How Modern Poetry Helps Me In Business

What does modern poetry and business have in common? If you asked me that question a few months ago, I probably would have laughed. I just started an online Modern & Contemporary Poetry class through Coursera (taught by Al Filreis from Penn). I originally signed up for the course because my copywriter's brain feels stagnant, and felt a calling to return to the "classroom" (albeit the virtual classroom). I also wrote poetry in my 20s and I'm hoping the class will inspire me to write poetry again.

Today is Day #3 of our online course. There are over 30,000 students from across the globe enrolled in the class. From a sociological viewpoint, I find that fascinating unto itself. But as I thought about it more yesterday, I contemplated "how will this class help me as an entrepreneur and copywriter?"

Business professionals usually tend to stick with their own kind and don't venture into unknown territories - i.e. a modern poetry class. Just the word "poetry" alone can be downright scary and intimidating. You want me to read poetry for ten weeks straight? Huh?!

As business professionals, I invite you to step over that line into your imagination - your "house of possibilities" (to quote Dickinson). Poetry makes you dig deeper and delves inside the cobwebbed-corners of your brain. It's easy for me to sign up for webinars to learn how to be a better social media marketer or copywriter. These seminars will make me better at my job. But it was a big leap out of my professional comfort zone to take a modern poetry class. Even though my minor was American Studies in college and have read some of these poems, I would not call myself a poetry expert.

Poetry challenges you to look at language through new and brighter filters. It takes you into the past, but brings you back to present day. As a copywriter, it makes me look at words themselves in a richer, more layered context. I realize I've been looking at words on the surface, or maybe I just forgot how beautiful and poignant words really can be. I hate to admit it but I have lost an emotional connection to words, and I have a sneaking feeling that poetry will help rekindle that relationship again.

When reading poetry, there is no wrong or right answer. It's also a time to put your overachiever, perfectionist Type A tendencies on the back burner (I speak from experience). And sometimes poetry just doesn't make any sense at all. It might take weeks or even years to understand one line or even word. But that's okay. In the world of poetry, you are allowed to stumble and be frustrated, and you don't have to jump on the bandwagon and think like everyone else. Entrepreneurs are innovators so it makes sense that poetry might just light a new fire that takes your business out-of-bounds.

I'm not preaching that every business professional should run out and take a modern poetry class, but I  invite you to step across the line. Take a class that expands your brain in a way that makes you feel just a little bit uncomfortable. Even as a lover of literature, I find myself squirming. Give me a call to action or an article and I can write it. But throw down some Emily Dickinson (who I wasn't a big fan to begin with) and I'm stumbling to gain my literary footing. But I don't plan to run for the hills. For me, it's all about having fun and taking a leap into the wild unknown land of modern American poetry.

Don't let fear stop you from taking the plunge. You may be surprised at what happens if you open up your mind and just take a chance. And sitting on the sidelines gets lonely and boring.


"Their comes a moment when you have to stop revving up the car and shove it into gear."
— David Mahoney

The Tweet Heard 'Round the DNC: How to Lose Your Job With Just One Post

CNN correspondent Erick Erickson is in serious hot water for his tweet about the Democratic National Convention. The women's advocacy organization, UltraViolet, circulated a petition today urging CNN to fire Erickson (over 30,000 signatures so far) because of his "sexist" comment. This is the tweet that has been heard 'round the DNC and cyber water cooler: 

"First night of the Vagina Monologues in Charlotte going as expected."

Erickson missed the memo on journalistic ethics and integrity when posting on social media (especially on behalf of CNN). He also forgot this simple netiquette rule: "if you wouldn't say it to your mother, then don't post it on social media." 

And how did Erickson respond to the public's reaction to his tweet, especially from women? 

“My apologies to those offended by my tweet. Wasn’t my intention.” 

Sounds like a half-hearted attempt to save face so he doesn't lose his job. I don't know what his "intention" was but he obviously knee-jerked that tweet and didn't think about the consequences of his public comment. 

