Direct-paper Books

Joan Throckmorton is a giant of the direct response/direct marketing industry -- especially on the "creative" side of copywriting, art, and creative direction. And while much of the expertise that breeds success comes only through experience, reading this classic guide can help you build a solid foundation.

Throckmorton lays out the essential qualities for a successful direct marketer, a person who is, she argues, a combination of technician, artist, salesperson, writer, and actor. These depend on deep and powerful reserves of curiosity, imagination, and a willingness to learn. She then walks the reader through the basics of isolating an offer, developing creative concepts, executing those concepts in copy and art, and measuring results. Though much of her focus is on direct mail, she also discusses direct-response space and broadcast ads (because of the age of this title, there's nothing in here about online marketing, though of course many of the principles are the same).

I strongly recommend that any direct-response creative or client-services person keep this book handy ... and that it also be read by anyone on the client side who is, or might ever be, using direct-response marketing in their business. It's easy to do DM badly. Doing it well -- and recognizing *why* good DM is good -- is much more complex. Joan Throckmorton is an excellent guide.

Reading this book should be an inspiration to anyone who has a dream to accomplish. It shows how faith and positive thinking can produce unbelievable accomplishments.

Dr. Schuller has been such an inspiration to me over the years. His sermons and books have encouraged me on numerous occasions. He helps me feed my mind the right substance. I identify with his migration to California from the interior part of the U.S. The way he tells the story is a true inspiration each time I read it. I was in the Crystal Cathedral in 2002 and it was liked standing in my dream. I was there, observing what I had read about and seen on television. In the American mythology, California is still the land of dreams.
Dreams which are given by God are to be pursued, according to Dr. Schuller's teaching. That's logical. His life shows how it's done.

I was introduced to Dr. Schuller's "Hour of Power" in 1983 when my Irish Catholic mother was dying of cancer. As her conditioned worsened, she was unable to get to Church. One Sunday she stumbled onto the "Hour of Power" and found it a source of spiritual nourishment. She quickly became a weekly viewer and told all of her great discovery.

I have watched "The Hour of Power" off and on ever since. I have been intrigued with the simplicity of his message and the corresponding expansion of his ministry to Europe, Russia, and now, the Far East.

While Rev. Robert Schuller is unique in modern US Religious History, he is, more importantly, unique as a great US ambassador. Each week, he shows the world the goodness of this country. And though being grounded in Christ's Word, his spiritual outreach is for all faith traditions.

This autobiography, "My Journey," tells his story. While a bit too detailed, and too wordy (515 pages), those that have an interest in this man and his ministry should find it a good read.

I didn't know much about Robert Schuller before I read this (he is a TV preacher who believes in the power of positive thinking), but I really liked his autobiography. It's a good book. I especially liked the retelling of his growing up on a farm, and his and his wife's early days with their "drive-in" church in California.

If Robert Schuller hasn't inspired you yet to think positively and trust in a higher power, this simple story of his life will. If you need proof that God has a plan for each of us, if you've ever questioned your own purpose on earth, if you are stuck in the rut of modern society, read the recollection of the trials and tribulations of the life of this simple, kind man who has done so much for so many. I've been a member of this church for a long time, but reading this story from his birth to the present has given me a new view of the awesome-ness of the mission Dr. Schuller and Arvella Schuller have built. I recommend this not only for viewers or followers of the church or Dr. Schuller, but also for the sceptics. I wonder if reading this man's journey will make you, too, look upon your own purpose and path in a different light. Above all else, I believe this is the motivation Dr. Schuller had for telling his own life story... to renew our own faith in positive thinking, ourselves and our God. Enjoy.

Oh, thank heavens for this series of books. Beverly Cleary seems to LIKE boys! It's such a nice change from all these "girls rule - boys are dumb" attitudes.

I like Henry's goal orientation. I like the way he relates to the other characters -- kind, honest, hopeful, straightforward, clever. I especially like how he treats the neighborhood pest, Ramona, a 4-year-old girl. He tries to shush her sometimes, but in the end, the story concludes with him finding a way to engage her curiosity and inventiveness.

I like how the chapters build on one another and lead to the goal. They are nice chapters -- each one tells its own story, but they do build to the conclusion.

This book is about Henry who wants to get a job delivering papers. A funny part of the book is when is goes to apply for the paper route. On the way, he stops at a rummage sale where there is a box with four kittens for sale for 5 cents each. He buys them all and tries to hide them in his shirt when he applies for the paper route. When he knocks on the door of the man who hires people for the job, a dog is at the door. The dog growls at Henry and one of the kittens pops out of his shirt. He pushes the kitten down, and it scratches him. The whole thing is a fiasco and he is told to come back in a year or two when he is older. It you want to know more about other funny things that happen to Henry or if he gets the paper route, I recommend you read this book.

