Time to Write

How to invest in the only commodity that goes up in value every day

The value of gold goes up and down.

The same with silver.

The same with currency, stocks, bonds.

There’s only one thing the value of which continually goes up.

Only up.

Because every day there is less of it.

It’s your time on this earth.

What are you planning to do “someday”? Write a novel or your memoirs? Take up painting? Read the books you’ve always meant to read?

You know, the someday when the kids are grown, or when you have more money, or when things are more settled, or when the economy is better.

That’s the question….which someday?

May I suggest one?

Today.

Yes, I know you’re busy today. I also know you’ll be busy tomorrow, next week, next month. You’ll be busy when the children are grown, when you have more money, when things are more settled, and when the economy is better.

Here’s what to do: identify when today you will have 15 minutes free to take one tiny step toward your the thing you want to do. Want to write? Brainstorm titles or opening lines or characters. Write it down. Want to paint? Do a quick sketch. Want to read “War and Peace”? Read the first ten pages.

I don’t believe you can’t find fifteen minutes. If necessary lock yourself in the toilet for 15 minutes. Other people understand constipation much better than they understand wanting to be creative.

Tomorrow, do it again. And the day after that, and the day after that. Some days go for 20 or 30 minutes if you can. Even at 15 minutes, in a month that’s seven and a half hours. That may not sound like much, but odds are it’s seven and a half hours more than you spent on it last month.

I don’t usually give investment advice, but I hope you’ll invest at least this much in yourself.

 

What is transmedia? Why is transmedia? And is it in your writing future?

Recently I went to a weekend workshop on transmedia. That’s the new term for multi-media, I guess. It means that you use several different media to let people experience a story. You might have a website, your fictional characters might be active on Facebook and Twitter, maybe you send out text messages, there could be some related live events and so on. The idea is to make stories interactive. Physicallyi interactive, I mean. To my mind, reading already is interactive.

One thing I discovered is that nobody knows how to do this very well yet. There have been loads of interesting experiments and some have garnered a fairly big following, but most are quirky and small-scale and wobbly.We're still looking for the Wright Brothers.

Actually, I worked on a big project along these lines 12 years ago. I was story editor and there were two other writers working with me and the director and the producer. This was in Switzerland and we had agreements for cooperation with a prime-time TV show, a national newspaper, and the main phone company. The core was going to be a weekly TV show but we also had plans for clever live events, websites, people would get text messages telling them where to go for clues to the mystery, etc. It was really fun.

Our project was a thriller in which someone seemed to be hacking into the TV station, the newspaper, leaving weird manifestos in public places, etc. At first it wasn’t going to be clear whether this was a benign person or an evil one.

We were going full speed ahead.

Then 9/11 happened.

All the stuff that was going to be entertaining suddenly was exactly the kind of thing people now were scared of.

End of project. We were all out of a job and the production company struggled to recover from the sudden hit to its cash flow. 

Listening to the speakers at the workshop it was clear that things haven’t actually advanced much. Yes, now the technology is more sophisticated (smart phones, iPads, Facebook, etc.) but what has to be driving the technology is a story so compelling and the interaction opportunities so entertaining or rewarding that we will want to give them our already scarce time and attention.

A lot of the examples that came up were, frankly, things that I don’t want to do.

“You can read a novel on an iPad and click on a video of the location where the action takes place!”

If I’m reading, I don’t WANT to look at a video of the location where the action takes place. I want to image it. I want the writer to write well enough that I imagine it without even knowing I’m imagining it. (Non-fiction is a different matter.)

"You can read a mystery that features a puzzle you have to solve before you're allowed to continue reading!"

Are you trying to make my life more complicated? If I want to play a game, I'll play a game. If I want to read, I'll read. 

“You can interact with other people reading the same book! You can instantly chat with them!”

I don’t want to chat with anybody before I finish the book.  If I love the book I’ll chat about it with friends. I’ll recommend they read it, too. Maybe I’ll buy them a copy.

By the way, I fully accept that these reactions may be a function of having grown up as a reader of books. It could be that the only way to get many of today's and tomorrow's kids to read is to make it a game. If they read ten pages of "To Kill a Mockingbird" they get to play a round of "Angry Birds."

