipping.” In other words, don’t spend time trying to make something perfect – send it out!

He sold Seth Godin Productions and focused on permission marketing. In March, 2006, he founded the company that he called Squidoo. He also launched Yoyodyne, which was later acquired by Yahoo.

Getting Buy-In

In 2010, he got rid of his longtime publisher Portfolio in favor of selling his books directly to his readers. A few years later, he returned to Portfolio with a Kickstarter campaign and three new books, The Icarus Deception, V is for Vulnerable and We Are All Weird.

He tested online the viability of his books before they actually hit the shelves. He felt this approach minimized risk.

At that time, he was quoted as saying, “The pressure on the bookstore and the publisher is to pick stuff that will work… I’m saying, ‘Hey, Mr. Bookstore Owner, the world has spoken. There are lots of people talking about these books.’”

The reality is it’s hard to convince traditional publishers to take on some authors unless you can prove you have a solid fan base. “The future of publishing,” he is known to have said, “is about having connections to readers and the knowledge of what those readers want.”

He sought pledges on Kickstarter with this approach:

For $4 or more, pledgers got a digital preview edition of The Icarus Deception.

For $49 or more, they got four copies of Icarus, plus access to the preview digital edition.

$111 or more got pledgers eight hardcover copies of Icarus, two signed copies of V is for Vulnerable, a limited edition essay collection and a digital preview.

And, for $1150 or more, Godin would interview each participant and write a brief account of an artistic accomplishment that would be included in Icarus. Pledgers also got eight hardcover copies of Icarus, two signed copies of V is for Vulnerable, an essay collection and the digital preview.

If I were pledging, I would’ve held out for a partridge in a pear tree as well.

About the Author

Frank Felsburg is a writer, publisher and marketer in Western North Carolina. However, he lived outside of Philadelphia for six decades.

Creating Rivers of Revenue

marketing, public relations, Publicity

www.ingramspark.com

So, you’ve written a book, huh? I sure hope you have thought about channels of distribution.

Oh, so your publisher is taking care of it? Great!

What do you mean “They really aren’t?” The truth is, oftentimes publishers don’t market authors’ books very much. Unless you’re Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, John Grisham or James Patterson, that is.

If you are the publisher of your book, it’s even harder. It’s up to YOU to market it.

Sure, you could give me the line from the movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it (if I write it), they will come.” It may’ve worked for Ray Kinsella, but how well do you think that strategy will work for you?

Another adage is “If (I) build a better mousetrap (write a unique book), the world will beat a path to my door.”

That’s highly unlikely. Unless they’ve already heard of it. Or you. In which case, you have a better chance of them buying it. If they know about the book, or brand, already, at least it has a fighting chance.

When I am interviewing someone to write a book for them, I ask them a series of questions. One of them is “How many books would you LIKE to sell?” A typical response might be anywhere from “10,000 copies” to “best seller.” Then, I follow it up with “How many copies do you REALISTICALLY THINK YOU CAN sell?”

That usually brings them back down to earth.

The Four Ps of Marketing

This post is about PROMOTION.

Promotion is one of the four Ps of marketing (the others being price, product and place).

What ideas do you have to promote your book?

How about skywriting? Now you’re talking!

Or, fly a plane over a crowd of people, pulling a banner with some kind of call to action – preferably other than “Buy my book.”

Another option is to align it with a similar product or theme. For example, if the book title is How to Remove Wallpaper, perhaps you can give a talk at a big box (or your local) hardware store. If you have a short video of your wallpaper removal process (hopefully it is unique), you might put a teaser or a clip of it up on social media, to whet the appetite of people with that need.

Somehow partner with realtors. Sellers may be concerned that buyers don’t want to buy a house where they’ll have to remove wallpaper. Likewise, buyers may feel the same way about the chore of removing it. These two groups are in your “target audience.”