As with the previous books, Henry and the Paper Route is written in chapter book style where each chapter is almost a short story in-and-of-itself and which all wind their way toward the ultimate goal (each book Henry has that ONE thing he's got to get or do) which makes for interesting reading, wondering how each part will ultimately work out with the end goal. It's clear from the title that this volume in the Henry Huggins series is all about Henry and his desire to get a paper route all his own and as the chapters go on, we see how he goes about proving he's ready to do that! With this book we also get to read more about Beezus and Ramona, Scooter, Ribsy and more!

Henry and the Paper Route is six chapters of boyishly good adventure geared toward Henry obtaining the paper route of his dreams! We start out with Henry in hot water over bringing home four kittens...this chapter is all about him making an interesting first impression with Mr. Capper (the newspaper guy). The second chapter is about his tireless search to find good homes for those kittens. Chapter three Henry engineers a clever plan to help his class get ahead in the school paper drive and in chapter four we find out if his plan was successful or not! Chapter five Henry meets Murph, boy genius and finds that Murph has transferred into the paper route he's had his eye on! Oh, no...in chapter six will Henry finally get that route or is he destined to only fill in and help Scooter out? Your young reader will love finding out!

I give this book five stars...though the Henry Huggins series was written in the 1940's and 50's and have a bit of a Leave It to Beaver feel with regards to the traditional family roles and quaint feel of the daily life of the kids in them...they are also rather timeless. Putting aside the money issues (yea, everything cost WAY less in these books than they do today), Henry Huggins is a clean cut typical boy looking for a bit of fun...but he's also honest, hard working, and clever in thinking of ways to get what he wants (the advertising thing for the paper drive for example)...and he's always respectful even when he's trying to scheme to get what he wants! Henry and the Paper Route (and all the other books in this series) are well worth reading...these are kids classics for a reason, because they are timelessly entertaining!

I am 8 years old. I like all of the Beverly Cleary books. This book is funny. I especially liked the part when Ramona pinned a jump rope to her overalls and pretended she was a monkey. She went to the store with her family, and some people joked around and thought she was a new species for sale. Then she thought they were not joking and she ran away from the store. Ramona is four in this book, and she is my favorite character in the Beverly Cleary books.

Henry Huggins is part of the world of Ramona and Beezus Quimby, a pair of sisters who have launched a dozen or so books by Beverly Cleary.

In this outing, Henry is fixated on becoming a paperboy, but Mr. Capper won't hire him because he's only ten, and you need to be eleven to deliver papers. Henry tries scheme after scheme, but nothing works, and then matters go from bad to worse when a boy genius moves into the neighborhood and picks up the route that Henry wanted. Henry is confounded by this development, but finds that he is better than the genius at one thing: dealing with Ramona, who is determined to sabotage the route at any cost.

Since Henry Huggins first rode his bicycle onto the scene fifty years ago, the world has moved on, making his aw-shucks manner and quaint problems seem antiquated and distant from your savvy modern pre-teen.

That being said, the stories are still amusing for young readers, and some of the elements, such as dealing with young pests, are universal. If you like other books by Beverly Cleary, this one will go down nicely, and if you're a boy thinking of giving Cleary a try, you might feel more comfortable starting with this one, which features a boy protagonist (although I think all of the books appeal to both genders).

Copywriting that Sells High Tech is one of the most complete books on creating promotional copy for the high tech industry available on the market. It covers everything including the marketing cycle, planning process, and writing methods. It should be considered the de-facto textbook for those who create marketing copy for high tech and B2B products.

The author, Janice King, writes in a friendly, informative style and tackles not only what to write, but adds things to consider such as legal and ethical situations and addressing a global, multicultural market. I highly recommend this to all product marketers, whether you are a freelance writer, agency writer, or are in corporate marketing.

I bought the book in the hope of getting more ideas for writing brochures and website content for our SME analytical instrument business. The book turned out to consist of a lot of check-list commonplaces, it contains very little information I hadn't already thought of myself.

Writing copy for high-tech companies is totally different than other types of copywriting. In light of that fact, this book targets an audience that needs just this type of information.

I like the way Janice explains what a "callout" is, for example. While most experienced copywriters know what it is, a novice would not. And some copywriters who don't write high-tech, might not as well.

As one reviewer says, the author does cover a lot of material. But for someone just getting into high-tech copywriting, this is almost necessary. A second book that goes into detail on a few topics is called for as a follow-up read.

I recommend this book to anyone just getting into high-tech copywriting or someone who has done a little in the area but needs more information.

I've reviewed a few books in the "how to write..." genre, so Janice King offered me an opportunity to look at her book. I accepted because -- unbeknownst to Janice, I suspect -- my essay on "Care & Feeding of the Press" has quietly become a top resource for press relations professionals, which is one of the audiences for this book.