Despite my reservations, I do find transmedia fascinating. At the moment it seems like a bunch of technologies looking for a purpose, but the person who figures out how to use it to serve the story instead of the other way around will add a great new dimension to storytelling…and will make a lot of money. 

 

Time to write: Don't let your well run dry

It’s a pretty silly image, isn’t it—someone trying to draw water from an empty well? Surely nobody would be that dumb? However, that’s also what happens when you try to keep drawing from your mind without new experiences (and adequate rest) to allow it to refill itself.

Writers who are very concerned with being productive can be workaholics just as easily as managers.

If you drive yourself too hard, you will burn out. That will be a huge waste of time, as well as a distressing event for you and those around you.

The solutions include:

1. Taking regular vacations (even weekends away are good)
2. Taking the time to have new experiences
3. Changing your routines from time to time
4. Meeting new people
5. Listening to music
6. Getting adequate sleep (why not take note of your dreams, too?)

 For you as a writer these have the advantage of all being grist for your mill as well as refreshing mind and body.

(For more strategies on being productive, get my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," published by Pearson. You can get it now from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)

Are you creating the right kind of obstacles for your protagonist?

I've been trying to help an old friend of mine polish a script he's written. As is typical of a lot of scripts, it's the middle that has the problem--even though lots of things are happening, that part felt padded. It took me a little bit of time to figure out why: the wrong kind of obstacles.

The obstacles were what I call mechanical. Most of them related to finding a particular character. However, there was no effective ticking clock, so there was no urgency to finding that person and following the protagonist through the steps was not compelling even though the individual scenes were well written. 

The obstacles that work are the ones that have an emotional impact. If there's a ticking clock, the charater's emotion is fear; if the steps reveal that the situation is even worse than suspected, the protagonist's emotion might be despair; if they suggest there's a quick solution,the protagonist feels hope or joy (naturally since we're in the middle of the story, this will be short-lived) and so on. If you've made us care about the protagonist, we will share in these emotions.

Looking at the kinds of obstacles you create for your protagonist is a good exercise in making sure that your story moves forward and avoids the dreaded saggy middle.

(Want more methods? Check out www.timetowrite.com and, for screenwriters, www.ScreenWritingSuccess.com)

A tip for finding a story worth telling

I read an interview recently in which a novelist said the origin of his book was reading a news story about a heroic act and wondering whether he would have acted differently. This strikes me as a great starting point for a story in just about any genre--because if you come up with a situation that makes you wonder how you'd react, it's highly likely that it will resonate with your readers as well. 

Naturally when you write your story or novel or screenplay you don't have to stick with how you would react. But if the question has a emotional charge, it's well worth exploring.

We tend to go automatically to the most dramatic option but sometimes there is rich material in considering more subtle responses.

For instance, let's say somebody is near the site of a fire and sees that there are two children inside, afraid to come out. The most dramatic options are to go in and save the children and be a hero, or to rush away, afraid, and consider yourself a coward. But let's think of some other options:

* You rush in to try to help but you suffer permanent damage and regret your heroism;

* You rush in but inadvertantly make things worse and one of the children perishes when it could have been saved by the firefighters who show up right after you do;

* You run away and one of the children perishes and you become obsessed with trying to help, anonymously, the one who survived.

The possibilities are endless. And even if you don't use this method to generate stories you write, it's a great way to warm up your writing brain.

(You'll find lots more tips at www.timetowrite.com and the site that goes with my "Your Writing Coach" book, www.yourwritingcoach.com.)

How AIDA can help you with writing a book, a query letter, and pitching

If you’ve ever read any books on copywriting you may have come across AIDA—not the opera, but an acronym that stands for:

 

Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

It can help you if you’re writing fiction, too (you could argue that most copywriting is fiction as well, but let’s focus). 

 Using AIDA in writing

Attention – obviously you have to get the reader’s attention in order to get them to read your book. One key element is the title, although some books with terrible titles do break through. Test your title—you may be so used to a working title that it feels like the obvious best choice, but ask a few people what they think of it. Better yet, give them a few choices. If you have a mailing list of people you can create a short survey using SurveyMonkey.com (it’s free).

Interest – A title can make people curious but then you capture their interest. When people are browsing, typically they look first at the title and the cover image, then they turn over the book to read the blurb on the back, then they turn to the first page.