Be a Showman

Here are some other suggestions:

  • Secure radio interviews (you can do them in your pajamas – over the phone – if you’d like)
  • Speak in front of an audience and sell your book in the back of the room. Many people recoup their travel and speaking expenses with the sale of books. Assuming your talk is engaging, audience members might be in a position to bring you in to their organization to have you present on the topic. This could lead to consulting engagements, training and/or coaching assignments.
  • Appear on local TV Shows
  • Arrange a book signing with your local bookstore, school or library
  • Have someone famous reference your book in some way
  • Add the book title to your email signature (even if it’s not finished. You could say “Author of the soon-to-be released book, …,” adding the book’s title. It creates buzz around its release).
  • Email your list of contacts telling them about it
  • Raffle off a copy of the book at an event
  • Employ remarketing techniques
  • Have local merchants display a copy of the book in their stores
  • Tell everybody you know
  • Get other people to tell their network
  • Have people with a large social media presence reference the book on their Facebook page (preferably with a link to it)
  • Insist bloggers allude to it
  • Join Help a Reporter Out (HARO)
  • Offer it in PDF format to anyone who promises to review it
  • Distribute autographed covers of it (give them out free – in exchange for people putting it on their social media site)
  • Put the title on your business cards
  • Create a T-shirt with the name of it on it
  • Have a student do a book report about it
  • Shout it from the rooftops!
  • Pen articles and mention the book in your byline
  • Have the local newspaper mention it – or the fact that you’ll be speaking somewhere nearby
  • Write a song about it
  • Do a book launch

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The Best Form of Marketing

As Emmy Award-Winning writer Gene Perrett, author of many books, including The New Comedy Writing Step by Step: Revised and Updated with Words of Instruction, Encouragement and Inspiration from Legends of the Comedy Profession , suggests, the first thing you want to do is write well. The second most important thing to do to sell books, even while you sleep, is to market them effectively.

These are just a few of the myriad ways you can promote your book. You are only limited by your imagination.

Or, to put it another way, “The sky is the limit.”

Start writing. And promoting.

In fact, here’s the dream process in a nutshell: write, market, repeat.

Because – an interesting thing happens if you don’t promote your book – nothing.

About the Author

Frank Felsburg is a ghostwriter in Western North Carolina. He writes speeches, blog posts, articles, and books. He can be reached at 828.595.2485, @fjfelsburg, or via email at frank@spokenandwrittenwords.com.

Leave a Lasting Legacy

influences, marketing, self publishing, writing

A memoir is a compilation of one’s human existence. It’s a chronicle or depiction of a lifetime, written in a personal way.

Perhaps you have contemplated one about your life. If so, you might consider setting a New Year’s resolution to have one completed in 2018. I mention this because many people say to me “Someday I am going to write a book.” I remind them that days turn into months, months into years and years into decades. And decades add up. My reminders are not always all that well received.

WHY WRITE A MEMOIR?

Many people ponder the idea of writing a memoir – but never seem to carry it out. They say to themselves, “Is it worth it?” Other thoughts include “Will my family approve of it?” or “Where do I begin?”

Some people liken it to child birth – very painful going through it – yet joyful when the baby is born.

WHAT IF NO ONE READS IT?

There is good evidence that, even if no one reads your memoir – it will have been worth your while. For one thing, it is therapeutic, especially if there have been challenges in your life. And we’ve all had challenges. It can shed light on a situation that may have been left unresolved. It can help you make sense of your time on this earth – and give it more purpose.

If you have had a traumatic event happen in your life, working through it (processing it cognitively) can be cathartic. As they say, “hindsight is always 20-20.” In other words, it can put the experience in a positive light and make the event more objective, thereby fostering personal growth.

HOW DO I GO ABOUT IT?

There are several ways to go about writing your life story. One is to “Just do it!” Easier said than done. It is overwhelming, especially when you are consolidating decades into several hundred pages. And, when you consider that those pages can be consumed in several hours – it is a daunting task. You might want to invest in resources like those that Writer’s Digest puts out, like this webinar on memoir writing.

A more practical way to go about having a book with your name on the cover is to hire a ghostwriter. A ghostwriter is familiar with the writing and publishing process and can guide you in the endeavor. Ghostwriters essentially help people find the words to communicate their ideas. You want to see your book in print? This might be your best option.

There are several approaches you can take when working with a ghostwriter. One is to compile as much information as possible, digitize it, and send it (or turn it over) to the ghostwriter. Another is to sit down with the ghostwriter and tell stories. People like stories, and a good ghostwriter can make them come to life. The ghostwriter can record your stories using a recording device and then transcribe the words into print.

