Public-finance

I was truly shocked when I read this book yesterday. Within the first page (the first paragraph, really), it was apparent that the author couldn't write. Hoping that the beginning was just a fluke, I continued reading, only to find that the poor quality of the writing persisted throughout the entire book! At times the poor quality was merely laughable; at others, it actually impeded understanding.

I have engaged in much successful publicity for my small business, as well as for a traveling film festival. I have also helped nonprofits and community groups get publicity for their organizations and events. In my experience, a prerequisite for successful press releases is clear writing. So it is rather ironic to publish a poorly written book on news releases.

There is precious little content to be found in "Bulletproof News Releases". The pages are set in a rather large font--much larger than in a typical book. The side margins are almost half the width of the page--meaning that almost half of every page is merely white space! I can't tell you how many pages are in this book, because a strange numbering system takes the place of traditional page numbers--perhaps so you don't realize how few pages there are. I can tell you that the book is very thin.

I'm not sure where other reviewers got the idea that this book was useful for businesses. Many of Borden's examples are for political causes. References to the first Gulf War are numerous. She even sites an example of how a small community in Georgia reduced it's crime rate by requiring all its citizens to own guns! These are not the kind of examples that will help the small business owner succeed.

There is no magic to writing a good press release. First, write well. If you can't write well, contract the work out to someone who can. Second, send out press releases about something original and newsworthy. Third, be sure to include all the relevant details--who, what, where, when, why. Include a few morsels to entice an editor's curiosity. And be sure to include your contact info.

Now isn't that better than spending $20 on a book?

"Bulletproof News Releases" provides exactly what the title indicates - advice from 150 American Media Professionals that details what gets a news release published and what gets it trashed. Author Kay Borden details why so many people, advertising companies, and publicity firms spend so much money on news releases and get nothing for their efforts. The last part of the book covers writing the release, and how to target it to the selected audience so that it will be printed. One of the points that is made very clear is that a news release that does not contain something of interest to the newspaper or magazine's readers will not be published.

The thing I liked best and found the most useful about the book were the comments by various editors included on just about every page. Since the comments are set in the side margin it is very easy to open the book and read through them as a quick review of what editors are looking for, what they don't want, what causes them to discard an otherwise good release, and how to get your release published. "Bulletproof News Releases" is a recommended read.

This is a great PR read. I bought this when I was just starting out in PR, and I can't tell you how many times I have referred to it since then. What I like best about the book is that it doesn't just give you pie-in-the-sky objectives like "develop your brand." What the book offers is specific actions you can take and ideas you can springboard off of to create publicity for your small business or non-profit. REAL ideas, not just puffery. The authors suggest specific stories for certain times of the year, they outline news cycles, they try to teach folks how to distinguish from real news and self-serving fluff.

There have been major shifts and changes in the American financial world over the past two decades driven by the aging baby boom generation, the Internet and computerized day trading, global economic crises, and the "democratization" of the stock and markets. In Bull Run: Wall Street, The Democrats, And The New Politics Of Personal Finance, Daniel Gross examines how the changes in attitudes and policies of the Democratic party under the influence of the Clinton administration has led to an unprecedented period of sustained stability and growth in the American financial community, the rapidly increasing percentage of Americans owning stocks and mutual funds, with the result that today a majority of citizens have a personal stake in public equity and debt markets. Gross offers provocative opinions backed with true-life stories illustrating the new relationship and interdependence of politics and finance, Wall Street, Main Street, and Washington. Bull Run is highly recommended, informative reading for do-it-yourself investors seeking to understand American financial markets -- and what the on-coming decade might bring.

No Bull. Anyone with even a passing interest in national politics will find this book invaluable. The author, clearly a Jack of many trades, brings a wealth of evidence to show a shift in the political landscape that may well affect the outcome of the next election and certainly clarifies positions taken by each party. The stories, facts and humor made it eminently readable.

This book was a quick read and explained in an entertaining manner with wit and stories about the public policy issues and players in today's economy. There was a laugh a paragraph and it was a quick read. I enjoyed the characterization of his parents as academics who accrued wealth through TIAA-CREF.