Creativity Books

I've read most of SARK's books and found that she tends to repeat herself within a book and between books......so, once you've read ONE of her books, you need to read no more.....they say the same thing in different words and different pictures.

Wow, this book was NOT what I was expecting. I wanted a fun, lively read with lots of creative ideas of how to add color to a person's life! Instead I got a book with way too much reference to the author's incest experiences and more information than I had hoped for on her first-time explorations with a vibrator. Guess I won't be passing this one on to my friends!

My daughter got me this book for Christmas. I just loved it. I now buy this for all of my friends for their birthdays. Any woman would love this. Sark is amazing.

I love SARK. This is another addition to the wonderful collection of whimsical, colorful, and insightful books she has written.

Very easy (and fun) to read, if i'm ever feeling down, I just read a few pages of SARK and I always feel a little better.

This book is a good introduction to the world of SARK and great gift if you know any woman that needs a self esteem boost. It's witty and deep without being tedious to read or annoyingly sweet. Sometimes we all need to be reminded that we are wonderful and creative beings and need that little inspiration to connect with our spirit to create and do things that make us feel alive.

SARK shows us that attitude and small actions can make positive and unexpected things happen in our lives. she gives many examples of this from her own life. Love it! every woman should own a copy.

My finding this book was quite the happy accident. It was like making a good friend. It's colorful and creative presentation didn't prepare me for the possibilities I could explore inside. On those days, when you want or need something more to hold on to, pick up this book. Every page holds something of value!

12 Secrets fills a big need for creatively-bent women to hear how other creative women become successful following their inspirations and fascinations. Because I didn't have a strong creative female role model who earned a living at her craft growing up, this book inspired me to push on with my creative endeavors with helpful 'challenges' to personally work through and understanding what creative cycles are, how to conquer 'saboteurs', and transcending rejections and roadblocks. My copy is so marked up with highlighting and notes in the margins. Great quotes throughout. Thank you Gail for writing this book-we need more enlightened creative women to channel more inspiring voices like this book-

McMeekin's book is a must for all who feel frustrated and stuck in their career. She takes you step by step through a process that helps you define your needs, your desires, and tap into your own creativity...you. Eight women read it as part of our book club and more than half of us are expanding our paths as a result. Incredible!

This is the best book I've read on the creative process, and as a creativity coach, I've read a lot of them. This is one of the very few 'self-help' books that I have read in its entirety, and I've gone back and reread it several times.
If you're looking for inspiration and a path to emerge as your authentic creative self, this is the book for you. Full of honest stories of women who have thrived creatively, The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women is an A-Z source book for navigating the ups and downs of the creative life.
I can't recommend it enough! Thanks to Gail for writing such a powerful book that holds up very well years after publication.

This is a wonderful book for any person struggling with career decisions. McMeekin provides the tools for rediscovering one's inner needs in a simple step-by-step manner. Her vignettes provided real life situations that anyone in that position can identify with. McMeekin guides you to your own true path. The book was truly an inspiration!

I've read many self help books but this one was different. McMeekin is an inspiration for all who feel locked into a path that doesn't fulfill. I highly recommend this book. It has truly changed my life and my priorities.

I think that this book can be very helpful to any writer that wants to sell his/her book. I am using several of the ideas that I recieved in the book to sell my book 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques and collectibles. it has increased my sales. Daryle

I've never read a more informative book. It not only points out what you should do to promote, it actually gives you the tools to do it. Both phone numbers and websites that will really help you. It is the first self help book that doesn't tell you what it is going to tell you, IT JUST TELLS YOU. How novel. It will take me weeks to implement all the information, but each step is clearly presented. If you write to sell you need this book as flowers need rain.

The position of a first-time self-published author is not an enviable one; you've already written your manuscript, invested money in typesetting, cover design and an initial print run, you've purchased an ISBN number and your book is in Ingram's database, so it can be ordered in stores. You wait a week, and then another, for book sales to start coming in. Finally, realization begins to set in - just because it is possible for someone to walk into a book store and order your book, it isn't very likely that it will happen, because nobody knows about it.

Marilyn and Tom Ross have written an excellent resource for self-published authors and small publishers who want to get their book sales going, and their techniques are considerate of the budgets that most self-published authors are constrained by.

If you successfully self-publish your book, there are three steps for you to follow:

1. Write a solid, clear and engaging book that people will enjoy reading. Refer to books about clear and effective writing.