Erickson wouldn't be the first person to lose his job as a result of an insulting tweet heard 'round the world. Learn from Erickson's mistake...and his comment goes way beyond just a "whoops" on social media. Think BEFORE you tweet. When you insult the First Lady of the United States of America, that's a pretty big deal. 

Not All Publicity is Good Publicity: Why You Can't Save a Sinking Ship

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, publicity is defined as "an act or device designed to attract public interest; specifically : information with news value issued as a means of gaining public attention or support." In the case of Todd Rutherford, the saying "there is no such thing as bad publicity" is a misnomer.

If you didn't catch the New York Times article this week, Rutherford is the fake book reviewer who was outed by a disgruntled customer and was caught by Amazon for posting fake five-star book reviews. His clients paid him a pretty penny to write the fake reviews, and those pennies added up to a whopping $28,000 per month. I wrote about Rutherford a few days ago and warned authors/writers to steer clear of  paid book review scammers.

The reviews are mixed about the "ethics and morals" behind Rutherford's actions. The general consensus in the book/publishing industry is that he is a swindling con-artist. Unfortunately, self-published authors are taking the heat as a result of the article's whistle-blowing; it's just bad publicity all the way around. He has literally bit (OFF) the hands that fed him at one time, and he has pissed off legitimate, ethical self-published authors in the process. And I don't blame them for being mad.

After digging around to see what I could find on Rutherford, I stumbled upon an interesting revelation via a Publisher's Weekly blog post, Paid Reviewer Goes Down Honest Path (thanks Gabe Habash for sharing this interesting tidbit). I had a sneaking suspicion that Rutherford pulled his own publicity stunt - trying to save face after he completely obliterated his business. He emailed Publisher's Weekly a press release a few days before the  New York Times article was published. In his press release, Rutherford announced the article would make a "big splash" and he was making a career comeback..wait for it...in "book publicity".

Habash sums up exactly how I feel about Rutherford's attempt to save face with his press release. It backfired on him.

The email, meant to drum up more interest in Rutherford and his “comeback,” is a clear sign that he doesn’t think he’s committed any fault and further reinforces the image of an individual who’s only aware of his enterprises, not of his enterprises’ context or their consequences. In other words, he’s out of touch with reality (in a way that’s reminiscent of “publisher” PublishAmerica). Rutherford’s email is evidence that he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with manipulating the system if it allows him to manipulate it. The only problem is that he doesn’t seem aware that he’s been caught.

In Rutherford's case, sometimes you just can't save a sinking ship.

Writers Beware: Why You Shouldn't Pay For Book Reviews

I came across a very interesting article in the New York Times that talks about a hot debate in the publishing industry: paid book reviews. While reading the article, I recognized a familiar name - Todd Rutherford. A former author client hired (and then quickly fired) Mr. Rutherford due to his "questionable" ethics concerning marketing his book. My radar went up instantly and I dug around to find out more about Mr. Rutherford and his background. I quickly learned about the complaints against him, and told my client to steer clear of him. I always tell my clients never to buy book reviews.

For Mr. Rutherford, his once booming $28,000-per-month "fake book review" company took a nose dive,  which led him to close up shop and is now currently selling RVs.

"When Ms. Lorenzana found GettingBookReviews.com, $99 seemed reasonable. But the review did not show up as quickly as she expected. She posted a long, angry accusation against Mr. Rutherford and his service on several consumer sites, saying she had received better treatment from a reviewer whom she had hired for $5. (“You could tell that the person had really spent a few minutes checking out the information about my book and getting a feel for it before just diving into writing a meaningless review.”) 

