Sometimes I’m asked what the opening of a prospective client’s book would be like. I explain that there are many ways to Read More...
A very long time ago, in 1966, while in the U.S. Navy, I bought a 1962 Honda Superhawk. At some point it needed work, so I ordered the shop manual.
I was 20 at the time, helping to run the base newspaper at the Naval Air Facility in El Centro, CA. I wasn't an editor as such but nevertheless typos and other grammatical issues grated on me. And that shop manual was full of broken English. At first I found it amusing, and then I wondered, couldn't Honda afford someone to competently translate the manual from Japanese?
Next, I wondered whether the Japanese-language manual was poorly written. I assumed it was written properly. After all, who would want to be embarrassed in their native language? Apparently, however, they figured there was no problem with being embarrassed in some other language.
Fast forward several decades and we find product text, such as on Amazon and in user manuals, continues to suffer. Chinese electronics manufacturers and distributors seem to be egregiously guilty of deploying bad English. They don't seem to care about getting it right, and therefore come across as sloppy. Who wants to have their corporate reputation damaged because of heedlessness?

Is it possible to write an unreadable book? Yes. How might one go about doing so? There are many things an author can do to mangle a Read More...
And here comes our new president, Donald J. Trump. He has called on the carpet the bosses of news media and journalists and whipped Read More...
I had no idea that Barack Obama curses before public speaking. I think I know at whom he curses before going on stage. I was as shocked Read More...
My business partner suggested last night that we ought to review some speeches and comment on what makes them great, or not so great. Read More...
I don’t know how Eric reacts when he’s engrossed in a book or article and comes across a misspelled word, or the wrong Read More...
A few days ago, my partner suggested that I do a blog post about President Barack Obama’s speech at the 2016 Democratic National Read More...
True story. One day a client said that to me. Honestly, I was surprised. It never occurred to me that so many other writers don’t Read More...
Here’s an ethical dilemma for the ages. Ghostwriter Tony Schwartz claims that he wrote GOP presidential candidate Donald Read More...
Blogs are important for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a great way to communicate with your customers. An interesting, ongoing Read More...