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HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET HELP?

The previously mentioned (Writers Digest) webinar is $89. Writing coaches generally charge anywhere from $65 to $250 per hour.

Hiring a ghostwriter isn’t inexpensive. Ghostwriters generally charge anywhere from $40,000 on up for a 200-250 page book. If you have a publisher (which is rare for a memoir), the charge might be 30% of the advance, plus 30% of your royalties. If you want short and simple, the fee would probably be lower. A lot depends on how much research he or she has to do or how much time it will take them to put the book together.

Writing a book – especially one that spans decades – is very time consuming. For many people, the biggest challenge is that they are perfectionists. And they want it to be their Magnum Opus.

WHAT SHOULD THE THEME BE?

Two key themes that make a memoir palatable to readers are resilience and gratitude. People don’t want to read a bitter memoir or the memoir of a curmudgeon – unless it is written tongue-in-cheek, or in some other humorous way.

It may be best not to put pressure on yourself by assuming the book will be widely read. Even if it’s just “for your eyes only,” it can be a rewarding experience. But telling yourself it has to sell a certain number of copies could set you up for disappointment. You might not sell (or even give away) that many copies, and, as a result, feel that your life was inferior or uninteresting. It could also change the way the book is written. You might want to heed Guy Kawasaki’s advice and “Do not write to impress others.” If you do, you will have difficulty remaining true to yourself. “Write what pleases you and pray that there are others like you.”

A memoir can be seen as one’s legacy. It can be passed down from generation to generation. It can help grandchildren understand their family history, and possibly even break ageist stereotypes. To learn that “granddad” used to SCUBA dive in shark-infested waters might help them appreciate someone they didn’t properly respect.

And, it could also help them comprehend some of the traits that they might have inherited.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Frank Felsburg is an author, publisher and entrepreneur. He helps people convey their value through writing, speaking and marketing. He can be reached by text at 484.680.0962, phone at 828.595.2485, twitter @fjfelsburg or email frank@SpokenAndWrittenWords.com.

 

“Terrible” Writing Takes Time

author, books, marketing

There’s a novelist who has become very wealthy in the cut throat world of publishing. His name is James Patterson. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. He is presently writing a crime fiction book with Bill Clinton.

What you may or may not know about Patterson is he worked his way up in the advertising industry from junior copywriter to become CEO of J. Walter Thompson North America. JWT was one of the premiere ad agencies in the world with accounts like Kraft Foods, Burger King and Toys ‘R’ Us.

Patterson has written nearly 150 novels. He has been the world’s best-selling author since 2001 (ahead of J.K. Rowling, John Grisham – and even Dr. Seuss), with over 300 million copies of his books in print. He has a team of co-writers, several TV deals and an annual income of nearly $100 million. His total income over a decade is estimated at $700 million and Forbes lists him as the wealthiest author.

Humble Beginnings

Out of high school, Patterson worked at a psychiatric center and read books while there, to pass the time. He went to Manhattan College for his undergraduate degree and then Vanderbilt University for his masters.

His first book, The Thomas Perryman Number, about a Nashville newspaperman on a murderer’s tail, was rejected by 31 publishers before Little, Brown published it in 1976. He wrote it while he was working at J. Walter Thompson. It sold about 10,000 copies. He moved up from junior copywriter at JWT to become the youngest creative director in the firm’s history.

Breakthrough

Patterson’s breakthrough book, Along Came a Spider, was the first of his Alex Cross books. Alex Cross is an African American homicide detective in Washington, DC. The author promoted it using advertising, which was unheard of in the publishing industry.

The ad rolled out in three thriller markets: Washington, DC, Chicago and New York. The book debuted at #9 on the best seller lists and rose to #2. The #9 ranking afforded it favorable shelf location near the entrance of the store. This prime physical position is probably the biggest single factor affecting book sales. There are now over 5 million copies of Along Came a Spider in print. Alex Cross became a booming franchise.