There's 12 chapters here, each of which covers a different facet of marcom. The first four chapters describe project planning, from defining the audience to the writing process (which covers both working with web designers and setting the proper tone for the marketing material). Five more chapters cover process: document elements, content types, text techniques, legal and ethical issues, and international concerns. The last section gives particular attention to specific types of marcom: sales materials, alliance (partner) materials, and press materials.

Although I've written a bit of marcom materials myself (such as technical white papers), my interest was focused on the last section since, as a computer industry journalist for more than 15 years, I have seen more press materials than one can imagine.

The best and worst I can say about Copywriting That Sells High Tech is that it reads like a college textbook. The information you need is all here, well organized and accessible. But it's a data dump -- not a mentor who shares experiences as well as information.

The information she imparts is accurate. Dull, maybe -- I felt as though I'd better be taking notes for the final exam -- but accurate. For example, she lists the types of press articles that a marcom professional might be called upon to produce, such as case studies, research findings, and technology primers, and describes the elements, requirements and expectations for each. If you didn't know any of this (and I can assure you that plenty of so-called PR professionals do not), you'll have a ready made checklist for your PR kit.

However, there's no sparkle in any of it; you don't have the least sense that a treasured friend is confiding her vast experience in this subject. But maybe you don't need that. (I like sparkle, personality, a voice.)

If you're new to marcom, or you're trying to figure out if this (lucrative) sort of writing is right for you, this is an excellent book to help you get started. It may also be useful (though less so) for a businessperson who suddenly has these duties plopped on her desk. You won't learn to write an effective press release (or to write an effective anything, really) from this text, but you'll be able to check off the elements that are expected by the target audience.

Copywriting That Sells High Tech is more "what" than it is "how." There are other references for the "how to write effectively" tasks, though; turn to this book for the broad picture.

I purchased this book as a textbook for a marketing communications class. The class as a whole had a few negative comments, including that the text was difficult to follow. I had no trouble following it, but King does try to cover too much material in one book. Buy this book for an overview of copywriting and read first the chapters that pertain to your particular project (something King suggests herself). Move on to other books for a more in-depth view.

I think that this book is creat it helped me on my history class alot. I think that this book is a great part of history but a real small one.

I sugest all readers from all ages to read this magnificent book that deals with survival of the fitest or survival for freedom. Danny and Manny are the protagonists in this noble. this noble has adventre thatexpeeriences that two men have to make.I recomend this book for all readers.

I personally thinbk of this book as a great experience during the WWI and that Darkness Cast No Shadow has to do with an adventure of how to good friends have to survive in a forest unnon to them. the most sadest part is iat the end were all they had worked for and struggle to survive was for no use. they were taken back were they tarted. I recomend this book to every reader.

This is the creative writing professor mentioned before--since I read something by Girardi, his substitute, I couldn't very well forget the man who has been teaching me the other twelve weeks of the semester, could I? Well, actually, I was somewhat hesitant about making an attempt at Arnost's fiction. I'll admit to being intimidated by him (he is a survivor of three concentration camps, including Auschwitz- Birkneau), especially when our first assignment was to write the most interesting story of our lives. Right, I thought, like anything that has happened in my measly existence would prove exciting to a man who was nearly shot three times, was interrogated by the KGB, and has won an Emmy award for one of his screenplays. On the other hand, maybe I just needed the challenge, because the story I completed is my best ever (in my estimation).

Darkness Casts No Shadow is a roughly autobiographical story of Arnost's escape from a freight train (carrying human passengers to Theisenstadt) with another young man. In class, we got the real biographical details, which have been merged and separated in the fiction. The escape was initiated by an American fighter who mistook the train as one ferrying soldiers, and Arnost and his companion (Manny and Danny in the story) watch while the bullets rip apart the prisoners in the early freight cars, deciding that they will risk jumping and running rather than wait for the sure death of the American's bullets.

It's an exciting tale of adventure, but the adrenaline is muted by the flashbacks that tell the background to the boys being on that freight car, including their former lives and the deaths of many of their family members. I've not read much Holocaust literature, for example, I've never read The Diary of Anne Frank, most of my knowledge regarding this time limited to The Hiding Place and documentaries (but not Schindler's List, which I managed to avoid, somehow). This story is inherently sobering, making one stop and realize the day-to-day horror of the situation. This is not an anti-war story, but one promoting anti-brutality. It is also highly moralistic (in the best sense that all literature should have a moral underpinning). Yeah, I was impressed by it. The ending is a little open to interpretation; I know that Arnost and his friend survived, but the reader wonders if Manny and Danny escape. My feeling is that Arnost selected such an ambiguous ending to reflect the thousands of escapees, rather than just his particular experience. Some did survive; most did not.

The most puzzling thing about Amazon customer reviews is how highly books and films get rated! This book is a case in point. I have been reading Holocaust literature for 25 years. This is THE worst book on the subject that I have encountered.