While the blurb on the back cover usually is created by the publisher, with your input, the all-important first paragraph is down to you. It should raise a question in the mind of the reader.

The next time you’re in a book store, check out the first paragraphs of a bunch of books in your genre. Notice which ones grab you and figure out why. You can also do this using the “look inside” feature on Amazon.

Desire and Action --  The desire in this context is the desire to know more, the action is to keep reading. This means you have to continue to pique people’s interest throughout the entire book.

With many books and films there’s a lull in the middle. This is when people’s attention wanders and they may put your book aside and never come back to it. I think the key is to introduce new information and new conflicts but make sure they’re foreshadowed in the first third of the story.

Another element of desire and action can be to create a book series featuring the same protagonist. This is done most commonly in crime fiction and also in Young Adult novels like the Harry Potter or Twilight series. The advantage is that you don’t need to win the reader’s attention and interest all over again. Not every genre or story lends itself to a series but it’s worth consideration.

Using AIDA in query letters 

Attention: In a query letter the opening paragraph should arouse their curiosity without being too cute or gimmicky.

Avoid starting with boring statements like “I am a writer based in London and I have finished a fiction manuscript I would like to have you read in order to consider representing me.”

Instead, get right to your project. It could be something like, “A terrorist who has infiltrated the highest ranks of the CIA is the target of a manhunt—but the search turns dangerous when chief investigator Matt Conrad finds out the mole has knowledge that could bring down the President. That’s the plot of my thriller, ‘The Deadly Truth’…”

Interest: A sexy hook is not so hard to create. Sustaining a story at a high level of interest is more difficult. The rest of your summary of your plot has to suggest that you’ll keep ramping up the interest level for the reader.

Desire: Assuming that the recipient finds your story interesting, you need to increase their desire to work with you. This is where you give relevant information about yourself and your author platform—for instance, a popular blog. I emphasize “relevant”: mention only the things that establish your credibility or that would help a publisher market your book.

Action: Most of the time this is clear, but you can mention it in a final sentence along the lines of, “If you’re interested, I’d be happy to send you the complete manuscript,” because that’s the next step you want them to take.

Using AIDA in pitching

A good pitch basically follows the same pattern as a strong query letter. If it’s an “elevator pitch,” that is a few minutes to tell someone the story, you may not get into much more detail than you do in a query letter.

If it’s a formal pitch, which is more typical for a screenplay, the producer or studio executive will expect you to tell the entire plot, including the ending, in about ten to fifteen minutes.

In a pitch a lot of the interest will come from how you tell the story as well as the content. The key is enthusiasm in whatever form is natural to you. There’s no right or wrong way. Some writers are great performers who are happy to jump up and act out a key scene. Others are more reserved but still get across their passion for the story. If you’re very shy, take an acting or public speaking class to gain confidence, or join your local chapter of Toastmasters.

Finally, if the action you wanted isn’t the one the listener is taking, have a fallback in mind. For instance, if a producer likes your idea but feels the protagonist is weak, thank them for that useful input, say you’re going to take a crack at solving it, and would it be OK to come back when you’ve done that? Or if they reject an idea because it’s too similar to something they’re already doing, mention that you’re working on another project and ask whether you can come back when it’s ready to present.  Most of the time the answer will be yes. Don’t take too long to take advantage of that open door.

(More helpful guidance is in my book, Your Writing Coach, published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers.)

 

Why isn't getting stuff done more heroic and noble and sexy?

I’ve worked out an exercise schedule for myself and today called for me to do 45 minutes of cardio.

When the time came, my creativity blossomed.

I was able to come up with a great list of why it would be better to stay at my desk, why 45 minutes is too long a session anyway, how I could make up the time later…

I got myself to go by promising that if I was totally worn out after 30 minutes I’d go home. When I hit 30 minutes, I realized I could make it to 35. When I got to 35, 40 didn’t seem out of reach. And when I hit 40 I thought I might as well hit the goal rather than stopping five minutes short.

It’s disappointing that this often is how progress looks.

Uphill and sweaty.

Showing up, doing the best you can, pushing yourself a little at a time.

I’d prefer it to be glamorous. Waving a banner, or getting to wear a coat of armour (although I’d have to ask for it in Extra Tall), or having a small crowd cheering me on. OK, a large crowd.

No, that’s not how it looks.