He changed the model

His books include short chapters and reminders of what happened prior, in case readers put the book down the night before. And the books also include a bonus “free preview” of another book he has written. He knows what’s going to grab people. His books beckon the reader, as if to say, “Buy me, read me. I’m not Ulysses!”

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These days

He is very involved in the designing, marketing and advertising of his books. His target market is largely women, who are Patterson’s faithful readers. The writer works with a special staff at Little Brown, which is owned by Hachette, and is believed to account for 30% of their revenues.

He now produces a dozen to 20 books a year. He writes seven days a week, 365 days a year. His books are published in 38 different languages. At 67 titles, he has the most NY Times bestsellers. One out of every 17 novels bought in the United States is one of his.

He owns a home in Palm Beach, which he paid $17.5 million for, and is now worth much more.

Nearly all of his books are published several times – first as traditional books, then as pocket-sized, mass-market paperbacks. It reminds me of the Beatles’ White Album (formally called The Beatles). It is their only two record album. The rumor was that if you played it backwards, you heard someone say “Paul is dead.” Those who bought into that myth and tried it had to go out and buy another copy of the group’s most expensive record because playing it backwards ruined the grooves. That’s some pretty astute marketing.

Patterson has written in just about every genre – science fiction, fantasy, romance, graphic novels, YA and non-fiction. His fastest growing category is YA.

Stephen King called him a “terrible writer.”

About the Author

Frank Felsburg works with professionals who want to communicate their value through writing, speaking and marketing. He does this in a number of ways including ghostwriting books and helping Subject Matter Experts create, prepare for and deliver speeches – and positioning them so they stand out in a noisy world. He turns speakers into authors and authors into speakers.

Out of 16 million books, which one (or ones) are yours?

marketing, self publishing, writing

With 16,000,000 books in the U.S. alone, how do you get YOURS to stand out amidst all the clutter? Many people have been trying to figure this out for a long time.

Mostly, it’s about marketing. Marketing, schmarketing, you say. “I poured my heart and soul into this book.” “Writing is an art, not a science.” “People will know good writing when they see it.”

True on all counts (I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt regarding your heart and soul). But, with all the options out there these days, why should they buy your book?

What is Marketing?

First of all, like writing itself, there is a lot of creativity that goes into marketing. And yes, it is also a science, especially when it comes to testing – which I highly recommend.

To explain what marketing is, perhaps a few maxims are in order:

  1. “Find a Need and Fill it”
  2. “Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak”
  3. “Give the Lady What She Wants”

I think you get the point. People buy on emotion and justify their purchases using facts.

So, consider the following options when promoting your book. Perhaps you have already thought of them (and, don’t think for a minute this is an exhaustive list):

Categories

What category (or categories) do you have your book listed under? I would suggest you avoid general categories. “General fiction” is probably the worst. If your book dwells there, it resides with hundreds of thousands of other books. You would essentially be asking the reader to find the proverbial needle in a haystack.

What are you doing to get your book in front of potential buyers? What solutions are you providing? Keep that in mind when choosing a category.
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What is Your Elevator Pitch for Your Book?

Most people have elevator pitches for their businesses that they share at networking events. Why not have one for your book? It will help you move the needle on sales.

Get reviews, interviews and (other) publicity

I can’t stress enough the benefits of getting reviews for your book. The more, the better. Set goals of 10, then 25, 50, 100, 250, etc.

Interviews and other PR assignments help you gain exposure, thereby improving a book’s discoverability.

Digital Marketing

Are you using Google Ad Words? If you don’t see ROI using Google, try Bing Ads. They’re less expensive. If you don’t see the benefits of social media yet, I can’t help you.

Remarketing

Remarketing is essentially putting a cookie on someone’s computer so they’ll see your ad for about a month. Amazon does this all the time and it’s very effective.

Target Librarians, Booksellers and Active Bloggers

These are the people you want to promote your book. They can influence readers.

Speaking

If people hear you speak, and like you (that’s key), there’s a good chance they’ll buy your book (assuming your talk was even remotely related to what your book is about). If you’re going to be speaking regularly, be sure to have a high quality video. People are used to watching television. If what they see isn’t entertaining – or it’s of inferior quality – that’s one more reason why NOT to hire you. There are plenty of other speakers out there. Make sure they choose you.