2. Work your way through the publishing process. Refer to Dan Poynter's "Self-Publishing Manual".

3. Get the word out about your recently published work - this is exactly what the Marilyn and Tom Ross show you how to do in "Jump-Start Your Book Sales".

In short, if you are a self-published author, are considering self-publishing, are a small publisher, or even if you're a traditionally published author who wants to take a more active role in the promotion of your book (which most publishers will expect you to do anyway), you should read this book.

Danny Iny
Author of "Ordinary Miracles - Harness the power of writing and get your point across!" (ISBN 1-4116-7252-6)

through the self publishing process of my new book. More than a notion, self publishing is very rewarding but extremely time consuming, and SUPER hard work. I thought writing the book was hard. Ha! That was the easy part!!! Thank goodness I bought this book, as its given me many great ideas for marketing and promotion. It's wonderful to have written the best book in the world, but it doesn't mean anything if no one knows about it! Thanks Marilyn!!!!

Do you know when you should start marketing your book? Marilyn Ross does, and in "Jump Start Your Book Sales" she reveals the answer. (Hint: It's before you start writing it!)

Before, during, and after -- in fact. Regardless of where you are in the writing and publishing process, book marketing should be at the forefront of your thinking. Is your book even marketable? What is the market? What length of book are those people used to buying? Why would they buy yours instead of (or in addition to) all the other similar books on the market? What will differentiate yours? These are the kind of questions you should be asking yourself even before you put pen to paper, or fingers to keys, as the case may be.

These strategic concepts are the bread and butter of the pages comprising "Jump Start." Don't be surprised if you find meat in the middle that you can really sink your teeth into. This isn't another rehash of duplicative information available for free from countless websites. This is the real deal, written by the co-founder of the Small Publishers Association of North America. Highly recommended reading before you start writing, before you start publishing, and after you think you've marketed it all. - Brent Sampson, author of Self-Publishing Simplified

i just got this a few days ago and my first impressions, without actually trying any of the techniques, were that it wasn't looking very practical. but the author cautions not to just go through each technique (among dozens) in the order presented but to try a couple that look like they might interest you most and play around with them and then go on from there.

so after scanning awhile i saw what is supposedly salvadore dali's image generation method. yeah right, i thought. well, that worked the first time i tried it. and i sketched it out and it didn't look like a dali, but it was the most imaginative sketch i've ever come up with. it was a man riding through the air on a hobby horse above a pavillion tent. and he was thinking about how glad he was that he didn't crash into the tent. i added more adults in the air playing with childrens' toys (jump rope, pogo stick, tricycle etc.) and the children down outside the pavillion wanting their toys back. beats going out to the park and 'copying' as van gogh called it.

so next i took those words associated with the image and i plugged them into a technique that looked to me like one of the most impractical in the book. and i got an idea that i've been looking for. and that idea rendered a cool poem. most of the examples in the book look to be "business/career challenge" oriented but at least some of these techniques will also inspire raw creativity. be creative about using the toys.

take it from a skeptic. this stuff rocks. but you have to actually use it, not just read about it. i'm so thrilled that i have this book. YAY!

As a consultant, I am regularly engaged in combined sessions with clients. This book gives an excellent overview of the tools and techniques to use, but is more broad than deep. For me, it works fine. For someone who wants to do very specific creative activities, it doesn't give enough examples and practical application.

I have about 400 books in my library and Thinkertoys (with Thinkpak) is the best book I've read so far. The book is full with creative tools and puzzles to play with. The book comes to me at the right time since I am about to start my own business and the book provides a lot of insight, ideas and techniques. Thank you Mr. Michalko for creating the "toys".

This book, together with my treasured Roger von Oech books, sit prominently on my bookshelf when working on a variety of problems - software development, film production, creative writing for scripts or novels, and developing opportunities in this mediacentric age. These books break open your mind from the restrictive fences imposed on our thinking by the conventional world that we are surrounded by. These fences need to be torn down. If you are an older person (probably older than 30!), then your thinking will become ossified. Just like using your muscles, you need to rework your brain and your thinking with effort to create opportunities and connections to emerging technologies and new developments.

This book is a must for anyone in business who is in need of fresh, limitless ways to create the ideas and creative strategies businesses need these days of uncertainty and complexity. I got my copy from my manager who gives one to all new employees.

This book is just one more proof of Rosemary's undying devotion to energize writers, stir belief in themselves and evoke the best that lies within their hearts and psyches. She never gives up--always looks for ways to teach and motivate. Thank you many times over.