Furthermore, although there are times when you can build up momentum, generally the challenges of tomorrow offer their temptations to avoid them.  I’m not saying there’s no fun along the way, there is. But it’s not a party every day and when you get to the top of a hill what you see is…more hills.

I’ve noticed a lot of people, especially when they’re interviewed, pretend they got to the top of their hill on a white stallion. I  bet most of the time they got there on a reluctant donkey just like you and me.

I have to go, the donkey's waiting.

 

The elusive factor to writing success

Terry Gilliam recently told Vulture about the struggles he has to get his films made:

It’s not so much a comedy of errors, how things come together, but coincidences, combinations of things. Like somebody’s doing well, their trajectory is there, yours is here, and sometimes you meet. Sometimes you crash. [Laughs.]

I guess that really represents two elusive elements: timing and luck. I'm not convinced that over the long run people have hugely different levels of luck, but I do think we vary in how alert we are to opportunity. I know I've blown quite a few in my time. I may already have mentioned this one on this blog, but my prime example is when I was working in Hollywood a director invited me to go to a basketball game with him. I said no, thanks, because I'm not much of a sports fan. But this director happened to be the son of a famous actor and they watched the game from the VIP section--where Jack Nicholson, Walter Matthau, and other stars sit. I could have met those people. 

As Homer Simpson so eloquently says, "Doh!"

Sometimes we just aren't paying attention. That brings up another danger: I'm a big fan of setting goals but I always try to remember that getting too obsessed with a goal can blinker you to other opportunities that are standing there, waving in your face, trying to get your attention. 

It's not the sort of thing we do consciously most of the time, but maybe it is a good idea to stop periodically, survey what's going on, and assess whether it represents an opportunity and, if so, the best way to take advantage of it. 

(Want help being able to focus and get more done? Get my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers. Why not join by (informal) campaign to buy at least half your books from your local independent bookshop? Let's help them survive--and even thrive!)

 

 

How writers can use Dennis Hopper's way to get into characters

Not long before his death, writer/director/actor Dennis Hopper told Interview magazine how he got into the photojournalist character he played in Apocalypse Now. He related it to the Fool character in P. D. Ouspensky's tarot deck.

He said, "The fool is the one who knows all the secret wonders of the world but can't remember where they are or how to use them."

I think that's a great idea for developing or exploring characters. One fun way to do this is to go to www.facade.com/tarot/, type in your character's name, a question about them or their lives, and let the program select a deck and method for you. It will come up with an instant reading. Of course I don't think there's anything supernatural about this, but it's a good way to prompt your own imagination.

Here's an example: I am writing a Young Adult novel in which the teen protagonist realizes that his father is (inadvertantly) responsible for something terrible that's happening and he has to confront him and take matters into his own hands. I have the feeling that at the moment the teen character is a bit bland. I put in his name and the question "how should he handle this situation?" The first card's description is:

The card on the far right represents the object being viewed, be it an idea, relationship, or the self. Hastur, when reversed: Weakness in character leading to tyranny and abuse of worldly power. Loss of confidence and ambition, coupled with the cold execution of the unthinkable. The inability to carry out plans or command respect. Being unreasonable and prone to fits of rage. A deceiver or demagogue.

Great stuff! It gives me the idea that he should be tempted, if only for a moment, to go along with the things that are happening in exchange for being given power, and that it would make him more real if he had a temper and sometimes was unreasonable.

Give it a try!

Your Inner Critic will never run out of material (here's what to do)

Many people have an Inner Critic that says, in essence, “I will stop hounding you when…”. The “when” might be “you stop procrastinating,” or “you make more money,” or “you get your office in order.”

But a funny thing happens. You get your office in order and your Inner Critic magically has found something else to add to the list.

Another Inner Critic trick is to beat you up for what you’re NOT doing even while you’re doing something you should be doing. For example, “Sure, you’re cleaning up your office but you should be at the gym,” or “Sure, you’re at the gym, but you should be cleaning up your office.”

Your Inner Critic will never run out of material. Why? It’s called life. It brings new responsibilities and new possibilities every day. They will just keep on coming (at least until you run out of days—if we’re lucky there’s no Inner Critic in the afterlife, if there is an afterlife).