Metatags

Deborah Tannen, author of That’s Not What I Meant and You Just Don’t Understand, often alluded to metamessages, which, she described as “the message beneath the message.” If you said “I’m not angry,” but your tone was harsh, your fist was clenched and you hissed it out through your teeth, the words that were spoken were less believable than the way they were delivered. Likewise, “metatags” are the keywords or phrases that are used to describe what you want to say.

There are many more marketing techniques out there which can draw attention to your book. Start with a few and add as you go. It takes a while. But, every little bit helps. Edmund Burke said “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.”

As I tell people, many think the hardest part of the book process is writing it. After it’s written, they realize that publishing it is even harder. Then, after it comes out, the hardest part yet is marketing it effectively. The tips listed above should help.

About the Author

Frank Felsburg works with professionals who want to communicate their value through writing, speaking and marketing. He does this in a number of ways including ghostwriting books and helping Subject Matter Experts create, prepare for and deliver speeches – and positioning them so they stand out in a noisy world. Essentially, he turns speakers into authors and authors into speakers.

Are Books Still Relevant?

books, marketing, writing, ,

The lowly book. Books in general. I’m not talking about any one in particular. But in a high tech world, are they still even significant anymore?

These days, people seem glued to their mobile phones, often at their peril. Books have lost their luster, one could argue.

There are many people, and I confess I am one, who sit on the couch and alternate between looking at their device and the television set. People have fallen prey to what I call the “Shiny Object Syndrome.”

Is Journalism Dead?

The rule of thumb in journalism is “If it Bleeds, it Leads.” This has led to a “Who can be the most outrageous?” mentality. It’s the world we live in. In a soundbite society, sensationalism sells. No wonder there is so much fake news. People’s attention spans have shortened. And their interest in checking sources is even less vigorous.

Books to the Rescue

Books were in the limelight last weekend as the Frankfurt Book Fair was held once again. It is the largest publishing event of the year and its attendees include nearly 300,000 visitors, 7,275 international exhibitors (from locations as diverse as Kazakhstan, Mauritius and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and 10,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers. The “Frankfurter Messe” (the book fair) originated (some say around 1478) not many years after the first book came off Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press in Mainz, a short volksmarch away.

Meanwhile, that same weekend, back in the good ole USA, Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, was banned because it “made people uncomfortable.” I couldn’t help wondering about the times we live in. “How can this book, or any book for that matter,” I pondered, “be censored in a free society?”

Mockingbird was trending on Twitter, so I followed the thread. Tweets appeared such as (from @michelledaviso6) “You know what makes me uncomfortable? Censorship. That’s what makes me uncomfortable. Say NO to book banning!” @jamilsmith tweeted “Teach only “comfortable” books about racism in America, and you get students raised to be comfortable with racism.” And @CharlesMBlow posted “Uncomfortable? Who said the job of great literature was to make you comfortable? The opposite is true…”

Any Publicity is Good Publicity

Why there is a book out there entitled The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and yet To Kill A Mockingbird is banned – is beyond me. Apparently, Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art …, has a good PR agent – but Harper Lee, who died last year, didn’t. Another book that has been condemned is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Even Dr. Seuss got thrown under the bus. It makes me wonder if Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood would air on television today.

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Many think the book is dead and that people are resigned to watching TV and checking social media. But the book will never die.

We live in an information explosion. So we get to pick and choose what we digest (unless you’re a student and you have to read something as exciting as Thus Spoke Zarathustra).

Takeaway

Perhaps the tweet I liked the best last weekend was “As an AP Lit teacher, I used to give the annual banned list to students. They made it a point of honor to read them to see for themselves.” This reminds me of the philosophy that there are three ways to get something done: 1) do it yourself, 2) hire somebody to do it for you, or 3) forbid your teenage child to do it.

So perhaps the banning will cause people to read more books – and seriously consider where we are as a society.

Now, if only they would ban Plutarch’s Lives.

About the Author

Frank Felsburg is a ghostwriter of books, blog posts, white papers and web content. Recent projects include a stint for Forbes magazine on angel investing, as well as articles on commercial real estate and medical technology.