No more excuses. Whether you are a published author, have never written a word, or just want to get some thoughts on a page, Secrets of the Zona Rosa will change your life if you let it.

The lessons in these pages are are powerful, provocative, and positively practical because they are universal. This book is not just for writers. It is for everyone.

Willing students will learn how to free their trapped, inner demons - as well as angels - through the healing, therapeutic power of words in Rosemary's "Exorcises". These wonderful writing tools will allow you to celebrate yourself by helping you reveal facets of your soul you might not otherwise knew existed.

Rosemary Daniell is not afraid of writing and telling her truths. Neither should you be! A marvelous follow-up to The Woman Who Spilled Words All Over Herself, Secrets of the Zona Rosa will make you laugh. Sometimes, it will make you cringe - with a smile. Most of all, it will make you write. Read it, apply it, and gain the power to tell your story!

My hand reached for this book as if it were a divining rod to grab onto something to help me find the way out of the darkness I was in...
Reading other women's stories of finding their true ALPHA voice gave me courage, confidence and broke the isolation of going it alone...
Rosemary recounts stories or events that are sometimes disturbing, painfully truthful, colorful and full of the true paths that many women have been on. Sometimes, the passages I read would haunt me through the day, but motivated me to read on to gain wisdom and life lessons.
You will not be disappointed in this book...it is worth it's weight in gold...!

Rosemary Daniell is a fascinating woman with wild and unbroken energy in terms of her life and her writing. This energy along with a sharp focus for writing is establishing an example for women around the world to follow. Essentially, she is (and has been for years) writing her way through what, in part, seems to be the unconscious shadow of a civilization who for hundreds of years has not freely admitted the feminine into it most prized corners of culture and art, particularly in the south.
In her books, as in her teachings at numerous talks and workshops across the country and in Europe, Rosemary Daniell lifts the ordinary of life to the sacred and then she brings the sacred back to the ordinary as she connects writers and ideas from all areas of life.
All in all, her latest book, "Secrets of The Zona Rosa How Writing (and Sisterhood) Can Change Women's Lives" presents not only a way to show up for your writing but for your life as well. Rosemary uses numerous quotes from other writers, such as Georgia O'keefee, Natalie Goldberg, and Menander to support the points of stories and ideas that make up the book.
"Secrets" is huge in terms of information for beginning as well as "old" writers. And there is laughter throughout the book, belly laughter rolling off pages of this book even in the midst of a painful story being told by Rosemary about writers and writing.
Carefully laid into the pages of heart-wrenching truths and the gut-splitting laughter are also guidelines and "exorcises" as well as the most sinful but delicious recipe for Strawberry Cream Cake--the Official Zona Rosa Dessert.
This book is so rich with ideas and stories that it will take years for its contents to settle within our culture but when it does, and as it does, it will take hold and become part of the anchoring force of great writers and great women who create (and a few great men who are willing to wear pink and the ZR tattoed across their hearts).
Every women should have this book as a guide for living; every woman writer should stop what she is doing right now and go out and get this book if she doesn't already have the book. Ryder J Finnegan,Ph.D./Writer/ Fayetteville, Arkansas.

When you pick up a copy of Secrets of the Zona Rosa, better pick up two or three extra notebooks and a box of pens or pencils because you are about to start writing.

It's hard to imagine not getting itchy writing fingers while reading the intriguing titles in the table of contents: "We are all doors until someone slams us," "If I was really wild," and "If I thought like a guy."

Rosemary Daniell is an intriguing and powerful woman. She writes her own truths and invites other women to do the same. No, she doesn't invite; she insists. And insistence is hard to resist.

I first met Rosemary Daniell in the pages of her 1997 book, The Woman Who Spilled Words All Over Herself: Writing and Living the Zona Rosa Way. It headed this fallen-away writer back on the writing road. For several years, I was a member of Rosemary's Atlanta Zona Rosa group. It is with real joy I welcome this book, as will other readers of this author's works. Those who have not had the fun and challenge of working their way through Rosemary's exercises--and exorcises--will soon share our enthusiasm.

Rosemary took the name Zona Rosa for the writing groups and workshops that she leads from the bohemian quarter of Mexico City, but she gives it the additional meaning of the "feminine zone," where women (and not a few men) explore using writing not only as a challenging, creative activity but also "as a tool for healing."

Secrets explains how her mother's suicide inspired her to explore her own life and truths through writing, and how the knowledge of her mother's frustrations and sadness over a lost ambition to write led her to devote her time and talents to helping other women not only fulfill their dreams of writing, but also to hone their skills in practical ways. Rosemary, already a published poet, was leading a writing workshop for women prisoners when she learned of her mother's overdose.