Does this mean you are doomed to suffer at the hands of your IC for the rest of your life? Fortunately, no. The best antidote is to transform your IC into an Inner Guide. I have a whole program for those who want to get serious about doing that—more information on it HERE.

However, you can make a start right now. Instead of transforming, start by imagining that the IC is a little gargoyle, or whatever image works best for you, on one shoulder. Now imagine that on the other shoulder is an image that represents a constructive, friendly Inner Guide.

When you realize you are being harassed by your IC, in your imagination turn down the sound from that side, shrink the image of the IC, and mentally turn to the other side, the one on which your helpful IG is sitting. Take a deep breath. Listen to his, her, or its version of the situation. It is likely to be something like these:

“Let’s take a small step toward the task you’ve been avoiding. That will make a start.”

“It would be nice to make more money, let’s take a few minutes to think about what we might do to move toward that.”

“We’ll feel more free with an orderly office. Let’s start by clearing one small zone.”

“We can do only one thing at a time. It’s great that we’re improving your fitness by being at the gym right now.”

Notice that the IC is always saying “you” (with a pointing finger); the IG says “we” because it’s on this journey by your side.

Give it a try. I think you might find it helpful. Let me know if you have questions or feedback.

(You'll find many useful strategies for being more productive with less stress in my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other online and offline book sellers.)

 

Time to write: What to do when you're stuck

As I’ve written in another post, sometimes it’s good to put a project aside and return to it with fresh eyes. But if you’ve done that and still feel stuck, take action. There are many remedies for writer’s block. Try them one by one until you find the one that works for you. Here are some options:

1. Interview your characters as to what they think should happen next. A writer to whom I recommended this recently told me it solved her problem even though she was quite sceptical about this approach.
2. Interview your writing block. When you imagine it, what image or sound comes to mind? Imagine a dialogue with it in which you ask what it’s trying to do for you. Yes, assume it has a positive intention. Often it’s trying to protect you, perhaps because what you are writing is bringing up difficult memories, or your fear that it might upset someone, or your concern that nobody will want to read it if you finish it. Once you have identified the nature of the fear you can deal with it more easily.
3. Jump to a different part of the story and write that. You can always come back and fill in the missing bit.

The crucial thing is not to give in but to take action to solve the problem.

(Want lots of strategies for being more productive? You'll find them in my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done." It's published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)

 

Is there an enhanced ebook in your future?

Since I have a verbal agreement if not yet a written contract to deliver an enhanced ebook for one of my two publishers in 2012, I've been following the first developments in this arena with interest. There have been two big success very recently.

One was the iPad app of T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land, which earned back its costs within six weeks rather than the year expected by publisher Faber Digital. The other, also from Faber is the Solar System for iPad app, which also quickly earned back its costs. The price is $13.99 or £9.99. 

Henry Volans, head of Faber Digital, told the Guardian:

"We're at the real start of how digital books will become different to print books. Historically, for example, a natural history guidebook looks quite similar to a novel, which is an accident of printing. Very soon those things will absolutely diverge massively. It's important to keep innovating, and as publishers we need to have a role in that." It's obvious how non-fiction titles can be enhanced, but the success of The Waste Land suggests it can be done with poetry and fiction as well. Here are some of the features: * a film of actress Fiona Shaw reading the entire poem (fllmed for the app) * audio recordings of the poem by T. S. Eliot, Ted Hughes, Alec Guinness and Viggo Mortensen. (Spot the odd one out...) * interactive notes explaining many of the poem's references * more than 35 experts on video talking about their perspective on the poem. It's very early days but it could be exciting in the future for authors to collaborate with filmmakers, artists, and others to create these kinds of editions. If this interests you at all, it's worth buying some of these first efforts--and then coming up with your own innovative ideas, of course. If you don't have an iPad, probably you know someone who does. Why not buy one of these apps for them in exchange for letting you have a good look? (Even an enhanced book will need a solid text at its core; for friendly guidance get a copy of "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and enhanced with lots of content on the corresponding website.)

A round-up of tricky words even writers misuse

There is a handful of words and phrases that tend to trip up people, sometimes even professional writers. Here are a few:

Literally vs figuratively

This is an endorsement I read the other day: “Debbie Bermont’s seminar - How To Get A Business Success Mindset Like Oprah And Bill Gates With One Easy Formula - quite literally knocked me off my chair!"