 

Spoonerisms, Malapropisms and Figurative Language!

author, humor, marketing, publishing, writing

With all the content out there these days, you can separate yourself from other content providers. You can make your writing stand out. It’s nice to know that people will read your work. It IS worth their time!

Good marketing helps to get people’s eyeballs. If people have a favorable impression of you as a writer, they should like your work. The best marketing you can do for your craft – whether you write books, poems, articles or blog posts – is to be downright good. Ben Franklin said “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” As it turns out, he knew not only writing, but also entrepreneurship.

How would people describe your writing style? Direct? Humorous? Informative? Crafty? Sarcastic? Subtle? What devices do you use so your writing differs from all the “noise” out there?

The English language can be a lot of fun. Add pizazz to your composition with some interesting devices. Here are a few:

Alliteration

When the same sound or letter is used at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words, it is called alliteration. Examples include “busy as a bee,” “dead as a doornail,” and “fit as a fiddle.”

Rhyme

When the words correspond to one another from an acoustic standpoint, you have rhyme. In other words, the sound is repeated. Here’s an example from Tennyson’s poem, The Eagle. The first stanza reads:

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;

Close to the sun in lonely lands,

Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.

Most poems use rhyme to some effect.

Rhythm

There are five rhythms in poetry. Sounds that are stressed – as opposed to unstressed — produces rhythm. Take the word “today,” for example.  The rhythm is buh BUH. The first syllable is unstressed and the second one is stressed.

Many readers and/or writers recognize this as an iamb (as in iambic pentameter). Pent meaning five, iambic pentameter is when this happens five times in a row. So it comes across as Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.  One of the most famous lines of iambic pentameter is from Romeo and Juliet, when Romeo says “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks.” The human heart beats in this rhythm.

Other devices include spoonerisms, malapropisms and figurative language. While you might not want to incorporate them into your writing, it is nevertheless a good idea to be familiar with them, if only for language’s sake.

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Spoonerisms

The transposition of initial sounds of words in a phrase is a spoonerism. It was named after William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), a British clergyman and educator. He spoke in public a lot and often got tongue tied. He would say things like “a blushing crow” when he meant “a crushing blow.” Another example is “The queer old dean” – instead of the “dear old queen.”

Malapropisms

The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar sounding one, often with unintentional comedic effect (think Archie Bunker), is a malapropism. It was introduced in the play The Rivals, which had a character named Mrs. Malaprop. Sheridan took the character’s name from the French term mal à propos, meaning “inappropriate.” An example of a malapropism: “That was a mute point,” when what they meant was that it was a moot point. It is similar to a Freudian slip, which is an error that reveals someone’s subconscious mind.

Figurative Language

Figurative language is when a word or phrase is given a specific meaning other than the literal definition. An example is “I am so hungry I could eat a horse.” Obviously, it isn’t meant literally.

Are you appealing to the senses by using figurative language?

Instead of being superfluous, sometimes you can be more descriptive by using these or other literary devices. Personally, I love the way David Feherty describes Jim Furyk’s golf swing. He says it is like “an octopus falling out of a tree.”

What literary devices are you using? You may be using some and not even realizing it. Are you just slapping words together, or are you tapping into your readers’ senses?

Say it with style and tap into their senses!

What are some of your favorite phrases?

About the Author

Frank Felsburg penned Men Really DO Listen, which is selling well, but would sell better if women would stop looking for it in the fiction section of libraries and bookstores. In addition to ghostwriting, he also publishs and specializes in PR. Call 828.595.2485 to reach him.

Lost and Found: How to Be Found

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“If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.” Or so the expression goes. Usually, it doesn’t work that way.

For example, how about if the world doesn’t know that you have a better mousetrap? What if they aren’t sure where you live – or how best to reach you?

“Surely that doesn’t happen in this day and age of the information explosion,” you say. Well, it could. And don’t call me Shirley.

Even though telephone books have pretty much gone the way of the operator, the fact is there is so much information out there, that we can’t keep track of it all. Have you ever changed your email address? What if someone sent a message to an old address of yours and you never received it? Likewise, have you ever changed jobs? Most of us have changed both – jobs and email addresses.