"I felt once more how little she--like the women in the prison--had been able to tell of her own truths. How little permission she had been given--whether by herself or others--to express them.

Although I didn't know it yet, Zona Rosa was born in that moment; an unrealized passion that would lead me to spend much of the rest of my life seeking to help women like Mother and women in prisons of all kinds to achieve their dreams."

Rosemary does not and did not flinch at telling her own truths. She spent the next three years of her life writing a memoir, Fatal Flowers: On Sin, Sex, and Suicide in the Deep South, inspired by her mother's death. Not long afterwards, Rosemary began leading a small group of writing women. Zona Rosa was born.

This book tells Rosemary's story and more. She looks back over the nearly twenty-five years of Zona Rona writers and shares (with their permission) the moving tales of how their writing has changed their lives. There are sad stories and stories of triumph, all of them fascinating.

This is not, though, a book of stories. We find guidance and guidelines that all writers, novice or expert, use with relish.

While the book deals with serious subjects, it is filled with Rosemary's wit and humor. "Pilates on Paper" first appears in Chapter 1, and the reader becomes the writer before she turns the page. (Remember my warning about new notebooks and pens!) "Book Therapy" appears regularly with reading suggestions and guidance. Writing exercises (or exorcises as Zona Rosans call them) appear throughout. Toward the end of the book, Rosemary addresses "The Emotional Tai Chi of Getting Your Work Out There"--excellent advice on finishing and submitting our work when it is ready (and we are ready for it) to be shared with the world.

Attending a Zona Rosa group or workshop is an exhilarating experience, but so is reading and writing from this book. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

by Patricia Nordyke Pando
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

I am in a collage class at school and found this book a perfect supplement for all my collage projects. There is a variety of tricks- everything from different techniques for backgrounds and ways to transfer images to your collage. Plus the book itself is beautifully done. Nothing makes my heart twitter more than a fantastic collage...

. . . . there was paper and glue. This book is a "must" buy for the beginning artist who has decided to explore the world of collage. It has very simple explanations of incredible techniques that you can learn quickly and use over and over. You will find your favorites, but don't be afraid to try all of them.

I also recommend this for "young" budding artists.

I just so love this book. It gets straight to the point, It is incredibly detailed plus for beginners like myself who are new to collage it makes perfect sense.

Book was in great conditon, but I purchased the book for a project and by the time it came... we were done with the project.

Without a question Claudine gives great advice and instruction in this book. Lots of ideas for scrapbooking, collage and just crafty folks. I would definitely recommend her other book "Beyond the Unexpected" as well. She also has DVDs that are awesome for those of us who learn by watching. She's a hoot!

HOW TO GET IDEAS is an easy-to-read book that is loaded with wonderful nuggets for anyone who depends on fresh ideas to build his business. As a 30-plus year advertising industry veteran, I must confess I was a little surprised about HOW MUCH I got out of the book. I found the "Five-Step Method for Producing Ideas" an effective process for encouraging idea generation. Suggestions like "rephrase a difficult problem", "look for analogies" and "let your unconscious work on the problem", help provide structure to the usually unstructured task of ideation. Underdog Advertising

This book is a great book to read, the best thing it includes are quotes of famous people, which are mainly funny. Personally I do not believe that this book provided me with any new ways or measures of thinking to get more ideas, it's more of a different theories of people on how to think!!!!

If you are interested in having a good read buy this book, but don't put your hopes up high......

I tend to be skeptical of titles suggesting easy answers to broad problems, but darned if this one doesn't really deliver! Foster's guidelines often fall into the category of "That's pretty obvious, why didn't I think of it?". And therein lies its real beauty: his suggestions are practical, accessible, workable, and often downright ingenious. And not at all limited to his field of advertising.
Furthermore, the book is a delightfully entertaining read. That man can write!

"Albert Einstein said his best ideas came to him while he was shaving," Jack Foster writes in "How to Get Ideas" (2nd ed.). When I read that line, what could I do? I put the book down for a moment and went to shave.

That's about the only time I stopped reading though, and you won't be able to put it down either. For boosting creativity, this book is a lifesaver.

Foster's advice is simple -- have fun, think like a child again, open your mind to new possibilities -- but not necessarily obvious. Most of us do the same old things and think in the same old ways. Foster aims to help us spot these unhelpful patterns, then break out with easy-to-follow tips and stimulating exercises.

