1. What inspired you to write this book?
I saw was students white-knuckling their way through a rough
draft, concentrating most of their efforts on the mechanics of writing
(grammar, spelling, and punctuation) without understanding the academics of
academic writing.
2. What exactly is it about and who
is it written for?
This book is written for any academically qualified high school
student looking to land an acceptance letter as a qualified candidate to
colleges and universities — because, COLLEGE! What if they get in? I want
to arm students with the formula for success in academic writing at
the undergraduate level, and I start with the college application
essay because in 2023, three out of four ESSAY CURE students were accepted
into their first-choice college or university and earned on average
$80,000 in scholarship offers.
3. What do you hope readers will get out
of reading your book?
I do not believe writing is a “soft skill.” I believe writing is
a technical skill that serves as an essential component in an interconnected
and global economy. Any professional who does not master confidence in
communication suffers greatly as a result. I empower readers with a formula to
improve their writing as a technical skill.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and
cover design?
I honestly didn’t spend much time on it at all, I simply used
the same fonts and colors as I use on my website.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have
for fellow writers – other than run!?
Writing is a complicated art. In order to elicit an
emotional response from readers, a writer needs to enter the limbic system of
the brain, which can only be done through the senses. Painters,
photographers, chefs, dancers, sculptors, musicians—these artists work in
materials that are fundamental to the senses. An eater, for example, can
immediately taste what the chef creates; a viewer can immediately experience
the painter or the photographer; the audience can immediately hear the
orchestra or the musician. The same cannot be said for writers. Writers
craft with words, and words strike the eye first as symbols which then must be
translated into the sense that the language signifies and evokes. Adding to the
complexity: readers bring their own memories and experiences to the piece from
which they will then begin to decode the meaning of the words—and at that
point, it may or may not be the meaning the writer intended. Eliciting an
emotional response from readers by entering the limbic system of the brain,
therefore, is the ultimate task of the writer. Since it can only be done
through a reader's senses, a writer must
show, not tell. The task for writers is to connect with readers by
stringing words together to exchange information or news or ideas, to communicate
the exchange of information, news, or ideas.
6. What trends in the book world do you see --
and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
The barriers once imposed by traditional gatekeepers of content
are breaking down all around us, and I feel that’s a good thing. I’m seeing and
hearing voices and ideas that I otherwise would not have had access to. On the
flip side: there’s a lot of noise, and weeding through that noise can be a lot
of work.
7. Were there experiences in your
personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?
Yes. In my work as an associate faculty member at the University
of Phoenix, I was able to identify the problems students struggled with when
writing. As my own two children began the process of college applications,
I was able to use what I’d learned instructing in the classroom with my kids,
my kids’ friends, and my friends’ kids. It worked! That’s when I realized
I was onto something.
8. How would you describe your writing style?
Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
“Please don’t use the word passion in your
college essay. Period. Instead, show me what passion led you to do.” In moments such as these, Gacharna’s
conversational frankness is refreshing. — Kirkus Reviews
9. What challenges did you overcome in the
writing of this book?
I don’t have a publisher or an agent, so I had to go at it
alone. It was a bit daunting. I learned a LOT. I’m hopeful that I’ll
be able to land an agent as I want to continue publishing! I have “RIGHT
My Essay” already written, it’s the guidebook for college students to help
them with every essay they will write as an undergraduate, and “RIGHT My
Essay — For Kids!” stems from my work with a Montessori educational
consultant (Jackie Grundberg from Backpack Sciences) where I show elementary
and middle school students how to incorporate these principles
into the assignments they do, especially common assignments such as posterboard
presentations of science projects. I
would also like to create a guide for teachers (elementary, secondary, and
undergraduate) because the assessment of student writing is equally as
important to the final product as the student writing itself.
10. If people can buy or read one book this
week or month, why should it be yours?
An academically qualified student who wants to succeed in
college at the undergraduate level can either read my book and get the
instruction, starting with the college application essay, or sign up for one of
my summer workshops where I walk students through the instruction in the book
step-by-step.
About
The Author: Back when reading news on paper was
still a thing, I was the editor-in-chief of my campus newspaper and founder of
the Arizona Daily Wildcat online. I'm an award-winning writer
and photographer, my work has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines
nationwide as both a staff member and a freelancer. I hold a BA in English from
Oregon State (where I met Frosty’s daughters and their parents), an MA in
journalism from the University of Arizona, and I’m a Certified Professional
Photographer. I'm a member in good standing of the Professional Photographers
of America, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Loudoun County (VA)
Chamber of Commerce (where I was just nominated for a small business award),
and Rotary International. For three years, I taught English in Tokyo and for
six years, I taught undergraduate COMM & English courses at the University
of Phoenix (Baton Rouge & New Orleans campuses.) As Lead Faculty for
Communication, I spearheaded campus policy and efforts to streamline the
evaluation and assessment of student writing — and it was then that ESSAY CURE
was born, as I started working with high schoolers and their college
application essays. for more info, please see: https://www.essaycure.com/
Need
Book Marketing Help?
Brian Feinblum, the founder of this
award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available
to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He
has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in
all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!
Read
This!
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https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/book-marketer-brian-feinblum.html
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About Brian Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter
@theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and
raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and
Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer
and IBPA’s The Independent. This
award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts
over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018
as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by
www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades,
including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book
publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with
many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with
best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen,
Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard,
Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C.
Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a
panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA,
Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction
Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland)
Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association.
His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal,
USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News
(Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The
Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult:
www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.
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