Unless you have a solid brand like Cheers (“where everyone knows your name” – and, for that matter, what you’re all about) or knows how best to reach you, some of your prospects could be falling through the cracks. Can you afford that?

Maybe you can. Perhaps you don’t want every lead that has an interest in what you provide. Maybe you have all the business you need at this time. Well, if that’s the case, more power to you.

But, Public Relations and Marketing are HUGE in this day and age, especially in the very competitive publishing market. If you want a brand that is congruent with who you are – which, essentially is (or should be) a purveyor of information that can be TRUSTED, it’s probably best if you can be reached successfully – the first time. That gets the communication off to a good start.

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  1. Keep the email address on your Linkedin profile updated. Some people export all of their Linkedin contacts into a CSV (Excel spreadsheet) file. If your address isn’t up to date, you may not receive their correspondence. This isn’t always bad, as many people do the export for marketing purposes. But if they are genuinely interested in you, you have missed an opportunity to connect with that person (if they email you separately from Linkedin).
  1. Consolidate your Twitter accounts (and optimize your Twitter profile). First of all, do you even use Twitter? You should at least be on it, even if you aren’t active. There are those who believe it shortens your attention span reading 140 character blurts, day in and day out. I get that and there is some truth to it. But did you know that nearly one-third of all Twitter users are journalists and media? Furthermore, members of the media tweet the most.
  1. Have a website and keep it up to date. Be aware that Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and Social Media all factor into the amount of traffic that visits your site. Having a blog with recent posts helps your ranking with Google.

If you can control the message, and therefore your brand, the flow of prospects to your products and services will increase. As a content provider, this should certainly be in your wheelhouse. Finally, make sure the web content (as well as your Twitter profile) uses keywords and images that align symmetrically with your brand.

In this day and age of fake news, you want every advantage you can get.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Frank Felsburg is a ghostwriter of books, blog posts, white papers and web content. Recent projects include a stint for Forbes magazine on angel investing, as well as articles on commercial real estate and medical technology.

Dying to Write Something

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I recently travelled to Europe on a ski trip. On the way over and back, I read Paul Kalanithi’s riveting book, When Breath Become Air, which was posthumously published by Random House in January of 2016. The book was voted Goodreads’ Best Memoir & Autobiography and was on the New York Times bestseller list for a while.

It is a poignant story written by a neurosurgeon who develops Stage IV metastatic lung cancer and passes away shortly thereafter. His wife, Lucy, finishes the book.

My slogan is “Most people die with their book still in them.” Kalanithi’s courageous and herculean effort is a rare exception. How many people, when faced with a life threatening illness or a death sentence would bother to write about it? Very few, I am sure. Lucy was blessed to have married such a gritty human being.

Talk is Cheap

Many people put off writing, saying “Someday I’ll write a book.” Well, frankly, some “day” turns into months, months into years and years into decades. And decades add up. With apologies to Everett Dirksen, “a decade here, a decade there, pretty soon you’re talking about your entire life.”

As someone I know once said about painting, “I’d rather be whipped than paint.” Is painting a room really that grueling? From where I sit, it is mostly the process of getting started that intimidates people.

In painting, it is the setup that takes time and borders on the mundane. You have to move furniture and use drop cloths. Then you have to remove wallplates, patch up holes and cracks. After that, you apply a primer coat. All this before you apply the actual paint. So, there’s a lot involved. However, physically it isn’t exactly cruel and unusual punishment.

The same goes for writing. Most of the effort involved in writing isn’t the work itself. The challenge is more that you have to convince yourself to create something out of nothing. There’s research that needs to be done. You have to read and make sense out of what source material is already out there. And you have to carve out the time for the actual work. It is imperative, however, that you understand the topic before actually putting pen to paper.

The Process

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That’s pretty much it.

It can be overwhelming if you let it be. But if you break it down into its component parts, it is doable.

And, if you would rather have a professional – whether that be a painter or a writer – do it, that is always an option.

Your turn. You could start a blog, write an article or get take on a book. There are plenty of genres to consider. What do you read? Whatever content you consume on a regular basis could be source material for what you will ultimately write.

Start now. Before it’s too late.

About the Author

Frank Felsburg is an APE (Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur) as well as an occasional amateur painter.