And anecdotes. Foster draws on decades of experience as a top creative hand in major advertising agencies, where he encountered guys and gals driven by curiosity -- people who found out how much a ten-gallon hat will hold (three-quarters of a gallon) and how many times per day an African elephant will defecate (16). Illustrating how to solve a problem by stepping around it, Foster tells the story of the woman who solved the slow-elevator problem in her building -- by mounting mirrors in the lobby. (How did she do it? See P. 134.)

You'll discover how to overcome the fears that keep you from thinking creatively ... easy ways to gather information ... combining unrelated facts for new ideas ... the five steps for getting great new ideas ... and how to put them to work for YOU.

You'll finish reading "How to Get Ideas" in an hour or two. But you'll benefit from its advice for the rest of your life.

This is a really good book. It was entertaining to read while also educational. The first edition came out in 1996 I think, and this edition just came out earlier this month. The new edition has two new chapters, 5 and 8, which were added because readers thought the information they contain was missing from the first edition.

The book is split into two parts. The first part covers 10 ways you can "search for ideas." And it is by the far the longer of the two parts. The second part explains the five steps of how to get ideas:

1. Define the problem
2. Gather the information
3. Search for the idea
4. Forget about it
5. Put the idea into action

Theoretically, I suppose, the book could have been set up so the second part was actually the first. And the first part could have been relegated to the end. I say this because the first part is really just an expansion of the "third step" of the five steps.

I enjoyed the humor, the quotes, and the stories included in the author's discussion regarding 10 ways to search for ideas. And thus it made perfect sense to me why he put that material at the front of the book. I read the book to see if it would have some practical use to my SCORE clients who are wanta-be entrepreneurs and small business owners. I think there is a practical use, and I recommend that my clients and similarly situated people read this book. It will help them create their business plans and revamp those plans as time passes. 5 stars!

Mind-mapping helped considerably narrow down visual arts individual style to preferred media and suitable materials, saving me much wasted time, expense and creativity.

This is the best book on or about creative thinking I have ever read. I've recommended it to everyone I know who is interested in creating ideas and new ways to look at the world. Thanks.

This is something that is tickling my mind, after reading first few chapters of this book, I closed it, stood up, walked around my living room with my hands folded back. I looked outside the window and saw few kids playing the park and was forced to think something.

We are first as kids made to learn few things and are forced to treat those things as basic and important that is not true (refer to Michael's blog about Thomas Edison's Greatest Blessings). Now after reading the book Thinkertoys and Creative Thinking, I feel like its not that I have to learn these new concepts but there is an entire process involved of first of all unlearning most of the stuffs from past and then relearning the new concepts.

And when I say that I have to look at the kids I wonder what they are being tought in their schools only to find one day that they have to unlearn some of the concepts on which they are spending or rather wasting their time.

Do read the book, as mentioned earlier it makes you smile after every chapter as you discover immense possibilities of what all can be achieved in your day to day life.

Author Michael Michalko delivers his best performance to date in this book. The book is filled with information on, and techniques for using, our creative processes. Many of the techniques are easy to learn, requiring only a little bit of practice to get used to them. Most of the book centers around: helping an individual generate many possible ideas about something, which will be critically evaluated at a later time; visualizing the problem and potential solutions; seeing from another's perspective, even the problem's in one case (quite effective sometimes); collaboration and creativity. This book already helped me deliver a 5 star essay on a very controversial subject. I followed its advice, producing as many ideas as possible in a short time, without rejecting any at first. Also, visualizing the data, as recommended, formed the basis for my later outline, which was complete enough that a rough draft was no work at all. So, for me, buying this book paid off already. I think anyone buying this will read it for a few minutes and then recognize they have a winner in their hands.

This book woke me up from my indifference toward creative thinking. My colleague at work recommended the book, so I bought it and read it expecting nothing much. I assumed creativity was something you were or were not. I can't believe how creative I've become since reading this book. This book has literally changed the way I the way I think and the way I look at the world. When I told my colleague about how I've changed, all he said was "I told you so."

If you don't have this book, you need to go on and order it! I don't want to sound like a commercial but this book has enhanced my scrapbooking. I have suffered with a scrapper's block for months and had purchased several scrapbook magazines but I didn't find anything fresh and exciting. This book kicked my scrapbooking back into high gear! I'm scrapping like I've never scrapped before!
I'm about to go on a scrapbooking retreat and the cards are going with me! What a wonderful addition to the book! Becky Fleck is awesome!!!