Mr. Rutherford refunded her fee, but his problems were just beginning. Google suspended his advertising account, saying it did not approve of ads for favorable reviews. At about the same time, Amazon took down some, though not all, of his reviews. Mr. Rutherford dropped his first name in favor of his middle name, Jason, so that people who searched for him through Google would not automatically see Ms. Lorenzana’s complaints." (Source: New York Times) 

What's the moral of Mr. Rutherford's demise? Scammers don't last long, and fake paid reviews are NOT considered ethical book marketing. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer and don't want to damage your reputation and credibility, do not pay someone to write fake "five-star" reviews for your book. 

Content Writing Tips: 4 Common Grammatical Mistakes

When writing content, don't rely on spell and grammar check. Even simple grammatical mistakes on your website and social media can make you look amateurish and unprofessional.

Here are common writing mistakes to avoid:

#1 Their, There, They're

Their is a plural possessive. There can be used as a pronoun or in reference to a place. They're is a contraction (they are).  

Examples:

The students have their books.

There is an old house.

The kids want to go there.

They're going to school today. 

#2 It's, Its

It's is a contraction for it is or it has. Its is a possessive pronoun.

Examples:

It's my birthday. 

It's been a warm day. 

A cat is possessive of its territory.

#3 You're, Your

You're is the contraction for you are. Your is a possessive pronoun.

Examples:

You're my best friend.

Your article is fascinating. 

#4 Affect, Effect

Affect is a verb ("to influence") and effect is a noun ("result"). 

Examples:

The heat will affect my garden. 

The medication has a negative side effect. 

Why Every Writer Needs a Good Editor

Happy August! I just wanted to share my latest article that is featured on Women on Writing. I tackle the subject of book editing and writing for their DIY Self-Publishing Guide this month. I had the privilege of interviewing seasoned editors, Susan Malone and Karen Elliott. 

My article gives an in-the-trenches look at book editing, and the ladies share great advice on everything from how to choose an editor to how to beat writer's block. 

If you need more information about editing and writing, check out their helpful tips and resources detailed on their websites: 

Susan Malone - http://www.maloneeditorial.com/

Karen S. Elliott - http://karenselliott.wordpress.com/

A huge thanks to Karen and Susan for their interviews. Check out the other fantastic articles featured on WoW this month. Lots of great information for women about writing, self-publishing, how to market your self-published book, etc. 

Online Plagiarism & Why It Needs to Be Stopped

"You should just give away your art and share it with the world." That's the response that my artist/illustrator friend received when he kindly asked the person to remove his artwork from their site. The "online plagiarism" discussion fueled me to write about a subject that really irks me -- people who steal artwork and writing, and think they are "entitled" to it...without having to pay a dime.

My friend makes a living from his art, and I make a living from copywriting. I know there are some people who are not informed when it comes to copyright law, and not every person out there "steals" art and content on purpose. However, it's a slap in the face to artists and writers when they assume that we should just give away our talents and skills for FREE. Are they going to pay our bills and expenses, and put food on our tables? I don't think so!

My response to people who think it's okay to steal art, music, writing, etc.: Would you clock in at 8 am and tell your boss you will work for free today? Would you step into a lawyer's office and expect him to give you FREE legal advice? 


Most of us who "create" for a living are freelancers and independent contractors, and we work hard to earn our money. We probably works ten times longer and harder. Because we are freelancers, that does not mean we give away our time and skills for "free".


And online plagiarism doesn't end there. It has taken over education as well. I have a friend who is a high school teacher and at the end of the year, I always ask him how many plagiarizers he caught during the school year. He said it never fails and kids don't learn their lessons. He has flunked students for plagiarizing papers. Unfortunately, the internet makes it easy for students to plagiarize, but it also makes it easy for teachers to catch their students as well (if they are diligent and cross-check facts and information).

I didn't go to college and earn a degree in journalism for the heck of it. And my friend doesn't spend hours creating his artistic illustrations for his clients because he has nothing better to do.

Please be respectful of artists, musicians, and writers, and please don't steal their work. If you want more information about digital copyright laws, check out the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) .