Important note: That a SUBJECT is important, as the Holocaust is, does NOT make any book about it important or moving. My abhorrence is specific to this book. My copy, by the way, is the paperback by Northwestern Press, issued 1976.

First, it is fiction. An enormous amount of literature is available about the Holocaust. Very little is fiction because it doesn't need to be. Nonfiction communicates infinitely more information and power.

Second, this is poorly written: repetitious, vague, often unclear as to what is going on, with no facticity about anything.

Third, no information is provided about the author and his credentials for writing the book. There is no reason about someone could not have knocked this thing out in a weekend, knowing very little about WWII, Germany, or the camps.

Item. Over and over, we read "the first boy...the second boy..." which is clumsy. A major part of the book is the boys wandering around in the woods. The ending is both implausible and unclear. That is, this author does not have enough talent or doesn't know enough to write accurately about specifics.

Item. The first pages are more specific to description and a real situation than anything else in the book. But the descriptions are stupid. Examples? No American fighter pilot over Germany flew alone, as this one does. No American fighter pilot over Germany wasted time playing around, doing acrobatic tricks, or endlessly toying with a target. There was a war going on and life was dangerous, for heaven's sake! And no fighter aircraft had a tenth as much ammunition to expend as the one described here.

Item. The boys are wet, have not eaten for 6 days, presumably then have not had much water for an extended period. The weather is cold. They would not be CONSCIOUS, much less having such an articulate, extensive, wordy, opinionated, chatty, endless conversation.

Item. The boys talk about things things they could have no knowledge of, such as the terrain ahead - a tunnel, the hill and trees on the other side of the tunnel, etc.

Item. These two boys from Eastern Europe can't know anything about fighter aircraft. Yet in the book they are mindreading the pilot: what he is thinking, what he is going to do, and why he is doing things. We are asked to believe, for example, that the boys know the aircraft has cameras and is taking pictures.

Item. Prisoners to and from the camps were locked into boxcars. They could see almost nothing through a few slats. They certainly could not just drop off the train to escape anytime they felt like it.

Item. Misinformation about the SS. The book talks of the SS who ran the camps and handled prisoners as "Waffen SS." Wrong. Waffen SS were totally different: they were the fighting troops, not the concentration camp personnel.

Item. Manny at one place "went back to thinking about Manya Cernovska" -- but she has not at this point of the book even been introduced or mentioned.

Beginning to end, this is a poorly written, inaccurate, fanciful piece of trash. There's just nothing worthwhile about it. The writing is poor, and the information is wrong. How could it be worse than it in fact is?

If this author was a teacher at Northwestern, I'd say he called in some big favors to get this garbage published.

If you have a different take on the book, I'd love to hear it.

This is an old book...if I recall correctly, there was some controversy about Rosen's treatment. A paradigmatic (paradoxical) psychoanalytic take on treatment for serious mental illness, Rosen's 'direct analysis' is just that: cutting to the chase and doing an analysis without veiling interpretations, and by speaking 'directly' to the patient's unconscious. For example, Rosen might make immediate and "deep" interpretations of an incestuous or other unsavory nature, because that is essentially where the individual's mind is working at the moment: primary process thinking. He might advocate actually entering the delusion or disorganization of the patient and either responding to it directly as noted above, or participating in the delusion or disorganization. Together with paradoxical outlooks on therapy emphasizing how symptoms are an effort to exert intra- and interpersonal control, you can see where these techniques lead: if the analyst suddenly appears to understand you and/or enters your world, you better drop that symptom and find another--and perhaps a less severe one if the analyst and patient are lucky. Very thoughtworthy and inspiring, but needs serious revision for today's social, cultural, and therapeutic differences compared to 50-ish+ years ago.

I like stories of people who build businesses and while I am unfamiliar with this company I took a chance on the story. The storyline is interesting how they got the company turned around and built it into what it is today. The timeless principles are nothing you havent read but hey these ladies are successful and it is a nice read but no big lessons just a good success stroy.

This book looks from the cover like it would be part of Singer Trilogy from its unusual shape (4 ½ X 8 ½ inches) and pen and ink drawings on the cover and throughout the book. Yet it is written in a completely different style.

Instead of being a narrative poem, it is the story of a life - the story of a life told from the perspective of the person's guardian angel. The story is written as though it were true, and Miller found this strange manuscript that disappeared as he copied it.

The book chronicles the life of a businessman who lives an unsavory lifestyle, until just before the end when he becomes a Christian. It tells of the changes he attempts to make in his life, both the successes and the failures.

It is an interesting read. Yet I doubt the 'Angelic' perspective in the book. The Angel seems too whiny and human to have been an angel and the actual author of the book. I would state that it is an OK book by an author who has achieved greatness in some of his other writings.