If you are into scrapbooking, this is a book that will enable you to
expand your creativity....she(Becky Fleck) is extremely talented not
only in scrapbooking - but making it easier from beginner to advanced
to widen their horizons of ways to express yourself not only in
pictures but also using different patterns....this book has given me
to confidence to step out of my box and try new things.......

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I actually prefer it to the usual scrapbook sketch books. Most sketch books just show where to put the pictures on the page. This one also gives ideas on what type of embellishments to use on the page and where to place them. It also has index card size cutouts at the back of the book with a box that looks like a deck of cards. You can take the whole "deck" or just a few sketches with you when you go shopping for the supplies you need.

This spiral-bound book is full of good sketches and resulting layouts, with some tips scattered throughout. The best part, though, is the deck of cards with a sketch on one side, and a layout on the reverse. Easy to keep with your on-the-go stuff.

Becky Fleck has a tremendous talent for creating scrapbook pages and she is gracious enough to share her talents. The book is well laid out, and her tips are an extra added bonus. Her website is great, but you don't have to be wired now that her book has been published. Well worth the purchase price.

Sam Rocks!

I saw Sam speak at Mark Victor Hansen's Mega Speaking Event and I can tell you, she knows how to captivate an audience. Sam has a genuine style that comes across as sincere, professional, and experienced.

If you've never seen her speak, you're missing out. Sam delivers on content, humor, and info that each of us wants. She helps people re-evaluate their thinking in order to connect in a personal way with your audience by re-creating statements for personal branding.

Sam will teach you how to be creative in away that's practical. Pop is not about hype, it's about bringing your message to your people in a way that is unique and powerful at the same time.

I found that POP is for anyone who wants an edge over the competition because it's not about cheesy tactics to woo people, it's more about reaching people with the essence of who you are and transforming it in a punchy way in order to attract people to what you are selling/marketing.

I recommend it because it's valuable for people wanting to cut to the chase and grab the gems.

Need something different, something special to kick your business into overdrive? You'll find it in POP. When Sam Horn says you can stand out in any crowd, believe her! Rather than just talking about it, Sam Horn shows you how to make your own business "pop."

Like a cookbook, POP is filled with recipes to inspire your imagination with fresh ideas and fun exercises. Start anywhere. Keep going until you arrive at your own unique inspiration.

Way out of the ordinary . . . step out of the mundane and become extraordinary! Innovate with Sam Horn! This book can help you get there.

Five Stars and then some!

This is an amazing book! Sam shares with her readers new ways to grab our audience's interest and attention. She really does know how to help people get noticed in a crowd. This book has shown me how to positively inspire others to read my book, LifeChimes: A Collection of Simple TruthsLifeChimes: A Collection of Simple Truths, when they are looking for simple ways to stop zapping their energy. Because of Sam Horn's book, my work as an author and a motivational speaker has been made so much easier. Thanks Sam!

I'm an advertising copywriter. The one thing I have to do every day is to come up with fresh ideas for myself and my clients. I have to keep learning and growing. And I want my messages to stand out from the crowd. I'm pretty good at that. But, after reading this book, I'm better!

If you love words, you'll love this book. You'll learn how to create slogans and elevator pitches and messages of all kinds. You'll learn how to make them powerful and how to make people remember you, your brand, or business or whatever you want them to remember.

You may already be a good writer. But you'll be a better writer, a writer who sells, if you follow the advice in this book.

Above all, your message will make you stand out from the crowd.

The thing is, not much does stand out from the crowd. Most slogans are the same. Most messages are the same or similar. So, if you're different, you'll be more successful.

This is an excellent book. Get a copy now --- unless you're one of my competitors.

An awesome book for jazzing up your writing and speaking. Sam Horn crams so many ideas for creating buzz and imprinting your message and brand in the minds of listeners and readers that I found myself making checklists as I ran through the draft of my last book trying to find places I could use her principles and ideas. It's not all about marketing either. She has great ideas on the use of stories and quotes in your writing, how to create memorable content using lists and alliteration, and plenty of other techniques to make your writing come alive.

It's easy and fun to read as Sam is very clearly one of her own best students. Her writing is tight and wonderfully informative with no filler. The ideas are things nearly anyone that has to communicate (verbally or in writing) can use right away.

I felt a little bit self conscious rating this 5 stars: every other reviewer thus far has given it 5 stars as well. But 5 stars it is! I'd say that's a pretty clear message about the strength of the material.

It's the best marketing lesson you can buy for $15.