Really? You suddenly found yourself on the floor, looking up at your chair, possibly with minor injuries? Or did you mean figuratively? Generally if you don't indicate which but it sounds unlikely that it was literally, we will assume it was figuratively. 

Complement vs. Compliment

"This scarf will compliment any dress." So it's going to speak and say, "Wow, you are some dress!" Compliment means to say something nice about something. Complement means to go with or add to. Likewise, complimentary means free, complementary means associated with or in tune with.

Peek vs. peak

I have been surprised to see these confused more and more often. Peek means to take a sneaky look at something. Peak means the top. Unless you are characterizing a mountaintop as somehow untrustworty, it's "sneak peek," not "sneak peak."

Farther vs. further

As the first part of the word suggests, farther is about distance. "It's not much farther to the pub." Further refers to time or degree. "If we take the argument one step further..." or "I will make further phone calls to check on this."

Begs the question

I'm not even going to try to explain this one. Just be aware that it doesn't mean the same as "raises the question," which is what you should say when that's what you mean.

Principal vs. principle

This is another one I'm seeing more often. The principal is the main or most important (including the school Principal). Principle is an ideal or code of conduct.

(Very) unique

If it's unique it's one of a kind. It can't be very unique. Kind of like being pregnant.

Finally, my 7th grade teacher Mrs McKinley would be proud to hear me say it: If in doubt, look it up! With the internet it takes even less time. Which reminds me,less is used with anything that can't be counted or doesn't have a plural (less money, less time, less trouble); fewer applies to anything in the plural (fewer people, newspapers, hours, etc.). Occasionally this gets tricky as in "It will take you six hours or less" because what's implied is "less time."

In case you want to write for teens

Because I’m writing a Young Adult novel at the moment and don’t have any teen-agers in- house, I started reading a book called Teen Scene, which is written by a teen to help parents have a better relationship with their teen offspring. It was all going well until the author, Dana Bernstein, suggested questions for when you are chauffeuring your teen around and the conversation has ground to a halt (or never started). Below you will find the questions and, in italics, my best guess as to the answers you’ll get:

• Anything interesting/exciting/funny happen at school today? No.
• What's new in your life? Nothing.
• How does this year compare to last year? What kind of weird question is that?
• If you had to pick your favorite year, what would it be? The year I get my own driver’s license.
• How was yearbook/tennis practice/debate today? Fine.
• What did you learn at school today? Nothing.
• What's your hardest/easiest subject? I hate all of them.
• What TV shows are your friends watching? You wouldn’t know them.
• Who has a bad reputation at school? You want me to narc? Forget it.
• Who is the smartest person you know? (sarcastic: You.)
• What is the best video game out today? I don’t know, whatever.
• Where should we go on vacation this year? I don’t want to go.
• Did you have any weird dreams last night? The sheet was like that when you put it on.

The upside of all this is that if you’re writing books about teens, they can be shorter, because the conversations sure will be.

 

Some people just don't get self-publishing

I was surprised to read the L.A. Times’ Jacket Copy column by Carolyn Kellogg about John Locke, the first self-published author to sell a million copies on Kindle. The headline is, “Independent author John Locke joins Amazon’s million-Kindle-seller club, but at what cost?”

She points out that Locke priced his novels at 99 cents and then writes, “What's significant in relation to Locke hitting the million-seller Kindle ebook mark is that it showcases that while choosing the Kindle Direct Publishing route removes agents and publishers from the equation,  Locke makes less money with his 99-cent gambit than he would selling the same number of books with a traditional publisher.”

Yes, Ms Kellogg, but what’s even more significant is that it’s extremely doubtful that a million people would have been willing to buy this unknown’s books had they been priced like books from a traditional publisher. That’s true whether they were issued as paper books or as publisher's ebooks that usually sell for around $10. At 99 cents am I willing to take a chance on a new novelist? No problem. At $10 to $20? What do you think?

At what cost did Locke have his success? He made more than $350,000 in five months using his strategy. I’ll stick with his math over Ms. Kellogg’s any day.

(If you are interested in inexpensive ways to market your books or other products, get a copy of "Do Something Different," published by Virgin Books with a foreword by Sir Richard Branson. It includes 100 case studies you can adapt to your own marketing.)